Clue

Hungry. I'm so hungry.

I looked at the digital clock on my bedside table.

3:42 a.m.

Again?

For the past three weeks, I have been waking up at the exact same time, with pangs of hunger. I feel hungry but I'm not hungry. I wish I could explain this better.

Every day that passes, the pangs get worse. Today feels especially painful. But I have to ignore it, for now.

Hungry!

So noisy.

____________________________________________________

"Aurora, I need you to train me." I had asked right when we left the room.

"Train you? What do you mean, Miss?" Aurora was cooking dinner, she didn't even question my long absence.

"Remember the spirit you talked about?"

"Yes?" She placed the spoon down and turned her entire attention to me.

"It's here."

"Here meaning?"

"Hello. It's a pleasure to meet you!"

Aurora stared in surprise at me. My sudden change in behaviour most likely threw her off.

"M-miss? What has gotten into you? Should I call the hospital?"

"Wow. She can't tell the difference between me and you. Isn't that funny?"

"Shut up. Explain it to her properly first."

"Ok, hello again, my name is Kefi. I am the snake spirit that lives in Meraki. And you are?"

"Kefi?" Aurora said that name slowly like she was trying to find something that connected to it.

"No. That's my name. I was asking yours. Is she just dumb or something?"

I sighed.

"Her name is Aurora Windsor. Though I never knew you had a name."

"You never asked me."

"You knew my name."

"Yeah. From your memories."

"Shouldn't I know yours then?"

"I doubt it. I never got the chance to tell you. The moment I awakened, you were attacked and severely wounded. Very close to death's door."

"Kefi! I remember now." Aurora suddenly perked up and rushed to Meraki, excitement dancing in her eyes. "Miss, you got the snake spirit Kefi! I always knew you were destined for great things?"

"What are you talking about, Aurora?" I backed away from her.

"Kefi is an enormously powerful spirit. The last time she was seen was not less than five hundred years ago. She was with the huntress Midnight Snow and wreaked havoc everywhere she went. Man, was she a tough one to take down." Aurora said, almost like she was remembering it.

"You knew my old host?" Kefi said, also getting excited.

"Of course. I fought your old host. She completely destroyed me. Yet I lived. Somehow." Aurora laughed but it sounded like she enjoyed herself.

"Wait a minute. How old are you, Aurora?"

Didn't she say that the last time Kefi was seen was, five hundred years ago? What does she mean when she says that she fought the old host?

"You know it's not polite to ask a woman her age, Miss." Aurora wagged her finger at me, teasing in her voice.

"Your age," I said again, raising my eyebrow.

"Six hundred and fifty-seven years. What about you, Kefi?"

"Hmmm… Forty thousand? I can't remember. What about you Meraki?"

"I don't know."

"Sixteen. Miss is sixteen years old. In another seven months, three weeks and four days, she will turn seventeen." Aurora said this with so much pride I began to feel a little wary of her.

"You really care for your mistress don't you?" Kefi said, her voice soft.

"Of course I do. I owe her my life. For all that she's done for me."

What is she talking about now? Whatever.

"Back to the topic at hand, since the Kefi has awakened I need you to help me learn everything I need to. From combat to anything else. Can you do that?"

Aurora covered her mouth with her hands, tears forming in her eyes.

"Miss." She gasped out, her voice thick with emotion.

"Can you or can you not?" I clenched my teeth hard. For some reason, I'm feeling so annoyed.

"Of course, Miss. Of course. I would have given up everything I had just to get the opportunity to stand in the same room as you. I would be a fool to turn you down when you need me."

"Aurora."

"Yes?"

"Thanks."

"Am I finally getting rewarded for all that I've gone through? Just to hear you say this, I am willing to go through it all over again." Aurora remained in the kitchen, mumbling and talking to herself while I snuck away.

"' You're so creepy.' That's what you wanted to say right? Why didn't you say it?" Kefi teased.

"Since when did you care about what I did or didn't do?" I replied, walking down the corridor.

It feels so strange talking to yourself without actually talking to yourself.

"I am just curious. After all, I don't entirely know what you are thinking and feeling just because we reside in the same body."

"She looked at me with such hopeful eyes, I didn't have the heart to tell that to her."

"You are surprisingly …"

"What?" I paused halfway down the stairs.

"Nothing. So where are we going?"

What was she about to say? Oh well.

"Let's explore a little bit. Maybe some other memory will unlock."

"Ok. Let's go!"

____________________________________________________

We ended up not finding anything else that day and as my training began at the crack of dawn the next day till nightfall, I didn't have time to explore any more.

Aurora is a ruthless teacher, I always end the day too exhausted to even move. She tries to make up for it by giving me treats after dinner. Pudding, cake, ice-cream, anything I asked. But I was too tired to be picky, I just wanted to sleep.

Seems Kefi is growing restless as well, I would unintentionally obliterate the opponents' Aurora created for me to practice my combat on. I will occasionally use more force or power than I intend to, almost losing control.

She wants blood and so do I. But we can't just be reckless, so I do whatever I can to hold her back. Even if I got hurt.

I turned from my position on the bed and stared at the ceiling.

I'm hungry! Meraki! Hungry! Feed me! You woke me up with the promise of blood and I'm haven't getting a drop! Meraki!

"Shut up. You're so noisy."

Feed me.

Why is she being so persistent today?

Maybe if I go out for a walk, she will calm down.

Blood. Give me blood. I demand blood!

"Hey, Kefi. You like custard right?" I pulled myself off the bed, leg dangling from the edge.

No, I want blood!

"We have some leftover custard in the refrigerator. I thought you would like some but I guess not." I laid back down, pulling the covers over me again.

"I want blood. But … custard is fine for tonight."

"Ok. Let's get to the kitchen."

OK!

I got out of bed slowly and made my way out of the room. Aurora always talked about silencing my footsteps whenever I could so I'm trying to do that now. It is so difficult silencing my footsteps when every step hurts my aching muscles.

Almost reaching the kitchen, come on.

Crash!

"What was that?"

I stopped walking and listened.

"Someone's in the kitchen," I whispered, continuing my walk.

"I can see that. They'd better not be stealing my custard." Kefi hissed.

At least she isn't thinking of blood now.

I leaned my back on the door and peeked in the kitchen, someone was rummaging through the fridge.

The person stood up and my eyes widened.

I had to plant myself on to the ground and gripped hard. Kefi was ready to kill when she saw the custard in the boy's hand.

It took everything in me to prevent her from dashing to him. I gripped the doorway so hard it broke, finally drawing the intruder's attention.

He closed the fridge door and slowly walked to where I stood.

Damn it. I can't be discovered yet.

Let me kill him!

Wait, Kefi.

She ripped my hand from the doorway and charged at him, concealing our presence. He has no idea we are charging at him, it will be an easy and quick death.

I waved my hand and we disappeared as my other hand encircled around his neck, and crashed right into a hedge. We are in the garden, somehow.

"What the hell was that?" Kefi shouted, trying to untangle us from the hedge. "Why did you protect him?! He even dared to break in and eat my custard!"

"No."

"What?"

"Not the time. Now's not the time. Not with the way you were about to kill him too."

"What are you talking about?"

"Remember his hair colour? From the light in the refrigerator showed his face and hair clearly."

"Ok? What does that have to do with anything? Are you trying to see if he is attractive or something? I don't care about the face. My custard."

"I'll tell Aurora to make more tomorrow. Don't worry. It's his hair colour I was concentrating in. 'Crown of sunlight, heart of glass.'"

"I have no idea what you are talking about."

"One of the murderers has a crown of sunlight. Crown of Sunlight. Sunlight is usually golden isn't it and crown the head. What was the colour of the intruder's hair?"

"… Golden." Kefi laughed, her signature grin appearing on my face.

"Things just got interesting again."