Invitation Cards

'That's what friends do…' Reciting Vincent's last sentence in her heart, Calla couldn't help but understand how true those words were. Indeed, friends do make time to have beautiful memories of one another. Vincent might see her as a true friend, but she wasn't the same…yet.

''…..'' Pursing her lips without a word, Calla found it hard to give the answer that she was sure vincent wasn't looking for from herself. She also avoided his gaze, finding it hard to be looking into his expectant eyes.

Eyeing her down countenance, Vincent smiled to himself, understanding her current dilemma. ''It's fine if you don't want to go, Calla.'' He voiced out, guessing that Calla did not want to expose herself yet. She probably wanted to avoid venturing in the same city that she was chased out from by the circumstances.

''I had some places for us to go, but if you don't want to go….''

''I'll go.'' The words left her lips before she could stop them.

''…..''

''…..''

Calla wasn't the only stunned by her words. Vincent was also the same.

''I mean…I will come with you…to the places that you have in mind...'' Saying this, Calla lifted her eyes to him, holding their gazes in the air before turning hers away from him. ''I also have a place in mind.'' She murmured, the image of a certain place coming to mind.

'It will be nice to pay a visit...' She thought to herself.

''Are you sure?'' Despite feeling happy, Vincent asked, to make sure that she wasn't feeling pressured to go with him.

''Hm…'' Calla confirmed, still avoiding his gaze. ''That is, if we are allowed to leave the hotel.'' She added softly.

''Don't worry about that. The university will allow us to leave.'' Vincent said almost immediately. He was really delighted that Calla decided to come out of her protective cocoon.

To be suppressing desires and wants just because of others, Vincent knew he couldn't understand, but he felt it was really hard for Calla to be doing this for somethings that had never been her fault.

''And I promise you won't regret going out with me, Calla.'' His affirmative words made Calla to return her gaze back to him. Perhaps the smile on his lips was very contagious, that Calla couldn't help but have a smile of her own.

Even if it was a small tug on the corner of her lips.

****

''Did you see those monkeys dancing?''

''Yeah I totally did! I got the dance on video.''

''Oh thank goodness. I've been looking for someone who got the dance on video.''

''What about the penguins? They looked so cute.''

''My favorite were the silly monkeys.''

''I think those dancing monkeys was everyone's favorite.''

Amid the noisy murmurs of the students, Calla could be seen walking behind with her eyes on the phone in her grasp, her fingers swiping every picture she had taken of the animals in the Bronx zoo.

Her twinkling eyes exposed her true feeling at the sight of animals.

Currently, the time was three p.m. late in the afternoon. After spending almost an entire day in the Bronx zoo with the animals, Calla just felt like burying her fatigued body in the soft blankets of her bed in the hotel room.

''Miss Anderson?'' An unfamiliar voice called out from behind her. Turning around to meet the owner of the unfamiliar voice, Calla found a hotel female worker standing with a smile. Other students bypassed them in the hallway, but not without throwing curious glances in their way.

''Your attention is needed, Miss Anderson. Please follow me.''

''…..'' Eyeing the polite smile of the hotel female worker, Calla didn't sense anything amiss with the lady. But…she couldn't just follow someone who she didn't know just because her attention was needed.

If any of lecturers needed her, they would have come themselves rather than sending someone.

''I was told to tell you about exploring the city if you feel suspicious...'' The hotel female worker explained, still with her smile.

'Oh….' Hearing those words made Calla to guess the person behind the hotel female worker.

''Lead the way…'' This time, Calla did not make things difficult, and together they left the hallway, with her following the steps of the hotel female worker.

****

''A worker came for her?''

''Yes, Miss Lacy.''

''That's suspicious.'' Hearing what her spy had for her, Lacy murmured, her brows furrowing, and her lips chewing her manicured nails in contemplation.

''Lacy, maybe you're thinking too much.''

''Yeah, just because Prince Vincent's room is near the freak's room, doesn't mean anything will happen.''

''Sky is right. I haven't heard anything about them lately.''

''Yeah…have you seen them talk to each other recently?'' One of Lacy's friends asked with a green mask on her face, while the other sat on the bed, painting her toenails and throwing glances to the lady standing in the middle of room.

''No, I haven't.'' The lady shook her head.

''See Lacy, you are thinking too much. '' The one with the green mask pointed out. At the same time, another door in the room opened, and a familiar person in a white bathing robe stepped out with a towel wrapped around her head.

''Rosie, what do you think?''

Not fully understanding the question from her green masked friend, Rose Collins tilted her head in confusion. ''What?''

''About Vincent and the freak. Lacy is worried that something will happen between them.''

''...'' Hearing that, Rose's eyes moved to Lacy, who met her observing gaze for a moment. Her eyes then shifted to the other person that was not her roommate. An understanding glint flickered in her eyes.

''Were they together?'' Rose asked in return, walking across the room to the bed where Lacy settled on, though her steps stopped on the other side of the bed.

''No. they haven't been together since the beginning of the trip. Someone called for the freak through a worker, and Lacy is worried that the person is Prince Vincent.''

''Perhaps one of our lecturers called for her.'' Rose pointed out, loosening the wrapped towel around her head. Her washed hair fell over back, and she began to dry damp brown strands.

''Did you hear that, Lacy? Now stop worrying and let's enjoy our time in New York city.'' This time, it was the one painting her toe nails that spoke out.

Right after her words, a series of knock came after, and the lady who was Lacy's spy went ahead to open the door.

''Tiffany is right, Lacy. Stop worrying and let's have fun.''

''…..'' Lacy did not bother with the assuring words from her friends. As a woman in love, her sixth sense was telling her that if she wasn't careful, her Prince would slip right of her grasp, and she absolutely did not want that.

Ever since that moment in the lecture theatre, that freak had become her rival in love. Unlike other girls who she did not bother to put in her eyes, the freak was different.

Her Prince had spoken to her, touched her, and even protected her.

Other than her Prince falling for the freak, there was nothing else Lacy could think of, and that was why she had one of her followers to spy on the freak, and her Prince during this field trip.

The fact that even their rooms were so near to each other was like the universe telling her to be on her toes with her Prince and her love rival.

''This came for you, Miss Rose.'' The lady who left to answer the door came back with an envelope that seemed to be for Rose.

''For me?'' Halting the action of drying her hair, Rose was a bit confused. But after collecting the envelope and tearing off the seal, she suddenly understood why an envelope came for her.

''I guess we are going to a banquet, girls.'' She revealed with a smile, eyeing the content of the envelope in her hands. Five invitations cards just as she had requested when Evelyn Castro sent her manager to ask how many friends she wanted to bring to the banquet.

'Four for I, lacy and her friends...' Rose recounted her plan in her thought, putting back the invitation cards in her envelope. Her gaze then swept over the ecstatic Tiffany and Skylar, and the somewhat pleased Lacy.

'And the last….' Rose gave a bright smile to the lady that was not her roommate, still in the room.

'For Calla.'

>>>Enjoy and Post soon!<<<