Storm Is Coming

Lalin scoffed under her breath. With the course of her conversation with Briare, she was expecting a scary place. An underground tunnel where rats live or a dilapidated building in the middle of nowhere where men who had a penchant for little girls that looked like little boys with unruly red hair were waiting for her.

She did not expect to be brought to a temple. It's the usual temple that she saw around. The only difference with this one is that it has a huge land area.

They had driven halfway through the temple grounds but then, they still had to walk for twenty minutes until they reached this area of the garden where they were welcomed by a monk and asked to wait.

Lalin did not mind the walk. She secretly enjoyed it. The place has the usual peacefulness of a temple and it gave her a feeling of coming to a safe place.

And after sitting down inside a car for more than an hour, talking about killing, Lalin appreciated the openness and the calmness of the place. She wished the walk was longer.

"You can come here anytime whenever you need to clear your mind."

Lalin stared at Briare with her brows tightly knitted together. "I truly don't believe that you can't read my mind."

Briare chuckled but did not dispute her statement. He casually sat down in one of the garden chairs and waited for whoever they were waiting for.

Lalin followed suit. She relaxed on the garden chair as well, watching a couple of birds playing on the tree branch of a tree that she had no idea what the name was.

The tree had generous branches and its leaves were thick, giving ample shade to them.

She was so busy staring at the birds that she didn't notice that another man sat down next to Briare until he cleared his throat to get her attention.

"Lalin, this is Chang. He will be the one that will take care of everything you need."

Lalin heaved a deep sigh as she slowly observed the man named Chang. He did not look like a Chang. He is tall for an Asian guy. He had slanted eyes but they were not black. They were like a slate of horizons with an incoming storm—gray.

Chang's seemed to pay a lot of money for his hair. And his skin is the color of molasses which tells her that Chang is of mixed race.

The only thing that made Chang belong to the temple was the clothes he was wearing.

He is wearing the same piece of garment a monk wears.

However, it just made him out of place instead because the clothes did not suit his physique and the vibes he was vibrating.

"The name Chang does not suit you at all," she said.

Lalin expected the man to feel offended but he just laughed.

"And what name suits me?"

Lalin cocked her head to the side, thinking. She stared at the man for a long time before she uttered a name.

"Storm. Your eyes looked a lot like the sky with an incoming storm."

"Hmmm," he said with a smile.

Lalin smiled back. Chang's facial expressions softened when he laughed. She had noticed that he was a handsome guy. The bad boy kind.

"Storm sounds nice. From now on, I am Storm. However, in this place, I am Chang."

Lalin shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly.

"Whatever," she muttered under her breath. She did not like the way the pit of her stomach grumbled in a way that made her avert her gaze away from Chang's face.

"It would be nice if you will think of me as Storm from now on."

She scoffed and raised her brow. " Don't tell me you have the power to read minds as well."

"As well?"

Chang, go is now Storm chuckled under his breath.

"Why? Can you read minds?" He looked at Briare who was grinning in amusement.

"I don't."

Lalin clicked her tongue. She could feel that the two men were playing her.

"So, why am I here?" She asked, changing the topic.

"Chang will be your guardian. He will support you with whatever you need. He will also be your mentor. "

"I just need the money that my aunt works hard for. I don't need a mentor or whatever. I'm going to finish my studies in the school I'm currently enrolled in. Speaking of school, the leave of absence that I filed will end tomorrow.

I have to be at school tomorrow. However, I don't have a place to stay. If you're going to be my guardian, a place to stay where no one will question me why I live alone will be a priority."

"Not a problem. Your aunt's money will be returned to you. It will be deposited in a bank account to which you will have access but limited. We don't want you to get everything in just one withdrawal, not thinking of your future.

The place where you will live has been taken care of. There is a childless couple that lives in a small apartment near your school. You will live with them. They will be your aunt and uncle from your father's side of the family."

"Are they?" She asked in a cold tone. She had no idea who her father was. The only thing she knew about him was the color of his hair. The same hair color she got.

"No, they are not. They are working with us and they will just pretend to be your family because we don't want the government going after you, a minor with no family, living alone. Living with an aunt and uncle is easier to explain."

Lalin exhaled a relieved breath. She didn't like the idea of having a connection with her birth father. He is dead. Because she had no idea of his identity, she had killed him from her life a long time ago. Her aunt and her mother were the only families she got.

Unfortunately, they both left her too soon.

"Do you have any more questions?"

Lalin met Briare's eyes and asked back. "What am I going to do here? And who are these people?"

"We saw your potential and we wanted to hone it. The people here are part of an organization which they called the Mafia, but here, we call it the Triad."