CHAPTER 4
"You," Dark uttered, glaring at Matt.
A terrified Matthew staggered back from her, unable to scream out for help.
It felt like his throat was blocked by something invisible.
"You are that man from the ceremony. What are you?" She questioned, stretching out her hand to Matt.
The moment he saw her hand coming towards him, Matthew screamed out, "HELP!"
Dark Tale is stunned by his sudden reaction at her, pausing at once.
"Don't come near me!" Matt freaked out, throwing the Chinese takeout right at Dark Tale for protection, and dashing off like it was the end of the world.
When the meal came towards Dark, she opened her hands and got hold of it.
"What is this?" She wondered, tilting her head at the meal.
Dark opened the meal and she's welcomed by the aroma from the dish. Her eyes twinkled at once.
Matthew, who had zoomed off like a maniac, hid behind a pillar in the garage.
His heart pounding with pace, as he wondered why Dark Tale was at his apartment building.
"This is bad! What is she here?!" He panted in fear.
He looked at his left corner and saw the exit leading into the building.
Matthew had no choice but to take the risk.
"I don't know why she's here, but I have a bad feeling that she's after writers, just like Chi-Chi said. After Writers? Damn it! I hope she's not here for Chi-Chi?" Matthew feared.
He didn't want anything happening to his little cousin, so he took it upon himself to dash towards the entrance and head upstairs to save Chi-Chi from Dark Tale.
"I won't allow anyone to hurt her," He vowed.
Just as he's about to step out and make his move, Matthew is left astonished by what he saw.
"What the hell?"
Dark was sitting on the floor, eating the takeout Matthew had thrown at her.
Her terrifying white hair were now black, her pale skin full of life, and her eyes... They were blue.
Matthew wondered if what he was seeing was a different person entirely. But the blue aura that flowed around her, showed the lady he was looking at wasn't a terrifying demon as many described her, but beauty.
Her beauty captivated Matthew at once. He couldn't make a run for it but stare in surprise.
"Dark Tale?" He uttered, finding this strange.
She ate the takeout with joy, acting like one who was newly born.
When she lifted her gaze at Matthew, they both ended up sharing an eyelock.
He felt his heart skitter when it happened, thinking if she was planning on attacking him. But nothing like that happened.
Dark gave out a beautiful smile, leaving Matthew's face flushing red.
Feeling weird about what was happening, Matthew ran off for the entrance and made his way up the stairs.
He couldn't take out the image of the beauty he just saw.
It felt so strange to him.
When he got to his apartment, Matthew dashed into the room, shutting the door at once.
"Hey! Why the pace?" Chi-Chi asked Matt.
She was sitting and watching the news of the ruined ceremony when her cousin dashed in.
She looked at Matt and noticed how terrified he looked.
"What happened to you? Did you see a ghost?" Chi-Chi asked mockingly while approaching him.
She dropped her gaze on Matt's hand and noticed it was free.
"Where's the takeout?" She asked, looking at his face.
Matthew kept on panting. The young man was still lost.
"Hey! Where's the takeout? Me starving here!" Chi-Chi demanded, tapping Matt on the shoulder.
Gaining his senses, Matt looked at Chi-Chi, remembering that his cousin is a writer.
"Dark Tale," He said softly.
"What? Where?" Chi-Chi asked, turning around to find her.
That's when Matt tells Chi-Chi what happened and how Dark almost attacked him.
"She almost grabbed me, but I tossed the food at her and ran for my dear life," He explained to Chi-Chi.
"Oh my Gosh! She attacked you and you tossed the food at her?" Chi-Chi gasped, looking shocked at what Matthew just said.
"Yes! She almost attacked me, so I had no choice," Matt added.
But instead of getting support from his cousin, Chi-Chi groaned at Matthew.
He saw this and asked, "What?"
"Really? You tossed the meal at her or you ate it?"
"What?! I didn't eat it! I'm telling you the truth. I threw the food at Dark Tale and somehow, she ended up eating the meal, which is kinda weird, " Matthew said, defending himself while finding his encounter with Dark, absolutely weird.
"Yeah right. This sounds like sleep over when we where kids. Who ate the fries? It was the fries monster hiding under the bed." Chi-Chi groaned more, reminding Matt of all his nasty acts when they were little.
"That was because I was being immature. But I'm a grown man now, Chi-Chi. I know what I saw, " Matt defended himself.
But Chi-Chi wasn't buying it.
She drew closer to Matt and took a sniff at his mouth.
"What are you doing?" He asked.
Chi-Chi kept sniffing, then she stopped.
"Yep, I smell chicken sauce. Mind explaining that?" She crossed her arms at her cousin, dimming her eyes at him.
"Well, I... You know I..." Matt had his hand rubbing his back, unable to explain himself.
"You ate the food didn't you?"
"It was just the chicken while coming, but Dark Tale ate the rest, I swear!"
"No more cock and bull stories, Matthew. You're a grown man, " Chi-Chi said, turning her back at her cousin.
"I guess I'll be heading out myself," She decided, reaching for her purse.
But Matt forbade her from stepping out of the house, telling her that Dark was still outside.
"I think she's looking for all the writers from the ceremony. Just don't go anywhere."
"Quit it, Matt! Why are you trying to scare me?" Chi-Chi sparked, finding Matt's behavior creepy.
"I'm serious. She's out there."
"Then prove it."
"What?"
"Yeah, prove that she's really there. We'll both head out to see Dark Tale. If she's really there, I'm going to cook, but if she's not, you will cook tonight. Agreed? " Chi-Chi made a bet before Matt.
In as much as he wants to protect his cousin, an opportunity like this is something Matt wouldn't want to miss.
"How about the loser gets to cook for a whole month without begging for help from the other ?" Matt asked Chi-Chi.
She dimmed her eyes at her cousin, understanding what he was doing.
"You lazy bones. Alright then, agreed," she accepted, as well as Matt.
Both cousins stepped out of the room to see Dark Tale.
Matt stood in front of his cousin, protecting her, but Chi-Chi kept acting like he was being silly.
"Moron. You think your act will scare me? Try something better," She said, following him.
"We could have just taken the lift than following the stairs." Chi-Chi grumbled.
Matt told her the stairs was far better and more safer than the lift.
"You can easily dash off with the stairs, but the lift will only leave you in a spot, which is easy for her to attack."
"Waw. Words of wisdom," Chi-Chi said sarcastically, clapping for Matt.
He didn't mind. He just wanted to prove to Chi-Chi that Dark was at the garage and make her cook for a whole month.
He's tired of taking turns.
When the two arrived there finally, Dark was gone.
"So, where is she?" Chi-Chi asked, looking around.
Matt is surprised. He rushed to the spot he last saw Dark, and found the takeout he bought, completely empty.
"She's gone?" He stared at the spot she sat.
He recalled her beautiful face and smiles, feeling strange towards the villain everyone calls a demon.
"Damn! You just couldn't help yourself, could you?" Chi-Chi sparked on seeing the empty takeout.
"This is why you brought me here, isn't it Stone head?!"
"What? No! This is where Dark Tale sat, eating the food!" Matt raised his voice, pointing at the spot.
"This is where she stood to attack with all those black smoke that surrounds her, then I ran over to that pillar to hide from her thinking she'll chase me, and then..."
Matt had to act the whole scene for Chi-Chi, including Dark's part.
"Then she gave me a smile with her blue eyes and I ran off to protect you. So, I didn't eat it!" He panted out from the narration.
Chi-Chi hummed at Matt, saying, " I wonder why you didn't stick to art back then. It still suits you till now."
"You're mocking me, aren't you?" He shrieked his eyes at her.
But a hungry Chi-Chi wasn't going to listen to her cousin's story.
She stood her ground, believing Matt ate the food and he's covering up by using Dark's name, because of what happened at the ceremony.
"You are going to cook for a whole month, my dear cousin. I shall await tonight's meal, " Chi-Chi said, walking to the lift and waiting for her cousin.
"You coming or what?" She crossed her arms.
Matt took another look at the spot, feeling worried.
"Where did she go?"