The Unknown Letter. 002

I woke up. Got done with my morning routine and headed downstairs for breakfast.

"Kei, I have something important to discuss with you." My mom called out to me as I was done with climbing down half the amount of stairs.

"Yeah, what is it?" I asked as I finally landed downstairs.

"Your father is going back to Germany for some important work."

"For how long?"

"For about two years."

"Goddamn!" Two whole years…..730 days...

"I hope he will be doing alright overseas without us for those two whole years…"

"Yeah…I hope so too." And with that I took my seat and was ready to have breakfast. My breakfast this morning is potato pancakes. Not much of a fan of it, to be honest.

"Keiko Andro Marion. The mere puppet of the mockery of a wolf. The target of the hungry lion and the thirsty swindler. The user of two rival elements. Thou art the prey surrounded by three predators."

"...….."

  Mockery of a wolf? 

Hungry lion? 

Thirsty swindler? 

User of two rival elements???

Prey of three predators???

I don't understand.

I don't understand any of this.

I don't know anything.

I just don't know what to give as my reply to this voice coming from all sides.

It is not from my left.

It is not from my right.

It is not from behind.

It is not in front of me.

If I turn to either sides, I feel like the voice is coming from every single one of them, I can't sense the body of the voice, the vessel. 

Can't I enjoy a peaceful meal in the morning??? 

I started sweating profusely once again. My frightened face caught my mom's eyes. They slowly averted towards me.

"Kei dear, are you really really sure that you are doing just fine?"

"I-I…y-yes, yes! I am, I am totally fine!" 

"Uhh, maybe you should refrain from going to school today."

"No no, it's fine, it's fine. I have no problem at all! Ha ha…" I displayed a concerning face. Anyone would say those things to me with such a face…

"..." My mom stood there, blandly.

"Eh, uhh…" I couldn't muster up the lines I intend on telling my mom right now.

"Thou ought not to ignore my wordings. Answer me Keiko Andro Marion."

"...…" I kept quiet. I didn't feel like answering because...because I don't know what to answer, I don't want to answer. My mom went to the living room, closing the kitchen door shut. Then, I inhaled and exhaled out the words, "Could you please answer three questions I am going to be asking you?"

"Very well Keiko Andro Marion. Only three questions, there is no turning back."

I gulped and answered back, "Who are you, really? What are you, precisely? Where are you present in this…kitchen room?"

"For thy first question, I go by the name Makkura as I have mentioned earlier. For thy second question, I identify as the wolf entity. For thy third question, I am floating right behind you."

"....." 

This creature has a rather loyal tone for some reason.

Behind me…..I turned behind to witness the creepiest figure I must've seen in all the thirteen-years of my life, there stood it's entire figure, last night it was just the eyes but now…the entire figure. Now this is the real deal. It didn't even seem fake, not even a single bit. It did have the figure of a wolf, but…

It doesn't look of any gender at all so I am only going to use the pronoun it. It had cold bloodshot eyes, the color of crimson red blood. There were black projections from the opposite side of each eyeball. It had huge fluffy ears, resembling the ears of a wolf. It's entire body was purely just pitch-black. It had long, thick and muscular-looking fluffy arms each only having four fingers which makes it a total of eight fingers. It didn't seem to have a 'hand'. It had an ice-cold designed gem engraved on the center of it's chest. It didn't have any legs at all, the legs seem to have been replaced by a genie-like tail. The most intimidating feature about it is it's face. I forgot to mention this earlier, my bad, but it had a small snout where I could barely see the blackish nose due to how pitch-black it's entire figure is, an opened jaw which didn't seem to close at all and it almost seemed as if it was missing the connecting bones below it's jaw. The jaw was covered with perfectly curved teeth sharp enough to dig into even metallic objects (well, that's what it seemed like) with it's long long tongue covered with pure, wet saliva out of it's jaw. I can't describe anything else further. There was an ominous aura which seemed to surround this humungous beast.

This figure looked like it could make even the most fearless and heroic man on Earth to wet his pants. Well, not like I did right now, I am not lying but despite this being just a nightmare it looks and feels super realistic that I felt like I could wet my own pants at any moment. But, my heart stopped pounding. The beast kept glaring at me, constantly. It didn't stop, it didn't say anything for some time, then,

"Did thou read my message the previous night? If thou did then thee shan't think it is just bullshit."

"I did, I did read it the moment you were forcing my hand into writing it down." I am sharp. I shouldn't be using that right here because anyone could've guessed what could've made me write that down. "I can't conclude this to be just some random crap judging by what I am going through and experiencing," I said with a bland expression this time, "there is no way I would think it is just bullshit because how could I after everything I've experienced?"

"Fool. I am not asking for thy thoughts on whether it is bullshit or not, I am just warning thou that it isn't." 

"Oh, sorry Makkura." My apology seemed awfully dry and irrelevant now, at least that is from my perspective. I am not sure about what Makkura would think about it. 

"Apologies eh? That is nothing like the Keiko Andro Marion I know. I have observed everything about you, both physically and mentally for about a decade and three years."

"You observed me for thirteen straight years?"

"Certainly that is what I just said. Thou seemed like a tough nut to crack. Impossible to understand as thy feelings seem awfully complex." 

"Are you for real now?"

"I do not utter lies. I always utter the truth."

"At least you beasts speak the absolute truth unlike us human beings."

"I shalt warn thou one more time that the swindler come hither soon."

"What do you mean by 'swindler' here? Some wicked person?"

"Thou shalt find the answer to thy question thyself."

"Hey wait, don't just vanish all of a sudden." And there it disappears. I wonder when will I be able to meet it again. I gobbled up the remaining of the two pancakes. I came outside to the living room, grabbed my bag and headed straight to school after receiving a send-off message from my mom.

Kirie Tomatsu. 

Kirie Marion.

A beautiful name my mother has been given. Deep down, I too, love my own mother. At least I am capable of that much…

I reached the school building but something seemed off.

The gates were not open yet. A huge crowd filled with confused, concerned and with a mix of joyful noises was gathered around outside that big black gate.

The two guards, were absent at their usual places.

"Hey Keiko, are you doing alright? Your facial expression doesn't seem quite fine. By the way, it has been rumored that both of them might've gone missing. Do you really think this might be true or just another nonsensical rumor?"

"I feel like it might just be a rumor, I don't think those two geezers are ever worth going missing if it is ever something like getting kidnapped."

"Not worth being kidnapped you mean? Yeah, missing in the sense it is for the major part getting kidnapped orrr being brutally murdered or perhaps even getting caught up in an accident. You are most likely right about it."

"Yes." If you are wondering about who I am having this conversation with, it is not Carrie. Lana was her name. The gates were finally opened now but by new guards I have never encountered before…

"Well looks like the gates are open now, we better go inside."

"You are right." I said as me, Lana and the other students entered into the school building. 

As soon as I entered the school building, I reached to my locker first. There was something ugly present beside the door of my locker. Yes, 'something' which looked so hideous and unpleasant I felt like it just never existed. It was Jacob if you are still wondering about it. Well, he does look hideous, can't help it. I accidentally showed my presence so clear and vivid that it caught his attention. We were actually about ten meters away from each other. 

"Yo Keiko, wassup?"

"..."

"Hey, say something."

"....." I wanted to give him the silent treatment. I ignored his presence completely, simply pushed him away and opened my locker to get some books. 

"Oi, don't give me that look."

Absolute silence must be maintained at the moment, the voices in my head said to me. My eyes caught the presence of a paper note. Could it be a love letter from Jacob? I picked it up and opened it. I didn't want to turn behind to look at his face but as I slowly started unfolding it to open it and read what is written on it Jacob closed the locker, pulled me to the other side and started glaring into my eyes. God, please don't play that stereotypical romantic music in the background now, that makes me nauseous. 

"Jacob, stop it."

"Oh why should I?"

"You don't need a reason, just stop it and leave me alone."

"No, I do need a reason now."

"You jerk, you better move aside right now, this instant."

"Wow, are you flustered?"

"I am not."

"Don't lie, I know you are flustered."

"You asked for it." I kicked him in the most sensitive place in the entire human body. He backed off and started wailing in pain.

"H-H-How could you…."

"You didn't listen to me so I had no choice." I said as I started reading what was written on the letter. Okay, the handwriting was so horrible I could barely read anything. "Hey Jacob, is this a letter from you?" 

"W-W-W-What? No, it's not."

"Um, don't lie."

"No, Keiko, I am serious here, my handwriting isn't that bad." He said as I was showing him the letter.

"I bet people with bad handwriting could read other people's bad handwriting too." 

"Yeah, I could read it but not everything."

"Then, would you kindly read it for me?"

"Is that a request or a command now?"

"How dumb are you? It's obviously a request and now I regret asking you in a tone so kindly."

"Okay okay, I'll read it for you."

"Alright then, go ahead."

"It says, 'Meet me at Autre restaurant at sharply six-o-clock today without fail.' Then um….I am not sure if I am going to be right with the other few lines because the handwriting is totally gibberish from this point, 'I have some important things to inform you about. You better be there without fail, otherwise,' hey Keiko, I can't read the other few words..."

"Hm? You can't? Wait, hand it over to me, I'll see." Jacob handed me the paper note by gently placing it on the palm of my hand, I held it and tried reading it with my naked eyes. I couldn't understand a single thing after the word 'otherwise' which was written in such a way that it seemed like the scribbles of a child. I took out my glasses, wore them and then tried to read it. 

Jacob got up from his half crouching position he was during the whole time and started looking at the paper as well. He then pointed out to the next few words after 'otherwise' and said "'you will have to face some serious issues later on but they remain a surprise.' I think that's what it says."

"Some serious issues? They remain a surprise? Who on Earth would be wanting me to meet them at a restaurant?"

"Who knows, maybe it is some kind of proposal?"

"I am not into such. I don't think I am worth being proposed to."

"Well, beats me. I am not sure either but come on, Keiko you look cute, that is from my point of view."

"'Cute' doesn't fit me at all, stop saying that."

"Fine, I guess."

"Repeat the same thing again and you'll face the consequences."

"Alright alright, I won't repeat it again, I got carried away, okay?"

"Whatever." I said as I placed my glasses in it's case and shoved it inside of my bag and the note in my pocket. I picked up the books from the locker and headed to class. First period seemed to be math but unusually the math teacher seems to have taken the day off from what my classmates are saying. Not sure if that's true or not. Could be a rumor unless vouched by other teachers.

"Hey Keiko, do you think that our math teacher taking the day off sounds like some rumor?"

"Maybe, maybe not."

"It doesn't seem like it. I saw some teacher talking about it in the hallway."

"Oh really?"

"Yeah. I wouldn't lie about that."

"I guess he must have been tired of us. That geezer must've just wanted to have his sweet leisurely time at home instead of at school dealing with us."

"Hehe, I guess so too." Lana said as she went back to her seat as there arrived a substitute teacher in the class. It was a woman. She had long hazel colored hair, hazel eyes like me and an inquisitive look on her pale white face. She had an unusually eerie demeanor. She looked like she was in either in her late 20s or her early 30s. I have never seen her before in this school. Could she be a trainee teacher here? The whole class stood up and greeted her. 

"It seems quite abrupt to not introduce myself yet. My name is Kendra Fritz. You can call me Mrs. Kendra." She said as she sat down on the wooden chair placed on the other side of the teacher's table. Fritz seemed quite familiar. It isn't much of an uncommon name so….

"Mrs. Kendra, are you somehow related to our math teacher Mr. Fritz?" asked a student.

"Yes. I am his wife." Ah-ha, his wife. I usually don't keep track of the names of our teacher, I usually call them by the subject they handle as the prefix before the word 'teacher'.

"What happened to Mr. Fritz?"

"He isn't feeling very well and he told he'd take care of himself so he just sent me here to handle math for you guys today." She said as she averted her eyes towards me. Eh? Why me now?

"....." I was simply silent and tried not to make eye contact with her.

"You there. The one with brown hair, sitting next to the window." She called out to me while pointing at me.

"Um….." I slowly stood up.

"Yes, you."

"..."

"Meet me after school this evening. Tom asked me to pass on a message to you."

"Alright." I said as I was allowed to sit down again.

"It is important, meet me at the school gate at around...5:30pm seems good to you?"

"Yes, that's fine."

"Okay then."

That short but yet to awkward conversation was over. She started taking class from that point. I just realized that five-thirty is exactly thirty minutes away from the time I am supposed to be there at that Autre restaurant. At sharply six-o-clock. I am not sure how far it is away from my house or from my school. I still wonder who sent me that note. 

I have a feeling that the owner of the letter must be a man.