Charmed [✔]

04.3 ▌The Identity of the Guest

ALL PENT-UP frustrations were finally released. Being questioned was never a problem for Elise but it was as if she was persecuted. She never meant to tell the truth yet once he mentioned her family, her temper worsened. Then she went out and spilled everything.

'He even tried to undress me!' She indignantly shuddered at the memory. Good thing he came back to his senses but he started talking in some gibberish words.

That was weird. 'No, more like psychotic.' She corrected herself as she was crying like a child with no care.

She never had the 'ugly' cry after she stepped into elementary. Even when she broke up with her exes, one day of crying was enough for them. It was their loss, anyway. Her resilience was due to her brothers' endless mischief.

From what she had watched, the characters easily accepted their fate and were always strong facing the challenges then finally living happily, forgetting their past.

'But what a joke it is!' Anyone would feel scared and lonely in a completely different world no matter how strong they were. No one could just forget their loved ones instantly. There would always be the thought of going back home and there was nothing she wished more than that.

Elise regretted she didn't spend her time with them and always complained about her family. She hated how they were derided and she persuaded them to live normally but they were persistent in pursuing their interests when all she wanted was to stop the ridicule they received.

Her dad may be a well-known appraiser while her mom was a best-selling romance author and she had brothers who were famed scientists but that did not stop people from making fun of them.

They had always been the talk of the town even if they lived in such an exclusive village. Those people loved to gossip about their circumstances. It was not that the Johnsons had a bad reputation, it was plainly because they were known as eccentrics.

Her dad was such an avid fan of antiques that he made it his job and converted their garage into a mini-museum of what those hypocrites referred to as 'junks'. As for their mom, she believed in herself as a diviner. Every time she put a table in the front yard, people easily gathered around her to have their fortune told but when her back turned, all that could be heard were mockeries.

Even her brothers were jeered if they showed their failed inventions when most of the things they did were actually successful but everyone forgot that and focused on their mistakes. Worst of all, even her little sister was not spared. While their parents gushed endless rounds of adoration when her sister made those voodoo dolls, the neighbors had formed their own conclusion and labeled her as a deranged child.

As much as Elise wanted to prove she was the normal one, she could not deny her obsession with ancient medical treatments and medicines despite studying the modern ways of a medical student. That made her an outcast in her workplace. People only talked to her when they needed something but she did not mind that. She had her family who understood her even if they tested her patience most of the time. Despite whining about them, they were still the most important people in her life.

Aricson's hand caressed her head, making her wail louder as she remembered her stupid brothers again. They always made her their very own guinea pig but they actually doted on her and her sister.

"Elise," Aricson called and brought her attention. "Tell me what really happened. I want it right from the very beginning."

Between hiccups and sobs, Elise narrated what transpired in the museum. She even talked about her family and he was just there looking like what she was saying mattered. There were times he did not believe the words she uttered but he would ask her to explain them carefully.

After almost summarizing her whole life and finally calming down, she faced him. "So, now what?"

Aricson let out another outward breath. She noticed how he sighed a lot but his whole mien was still indifferent. He was like a statue that was sculpted with a permanent frown.

"You, being here, should not be a coincidence. Also having that sacred artifact, someone was clearly behind this but we don't have any clues," he said.

She wiped her tears and mortification gradually sprang up. More pink colored her cheeks as she could only assume what a mess she was for the last hour.

"I will try to help you but on one condition," he continued.

The word 'help' made her eyes shine with hope but it was dashed with his 'condition'. Her embarrassment and dejection quickly faded away when she thought about what he might request from her. She steeled herself and did not let any quiver touch her voice.

"What? I don't have anything to offer you. If you're thinking about something improper, that's out of the question." It was better to let him know her boundaries from the very start.

"Pardon?"

"Do you really want me to say it?"

Their gazes crashed until he seemed to understand what she was implying.

"I don't know how you came up with that conclusion but the condition I meant is to keep this matter between us, assuming that you haven't told anyone yet."

"Oh..."

'Dang it! Can this get any more humiliating?' Nothing had certainly gone her way the moment she arrived here.

Her hand slid up to her right ear and twiddled it or else she would faint from shame. "Don't worry. I haven't told anyone."

"Alright, but I have to clarify that I cannot guarantee anything. A being capable of summoning someone from a different world should be powerful and I don't want any harm coming to my family. You should tell others you forgot your memories and continue to act like a Half-breed. Most of all, don't let anyone touch your pulse as much as possible."

She only bobbed her head since she didn't have anything to say and wanted to get over this. Her pride had already taken a freefall from her uncharacteristic blubbering and she had to get away to compose herself.