Lemuria: The City of Mysts

Chapter 3: The Lady

“We’re here”, Electra said. Fred pulled his gaze away from the breath taking scenery and stared at a block of solid ice before them. A dead end, his heart sank. But before he could say anything, Electra pressed her palm against it. The ice melted at her touch, becoming a curtain of water. Fred’s jaw dropped. The girl beside him giggled and ran through the entrance. Cautiously, he put out his hand and a curious thing happened: the curtain of water split into two. Fred stepped through, marvelling at how the water seemed to sense his proximity and avoided him.

Taking stock of his new surroundings, he realized where she had taken him: the forest underneath the Roucan’s home, as confirmed by Electra. Animals, however, unnerved him though. They would pause and watch them as they passed by with their non-animal-like behaviour.

“Don’t act suspicious. If you do, they might get the wrong impression and attack you. I’m sure neither of us would want that.” She led him into a house and through the kitchen where food was laid out on the table. They ate in silence for a while until Fred asked, “Do you live here alone?”

“No”, Electra answered, biting a piece of her bread. “My friends stay with me at night.”

“Friends?”

“The animals. Louis always visits me. He talks about the goings-on in the academy and his friends – and you.” Electra smiled.

“What did he tell you… about me?”

“A lot. How you’re Victoria’s pet peeve – how she told Louis to stay away from you.”

“That didn’t stop him though.”

“It almost did,” she said, “but he’d seen you with your friends. Louis hero worships you.”

Fred choked on the water he was drinking. He couldn’t imagine anyone admiring a good-for-nothing son like him. To change the subject, he grasped for a thought that had been bothering him and asked, “Speaking of Victoria, is she your twin sister?”

“My twin?” She glared at him. “She stole my identity.” The room’s temperature dropped and lightning flashed outside. Sensing the sudden change in her mood, Fred tactfully changed the topic again. Gradually, the temperature in the kitchen returned to normal.

It was mid-afternoon when a raven flew in and perched on Electra’s shoulder. From the tilt of their heads, they seemed to be communicating silently with each other.

“Stay here and don’t touch anything. I’ll be back”, Electra said to Fred before running out.

Nearby, a parrot spoke, “A storm. A storm.”

Gazing out the window, Fred saw animals had gathered outside and couldn’t help listen in.

“A storm’s coming. Is she going to warn her father or her brother?” a tigress said to her feline friends.

“She’ll warn the brother”, a tiger replied.

“If I may ask, does she have a falling out with her father?” Fred asked. Animals swivelled towards him. Their intelligent gazes met his. They were surprised that a surface dweller could understand them. “I’m sorry I interrupted you. I was just curious.”

“Our Lady is a mystery to you, is it not?” a stag spoke. “She has lived here ever since her mother died. Her father rarely visits this place.”

“Why?”

“We shall tell you a secret if you promise to protect it with your life.”

“I swear on it.”

“Our Lady can manipulate the elements: air, water, earth and fire. She inherited this gift from her mother’s line. Her father never knew. A neighbour witnessed our Lady protect herself from an oncoming car with her ability. That night, the man broke into their house and accused the accused her of witchcraft. The mother took the blame by demonstrating what she can do. They were unaware that the man carried a gun and in his fright—”

“He shot her”, Electra cut in. “That’s enough, Strago.” To Fred, she said: “I hope you enjoyed the story.”

“I’m sorry—”

“I didn’t invite you here to ask for sympathy. I brought you here because I thought you were different.” Electra stormed out of the room, leaving Fred stunned by her words. He already knew he was a disappointment. Everything he touches eventually breaks. Wasn’t it his fault his parents’ arguments were becoming worse? He had done enough damage for one day. There was nothing else for him to do but to leave.

Meanwhile, under the gnarled branches of a dead tree and surrounded by animals, Electra wept.

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A/N: That's all kinds of shock to Fred. Poor guy. Seems like his life has been turned upside down by the Roucans. But, is that a good thing or a bad thing? What do you think of Electra? Comments please.

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