I could say that Marvin took a whole lot of pride of being a Venanti.
Maybe he wanted to scare me -which he had, to be honest- but the way he had said it, the way his posture had grown with pride was unmistakable.
"But you... look like a human. And the groups of Monsterhunters- sorry, Venantis I saw yesterday also looked... normal."
My brain was running at full speed, desperately trying to connect the dots. At my words, Marvin scoffed.
"Maybe we look like humans. But our appearance is the only thing hiding the immense difference between humans and us."
"And that would be what? Except that super-human thing."
"Beside that?" Marvin rose a dark eyebrow. "That super-human thing is everything that makes us what we are. The senses, the fight skills, the healing strength... those things are what builds our hunting instinct. And because we have that instinct and those natural skills, it is our duty to get rid of the Monsters from the surface of our World."
Woah. I think that I would start laughing any time given, if this information was not just changing the whole perception I had from the world. It was just so... confusing.
He was just so invested. So radical. Were all Venantis like him? So focused on their "duty", killing Monsters, saving poor, weak humans that don't even know that they're in danger? I guess it was like a job to them, but... damn, that was a big responsibility. And Marvin, in his dark curiosity cabinet, seemed to be straight out of a parallel world to me. He didn't lived for himself, but for that duty far bigger than him.
"And the Monsters?" I asked, unsure if I really wanted to know more of it.
Marvin stopped pacing and sat back in front of me, taking time to formulate his answer, this time.
"Monsters..." he started, the atmosphere of the office darkening, shifting with his mood. He cleared his throat. "Monsters are creatures that are so... unnatural that they shouldn't even exist. They can look like anything. A mix of animals, humans, dead things... Sometimes they don't even have a proper body, but they are in your head."
Was it me or did just a little shiver shook Marvin's body? My stomach churned at the fact that even he, that placid and stone-like man with dead animals and bones exposed in his own office shivered at the thought of Monsters. How could I be reassured after that?!
"They can ghost in your head and let you live your worst nightmare again and again, tear you in pieces in form of a beast made of bones and dead skin or make you commit suicide, looking like the most magnificent being you ever saw... When they feel your presence, there is no escape, do you understand?"
He leaned forward to underline his next words, so that our gazes were only inches apart. I blinked nervously, unable to hold his gaze.
"Hiding won't help, running will only make it worse, Nea Smith. Monsters are savage creatures killing everything and everyone that crosses their way. They don't have feelings like compassion or love. Only hatred, rage and hunger. Hunger for pain and death. You are one of the few humans that ever survived a Monster attack. If Fernanda and her group had detected the Monster even a few seconds later, you would've been dead by long, now."
I struggled to gulp past the thick knot that had formed in my throat, and Marvin leaned back in his seat and crossed his hands on the surface of the desk. Like nothing happened.
"But that makes the transition easier for the next thing I wanted to talk about with you."
My gaze shot to his, feeling like every thing that used to live and that was now on display on the wooden shelves was staring at me.
"Do you remember if the Monster that attacked you hesitated before trying to kill you?"
The question was simple. Remembering things I had tried to forget since yesterday and had nightmares about in the last night was more complicated.
But now that I was thinking about it, the woman had had plenty of opportunities to kill me. They were no real hesitations like staring frozen at me, but... she hadn't been brutally feral, like she had been with Rachel.
I suppressed the pictures of the glassy eyes of her corpse and the metallic smell of her blood splattered across the asphalt and nodded fiercely.
"I'll say it right away: there is something in your blood that makes you special. The Monster wouldn't have taken so long with any other person. "
Marvin's eyes examined my face in every uncomfortable detail. "As you surely noticed yesterday, your blood analysis was extremely surprising.You have to know that we are doing researches about every possible way to make the monsters harmless. There is something in your blood that could help us."
Oh god. I think I knew on what he was alluding. And there was absolutely no way that I would agree to it.
"And we would be really glad if you accepted to take part in these researches." Concluded Marvin.
Huh, take part as experiment, he meant. That was what those "researches" were about. They were really asking the wrong person. I was sure that lots of persons would be happy to contribute to protect more people from monsters. But me? Absolutely no way.
"I have a phobia." I stated. "From needles, doctors, hospitals. It won't work." I emphasized, hoping that... everything just went back to normal. My life had been complicated enough in my childhood. I didn't need something to change, when everything was starting to be okay.
Marvin sighed, but didn't stop trying to convince me.
"I know, I know, Doctor Voglio told me. But I promise, there won't be many needles. You'll just have to stay with us for a few months, and you'll be in the laboratory for a day or two each month. That's all. And then you can come back to your old life."
I let out a dry laugh while shaking my head. "No, really. I don't want it. And what do you even mean when you say 'stay with us'?"
"With a turma. It's a group of Venantis that is actively hunting and killing the Monsters, like Fernanda's group. They are usually between three to six Venantis and travel to a new city every month. They will protect you from the Monsters, better than anyone else could." They will keep an eye on you better than anyone else could do, yeah, that was what Marvin wanted to say.
"I... no.-" but Marvin cut my sentence.
"I know that you are absolving your last year at the Culinary school of Vancouver, and that you desperately need money. We can give you both."
They... "What?" What did it mean?
The glimpse of a victorious smile appeared on the usually stoic face of Marvin.
"We. Can. Give. You. Both." He repeated slowly, his eyes dangerously gleaming behind the round glasses. "We already talked with the culinary school, who wouldn't stop praising your cooking and managing skills. The school has confirmed that they could theoretically give you your chef qualification and diploma in advance. Now."
My heart swelled and a bubble of euphoria exploded in my chest. I was... good enough. I briefly closed my eyes and send a prayer full of gratitude to Olivander, wherever he was, while memories flashed in front of my eyes.
The rusty kitchen of the orphanage. Olivander's brown hands showing how to properly cut an onion. His rumbling laugh resonating around us. The warm feeling of security and love reaching to my heart with the smell of warm chocolate.
Olivander had been the cook of the Blackwell Orphanage until I turned sixteen. He had been the one to teach me the love of cooking, making me as passionate as he was about the sound of sizzling onions in a pan, the smell of fresh olive oil and the delicate art of balancing spices in a dish. If I had made it that far in the culinary environment, it was only because of him.
"And..." Marvin's voice snapped me back to the present, back in that building full of Venantis, in that office that looked like a century old curiosity cabinet. "And money. We could give you so much that you wouldn't have to worry for the next twenty years."
The young man layed down a sheet of paper in front of me. As I began reading what looked like a contract, my eyes widened at the sight of the number written on the paper. Holy shit. It was a lot. There would be fairly enough to open that restaurant I dreamt all of my life about.
"And if I sign... I get the diploma and the money?" I asked in a breathless voice.
Marvin tapped on the contract. "Yes, all of it. You get it, and you just have to come once in a month to do a... let's call it a medical check up."
"How long will I be with that... group?"
"With the turma? Not longer than six month, maybe less."
"And it's really the only thing I have to do? What will I be doing the rest of the time?"
It really felt like I was about to sign a pact with the devil, and anxiety made my chest go tight. I was so afraid that I would miss something!
"Yes, it's the only thing you'll have to do. The rest of the time, you're completely free to do as you please. You could visit the cities, learn more about the cultures..."
It really sounded like a dream... not that I would just visit the world and learn how to cook in foreign countries, but on top of it I would finish by having enough money to open a restaurant and live a life where I wouldn't have to worry too much about the income: That's why I had to be sure that there was no trap. It was too perfect to be real.
Marvin's attentive eyes caught my dilemma and a sparkle of victory made his face briefly radiate with the confidence of someone that had already won.
"And don't worry about the turma. They will be your age." He leaned on his forearms into my direction. "Just consider it like a few months of vacation! You're young, you're free, and you're paid for it! It'll be great."
God, I was ashamed of the fact that I was really considering to accept. Ashamed of the fact that the perspective of money had such a power over me.
"And..." the words got stuck in my throat. "And what if I... don't accept?"
Marvin pressed his lips in a tight line. "Then we would let you go into your life again. You would be tired of your work, you would gain just enough money to survive, and you would be afraid for the rest of your life that monsters could attack you at any moment. Additionally, you would regret this choice the rest of your life."
His tone was cold, with a sour undertone, which made me uncomfortably fidget in my seat. I fixed my gaze on the tip of my shoes to concentrate, knowing that the choice I had to deal with could impact the rest of my life.
"And how long can I think about it?" My voice was faintly audible.
Marvin gave me a heavy, expensive-looking pen and a tight smile. "Five minutes."
Shit. My thoughts were creating a complete chaos in my head and sweat ran down my spine and made my hand wet and sticky. God... and what now? I was desperately trying to organize my thoughts, but I was too nervous. My stomach was a giant knot itself and I felt like I could cry in the next seconds.
"I... I..."
My lips mouthed words that didn't leave my mouth and I just couldn't.
"I..."
Marvin leaned his head back. "One minute left, Nea Smith." I could hear the satisfaction in his sultry voice, sweet like honey.
"I... I agree."
As soon as the words left my mouth, Marvin offered me a genuine smile that seemed to brighten the dark office. I didn't know if I should smile with him or go cry in a dark corner. I felt disconnected from my body.
"Perfect!" He joyfully clapped in his hands while I signed the contract with trembling fingers. Numb fingers. "You'll be joining the turma 101 with the plane tonight!"
Marvin took the signed contract in his hands.
"Do you have clothes for hot weather and beach? Because Rio de Janeiro will be the first stop of your little travel..."
// Hiiii, lovely readers!!
So, big reveal: if you didn't looked in the hashtags, one of them said "travel".
Soooooo this is gonna be an urban fantasy in big cities around the globe... cool, huh? And what's more, the first city is RIO DE JANEIROOOO.
Yeah, so... if you like that chapter, please don't forget to vote and comment :)
Byeeee, love y'all - s. acosta <3