The Nocturnals

Chapter two

This is so boring. I think to myself, not paying attention anymore. I don't understand why the Head had to force me to come to lecture just because I hadn't come for months.

He just wants to humiliates you. Says my subconscious from her depth hole. I nod inwardly, agreeing with her. All the Head has been teaching us for the past two hours is on one thing — the Beast, the Untamed. How dangerous he is. That we shouldn't go anywhere the forest, and those who will wish to join the forces of Hunters, who will one day catch this beast his ancestors have failed to catch.

Thankfully, he finishes with his sayings, and I take my small note, which is meant to jot down his words — but couldn't do — and stuff it inside my cross bag after picking it up from the wooden floor.

"Take use to these lectures, and many more to come. They are essential for us surviving, children. We might be small, but we do not feed on defeat. One day, we will capture this monster. Go home." As Ronald finishes saying, cheers roars up from the others, while I stand up from my seat, and prepare to leave.

"Oh, no." I mutter under my own breaths, seeing as the Head's eyes are laid on me. Why? Why does he have to look at me amongst this many students, who will be very happy to have a chat, or even a spare of exchange of glances with him?

Ronald; the village's Head is in his early thirty, but looks so young, that he could be mistaken for a lower age. Hunters like him are usually like that, those of whom the origin of Hunter's blood runs in their veins. Rumours says that there are not built from the sand of which we, the humans, or rather the commoners are built from. Anyways, there are all nonsense to me. 

"Miss. Lowell, if you don't mind, will you please come over here?" He says in a soothing, masculine voice, gentle to the ear, but when paid much attention, it's contradicting to all of said words. 

"Yes, Head." I reply, the name he much prefer to be called in public.

As I approach him, I check his hugging attire. A snowy blue leather jacket, his Head badge —made in pure gold stick-like shape, resembling the shape of one of the stationeries father made me for writing instead of ink, and feather, he named... Pencil —is fixated at his right chest.

"I see you come after all persuading." He mentions with a smile.

"Yes, Head. After all, I cannot defy orders." I share him same untrue smile. If only I can read his mind—how grateful I'd be.

"Mmm-hmm. You're different from your father, uh, my apologies." He smiles more. "I'll be expecting you tomorrow, and many more days Mulan grants us life." 

I decide against saying anything, so I just bend my body slightly, and give him a nod, and a dashing smile, before I turn to leave when Cole appears before me.

"How are you, Kara?" His eyes are beaming with delight. He seems utopia, if only his mind and intentions are.

"I'm okay." I don't bother returning the good greeting, since I'm not hoping on continuing this conversation.

"I see." He whispers, wiggling his eyebrows. He does that a lot. The females must be falling for that trap. However, I'm not those females. I'm better than having dreams of just being married by a man, who claims he loves me, and for me to bear him his child without having any good to do with my life.

"See! I told you she'd come." Cole says to the Head, making him acknowledge him in return. He turns to me. "So, you want to go out this afternoon?"

Do I want to go out? Of course, I will go out this afternoon to check on my only friend here, Alessia. Then, I'll go to her father's library to check some new exciting books to read, before I will go get some bakery food, and go back home.

"Of course." A ghost of a smile is still on my face.

He laughs briefly, his brown hair, flipping across his forehead to a side. His tanned skin favours the colour of his hair as well, with a medieval yellow loosen shirt, nevertheless, showing his fitted physique, brown trousers, and boots. I manage to take my eyes off those chest of his. Okay! He's handsome truthfully. Almost every man in the village is. 

"Okay, so will you like to go to the beach? The sun usually favours." He volunteers.

Wait... I'm lost. What does he mean? "I don't understand—"

"You just said that..." He's squinting when I take the talk from him.

"Oh, you're asking me out." I say rather bluntly, before realizing. "Oh, that... I'm sorry, I can't. My father. He'll be needing me for some errands, and plus, I have works to do for myself." I try to sound very sorry.

"Your father...we all know he needs no help. No help can even work for him. He's lost, okay?" He places his hand on my shoulders. "Come on, you can't say no to this handsome face?"

He's so arrogant. Yells, my inner mind. "Yes, but I can spit on this arrogant face if he doesn't leave me alone." He takes his hands off me, looking shock. I'm certain he is not expecting this at all. Maybe he wouldn't have, if he hadn't insulted my father while he woos me. "Don't you dare talk about my father that way, ever again." 

With a fuming expression, muttering to myself out of anger, I get out of the room, and make my way to Alessia's house.

Cole regains his demeanor quickly, and turn to face the Head. Cole's one of his trainees, but by expertise, he's managed to become a son figure to the Head. He crosses over the table, hovering past it's long, and wide figure with ease and skills, and take a seat beside the Head, who's busy working on a paper.

"We should pay more attention to those...angry eyes set of people." He tells the Head, referring to Kara and her father.

"You're as bad in talking to a girl, as you are in insults." The Head says and continue on his work. "We will." 

I breath in the air the moment I'm out of the suffocating room. Argh, I almost lose my anger completely. Even his accent is bad since he's as the rest of people here. All of them, illiterate.

Being that the town is little in size, it doesn't take me long before I'm getting close to Alessia's house. On the way, I try to greet as many people as I can, whom actually aren't greeting genuinely.

I knock on the door, and opening, her mother comes into view, sparing me a smile. 

"Kara, buongiorno." She greets me in Italian.

"Buongiorno ante a che, Mrs. Peters." Her smile is contagious, as she barks a laugh. "didn't I get it, right?"

"Buongiorno anche a te, means good morning to you too, not... what you said earlier. Well, you did try. Oh, come in. You're here to see Alessia, right?" She adds, as she moves from obstructing me from entering, and walks to the living area.

"Yes." I am quick to reply. 

She takes a seat, placing her legs onto the ornate center table, and picking up a book.

"Well, I suppose you know the way to the garden." 

Why haven't I thought of that? Of course, that's where my dear friend will be.

I smile lastly at her, before I make my way over to her daughter, through the back door. Alessia is watering her flowers, the wondersome of them, becoming blossom, and opening to the rays from the sun, making them as stunning as she is in her oversized ash shirt, and masculine-made trousers, perhaps she's been digging into her father's wardrobe. Her coal hair is dressed into ponytail, leaving just few strands to draw down the sides of her face, showcasing her sharp features. 

She turns her head to her behind, seeing me, she smiles, and gaits for a hug, but then stops when I motion with a finger to her clothing. Literally filled with dirt.

"Oh, I see." She snickers. "I was expecting you sooner." 

As she turns back to tending her value-ful plants, I talk. "I'm sorry. It's the Head, can you believe he witfully forced me to come to lecture, and think I will be optimistic on listening to his sayings about the beast?"

"Well—" she drawls. She's not being comical this minute?

"Are you being facetious?" I ask, narrowing my eyes at her. 

She stops watering, and take off her yellow gloves, then look at me. She walks over as she says.

"Why don't we go back to "not everyone understands English like you do"?" She asks, making me remember that we've agreed on me, not using my new founded English on her since she's not really educated either. Most of the villagers aren't.

I breath. "Okay, just put that aside. So, then Cole came and talked rubbish about my father. I can't still believe it. Anyways, he didn't go without being humiliated too." I add the last part deliberately.

"Well, since you've gotten that part covered, why being worked out?" 

We both proceed into walking, and enter the house.

"Just... nevermind. Okay, so, um, where's... your father. I need to return to him this book, and collect another. I surely can never get fed up by these novels." At least my day can be jolly up from its bad morning. Meanwhile, I've taken out the book from my bag.

"Uh, he's in his shop."

"Oh... he went there early?" 

"Only him knows his reasons." She tells me.

"Okay, so I'll see you later. I have got to be fast." 

"See you later, Kara." Alessia greets as I move out of her house. 

Hurriedly, like it's a one time opportunity, I make my way past the flowery shop, and quickly stop by when I see Mrs. Flowers outside her store, dressed in an outfit that matches her job, and name. It is such a grand, fine materials. Isn't she your role model in dressing? My subconscious voices out yet again. I guess after all I might have to yell at her to keep shut. Well, Mrs. Flowers' known to be the one with eye-catching, feet-sweeping cloths that will make any girl get the man she wishes for. And she's one of those who don't think of my father and I as useless humans. That thought even irritates me.

"Mrs. Flowers? How is your morning going?" My voice is a little over the edge, screeching.

"Good, Kara. You look so beautiful darling." And she's also known for her compliments. If you think you're ugly, she can make you think otherwise with just her sweet-smelling mouth.

"Thank you." I am flushing. She offers me a red rose, and I pout, giving her the appreciative look.

"Oh, don't." She waves me off with the back of her hands.

"I love you so much. But I'll have to thank you patiently later." I say, fixating the rose from falling from the left side of my blonde hair after inhaling it. Oh, goodness, that smells fascinating. Words...

"Your gods-given unique language is enough to dazzle me, and sore thank me." She says and winks. She just used some of the words I taught her the other day.

Hmm. "I caught you." I say and she gives me the winking eyes, raising up her hands jocularly in surrender.

I give her a light bow of my head, and gait to Alessia's father's library. In about five minutes more, I'm seeing the averagely tall building of the three storey, and pick on my track once again, my stomach already rejoicing at how fantastic today's going to be when I lay my hands on some amazing books.