Chapter 3
1022 Words
She was so bored out of her mind when Isabel returned. She brought some fruits, saying they're mandatory every night.
Kaia was quite happy she came back, honestly. She didn't know anybody, and the rest she'd. What she was seeking wasn't forthcoming because of how uncomfortable she felt.
If only Ariane and River were here.
She took an apple and bit into it. She turned to say something to Isabel, but then paused and stared.
The brown eyed woman looked almost frightened, eyes going back and forth between her and the apple she took from the fruits she'd brought.
“Um… are you okay?” Kaia asked, reaching out to touch her exposed shoulder.
Isabel took a step back from her touch and blinked a bit before responding, "No.”
Kaia frowned. "You're not okay? Are you ill?”
She shook her head at her. "I mean that I'm fine.” Then she turned and left the room.
Kaia didn't understand her reaction, and for a moment, she felt saddened and confused.
Everybody looked at her weirdly, and now she was being…ignored? Maybe they weren't accepting of wolves that weren't rogues then.
Just when she thought she was being left alone, Isabel came back with a brown bag in her hand.
Kaia was curious. “What's that?"
“Something to read, draw, or write in,” the woman simply answered, her eyes quietly analyzing her reaction.
“It's beautiful," Kaia whispered, her eyes moving to take them from her.
Isabel had refused to sit down, so Kaia stood up to get closer. “I'm glad you like it."
Kaia moved her attention to Isabel, who didn't have much of a smile on her face.
The gentle-looking and slightly pale-skinned woman was quite eye-catching if you paid any extra attention. And Kaia was paying a lot of attention. There was a question nagging her from the minute they'd met, and she really wanted to get it out.
“Have we met before?" Kaia blurted to Isabel.
The brown-haired woman was stunned. “Uh-"
They heard a knock, which turned out to be some servants who brought more bags that turned out to be wedding gifts. She was told that the king had no use for them, so they were all hers. Isabel promptly took them to arrange, leaving Kaia sitting down, silently watching.
“Thank you," she said when everyone was done, gracefully accepting their bows as she was left alone with Isabel again, who seemed to have something to say, seemingly contemplating.
“I wanted to answer you before I was interrupted.” After a moment of silence, she continued, “At some point, I thought that we might've known each other, but spending some time with you has told me the truth."
“The truth?"
Isabel nodded. “The truth is… I don't know.”
And so, Kaia was left confused.
Left alone again in her large room, Kaia couldn't do anything. She wasn't given any instructions on where to go, but she was told to walk around freely and to call out if in need. They were werewolves, so it was likely they'd hear.
Dane hadn't come to see her. Nobody came to check up on her. The feeling of loneliness slowly came over her because of that. She truly was alone. If she were back home, she'd have her mother or friends keep her company.
Unfortunately, it seemed people were giving her looks that weren't too friendly. They all appeared respectful, but it just wasn't the same feeling of being fully accepted.
She'd spent days worrying about the rogue lands and how vicious everyone must be, and it ended up not being so. She never thought the day would come when she'd want company from someone from this kingdom that she'd been told scary stories about for years.
Kaia's eyes stung for a moment, trying to bury herself more in the luscious sheets of her bed and get out of her sad thoughts.
Trying to get out of her thoughts, she decided to leave her room, so she quietly walked out.
She was about to go in another direction, but it felt like an invisible force was pushing her elsewhere. She didn’t resist, and so she was led to a door. A large one.
She was suddenly curious about it and reached out to push the door open. But it was locked. It seemed nobody was allowed in as it refused to budge. Till it eventually did.
Like an invisible key, it unlocked. But Kaia didn't notice or think about that, suddenly taken by the room.
It looked beautiful. It was a large room that was tastefully designed, and it didn't look like a room that just anyone stayed in. She admired the plush red carpets, patterns on the ceiling, and the four-poster bed.
Her eyes moved around, and she didn't stop to think about how the candles in the room were lit. And if it was possible to light candles in a locked room.
Everything seemed fresh and polished, and that made her suspicious. She frowned as she started thinking about how off the situation felt.
She knew she was drawn to the room and didn't know why. Something else she felt was how familiar the room was. She'd never been to the castle before nor to this room, so why did she feel so… comfortable? Aware of everything.
Walking further in, her searching eyes found a portrait on the wall. But she couldn't see the image as it was covered. Her curiosity was suddenly piqued.
She walked much closer to the frame and pulled away the cloth covering the portrait, revealing the face beneath it.
But she didn't expect what she saw.
Her breath caught in her throat as she stared into her own eyes. The person in the portrait was her, or at least, it looked like her.
It was the same features, the same hair, the same eyes, lips… Kaia's mind reeled as she stumbled backwards in shock, her hand flying to her mouth.
She opened her mouth to scream, but no sound came out.
- Writer
