UNFAZED

Chapter 10

"Wait. Correct me if I am wrong, we are in the city of Gryneff and people here have some kind of weird superpowers?", Catherine asked Noah inconceivably. Her eyes looking into his, searching for some kind of confirmation.

"Not superpowers. Magic.", Noah pointed out.

"Right. Magic-", Catherine scoffed, "like that is believable", she rolled her eyes in exasperation.

"So my mother told you about this world. Right?", Catherine said, emphasizing on the words my and you.

"Y-yeah", Noah said reluctantly. Noah did not want to hurt Catherine' s feelings. Even though he could not image what it felt like being abandoned by your own mother, in many ways he had experienced something akin. Noah's parents were hardly around during his childhood. They were always off to work and used to leave him at Ms. Aritzvah's. He loved his parents dearly and understood that there must be some paramount reasons for their actions.

"Do you think we should tell about your mother to these people?", Noah asked.

"No. Definitely not.", Catherine said, her tone was stern and grave, staring into the sky outside of the opened window, her eyes brooding. The clouds were starting to clear in the sky and the sunlight was gazing down upon the barren land outside of the manor. At first glanced Catherine mistook it as a desert. But it was far from it, it was not a desert but a barren swathe with no signs of life anywhere near.

Catherine took a deep breath. It was all too much to take in. She wanted to spat at Noah, she wanted to shout at him and ask him to leave her alone. The very thought of Noah knowing her mother, being a recipient of her love and affection, made bile rise at the back of her throat. Her affliction grew at the thought of her mother nurturing and tending to a neighbor's kid for years, yet not thinking about her own daughter once.

Catherine gulped down her thought and tried o clear her head. "Do not tell anybody about Lorelai, Okay?", Catherine looked at Noah darkly, her eyes were grim.

"Okay", Noah said mumbled. He realized she was not okay with Noah talking about Ms. Aritzvah with Catherine. Noah did not want to cause her pain either. So he decided it is for the best of they try to evade any discussion about Ms. Aritzvah.

The door knob opened and another boy, this time, entered the room. He was about the same age as Noah, his sleek dark blonde hair combed back neatly. A little stubble of beard on his face. His chiseled jaw complemented the cheekbone, his beautiful sea blue eyes were covered in long eyelashes.

"Miss-", he bowed looking at Catherine, "Professor Grace wants to talk to you.", he said. His voice was deeper than one could anticipate by looking at him. The charm was oozing out from even the pettiest gestures of his. Catherine noticed his black boots, they weren't covered in dirt like that of Lynn. In fact they as clean as new.

"Please follow me", the boy said with a vacant expression.

Catherine looked at Noah, she did not know anything about this world, even though she had developed an aversion towards Noah, she knew only Noah could help her make sense of this world.

"Please wait outside, I will be there in a minute.", Catherine replied trying to put a smile of her lips, as if to ensure the boy of her gentle affairs.

The boy bowed and left the room. Noah noticed him marching outside the room, it was as if he had been trained to move sternly, all his movements were impeccable.

Catherine approached Noah ,limping towards him, even thought the pain was scarce as compared to earlier it still stung her when she put her foot down on the wooden floor of the room.

"Noah-", she whispered, Noah was looking outside the door where the boy was patiently waiting for Catherine. Noah tore his gaze away and looked at Catherine and rushed towards her when he saw her limping.

Noah held her waist and put her arm across his shoulder to bolster her walking. "Noah, I do not know anything about this world, do you think these people know that?", Catherine whispered.

"I can't say, you pretend to that do not know who you are or anything about your family and I will tell them that your lost your memory in an accident", Noah replied.

"I do not think this plan will work", Catherine said, they both were walking towards the door slowly while talking, they reached the hall outside the room where the boy was waiting. He looked at Catherine and Noah, Noah was holding her waist to buttress Catherine.

"You do not tell anybody about your mother nor will I.", Noah said before stopping right before the boy.

"May I?", the boy gazed at Catherine asking for her permission and she gave him a slight nod. Noah reluctantly removed his hand from her waist and made some space for the boy so that he can now support Catherine. Catherine's hand went from Noah's shoulder to the boy's.

Catherine could feel his strong hold on her waist, her hand was clutching his shoulder for support, she could feel the bulge of muscles under the cloth. He seemed like someone with plenty of welly, his body was robust and stout, each stride powerful.

Catherine glanced back at Noah, he was standing outside the door of the room, impatiently looking at Catherine and the boy. He gave a reassuring smile to Catherine before turning around and going inside the room.

"Careful-", the boy said just before Catherine was about to slip, he caught her with his arms and helped her steadying back. Catherine did not realize they had reached the stairs, she was lost in her thoughts and she missed a step.

"I am so sorry", Catherine said, her cheeks pink, her face flushed with embarrassment.

"No worries", the boy said, facing Catherine, she noticed a slight smile on his lips. Catherine gulped and looked ahead and they both started climbing down the stairs.

Once they reached the large room from where Catherine and Noah initially entered this world, the boy pulled out a chair for Catherine and helped her sit down. "Professor Grace will be here soon", he said while taking a bow and left the room.

Catherine glanced at the medley of maps big and small, some of territories and some of different rooms and Castle, unrolled on the big table. Sunlight illuminated the room through the two big windows on the front wall, the rest of the room was illuminated by the candles.

The paintings, Catherine noticed, were not just banal sceneries that are sold at every street corner. One painting was of a group of people standing outside a big castle, almost like the one in the map, some of them had their mouths wide open as if shouting, while some were holding a leaf green colored cloth in their right hand and seemed to be waving the cloth as what Catherine deciphered, some sort of a signal. Most of the paintings were portraits of different people. People in cloaks similar to what everyone else was wearing here. One portrait caught Catherine's attention and she gasped. It was Lorelai's.

She seemed a lot younger in the painting, her chestnut curls falling just above her shoulder. Lorelai was wearing a white colored cloak. Catherine hadn't seen anyone wearing a white cloak in the manor. She had seen a few kids running in the manor wearing mustard colored cloak, but not white. She wondered what it meant, each color of the cloak, the patterns sewn on the cloak. Lorelai's smile was full of life in the portrait. She seemed full of hope and radiant. Catherine wondered if she had been this way in person as well.

Catherine heard footsteps and turned to look at Grace entering the room. Grace shut the door behind her and walked towards Catherine, "How is your foot now?", Grace asked.

"Better, much better.", Catherine replied.

"Good", Grace said with a smile on her face. She walked towards the desk at other end of the room and faced Catherine while supporting weight with the desk.

"Catrin, can you describe me the events which led you to the portal?", Grace asked.

"Uuhh, my name is Catherine-", Catherine corrected before continuing " and what?"

"How did you end up here? In this room?", Grace asked further. Her voice wasn't compulsive or demanding, instead it was calm and patient. As if, Grace already knew the answer to her own questions.

"I don't know-", Catherine said, "I have no idea how did I end up here. I do not remember anything."

Grace did not say anything, an expression of disbelief on her face. Catherine suspected that Grace was not buying her lie.

Grace took a deep breath and said, "You don't have to be afraid of anything, Catrin"

"Cathrine", Catherine corrected Grace mid sentence, to which Grace dismissed by a simple nod.

"We are not going to harm you", Grace reassured, " Do you remember anything? Where were you before you entered the portal?", Grace asked again.

"I don't know, what portal?", Catherine replied, "What are you talking about?"

"The portal. The portal which brought you here from your world.", Grace said emphasizing on the word your.

"I-I do not remember", Catherine shrugged, pretending to be oblivious. Catherine was bent on not divulging the events or even anything about her mother. Catherine kept peeking at Lorelai's portrait, she realized the uncanny resemblance between Lorelai and herself. She looked like a carbon copy of her mother, just younger.

"Alright then. Let me know if you remember anything", Grace said tight lipped and Catherine nodded.

"You may leave now. Theo will give you your clothes, you cannot roam around walking in these, whatever you are wearing", Grace said gazing up and down at Catherine's attire in disgust.

"People will get suspicious, change and eat something. Theo will show you the mess.", Catherine nodded at the instructions of Grace. Her tone was authoritative now, unlike earlier when she sounded patient and calm. "And-", Grace interrupted as Catherin was stumbling towards the door, " also take that friend if yours."

Catherine walked out of the room slowly and saw the boy who had brought Catherine here was standing outside the room.

"Theo?", Catherine asked, assuming this was the guy Grace was talking about.

"Yes.", he replied, "Shall we?"