MATCH MADE FROM HELL

CHAPTER FOUR

As she stepped into the dusty old basement, the stairs beneath her creaked and echoed through the darkness, although she was holding a lamp that produced faint light. She could barely see anything. As she took one step forward, she trembled with fear.

“Come on, it’s just an old basement,” Luca whispered behind her.

“Don’t do that. It’s creepy!”Sophia exclaimed.

As they walked down the stairs, deeper into the basement. They seemed to twist, and it creeped out to Sophia. Sophia walked directly into cobwebs clinging to the corners of the room.

“Ahh!” She jolted.

“ Don’t be such a baby,” Luca said with ridicule.

As they both reached the end of the stairs. Sophia stretched her hands, looking for the light switch, when she heard scampering noises. Sophia's eyes widened with fear.

“What was that?” Sophia whispered with her voice trembling with fear.

“I think your basement needs to be cleaned,” Luca said.

"And what do you mean by that?" Sophia asked with exasperation.

"They are rats, obviously," Luca said and turned on the light switch, walking towards the shelves.

“So what exactly are u looking for down here?” Luca asked, checking out the old dusty books.

“Bedtime story books my grandma used to tell me before I went to bed,” Sophia replied.

Sophia took an old stool, stood on it, trying to reach the books high up the shelves. As she stretched her hands to reach the book at the top of the shelf, the stool became unsteady, causing her to slip off. Time seemed to slow down, her arms waving widely. Just as she was about to hit the ground, a strong pair of arms wrapped around her waist, catching her mid-air.

“Gotcha,” Luca whispered.

She looked up and saw Luca’s eyes piercing into hers. He looked handsome, and his warm breath seemed to send shivers down her spine. She wished time could stop for a second.

"You seem to have more weight than an average human. Please get off my arm," Luca said with a cold expression.

Sophia then realized she was still in Luca's arms. She quickly got up and arranged her dress, feeling a little bit abashed.

Sophia gazed longingly at the book she wanted. It looked like that of the one where her grandmother told her stories. Sophia then let out a frustrated sigh. Just then, Luca easily plucked the book from the shelf, and Sophia let out a sigh of relief. As Luca was about to hand the book over to Sophia, he withdrew his hand.

“Just give me the book!” Sophia charged at him.

“Tales of the supernatural,” Luca read out as Sophia tried to get the book out of his hands.

“And why would you need this book?” Luca asked with a smirk on his face.

“It’s none of your business,” Sophia said while snatching the book out of his hand.

Sophia walked out of the basement with Luca behind her. She then sat on a couch while Luca was walking around Sophia’s house, wandering around, looking at everything like it was some museum. Sophia blew the cover off the book. It was dusty and hadn’t been touched in years. She began to flip page by page, her eyes fixed on the drawings rather than the words. Luca leaned behind her and whispered,

“Werewolf troubles, I presume?” With a slight grin on his face.

“No, no, no. I just missed my childhood stories.” Sophia said. Her heart was racing.

“I might know a thing or two about these medieval creatures,” he said, his eyes twinkling with mischief.

Sophia then turned to him, her eyes locked into his. A spark of curiosity aroused within them.

Sophia asked her maid to get coffee as she prepared her ears, eager to listen to Luca’s story.

“I heard the craziest story from a friend,” a hushed whisper escaped his lips. Sophia’s curiosity was at its peak. She leaned in closer, captivated by the first few words.

“He went hiking. When night fell, he set his camp, ready to sleep and all of a sudden, he heard strange sounds. Sounds of an animal howling. Out of curiosity, he went to have a peep, and the next thing, a scary ravaging beast pounced upon him. He managed to escape from the claws of this beast and swore never to go near mountains or forests.”

Luca said.

Sophia’s eyes widened while he suppressed a smile. “Crazy, right?” He said as he studied her reaction. Sophia shivered, unaware of the monster she had invited into her home.

“I guess it’s possible,” her voice barely above a whisper.

“ I mean, there are so many weird and unexplained things in this world,” He said, trying to sound casual.

Sophia sat in silence, sipping her coffee, deep in her thoughts. Luca studied her and wondered what she would do if she discovered his true nature.

After some while, Sophia broke the silence. “

“Yes, I have werewolf problems”.

Luca listened, keeping a straight face.

“I see this monster… this creature in my dreams, chasing me. It's pretty huge, long fangs and claws..." Sophia then paused, shaking with fear. She held her neck. "It feels real. I'm scared, please help me," she said to Luca.

Sophia begged for Luca to give her a solution if he had any, not that she was expecting one.

“ I beg of you, please, if you know how to get rid of these dreams or if you know someone, please tell me,” she pleaded.

Her eyes were already teary. Sophia was confused. She did not know what to do.

She sat, staring into the air. Luca finally spoke. “I might know someone who might be able to help,” he said with his eyes locked into hers. “Really?” Sophia asked with skepticism and hope in her voice. Luca nodded. “My uncle, who works in an old artifact shop, knows this woman,” he continued, “she’s into this supernatural stuff and might be able to help you. “You mean like werewolves?” Sophia asked with a hint of amusement in her voice.

“More like a specialist in weird dreams, especially supernatural ones.” Sophia's face brightened. She quickly hugged Luca, but then became a bit nervous then pulled away. “I will speak with my uncle to get the location of this woman,” Luca said finally.

Sophia felt relieved. Luca then stood up. “ I shall take my leave now,” he said, walking towards the door. As he left, Sophia couldn’t shake the feeling that her life was about to go back to normal.

Sophia couldn’t sleep that night. She kept on thinking. She stared at the ceiling, praying not to fall asleep. She couldn’t stand the dreams anymore. It felt like everything she had those dreams, it brought her one more step closer to death in reality. Morning arose, and Sophia was in bed.

Her eyes were wide open like they had been glued to her forehead. She kept on staring at the ceiling, birds chirping. She finally stood up from bed. She sat on a small stool facing her mirror. She had eye bags due to her sleepless night. She just hoped today was going to be productive.