BURN THE TRUTH

Episode Nine

"Are you all right, Velda? Was on the verge of coming to your place" Clyde spoke up from the other end of the call.

"I am convinced I just ran the raise of my life just now. I don't feel good. Looks like my thumbs have gone weird! My heart's beating like a f****d clock! I feel dreadful, I feel really dreadful" She laid back. Her cells strived and died while the electricity of her brain whined like an interlocutor.

"Looks like you had a whole party to yourself" Clyde joked and a slight chuckle escaped her.

"I shouldn't have done that in the first place. I can't precisely recall how I got home, fortunately, I didn't crash into something or anyone, or perhaps turn up at one of those stations. I would have loathed myself more. Now I feel all my tissues and muscles tiring apart"

"Take your time. Go take a shower, captain"

Velda hummed before dropping the call. He lay there for a while before she eventually lumbered to the bathroom. She took out two pills to take and slipped them into her mouth. Once done, she undressed and walked into the shower, washing away any residue and so plugged in the peaceful spirit.

Having skulked at home all day, hoping the hangover would clear. Nevertheless, she eventually gave up and set off for grocery shopping.

The yellow sun has withered on the remaining red phoenix flowers. In the blue sky, the spongy white clouds transformed into crimson robes, drifting around the endless sky. The chilly autumn wind swooped down. The students rushed out into the yard like bees breaking a hive. The quiet schoolyard was suddenly filled with laughter, echoing the whole red sky. Some parents were waiting for their children, eyes scrutinizing, scouring for their kids from the mass of pupils.

Velda's face lighten up once she glimpsed Asteria strolling mindlessly out of the school until the young one noticed her. A broad smile materialized on her face before she started jogging toward her "Mum!"

"Mum, I had no thought that you were the one picking me up today"

"Are you delighted?"

She bobbed her head vigorously "Yes, yes" And then grinned.

She cupped the younger's face between her palms and then gently smooched her forehead. "Okay. Get in" Velda urged opening the car door.

"Today, I was applauded by my teacher. And besides, I got ten" She showed off proudly as soon as Velda got into the car.

"Oh my dear, sweetheart. How do you feel about it? It must be satisfying" She turned, hand reaching for Asteria's hair and then shuffled it gently.

"Awesome" Asteria grinned before the detective patted her cheek.

"I know. I'm genuinely proud of you. So what do you propose we do about your triumph?"

She appeared to ponder for a while "I don't know"

Velda beamed "Don't think much about it. Just indicate when you uncover one, copy that?"

"Hm"

"Good" She mumbled and then turn to face the steering before rounding off the street. Asteria upheld chattering about her lessons from the back seat. The bright red nine and ten points she had achieved. The sound of her happy conversation and the crimson smile on her lips dispels the hard work and fatigue of a day of studying and working hard.

"You're really bad at this game, mum" Asteria giggled. They both lay on Velda's bed, working on a Harry Potter word-search puzzle on a 6x6 sheet placed on the bed. Both enjoyed the sweet taste of the stick candies they had.

"I did tell you, you are exceptionally smart," Velda remarked, smiling, knowing full well that she had been poorly conveying as to give her a chance to think tougher.

"Is this a word?" Asteria doubted, connecting a bunch of alphabets without actually going over them.

"You are doing it for the pleasure of it at this point, little one" Asteria scowled at Velda's words, feeling mentally infertile from connecting too many words. Although she was beginning to suspect her mom of letting her uncover the words on purpose.

"Mum. You promised not to cheat"

"But am not cheating though, I haven't even got a word right" She defended sticking out her candy.

"And you sure not doing it on purpose, right?"

"No. Am not, come on why would I do that" Velda sounded off darting at the sheet as though she had suddenly found the game more interesting, tracing the words with her hand, and pretending to be having a hard time until she finally lined a word. Asteria exclaimed jovially pulling her candy from her mouth with a soft plop.

"You did it, mum, finally MALFOY" And just like that, her suspicions vanished.

"I supposed I did" She grinned.

The tinted windows of the black Arnage 2009 Bentley on the highway made it impossible to see through the windows. The car moved at much speed with Milo set behind the steering wheel, regulating with his left hand and soon he drove into a tunnel, and the city's sky disappeared behind.

Almost at the centre of the tunnel, he switched on, pushing up some buttons with his free right hand, which upshots a taxi roof sign to turn up on the car rooftop, the Bentley logo withdrawing and lastly, the plate number of the car switched.

Casey posed elegantly in the backseat, her hair now blond, and neatly styled into a waterfall braid, obtaining that perfect stunning feminine look. A chiffon long-sleeve shirt, pencil skirt and a little touch of makeup.

The tires squealed as the car suddenly made a U-turn, now going against the root it initially headed. Milo reached for his sunglass on the dashboard and frayed it before he drove out of the tunnel and again under the evening sun, furiously.

He finally drove through a driveway entrance, and then eventually ceased in front of a mansion. Few escorts were spotted. Casey gently opened the car door, her scraping shoe first came in contact with the floor before she finally stepped out. Milo moved toward the trunk and fetched her luggage, and with that, he proceeded and seated it subsequently by her side and then returned to the car.

"Good evening, Sir" she greeted professionally as a man in his early thirties walked up to her.

"You are late. Miss Katniss Bodd. Mr Everdeen is waiting"

"Oh, wasn't I supposed to be here by 5?"

"Yes, 5 p.m is when he needs to lay down your duties, which is exactly now"

"Will take note of that"

"Come with me," The man spoke to her and began to walk his way into the house while an extra male carried her luggage.