Page 26

Amias

Grandmother and Mother would kill me if they knew where I was going so I told my chauffeur to drop me off at a cafe across from the park.

Once he drove away, I went across the street to Gosling Park. It's a dark forest with only heart shaped lamp posts every few feet to light up the path. I wonder what anyone was doing here in the first place. Seems like a great place to kidnap someone.

I peer through the trees and bushes. There's no sign of life, not even a bit of rustling.

Minutes go by as the silence remains, and I'm starting to lose whatever hope I’d had. Perhaps the poster was seeing things after all, or maybe it had left a while ago.

Swish.

Crunch!

I swing my head up to the direction of the noise. The bushes start shaking behind me and I step back, my body stiffening.

Grrrr…

I put my hand in my pocket where my gun is. I couldn't help but bring it. There's still a chance it could kill me.

Glowing purple eyes approach from the shadows, fixated on me like a delicious rabbit.

My lungs are deflated of air. I keep my grip on my gun. It's not enough for me to shoot as my thoughts turn into questions.

What if Clara is right?

What if I kill an innocent being just out of fear?

I keep staring into those purple eyes. Their glow intensifies and my heart slows. It's gaze is kinder and sweeter, but also weary like it's in pain.

I never thought I'd see that kind of look in a dreamscreecher.

I draw my hand away from my pocket, the thought of killing it screaming in my head but I try to suppress it. "H-hi…” How would it react to me speaking? “Um… I-I want to say… hi…"

A purple muzzle starts to peek from the bushes as I get closer. It takes a step forward and sniffs the air.

I resist the urge to flinch, even with the violent image of them eating me alive for dinner pops up in my head. It's a filthy disgusting creature made to kill people like me. What kind of idiot am I to not kill it? To even be here?

No. It hasn't done anything to warrant that.

At least not yet. I can't let myself fall into what I was taught without seeing the truth myself.

Its whole head peeks out of the bushes. I flinch, moving my hand towards the gun again.

Just breathe.

With that thought, I gulp down breaths. Several.

It's not doing anything. Just calm down.

"You…you won't bite me," I murmur, trying to soothe myself. “ You wouldn't do that.”

I stretch out my hand towards it to test that theory. It flinches, flattening its ears as I jerk my hand away. Maybe this creature is just as scared as I am.

I laugh. Here I am contemplating whether I should shoot or not, but this creature’s probably thinking the same thing, only with its claws instead of bullets. “You scare me too… but we can set our fears aside, can't we?”

I reach my hand back out towards it. It stretches its head forward, sniffing my hand as if it were a foreign object. It’s very kitten-like, displaying the same curiosity.

Is it offensive to pet it like it can't shift? Because I'm just treating it like it's another big cat.

Crunch.

Crunch.

The noise from behind me causes the dreamscreecher to retreat into the bushes. I stretch my hand out towards it wishing it would stay a little longer.

Damn it. We were getting somewhere.

“What are you doing out here?"

I look my neck over my shoulder to see Erasmus and Glaide standing over me, glowering.

I gulp. How will I explain this?

"What the fuck are you doing out here?" Erasmus snaps. “You better have a damn good explanation."

"I'm trying to help out the kingdom!" It comes out harsher than I meant it to. "What are you even doing here?" I glare at Glaide. He’s the only person who could’ve known.

Glaide’s brows furrow. " I saw you were on that dreamscreecher app earlier. I wanted to make sure you were being safe!"

"I am being safe!" I protest. "And I'm not a child. I'm taking care of myself just fine."

"Well, maybe actually learn to be safe then,” Erasmus says. “Where's your gun? And why are you at the park in the dark alone? That's idiotic, dreamscreecher hunting or not!"

Erasmus pulls me up by my arms and as soon as I get on my feet, they both hold my shoulders and push me forward. I roll my eyes. "I have a gun in my pocket."

"It should be out," Glaide growls. "Not in your pocket."

I bare my own teeth. "I didn't even need to use it! It didn't attack me!"

Both Glaide and Erasmus fall silent… and realizing what I just revealed, my gaze darts to the floor. More than ever, I pray to Cosmo for a sinkhole to open beneath me so I can pretend I never said anything.

"You encountered a dreamscreecher?" Erasmus shrieks.

Glaide’s nose wrinkles. “You didn't shoot it?"

I wince. "Well…"

"You fucking dumbass!" Erasmus adds extra force in his push on my back. "Are you trying to die? Mother will fucking snap when she hears of this."

I scrunch my face. I don't need Mother to be stressed about me too. "Don't tell Mother! She'll freak out!"

"Exactly! Maybe it will set your mind straight!" Erasmus leans over me, bringing us nearly chest to chest. He’s slightly taller, but his height doesn't intimidate me. "You could've been eaten alive! I'm surprised you still have a head!"

"Well you didn't. I encountered a dreamscreecher and I'm still in one piece. What need is there to cause more drama if everything is okay?"

"Because I don't want to lose my little brother, Amias!" he yells out, taking another step towards me so I’m forced to step back.

I glower. It doesn't change his expression as his pupils shrink. "I actually care about your ass, okay? We can laugh and joke all we want, and you can hate me for having a soulmate, but I'd never forgive myself if I knew you were doing crazy shit and they found you dead!”

He breathes rapidly as his curled fingers tremble. My heart stings with guilt. Not only for this, but the comments I've made about him having a soulmate. "I'm sorry. About everything. I didn't mean to frighten you.”

"It's a little late for that…" Erasmus retorts. "When Glaide told me, I got worried. I wasn't sure if I was going to find you dead or alive. I've seen how violent they can get.”

I swallow back the wave of regret that throbs my throat.

Of course. It’s not just the mall incident that's on his mind.

He was a soldier that fought their invasions until Mother begged him to come home.

No wonder he's so concerned. He's been through countless days witnessing the torturous deaths of people he cared about.

An arm wraps around my shoulders. My gaze darts to Glaide.

"I was concerned too. That's why I let him know.

" Glaide offers a gentle smile. "We care about you.

We don't want to see you get torn up to shreds and there's so many other people that would worry too.

I mean, imagine Sabina losing her adoptive father figure to a dreamscreecher after losing her biological family. Those monsters are vile."

The pain from guilt worsens. I could never imagine making Sabina lose another person at such a young age, let alone having people like Erasmus and Glaide mourn over me. It hurts to think about Mother and Grandmother in that situation too.

Still…the creature didn't hurt me. It proved what Clara said was true.

I wonder what made her believe that? Considering the whole kingdom seems to be so against them and much of the world as I know it. Come to think of it, I don't know much about the outside world, with coming in and out of Amara requiring a cleansing. Maybe Lluvia is more open to her ideas.

"I'll be more cautious next time…” I murmur to them.” I won't do these things anymore.

I promise." It's not an accurate promise but I'd still be more cautious for their sake.

"I just don't want to rattle anyone else tonight.

Mother is just calming down from the mall incident, and so is Grandmother.

I don't need them to lose their minds over this. "

It falls silent between everyone as Erasmus’s shoulders seem to relax. He lets out a deep breath. "Fine. Just don't do that again."

"I won't."

He shakes his head before leading me back to the car my chauffeur drove me in. Oh great. They called him back. "Get home safe baby brother, okay?"

I nod and get into the backseat. Glaide follows me in as Erasmus tells our chauffeur to take Glaide home as well. When he walks away, Glaide turns to me. “Actually I have something to show you before we go home.”

I raise my brows. “You do?”

“For that evidence you wanted? I texted my professor and got a quick response.” He leans towards the front seat. “Bring us to the University of Amara, please?”

“This late at night?” My chauffeur raises a brow.

“Amias needs this,” he nods in my direction as I sink into myself.

What's he got to show me this time?