Bab 8: A NEW FACE II
Emma could see that gaze again. It was the same gaze she had seen in the eyes of the boys earlier when they had seen her at first; and she got really curious.
" Can't you talk or what.." The woman queried, seemingly getting tired of repeating her questions.
" I'm Emma, and I live down the street" Emma replied looking at the woman. But she couldn't keep the eye contact for long. Rubbing her hands together, she looked elsewhere, at the gmelina trees; because for some reasons, unknown to her, she felt cold under the woman's gaze.
"You live here??" The woman asked, her voice tinted with a note of confusion and suprise.
Emma grasping that, looked up at the stranger. She could see the widening of the woman's eyes in suprise, then in conflicting emotions.
"Yes, that's what I said the first time" She replied after few seconds. She didn't understand the woman emphasis on where she lived.
But then, Emma heard the woman scoff, and she almost slapped herself for sounding so rude. She sensed somehow, that she could learn a lot from the stranger if she wormed her way into her heart.
"I'm sorry,for sounding so rude" She apologized, putting up the puppy eye, which had never failed her for once. It seemed to work everytime, even on her father.
The woman smiled then, and looked at her again, though Emma could still see some conflicting emotions in her deep brown eyes. A mixture of suprise, confusion and awe.
"Could you adjust, let me sit?" The woman asked, pointing towards Emma's purse.
"Sure" Emma replied excitedly. She budged to the left part of the row chair, taking her purse with her.
The woman sat down then, putting her hands together on her laps, and looked straight ahead; her eye brows scrunched up like she was in deep thoughts.
Trailing her eyes over the woman, Emma thought the stranger looked and acted like a royal. Although thinking of it now, she could recall that she didn't see any castle, while coming down here with the taxi.
The taxi driver had even acted weird when she gave him the address of her father's place, but then, she didn't take it as anything. She thought that perhaps, the place was really far. And had paid him the amount he had requested for, even though she deliberated that the fare was too high.
"Tell me about you. How did you get here??" The woman asked her, breaking into her thoughts.
Emma didn't know why, buh she felt that she could tell the lady anything. But first she had to know her name, she concluded.
"Okay, but you have to tell me your name first" She said, keeping the eye contact this time around.
The woman smiled again, and Emma thought that she had the most beautiful smile, a motherly smile. She could tell the woman was married.
"Okay, if you wish so. My name is Melvina." The woman replied, still smiling.
"Melvina?! Wow, that's a beautiful name for a beautiful woman like you" Emma stated smilingly; then on a second thought, she covered her mouth in abashment. She hoped the woman didn't think she was interested in girls, because of her statement.
The woman, Melvina, laughed out loudly. She knew what the human girl was thinking. She actually found her interesting, and too beautiful. She also knew she was fiesty, and was a worthy opponent for her rude son.
"I'm sorry, buh..."Emma tried talking. She thought the woman was laughing at her perceived sexual orientation.
"No, it's okay, I know what you're are thinking" Melvina said, still smiling.
" So I've told you my name, now tell me about you. How did you come to be here?, I've never seen your face around." She continued.
At Melvina's statement, Emma wondered whether everyone knew everyone here, she hoped not. Although she was quite social, she liked her privacy.
"Okay, I'm Emma" She said, hesitatingly.
" Yeah, You have already told me that." Melvina said, as she chuckled at the look on the teenager's face.
"Okay okay, I'm from Florida." Emma stated, wiping imaginary sweat from her face.
"Florida ?? So what are you doing here." Melvina asked, getting really curious.
"My father sent me here" Emma replied monotonely.
"Your father???" Melvina queried.
"No, my mother." Emma replied annoyingly, while stopping herself from snapping at the woman, at her repitition again.
Melvina, now sensing that the human girl was getting irritated, knew she had to communicate properly to really know her.
"I'm sorry, but I still don't understand how your father could send you here, from Florida. It's quite unheard of. Did you tell him to??" She questioned gently.
"No!" Emma shouted, as her predicament came upon her thoughts again.
"So what happened?" Melvina asked.
" A punishment." Emma replied. She didn't want to elaborate on what really happened.
Melvina sensing that the human didn't want to talk about it, changed the topic.
" Okay, it's alright. Where do you stay?" She asked.
"Two blocks down the street." Emma replied.
"No name??" Melvina queried.
"13 moonway street, I think." Emma said, rubbing her forehead as she tried recalling her house number. It was written on the front door, on a silver plate.
Melvina gasped. That was the house of Sheila, her closest friend who had disappeared mysteriously, after the last pack war.
" You mean the white house?" She questioned worriedly.
"Yes yes, do you know about it??" Emma asked excitedly. She was right. The woman really knew something about this place. At least she could tell her why the house looked like an abadoned drug house now.
"Not really. Who's your father?" Melvina inquired.
"Mr Jason" Emma stated tiredly. She had hoped the woman would tell her some stories about the place.
Melvina racked her head for a Mr Jason, but to no avail. She wondered who he was, and his relationship to Sheila. He couldn't have bought the house, because humans weren't allowed to buy the house or even live here. But they were allowed to visit.
"Tell me about your father" She said to Emma.
Emma bit her lips as she wondered why the woman was interested in knowing her father all of a sudden. She knew that that she had to say something if she really wanted answers too.
"My father is a business man. He deals with construction issues" She replied.
"Okay, do you know who is Shelia?" Melvina asked.
'Shelia?' Emma thought widely. The only Sheila she knew was her one year old neighbor, and she had a feeling that the woman in front of her, wasn't talking about that Sheila.
"No I don't". She replied.
"Okay, well…." Melvina was saying before Emma cut in.
"Why are you asking all these questions?, Is the house haunted??" Emma asked, now scared as she thought of it.
After all, the house was very near to the forest.
'But so is the others', her mind said to her.
'Yeah, but mine is the last on the street.'She mused to herself. There is always something about the last houses on the street, she thought.
" Not at all dear. Just that this area is reserved for some special people." Melvina said, smiling.
"Oh , what kind of special people?, Is Sheila special.?
Emma asked, getting more curious.
'Is she not special?. Is it money special or what.' She wondered.
" Yeah,she is." Melvina said, skipping the first question. "But she has been missing for more than 16yrs now."
"16yrs??!" Emma screamed, her mouth agape.
"Yes" Melvina said quietly.
Emma could see the sad look on the woman's face, and she concluded that the Sheila must be someone important to her.
"Who is she to you?" She asked.
"My closest friend." Melvina replied.
"So what are you doing here?, shouldn't you be at your place?. Melvina asked, changing the topic. She knew the young lady was too inquisitive.
"I'm going for a stroll." Emma said, shaking her legs.
"A stroll?" Melvina queried, forgetting for a second, that the teen hated repitition.
"Yeah. Some people are cleaning up my house. I just arrived today." Emma replied.
"Oh"Melvina said.
And for a moment, she wondered whether it was the same place her son was cleaning up. She had called him earlier today, and he had complained that he was cleaning up a house on moonway park.
"Uhmmm..." Melvina heard Emma stutter while she played with her hair.
"What is it dear?" She asked, while trying to move Emma's hair back.
Emma looked up at the beautiful lady she had come to like, and knew she could actually tell her the problem, without feeling embarrassed.
"Is there a place I could get something to eat?." She asked, hoping that the lady would answer in affirmative, as she was very hungry already. She hadn't eaten since she left home. She also wanted to get something for the boys. She knew that she had some money with her, her money had given her some bundles of money.
" For upkeep." She had said.
"Yes of course, follow me". Melvina said, standing up.
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