Chương 14: What are you?

"Are you sure she is Ralda?" Kaz asked Simeon, his expression having traces of uncertainty. They had managed to calm Miranda down so she wouldn't run away in futility anymore, but they couldn't get her to return to the stone structure with them. She insisted she preferred to stay out in the cold than be in the same space with the monster that bit her.

When they realized that they couldn't convince her any further to avoid suspicion, Simeon thought it wise to give her a little space and some time to relax before they resumed questioning.

"She ran away from Lord Luviel, and now she is breaking down because you said there is no way out. That's so unlike Ralda. What if this person is an impostor here to cause more damage to Lord Luviel's heart?" Kaz added to his previous question, concern glimmering across his features.

"I don't think she is an impostor. Lord Luviel would know it right away if she was." Simeon answered but Kaz shook his head.

"Lord Luviel is weak right now. He had to take blood from us, remember?" Kaz pointed out.

"And he couldn't drink from her. That's enough to prove she is the real deal. Her blood cannot be faked." Simeon brought up another point, one Kaz could not argue with.

"Why then is she so different? I've never known Ralda to be this timid and fearful. My sister is a queen, a leader, a fierce one at that."

"She obviously doesn't remember anything or anyone. Something is wrong somewhere and we will find out soon. Just play along and stop telling her things from the past or looking at her funny. That is going to scare her more than she already is."

After saying this, Simeon and Kaz walked back into the stone structure to get a flat stone that was comfortable enough for Miranda to sit on since she insisted on staying outside.

When they returned, they set it down for her, and invited her to sit while they settled on the floor opposite the stone, making sure to give her some distance.

Seeing how they had sat down as well, Miranda obliged their request. she sat down on the raised stone they had prepared, facing them. As soon as she did, she folded her arms across her body, and that prompted Kaz to begin to take off his torn shirt.

"What are you doing?" Miranda jumped to her feet, alarmed.

"You're cold. I am offering my shirt to keep you warm. You need it more than I do." Kaz explained, pausing his action because he didn't understand why she sprang up the way she did, and neither did he understand why she was giving him the suspicious eye.

"No, thank you. Please keep your clothes on your body. I don't need it. I'm not cold." She put her hand out in a stop gesture, shaking her head.

"How can you say you're not cold? The air is chilly and you are in your underwear. Moreover, you were folding your hands just now.'' Kaz looked like he didn't believe her, but she was even more confused by some of the things he said.

"Underwear?" Miranda probed, checking her outfit once more to make sure her clothes had not suddenly disappeared, leaving her with just bra and panties. When she realized she was still fully clothed in her t-shirt and shorts, she shifted her gaze to Kaz, who was nodding his head in the affirmative, wondering if she didn't realize what she was wearing all this while.

"I am fully clothed. How are you seeing me in underwear?" She asked, shifting her gaze for a moment to Simeon, and catching him raise his brows in question, an expression similar to what Kaz was wearing. It was at that point that she realized something was wrong somewhere. Were they perhaps seeing something different from what she was seeing?

"Umm, can you tell me what I'm wearing? Like, describe what I'm wearing please." Miranda requested, moving her gaze back to Kaz.

"A short, white, cotton dress and underpants, things you wear before a proper dress." Kaz described, letting Miranda know that he was seeing right.

But underpants? What did he mean by underpants? The hem of her shorts was resting way below her mid-thigh, about five inches above her knee level. Why was he calling it underpants?

Just then, something clicked in her mind. Something she hoped was not true.

"What year is this?" She threw the question with narrowed eyes, hoping for an answer different from what she was thinking it would be.

"We don't know. We've been in here for so long and lost track of time. You are in a better position to tell us. What year was it before you came here?" Kaz responded, throwing his own question, while Simeon silently observed her, trying to put things together to make sense of what was happening.

"It's the year 2020," Miranda answered, a response that sent Kaz's and Simeon's eyes stretching so wide in shock.

"2020? The world is already in the 2000s?" Kaz asked in disbelief, his voice going higher than normal due to his high level of incredulity.

"Yes???" Miranda's answer came out in the form of a question, not sure why they were acting like that.

"I can't believe this. We've been locked away for five hundred and twenty years? That is so cruel, yet they say Lord Luviel is the cruel one. Who knew if I would have found a wife had we been free all this while? What if she had died and I didn't even get a chance to meet her? Do you—"

"Shut up, Kaz." Simeon cut Kaz off. "We have other important issues here."

"Are you saying me finding a wife is not important? If it's not important to you then it's important to me." Kaz fired back, shooting Simeon an unpleasant look.

"Five hundred years?" The two of them suddenly heard Miranda's voice and turned their attention to her. "What are you guys? Are you vampires?" She asked, suspicion embedded in her features.