Chương 16: The Seer

"Hello?! Are you still there? Is your brain experiencing major factory reset?"

Theresa gasped when Tomoya waved a hand right on her face.

"Have you gone mute as well? My cousin here's not talking since we met today," Tomoya chuckled, she could feel his voice vibrating in her eardrums. She eyed him and Takumi who's standing beside his cousin, eyes pinned on her. She then looked from side to side only to find out that they're still inside the shop. She looked at the clock which hangs on the wall just behind Tomoya.

It's ticking. It's working. God! That was another one. Theresa thought, bitting her lips in horror after a vision flashed in a matter of seconds. It was fast yet full of questionable happenings. She doesn't understand what's happening anymore. Her vision's no longer complementing each other. It's as though someone's already altering it as they speak. Her eyes travelled to meet Takumi's.

Could it be that it's him? The vision has been cut off before she could see what's more to it. What are those marks in her vision for? Is Takumi a spiritual being, perhaps, a demon? With no warning, Theresa cringed when a vision suddenly flashed before her in a split second once again. She saw a head of a woman burst in a drizzle of blood as if someone shot her. Her body lifted off its feet by the impact and twitched before laying down the ground. She gasped when she finally snapped back into her senses. Cold sweat started trickling down her temples, breaths falling short.

"Theresa, are you okay?!" Takumi could feel her trembling the moment he placed a hand on her shoulder. "No, you're not," he muttered. Theresa's actions are starting to make him feel uneasy. It has come into his conclusion that no matter what they do, whether they alter her visions or not, Kathleen will eventually die and there's no stopping that. However, he felt like someone's been distorting her visions and that is something Takumi is kind of certain. Back when he still has his curse, he also met someone who could foresee the future.

The person mentioned something about two Soothsayers: a veracious and a fallacious one. It was said that he would meet the two. Now, the only argument left in his mind is to which is which: the one who tells the truth and the one who lies? To solve the mystery, he had to find the second one. But, where to start? That, he didn't know.

***

"I can't believe I have been ditched by those sons of mother-fucking bitches!" Under her tanned skin, Kathleen turned red in fury when she was told the three won't be coming.

"I'm deeply sorry, ma'am," the man in black business suit bowed to show his sincerity in behalf of his master.

"No, it's okay! You don't have to do that," Kathleen placed a hand in front of her to stop the man who introduced himself as Takumi's butler.

"I just can't believe that the High and Mighty Takumi Takahashi didn't even have the balls to—," she paused and folded her lips when she almost cursed at the man's master. He's about the age of her father and looks incredibly respectable that she had to swallow all the curse words she's about to preach. She sighed and surrendered. "I appreciate your time to personally relay his excuses, good sir. But, if you could, please tell him to at least text me or what. It won't cost him much; not even a cent."

The man nodded. "Understood."

"And oh!" Kathleen heaved a deep breath before starting off in an incredible speed. "Please also tell his cousin, Tomoya, fuck you for not responding to my messages even though he has already seen it thank you very much."

"I-I'll see what I can," the man bowed once again and exited the coffee shop.

Kathleen has been left with a bunch of questions chasing in her mind as what Tom and Jerry does. It's already 5 PM and she can't contact neither the three of them which somehow sent her wandering mind to come up with a final judgement. They know something I shouldn't. She thought. Otherwise, they won't be having the same lame excuse for not coming.

Despite being stressed with what's going on, Kathleen still sat gracefully on the medieval couch near the book shelf. She checked her phone to see if any of the three decided to explain themselves and enlighten her even a bit of what's happening, but, there's none.

"What the hell," she could feel her nails scraping her scalp when she run her fingers through her hair in vexation. "Now what am I gonna do? Just sit here and wait for Christmas?!" The bell from the entrance chimed when someone entered; a woman, dressed in black round sheath dress and black wedged sandals. Her hair has been pinned into a knot, to which people call as Chignon hairstyle, that exposed the glamorous large pearls hanging on her neck. Kathleen estimated the necklace could worth a pretty good amount of money. The woman talked to her new employee and Kathleen was about to leave things as it is when she turned to look at the woman. Her eyes squinted and blinked rapidly.

"Okay, folks," she whispered. "We're going to keep things as complicated as possible."

Despite having the air conditioner being set to the lowest temperature, she could still feel cold sweats forming on her forehead. Kathleen stood up and darted towards the door in attempt to escape, but the woman had already gone her way just a meter apart from her, so she had to stop before she could even reach the glassed door handle.

Kathleen paced back and forth before completely gaining her composure back and faced the woman. There, she stood straight with a blank expression on her face. She could feel the tension stretching between them in a visible line.

"Judging by your reaction, I supposed you already know me," the woman started off bluntly in her thick Russian accent. Her voice is low and full, Kathleen almost feels like she's talking to a man. Even Tomoya's voice sounded more feminine than hers. There are already a lot of loose ends and now this. Kathleen swallowed a deep breath and waved one hand helplessly in the air before meeting the woman's stares. A quick glance of her, from head to toe, brought a bitter smile on her lips.

"I do, I wasn't just expecting to see you still alive, Mrs. Brown," Kathleen raised a brow, seemingly taunting. "Or is it Mrs. Proebrazhensky?"

She didn't even age a bit. She looked exactly the same in the portrait. She noted and seemed to have taken the whole thing as an impertinent fate joke, adding the fact that the woman was—is evil, that she had to laugh bitterly.

Goddamn it! I didn't even get a chance to figure out a way to save Shane and now, I think I will also get cursed myself. She thought as her fists clenched. Her tone wasn't so gracious and the woman understood where the attitude is coming from.

She nodded. "Perhaps, you may call me Mrs. Lada."

Kathleen's lips parted in disbelief. "I'm sorry, but I believe I don't have any business with you. Unless you'll lift Shane's curse and bring her back here, I might consider your presence in our property."

"That's exactly what I'm here for, to try and help; that's the least thing that I could do after destroying my son and his family's lives," Mrs. Lada spoke right away. "But I have to let you know that I can do nothing with the curse. No one can."

"I'm sorry?"

"Don't get your noses in the knots, child. What's fated to happen is bound to happen," Mrs. Lada warned, matter-of-factly.

"Yeah? Great!" Kathleen scoffed. "So, let me get this straight. You can't help with anything, yes?"

"I can, but I won't. Altering someone's fate bears great consequences. I've been made aware that you are someone precious to my son's daughter—,"

"Which is your granddaughter," Kathleen had to cut her off in a loud voice which had the customers turning their heads towards them, but she didn't care. "If you are so great of a—," she paused and muttered. "If you are so great of a witch or whatever you are, then do everyone a favor and bring your granddaughter back!"

Mrs. Lada's eyes drew down. "I beg you to heed my words, child. Humans cannot win against demons."

"That won't stop me, even if it costs me my life."

"Even the lives of the people you love?" Mrs. Lada looked at her once again. A glint of sadness can be seen in her clear, sky-blue eyes and as empty. "In order to open a portal between the two worlds, a life must be sacrificed."

Kathleen's throat suddenly went dry as her lips quiver.

"It could be one of your family members', it could be yours. You will never know unless you serve them. Once you do, your life is no longer yours. That's how the devils work and there's no going back."

It is clear that fear started to overpower Kathleen's will to save Samantha. Everything is not making sense to her. Even Mrs. Lada offered to help, it still won't erase the fact that she's the one who cursed Samantha. She must have her motives. She must be planning something, otherwise—otherwise what? A mental smack got Kathleen's wandering mind back in track. She can't trust her. That's the only thing she's certain of. Kathleen held her chin up and smiled.

"Well, I appreciate the warning, Mrs. Lada. However, just like what I said, unless you will help us with Samantha, you are not welcome here. We'll think of a plan. I'm sure life sacrifice ain't just the only way to open a portal."

Mrs. Lada's lips curved a simple smile. "Very well."

Slowly, realizing that Kathleen is firm to her decisions, she nodded her head, and made her way towards the exit. Finally, Kathleen has loosened up the breath she didn't know she's been holding. She placed one hand on her chest and one hand on her waist to ease her tensed nerves and muscles. She eyed Mrs. Lada who's walking on a different direction until she can no longer be seen.

Clearly, the woman is rich, but why is she only walking with those wedges on? "Who gives a fuck tho?" She muttered, fighting her own mind, now she needed both hands to drum her chest. She was extremely scared. Kathleen found herself looking at the new employee, whose expression so clearly said, "are you okay, ma'am? Need some coffee?". That took a moment before she realized it hadn't been said at all. Does she need coffee? Right. She does. She walked towards the cashier and ordered herself some.

On the other side of the road, to where the setting sun could no longer reach, stood Mrs. Lada, eyeing Kathleen who's already sitting comfortably on a couch. Her eyes grew in circles as though they are going to pop out any second. The smile that has been plastered on her face is extremely wide that the corners of her lips had been torn apart, almost reaching her ears.

Oddly enough, no blood oozed out of those ripped skin and muscles. Her whole body suddenly twitched as her head inclined to her right as she followed the man with her stares—it was Christian.

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