CHAPTER 228: NEW BEGINNINGS, WITH SOME OLD MEMORIES

(Myra’s POV)

Sitting in my room, near the window, I sipped on my warm latte as I absorbed the scenery, the sun rising in all its glory from where I sat, "Ahh~ .... Perfect start to another perfect day, I guess."

It has been five days since me and my family arrived in Esteria safely. Though, the journey has been exhausting.

That day, on the flight, I have been so restless and uneasy. On top of that, we had to change two flights to reach Esteria. One was from Damona to Seacole, while the next one was Seacole to Hensenhaven. Hensenhaven is close to Esteria so instead of a flight, we reached Esteria by road.

I must say Yelena’s grandfather, Garry Yates, has really, quite meticulously arranged all the things. He even had the excuses ready, so that neither my parents or Wendy doubted why we took such a long route.

We reached Esteria the next evening, around eight or maybe eight thirty. I was so damn tired that I didn’t really check what the time was. Anyways, the place, or the accommodation is not what I was expecting. It is a bit too much, to be brutally honest.

Initially, I thought when I asked him to arrange for a place for me and my family to stay, it would be a mediocre apartment. But this, this is by no means mediocre. I will not say it is a villa but this house is big, three times bigger than the house in Damona and flashy as well

It is all pristine white on the outside, with neatly trimmed garden. Yellow roses were gracing the right side of the garden while on the left, fresh and vibrant purple tulips were beaming.

The pavement which leads to this house had a small lane which showcased, pink, white, orange, red, yellow, even some bicolored rain bulbs in full bloom.

Inside, the living room was vast and as expected fully furnished with high end stuff. I could just tell at one glance. Each of our bedrooms is big enough and decorated with different themes, mine is in mint green and blue, Wendy’s is in pink while my parents’ room is in cream and beige shades. There is even a guest bedroom, a storage room and a terrace garden with wooden swing. It is beautiful and very well kept.

At first, dad and mom did question me, "Are we at the wrong place, dear? This cannot be your college accommodation, right? This looks like, it already belongs to someone."

I called Garry directly to confirm it and he just said, "Ms. Miracle, it is ’the accommodation’ you asked for. The place is safe, within the campus walls and no outsider can really reach that part without proper access. I have specifically arranged it for your family. It is where all the professors and college staff lives. So, don’t let it go to waste," saying this, he disconnected the call, citing he had an urgent meeting. But when I tried to reach him again, he didn’t pick up.

Eventually, I somehow explained to them that it given to us because Mr. Yates Senior was one of the trustees of this university, which is true. Mom and dad were reluctant at first but, we all were dead tired at that time. So, they just said they will stay here, temporarily, until we find a new place, of our own. I didn’t say anything on that.

Anyway~ .... All the formalities are already done and both I and Wendy will start our respective university and school in two days.

The weird part is that, there are only two days left for the semester to start and Yelena hasn’t arrived yet. It is suspicious. Her phone is not reachable and when I asked Garry about it, he texted, "She is with her grandmother." Just that, no update, nothing. I am really worried for her. I kind of have an inkling, that Yelena’s relationship with her grandmother isn’t all that great. Once when she came all drunk at the dorm, she rambled something about her grandmother making her life difficult. When I asked her what happened, she had passed out. Afterwards, she said just she didn’t want to talk about it. I never pushed. So, I still don’t know the detail but~ ... this whole thing makes me uneasy.

And somehow, I feel like, I have been tricked. Tricked by this lavish house, one in a lifetime opportunity, the chance to study in Red Stone, a chance to escape from that whole ordeal with werewolf stuff. Garry Yates, definitely wants something from me other than me being his regular employee. You know, when before slaughter, a goat is feed sumptuously. Sometimes, I get that feeling.

Maybe I have made a mistake or maybe it is all just in my head. But as I have already made my bed, I will have to lay in it. That is the only choice I have right now. When life is at stake, you don’t have the luxury to choose from various alternatives, right?

As neither of our SIMs are working here, I changed them all to a different number.

For now, everything is going great, apart from these worries and just those freakish nightmares which they keep haunting me.

Luckily, the rooms in this house are all soundproof so whenever I get up in the middle of the night, Wendy doesn’t come running to ask what had happened. If she knew I was doused with these nightmares regularly, she would definitely freakout and make a fuss about seeing a psychiatrist or therapist.

I don’t want any of that. Now, that I and my family are in a new place, I want to begin a new Chapter of life without any other burden. Maybe once the new semester starts, I won’t experience these odd nightmares. Maybe it is all because I have been too stressed in these past few weeks.

Speaking of stress, Alaric, that guy and Dion, I don’t know whether they tried to visit my old place or not. Because if they did, they definitely know that I have moved out with my family.

There are numerous questions that arise in my mind, ’Are they searching for me? Have they told their family about it? Does Nora know about it? She must be really disappointed in me. Sara, she must be sad by the news, right?’

"Myra ..." a knock on my door interrupted my thoughts.

"Yes, mom," I replied. "What is it?"

"Dear, can you come out. My dad and I want to speak with you," mom’s voice came from the other side of the door.

"Coming," I replied and then the sound of her receding footsteps was heard as she went downstairs.

After taking a few deep breaths, I took the cup and went downstairs.

_______________________

(Dion’s POV)

"Dio, have you given the presents I asked you and Al to deliver to Myra and her family?" mother questioned me.

I and Alaric have just returned from Damona. Mother has called daily when we were there. But neither I nor Al told her the truth. We have been searching everywhere for Myra and her peers but there is weirdly no clue about it. We investigated and no one knows where they have disappeared too.

Not the bank where her father used to work, not her sister’s school, not even her college. There is no news about them. We only disclosed this to father and no one else. So, for now, neither mother knows nor Nora. It is not something we wanted to inform them on a call.

I looked at Alaric, who looks like a restless panda. Out of us two, he has been juggling between handling the project work and investigating the whereabouts of the Miracles from the past five days.

Scratching the back of my neck, I looked at father, asking for him to intervene. I don’t have the heart to break this news to her and Nora. They both are looking at me with expectant eyes.

"Mother, I have something to tell you and Nora," Alaric started, his voice all stern and serious.

"Brother Al, what do you want to tell? Why are being so serious all of a sudden?" my precious little sister asked Al.

All of us know how much attached she is to Myra. She will be devastated to know this news. I braced my self as Alaric said, "We didn’t get to give the Miracles any gift."

Both mom and Nora narrowed her eyes in confusion. Even Elio and Brave had a frown on their faces.

"Why is that? Did you not visit them?" mother inquired.

"We did but~ ..." there was a long pause as Al sighed and said, "the miracles have moved from that place."

"They have moved? That can’t be right. As far as I know, Myra’s parents repaid the loan for that house a few years ago and they had no plan to move. Did you go to the wrong place somehow, brother Al, brother Dion?" Nora questioned. She looked at both of us with obvious confusion.

To Be Continued . . . . . . .