CHAPTER 242: A WARNING III

By the time I was done narrating the episode of my encounter with the strange witch in the forest, my adoptive parents were sure it was anything but a joke; if the looks on their faces were anything to go by.

"It’s not a joke!" Laura stated vehemently.

Well, there went my suggestion of it being a joke.

"And can’t you see? It’s what we have been telling you... to stay away from those twins and their wicked family?" She continued, her hands clasped while her feet tapped on the floor.

Diana and I exhaled at the same time. We had seen this coming.

"Mother, is there really a way to avoid them? In case you’ve forgotten, I take classes with the Queen. Exposing her pettiness to the people hadn’t been enough to stop it; if anything, she was tasked to take care of me adequately in case I’m the next in line for the throne..."

A pause, where I swallowed the bitter pill; I didn’t think I would ever get used to the idea of being next in line to the throne just because I had white hair. For all they know, it could be hormonal imbalances.

El laughed again. ’Hormonal balances my foot!’

"Mother, they can’t hurt me. The eyes of the people are on them, and I can hold my own ground," I added, reclining deeper into the sofa with a sigh. Laura and Peter exchanged looks.

"Still..." Peter started, leaning forward. "You have to be careful, Maya. You have to take the words of the strange witch seriously. Which means..."

He paused, his brows furrowing in thought. "We too have to be careful, especially in the upcoming party. Remember what she said, to avoid drinking from a flowered cup on a full moon." He turned to his wife. "When is the next full moon?"

"A few days from now. I think the prophecy is talking about the Queen’s party..." Laura muttered to herself, albeit loud enough to be heard by the family.

"Diana, you should never depart from Maya’s side all through this time, all through these days of the Queen’s party. Am I clear?" Peter instructed.

Diana nodded immediately.

Great, now I had a babysitter! Not that I wasn’t pleased with Diana being around me, but sometimes a girl wanted her space.

Worse, Diana could be dogged when she wanted to; it wouldn’t be easy shaking her off if I ever wanted to.

"And lastly..."

There was more?

"No more trips into the forest. Maybe, when you are Queen..."

"I won’t be Queen," I stated, cutting Peter short.

He glared at me, then softened when perhaps he took note of the nervousness flashing in my eyes. "Maya..."

"I know I have white hair, but it doesn’t mean I’m next in line. It could be Diana in the next few years; she is also powerful."

Just as I had been growing powerful over the past couple of weeks, Diana had been too. As a matter of fact, the little one seemed to have put more effort into learning; it was like she was training to be my bodyguard.

I still wasn’t sure how to feel about that. I should be the one protecting her.

"Yes. And I’m aware that your lineage is also unknown.... Still, we have to be prepared. It’s true that the town’s men have let the Queen and her family be, but honestly, we are just waiting for her to slip again, and she’s out. I think she is aware of that, hence her current calm state. So, just in case, be..."

"Prepared, I know," I finished, exhaling roughly.

Queen Maya.

My old community people from the pack would have a fit if they knew. Well, they wouldn’t, since I would be wearing a mask.

But... if I should become a Queen, won’t I get rid of the mask? I could already imagine their faces when I revealed my real identity.

A laughter escaped my lips, confusing my family, breaking me from the hold of my imaginations.

"You seem to be in your own head," Peter said, getting to his feet. "You both should get to bed then. It’s already late. The festivities start tomorrow."

"Okay, Dad," We echoed, getting to our feet and moving toward the door. But Laura called out to me at the last minute.

"And Maya, remember to send a letter to the Queen, declining to address the crowd when the festivities end."

"Okay, Mother," I answered and left the room, walking slowly with Diana to our hut.

"So, when are you going to let her know?" Diana spoke as we entered our hut.

"Tomorrow, when we attend the festivities," I answered, still walking, this time to the door that demarcated my room from hers.

"Alright then, Goodnight, Maya. See you tomorrow."

"Goodnight, Diana. Love you."

"Love you too."

Inside my room, I got rid of my clothes and stepped into my bathroom, which Peter had incorporated into our huts a few days ago.

The constant thing in the past few weeks hadn’t just been my training with the Queen, but also the recent mysterious deaths around the community—Individuals who had been sucked dry of their blood and strewn like trash at the border of the community.

And this was most likely another reason why the people had left the Queen on her throne; she was more good at dealing with these problems than me, a novice who just got to know of my magic powers a few months ago.

Luckily, none of the individuals had been part of the community. We didn’t know where they came from, but the gruesome sight had been enough to put everyone on guard.

Peter had joined the team and had included the small bathrooms to Diana and my room so we wouldn’t have to be going out to take our baths. I loved it.

However, the case of bloodsuckers now brought to my mind the creatures I had read about in one of the books I had stolen from the library. Vampires.

I shook my head, letting the shower run. They aren’t meant to be in this region, not according to the pact made by supernaturals more than fifty years ago.

Someone else was making the kills.

But who? And what was the purpose?