Adrianna watched as the mysterious savior ran into the jungle and disappeared from her vision. She could still feel his warmth in her hands. She smiled and mounted her bike to go back home. Although she was still feeling weak, she felt goofy. Her smile turned into a face splitting grin, then a chuckle, and then into loud foolish laughter. She had forgotten all about her wounds, as they had started healing by the time she neared home.

It was already 7PM by the time Adrianna reached the cottage. She parked her motorcycle only to find Ed waiting for her on the porch. She could feel his stare on her. With one hand on his waist and the other leaning on the porch’s wooden pillar, he glowered at her as she unhurriedly walked inside with her shopping bag in one hand and her helmet in the other. ​​

“Where were you all this while?” he asked very angrily.

“Okashi took me shopping,” she replied, gently lifting up the shopping bag and showing it to him. “This is why I asked you to buy a cellphone so that I can communicate with you.” She continued to prove her point that he indeed needed a cellphone for such situations even if they could communicate by thoughts.

Ed breathed a sigh of relief and said, “Adri, I heard there was a neotide in the college today. That bothers me.”

“Oh yes Grandfather! I have to tell you all about that!” Adrianna said as she opened the door and entered the living room. She threw down her shopping bag on the sofa, kicked off her shoes, and grabbed a bacon sandwich from the kitchen before perching on the beanbag.

Ed just shook his head as he collected her things and arranged them neatly on the dining table.

Adrianna narrated to him the incidents of the day. Ed was horrified when he heard about how she had been surrounded by so many neotides, and goose bumps started to line his skin. He scolded her, “Adrianna, acting wisely when afraid and in the face of danger is a good thing, but you don’t have to show your bravery at each and every situation like this. You should have sped away from there and not have risked your life! There are so many ways to deal with the neotides; they are brainless creatures, fueled only by jealousy and useless rage. How can a girl like you waste your energy on neotides?”

“Grandfather, there was no escape out. I couldn’t move from there; they had blocked all my escape routes. Besides, I did analyze the situation, and I acted with a lot of self-control,” she replied, lying through her teeth. She had used her recently discovered magic, making her go weak, but she was afraid to mention it.

“Who was the wolf that helped you?” he asked, knowing fully well that his granddaughter was hiding something. After all, he could read her mind unless she blocked him, and at that moment, she had been so excited that she wasn’t even aware of him prying inside her head.

“I don’t know Grandfather… After the fight, he vanished into the jungle…” she said as she pondered over it, feeling warm all over again.

Ed narrowed his eyes and Adrianna felt a jolt. “Grandfather, stop trying to get in my head,” she said angrily as she instantly blocked him.

Ed’s concentration broke. He chuckled, and said, “The food is ready. Eat it before it gets cold.”

“Umm… Okashi and Niiya will be here soon to pick me up. We are going to the creek…” she said sheepishly.

Ed was visibly irritated, but he didn’t say anything. Adrianna was old enough to hang out with her peers alone. He was just worried about her safety.

“How do we ensure that you are safe from the neotides this time?” he asked, warning her not to go.

“There haven’t been any incidents in that area so far. I don’t think the neotides would even dare to go there. There are too many humans over there for them to expose their identity so easily,” she answered.

“Okay…” he replied. He then got up to go to his room. On his way, he told her, “Adri, buy me a cellphone tomorrow.”

Adrianna smiled, and went to her room to change for the creek.

As she was changing, she remembered the incident in the fitting room. She could feel his eyes all over her body, making her feel numb again. She remembered his arctic blue eyes and how looking in those eyes made her feel the same soul-twisting happiness that she would feel from taking a walk alongside the lake in the middle of the jungle during the summers. Was she done for at that moment? Her heart had started pounding, her legs had become jelly, and her whole body had trembled with excitement and anxiety. She felt crazily drawn to him.

She was looking at her reflection in the mirror when suddenly, out of the corner of her eye, she thought she saw his reflection, as if he was gazing at her and touching her with his eyes. She turned her head, only to find that she was just imagining things. Feeling sad and anxious at the same time, Adrianna sulked and felt like crying again.

Her thoughts were broken by a loud honking sound.