Chapter 409 - Another Premonition

"You're hiding something."

In the mirror of my opened wardrobe, I saw a guy with weary, sunken eyes staring back at me, ruffling his damp hair with a towel, as he said with an even wearier groan, "No."

Reflecting back over his shoulder was the corner-end of a bed frame barely even visible in the glass, almost like a smidgen, and yet somehow that little petite figure sitting there had more of a visible presence than the guy in the forefront.

It's probably her eyes doing the heavy lifting there. Dad's color, but Mom's stare. In a way, intimidating.

The figure stood up, her chest swelling with a breath, and the bright blue in her scowl gazing back at the guy so defiantly. She marched, arms crossed, making her way forward, until she was to the side, her determined expression in the corner of my eyes.

"I'm coming with you," She said.

I threw the towel somewhere I didn't care to see, and ended up giving my desk chair a fluffy coat to wear, before promptly rummaging through my wardrobe for a jacket to go with my shirt. 

"If you're annoyed, there's one way to solve that," Behind me, her voice continued to resound, unable to be suppressed in spite of me burying my head in a mountain of fabric like a fashion emu. "All you have to do is say yes." 

Fortunately, I fished out something presentable at a record pace, and after a swipe here and there of my hair, I was about ready to start making my way out my bedroom. 

But then for some reason, my journey was abruptly halted and blocked by the tenacious bratty troll of the bedroom door, a toll had to be paid first it seemed.

"You're not leaving until I get my answer," spoke the troll in a grouchy voice. 

I took a step back, seriously contemplating if I should jump out the window instead. Ultimately I decided against it, broke my silence instead, saying to her, "Or else what, Sammy?" 

"Or else," She pursed her lips. "Or else… I'll… I'll be upset with you." 

Dear Lord, could there ever be a more terrifying threat than that? Sammy upset? Why I never…

"Please move, Sammy," I said, trying to wave her out of the way. "You're gonna make me miss the bus, and calling a car's too expensive."

"Good!" She retorted, digging her feet onto the carpet even more. "There, there's your 'or else', you'll miss the bus! How do you like that?" 

Wow, now I'm pretty much quaking in my boots. How can one be so wicked and evil?

"First the necromancer-phoenix thing the other day, and now this, you can't tell me nothing's going on," Sammy said. "In case you forgot, I came here to keep an eye on you…" 

Yeah, you and everyone else, apparently. 

"And I can't exactly do what I came here to do if you're keeping me on house arrest all the time!" 

"Who says I am?" I scoffed. "You're free to do as you want, free to go wherever you wish - "

"Except wherever it is that you're going, apparently…"

"Exactly." 

She sounded out a loud raspy groan in frustration. No leverage, no threats, she was starting to slowly grasp that there was nothing she could do to start swaying me to her wants. 

I didn't like that resentful look in her eyes, but the day I ever get her involved in any one of life's bizarre hijinks is the day I officially retire the title of best big brother. Powerful as she may be, untouchable as she may seem, whatever anyone may say. to me, she'll always be my little sister. 

"So you are hiding something, fine…" She flashed me another look, one that searched deep into my eyes. "But if you're keeping me out of it because of some stupid impulsive need to protect me - "

"I'm not," I said in an instant. "Look, I'll only be gone at most one-two hours. That's not long, is it?"

Seriously, I do not get this girl. Didn't she claim herself to want nothing to do with this certain magical aspect of our lives, wasn't she adamant in that? So why the hell was she trying her best, doing whatever it takes to get involved in it anyway?

"Call Mom," I told her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "You haven't talked to her this morning yet, have you?" 

At that, she quickly averted her gaze, at one instance, shifting her feet about in discomfort. From that alone, I could tell Sammy was still a ways away from warming up to her.

"I called Dad already," She muttered. "He knows I'm fine." 

"But not Mom," I repeated, gently pushing her out of the way. "You know how she is, right? Better get to it before she teleports here herself out of worry or something." 

She rolled her eyes at that. "Whatever…"

Before I could leave for the hall, before I could even finish waving farewell, Sammy spoke out again, and for the second time in a row, she had me freezing in place. 

"I had another dream again." 

I turned to her once more, and the apprehension brimming wide in her eyes wasn't one anyone could fake.

"Last night, when you were gone," She continued. "It's not getting any better." 

"What did you see?" I asked her, trying to keep my tone light as can be, trying to cancel out the somberness I heard in hers. "Me again, I'm assuming?"

"Me," She corrected, a lump in her throat swallowing dry. "I'm… I think I was angry."

"Angry?"

"Bloody."

"Bloody…"

"It's not very clear what was happening, but," Sammy breathed out, nervously tugging at her braid. "I just knew that it had something to do with you." 

"That so?" I said, also exhaling, funneling out any signs of tenseness. "How'd you figure?"

"Because I kept muttering your name," She answered. "Only your name. I think you did something to me… something…"

"Something…?" I urged her on.

"Something that made me want to kill you." 

A long moment's silence told me that she was finished, and for an even longer moment, we just stood there across from each other still lingering in that same silence. 

No wonder she was more stubborn than usual about tagging along with me to this mysterious meeting of mine. These deathly premonitions are seriously getting out of hand now, I swear.

"I think I might stay for a while more - a few days longer, a week maybe?" She suddenly spoke out, raising a timid gaze up at me. "Is that alright with you?" 

I began to move, began to speak, shutting the door, answering her with a single sentence. "It's just a dream, Sammy." 

A dream. That's all it was. Nothing more, nothing less. Mom already said so, and I decided that's what I was going to keep thinking of them as. It's just paranoia, her paranoia - her mind playing tricks because she's been thinking about it too much.

She'll see, she'll come around to that conclusion. It's only a matter of time. Dreams are just dreams, and reality is just reality… there's no use blending them together as one. 

People talk about a dream come true, but this was one that will stay forever locked away within the confines of the imagination. Because no matter what happens, no matter what comes to be said and done - there was no way I could ever be the person her dreams claim I could be. 

It's just not possible… it's not a possibility. 

I won't make it a possibility.

Never.

"Keep an eye on her, won't you?" 

Ash waited for me at the bottom of the steps, and after heeding my request, accepted without hesitation with a bow.

"Of course, Master," She said, her emerald eyes sparkling bright with resolve. "You needn't even say." 

After the incident yesterday, Ash had opted out of her usual afternoon visit to Sera's today. Made sense, couldn't help but agree too, but a part of me felt remorseful, a little bad… after last night, I was thinking maybe Sera needed the companionship.

Speaking of, I haven't told Ash what happened the night before. I figured that was a can of worms I could open later after my visit to Irene. I wonder what she'd say… would she take Sera's side? Of course she'd take Sera's side, she was her friend. 

Makes me wonder, what side was I on even?

I don't know.

"Alright, I'll be going now," I said, stroking her silver hair goodbye. "Be back in a jiffy." 

Ash gave a smile, waved me off… and before I knew it, I was twisting the doorknob open to the bright, blinding outdoors. For a few seconds, I waited for my eyes to adjust, squinting - and then I waited for a bit more, then a little bit more after that.

I think there was something wrong with my eyes, or maybe it was an illusion, two illusions, side by side, a trick of the light… then suddenly that trick of the light spoke out, and I knew then that no, I didn't need glass after all.

I was seeing just right, alright.

"You look… confused…" came her slow voice, so gentle and full of concern. "Are you… confused…?"

"Well, of course he is, dear sister," spoke the other illusion to the side, condescendingly, and highly infuriatingly. "He believes us Matriarchs as weakling, incapable of withstanding a little glare in the sky." 

"Or maybe he's just wondering to himself what the hell are you two standing outside here for," I said to them, shifting eyes from left to right. 

Beside one another, they really were like inverse-mirror images of each other. With the slight few things setting them apart being their hair, their eyes… and most contrastingly, their starkly different demeanors.

One soft-spoken, the other as haughty as can be. One had her eyes timidly staring up, the other could do nothing else but to look down at me. One with her hands folded, wrapped, woven into one another, while the other made do with folded arms instead.

"I… We… My sister and I… we…" Adalia started, only to be swiftly interrupted by a harsher, more firmer voice. 

"We're following." Amelia said.

I blinked. "What?"

"We're following," Shesaid again, eyes flashing danger, as if daring me to make her repeat herself thrice. "And no, you do not have a say in this decision, so please just swallow your grievances and hold your tongue, unless of course, you would rather do without it, in which case… by all means, then." 

"Sister…" Adalia muttered, her soft voice doing it's best to sound even the slightest bit stern. "No cutting tongues… don't hurt him…" 

Amelia simply just spun her head away in response. "An empty threat. I meant nothing by it, he knows that."

Do I though? Fucking hell, the way she looked at me, you'd think she was serious.

"But why follow though?" I asked, still wrapping my head around the sight of the both of them here now. "And why the both of you at the same time?"

"Spare your inquiries for another time, perhaps," Amelia responded. "After all, we have a bus to catch, do we not?"

I am seriously at a loss here. Welp, good thing Sammy wasn't here to see this, otherwise she might accuse me of double standards or something, that or she might find another 'or else' to threaten me with. 

A Matriarch's wrath is good leverage, after all.

Hope I brought enough coins for three…