It was after our lectures on that very day. The revelation of my abilities had not only changed my status within the school but also opened doors to questions about the world beyond. The journey ahead was uncertain, but one thing was clear—I was no longer just an ordinary student, but now a heroine in the eyes of the bullies.
I walked towards the Moon Hotel sheltered by the building. Just as I entered, I scanned through the place to find Jeremy till I met a finger waving at me from a distance, and tracing down the finger was Jeremy on a table with a man. I thought it was a secret. Who is the man by his side? I pretended as if that never mattered and walked up to him.
"Welcome, Amaya. I can see you are curious to rescue your mum," Jeremy sipped from his cup and said.
"Whatever! Who is this man?" I whispered into his ears. Jeremy smiled and responded.
"His name is Cole. He is the leader of the black rogues!" Jeremy responded. Fear crept onto me as I heard this from Jeremy. That was the man trailing me around. What exactly does he want this time? Or has Jeremy sold me out to him?
"But what is he doing here, Jeremy? I thought this should be a secret between us and not shared with a third party?" I asked him, and his laughter grew harder.
"He knows everything about your missing mom, Amaya," Jeremy said. I rolled my eyes at Cole whose eyes were unimpressive.
" Well, my name is Cole, the first commander of the black rogues." He introduced himself officially.
"My name is A..." I was about to introduce myself when he cut in:
"I know you very much, Amaya. Your introduction is meaningless," he said, looking at Jeremy, and they both laughed, making me look like a fool amidst them. And I was just a decision away from kicking that smirk off their faces, but that would not help now. I needed to get my mum out of that den.
"Jason knows the way to the villain's forest. He is one of his men," Cole said and sipped from his wine.
"What? That's not possible!!" I said, realizing the meaning of what Cole just said. How on Earth could someone like Jason know about my missing mum and keep quiet? He even promised me he would help me find her. Jason was somewhat complicated.
"Oh, yes. It's possible. Take a look at this." Cole threw a photo album on my table. I picked it up and opened it. The first one I picked entailed a fine blonde woman smearing a smile all over her face. The next photo I picked was Jason and a group of men in black in a forest. I covered my mouth with my hands to disenable the slump in my throat, yet, little escaped by force. I wide-eyed at the photo, not believing that Jason was in the picture.
I stood up angrily on the bench and moved out of the place while Jeremy and Cole called my name repetitively. I didn't know what came over me but I was just so angry that Jason had taken me for a fool for a long time, and I hated the fact. I would go right to his pack, and question him about my missing mum. I never believed, that Jason, an inconspicuous companion who had silently witnessed my daily routine, was now at the center of the mysterious puzzle surrounding my missing mother.
I finally found Jason seated by the edge of a tree close to our school. I moved up to him with a mixture of determination and anxiety. My mind was churned, and the air was thick with anticipation and the weight of unanswered questions.
"Talk to me," I demanded, my voice cutting through the uneasy silence. "What do you know about my missing mum?"
Jason smiled and picked up the leaf on the floor. He glared at the green leaf and smiled before he looked into my eyes with its mechanical eyes aglow. "You have the guts to sleep with Jeremy, and confront me again with jargon in your mouth."
My frustration boiled over. "Stop with the riddles, you bloody liar! Where is she? Why did you never tell me?" I screamed at him, clenching my fists, and my patience wearing thin.
Jason stood up and laughed with his hands in the air. Some water gathered at the brim of his eyes.
"My dear, Amaya. Have you come to challenge me the way you did to Dax? I will only have you kiss my foot!" Jason said, his eyes dimmed momentarily.
A surge of anger propelled me forward, and I grabbed Jason, its metallic surface cold against my hands and I demanded,
"Tell me where she is! I deserve to know. I'm not here to fight you. All I need is to know where my mum has been hidden for years."
"I don't know where your mum is, Amaya! Spare me the jargon," Jason screamed at me, his veins throbbing hard in his neck, and his voice scary. He had never spoken to me this way before.
"You scream at me, Jason? You never love me," I said to him, tears welling up inside of me.
I turned to leave, but his voice echoed behind me, a final revelation that added another layer to the web of deceit. "Jeremy is not to be entirely trusted, Amaya. Be cautious as you tread this path."
I paused, the weight of conflicting emotions settling over me. Betrayal from Jason, doubt about Jeremy's intentions, and the overwhelming desire to find my mother—all intertwined in a dramatic saga that seemed far too surreal.