ALAYNAChills travel down my spine, making me colder than I already am.
How can someone steal Betty’s phone when there’s no one else in the house but us? How can they know that I’ll be meeting her at the resort?
Oh my God!Is it John? No. John spoke to Brandon and Ollie and told them where we are.
How about Betty? We don’t know much about her. However, she wouldn’t do anything that obvious. No sane person would betray us by using their own phone number.
I jolt in fear when someone suddenly knocks on the window a few minutes later, but relief floods through me as I find Brandon standing outside.
I push the car door open, and he instantly catches me in his arms, holding me tight against him.
“I’m all right,” I assure him, wrapping my arms around his body.
“You are certainly not all right because of me. I thought I'd lost you,” he says breathlessly.
I gaze into his eyes. “You didn’t, so don’t worry, okay? What happened back there?”
“Brandon.” Oliver appears behind him and hands Brandon the car key. “We don’t have much time. Hurry up and leave. I still need to go back to the house. Betty’s still there. But will you two be all right?”
I feel Brandon’s arm tighten around my waist. “I’ll keep her safe.”
“You too, okay?” Oliver briefly hugs his cousin.
Brandon nods. I look over my shoulder and give Oliver and John a small smile before stepping into the other car.
“Where are we going, Brandon?” I buckle my seatbelt.
“Somewhere safe.” He brushes his thumb over my chin. “Do you trust me?”
“Always.”Brandon revs the engine to life, then pulls out of the place.
After almost an hour’s drive, we stop in front of a traditional Japanese wooden gate with two pointed roofs and calligraphy etchings on each side.
“Did we just escape to Japan or something?”
“This was a dojo. Come, let’s get inside.” Brandon takes my hand and leads the way. It’s even more surprising that he opens the gate by pushing some blocks of wood like a combination code lock.
“Dojo? Is that where people practice martial arts or something?”
“Yes.”
Entering is like passing into another world. The open gate reveals one of the most beautiful places I have ever seen. On the vast land in front of us stands a Minka: a house in handcrafted natural wood with a triangular roof and cherry blossom trees around it. Finding it is like traveling to early Japanese civilization.
Brandon walks in first through the house's largest entrance, and an old woman in a kimono “Lydia.” Brandon embraces her.
Lydia’s eyes seem to sparkle—like a mother’s gaze at a long-lost son. “Brandon, my child. It’s really you“Oh, Lydia. I’ve missed you.”
I almost want to cry at their reunion, though I haven’t the slightest idea who she is.
She pulls away first and cups Brandon’s face. “Cassius isn’t lying. You're really here.”
Brandon grins. “Lydia, I want you to meet my girlfriend.” He pulls me next to him. “This is Alayna. Alayna, this is Lydia.”
She swiftly turns her eyes to me in awe. “Oh, my boy is all grown up. It’s a pleasure to meet you, Alayna.”
We shake hands, and she squeezes my palm softly.
“The pleasure is mine, Lydia.”
“Lydia is Lennie’s sister,” Brandon explains.
Ms. Lennie has a sister! No wonder they look alike. Only Lydia is probably younger.
“I used to go anywhere Lennie went. Brandon was just a little boy back then,” she says heartily and gazes up at Brandon. “You grew up so tall and so handsome. Come inside. You are safe here.”
“She knows what’s going on?” I whisper to Brandon, but Lydia hears me.
“Oh, dear. I always look after Brandon, even if I’m far away. I talk to Lennie almost every day.” She speaks slowly, making her voice sound even gentler.
“I’m glad Ms. Lennie has you.”
“No, I’m glad she has youWhen we get into the inner part of the house, all I can say is a big wow!
The house’s structure, though old-fashioned in appearance, doesn’t seem fragile. The doors are latticed screens, covered with white paper, and the flooring is pure wood.
“I wish I could take a picture.”
“You can’t; her husband didn’t want it to be like a tourist spot,” Brandon whispers. “He is Japanese.”
“Oh, I see,” I whisper back.
“Lydia, where is Kenjiro?” Brandon asks.
“Ah! You can guess where he is at times like this. His way of living is still the same. He’s in the training camp with his new karate students. He won’t be back until next week. It makes him happy, so I let him.” Lydia stops in front of another door. “This is going to be your room, or do you want separate rooms?”
“No“I know, I know.” Lydia smiles meaningfully. “If you need anything, just tell me.”
“Thanks, Lydia. I’m sure everything you have here is enough.”
She strolls back to where we came from.
Brandon slides the door open. “Ladies first.”
I step into the room and sit on the floor; there are no chairs but thick comforters with glossy blankets instead.
“Did I mention they have a hot spring here?” Brandon adds when he sits across from me.
“Do you mean I can still try it here?”
He chuckles. “Of course. I planned on bringing you here anyway.”
“Is this the place you were telling me that I’d like?”
“Do you like it?”
“I love it!”
“Hey!”
To his surprise, I jump to get on his lap, but he falls out of balance, so I flip on top of him.
“Sorry...”Brandon assesses me with his gray eyes, and we are both suddenly quiet. He brushes his fingers over my hair and tucks the strands behind my ears. “You’re so beautiful,” he whispers out of the blue. “Such beauty doesn’t deserve my ugly face.”
My heart melts at his insecure words. I can't stop myself from kissing his mask. “You’reHe tightens his arms around me, and I rest my head on his chest. For a long moment, we stay like that, just enjoying the moment.
“Come with me.” He gently puts me aside and stands up.
“Where?”
He holds my hand and pulls me to my feet. “Just come.”