Chapter 54: Chapter 54

Aurel's POV

I immediately opened my eyes wide as I felt the piercing cold that seemed to penetrate my bones, causing my whole body to shiver. I woke up in an unfamiliar place that felt so suffocating. I didn't know why, but I felt that something was wrong with me. I remembered the last time I almost fainted and someone helped me. I think they took me to a medical room, but where am I, I wondered as I started examining each room.

I was in a room that felt very quiet and lonely. Around me were only dark colors and dim lights that adorned the surroundings. There didn't seem to be any windows in this room either, and the atmosphere made me feel cramped. I then got off the bed, but as I tried to stand up, something pulsated down there and made me stop. I don't know why, but I felt fine earlier, yet now my whole body was in pain again.

The darkness of the room reminded me of Gray's room, but for some reason, this was much different, I thought. I was startled when the large door in front of me opened, revealing a woman with her wavy red hair walking towards me. She had dark skin and bright brown eyes. The only thing I could think of was that she looked beautiful. She was holding a tray in her hand before walking closer to me.

"Are you awake?" she asked, making me nod as I continued examining her appearance, causing her to smile.

"Hi, this is our first meeting, right? My name is Loma," she said as she extended her hand adorned with many shiny accessories made from pearl shells.

"I'm Aurel, but where am I?" I asked, making her smile again.

"You don't need to worry; you're in a safe place. I'm sure you're hungry. Well, not to worry, I brought food for you. I'm not sure if it's to your taste, but I believe you'll like it. It's my latest recipe," she said, making me look at the tray as if it were a seafood dish soup.

"Come on, you don't need to be afraid. I haven't included anything strange or poisonous that could harm you, because your life is very important. That's why I need to protect it. I can't hurt you even a little bit, because my life is at stake," she said, making me furrow my brow even more. I was about to ask a question, but Loma interrupted again.

"You can save all the questions in your head for later. It's better to fill your stomach first. Your body isn't in good condition, and you might still be feeling the effects," Loma said, as if she knew about my condition, causing my cheeks to flush.

I took the bowl that had been placed on the nightstand earlier, slowly trying the food bit by bit. Just as Loma had said, the dish was truly delicious.

"This is delicious," I said, making Loma smile widely. She then sat down beside me, watching me eat as if she wanted to make sure I finished all the food she had prepared.

"I told you that you'd even get addicted to eating my cooking. So, hurry and finish if you want to ask something," Loma said, causing me to nod again. I truly finished the meal Loma had prepared, and afterward, I looked at her.

"So, where is this?" I asked again.

"This is my friend's house. I'm staying here as well, but don't worry, he's very attentive to his guests," she said, not really answering any of my questions. I mean, was this still in New York? Because I couldn't see outside the room at all. There weren't any windows or openings that would allow me to see outside.

"Are we still in New York?" I asked again, making Loma smile. She then got up from her seat.

"Well, you're definitely in a safe place. Alright, I'll take this away, and you can rest again. If you need my help, just ring that bell, and I'll come right away," Loma said, pointing to the bell on the nightstand. It felt like something out of a novel, like summoning a maid or something.

I turned around, intending to look back, but I was startled not to see Loma around me. I thought maybe she was walking towards the door, but now the room was completely empty, and even the door that was previously closed. I could clearly hear how the large wooden door opened, making quite a loud noise. But this time, the room felt even quieter. I didn't know what to do in such a large room in an unfamiliar place.

I then tried to look for my phone; I needed to contact Gray and Rex. They would surely be looking for me. However, I couldn't find my phone anywhere, not even my school bag. I was still wearing the same clothes as before. I decided to explore the spacious room. I walked towards a cabinet with several books neatly arranged. I pulled out one, but what puzzled me was that I didn't recognize the language, not even the writing looked familiar – it wasn't the usual letters that are commonly used.

I put the book back and turned to another one that seemed the same. I even checked line by line from the bookshelf, but I couldn't identify any of it. Could I be in another country? But how could that be? I couldn't even determine whether it was day or night. What if Gray or Rex were looking for me, I thought, starting to feel frustrated. I didn't even know how long I had been spending time in that room.

I sighed in frustration. There were some paintings on the wall that looked strange, much like the room itself. The paintings seemed so gloomy. Eventually, I walked to the other side of the room where there was a tall, large wardrobe. I reached out and opened it, finding several dresses hanging inside. But I didn't recognize this kind of clothing. They weren't party dresses like what people usually wore. These were like ancient dresses, reminiscent of princesses from ancient times, like in the Roman era. I wasn't sure, but I had seen something similar before.

Why were these clothes here, I wondered. I even opened another wardrobe that contained some corsets and shoes that perfectly matched the dresses. Was the person who occupied this room someone from that era, I thought. I then closed the wardrobe and walked towards the bathroom. It didn't look too bad, appeared elegant yet ancient at the same time. After that, I didn't know what else to do. I had circled the room, looked around, but I had no clue what I needed to do next.

Eventually, I walked over to the side of the bed, picked up the bell that you mentioned earlier, and rang it. However, I furrowed my brow. Why did she give me a bell without a clapper? The bell didn't even make a sound when I shook it. I kept shaking it continuously, thinking something was wrong with the bell. But I was surprised when the door suddenly swung wide open.

"Hey, what are you doing? I can hear it with just one movement. You don't need to keep shaking the bell. It's hurting my ears," Loma said, looking a bit annoyed, causing me to furrow my brow.

"I didn't hear anything. I thought the bell wasn't working because it didn't make a sound," I said, extending the bell towards Loma, who was now standing right in front of me. Loma immediately took the bell from me, somewhat forcefully.

"Yeah, whatever it is, you just need to move it once, and I can hear it. You don't need to shake it like you did earlier. My head felt like it was going to explode," Loma said, making me grimace.

"I'm sorry, I didn't know. I thought something was wrong with the bell, or maybe you gave me a broken one," I said, which once again earned me an annoyed look from Loma. She then placed the bell back where it was.

"Do you need something?" Loma asked.

"Well, I'm feeling uncomfortable in these clothes. I want to clean myself up, but I don't know what clothes to wear. I mean, I don't have any other clothes besides what I'm wearing now. Maybe you could let me go back home; I'll contact someone. Oh, and one more thing about my phone, where is my phone and my bag?" I asked Loma, bombarding her with various questions, which once again elicited an exasperated sigh from her.

"First, you didn't come here with your phone and bag. Second, you can freshen up, and I'll prepare some clothes for you. Third, for now, you can't go anywhere because this is the place for you from now on," Loma said, making me look at her with a puzzled expression.

"What do you mean by 'from now on'? How long?" I asked, causing Loma to pause for a moment.

"I don't know. We're just waiting for their decision," Loma answered before turning away. But I stopped her again.

"Who are you referring to? Is there someone who ordered you to take care of me here?" I asked, making Loma nod.

"I can meet them. I thought I was fine now, and I could go back home. My family must be really worried about me," I said again, but Loma shook her head.

"It's dangerous for you out there, so be patient until someone tells you it's okay to leave, okay?" Loma said, making me want to ask more questions. However, she quickly walked away and closed the door, seeming not to listen to me at all. I could only sigh heavily and wait to see how long they would keep me in this room.