Chapter 3
"Entice..." a deep, calming voice called me, but even when with eyes close, I knew it wasn't of George. Someone, with eyes so dark as midnight, lips so inviting, and gaze as feral as of a wild bear, whispered my name once more.
I groaned when his rough fingertips stroke my arm, sending shivers down my spine in the most beautiful way I could possibly imagine. Something inside me purred, asking for more of the mysterious man.
This was nothing but a dream, and I was aware of it. But why was everything about the man felt so real, as if a part of me had already gone familiar with the stranger?
I couldn't see his full face because of the wolf mask he was wearing, covering his upper face, and somehow, I didn't feel the need to make him take it off...as if on the back of m mind, I already knew how he looked like.
"You must not come with him," the man whispered, commanding.
The man's jaw clenched, his collosal hand held my wrist. "With—"
Before the man could even finish his sentence, I woke up by the truck's sudden halt. If I wasn't wearing my seatbelt, I probably flew out of the truck with the impact.
I groaned as I looked at Uncle George, my eyes still adjusting with the blinding light that's focusing on ou direction.
Uncle George sighed. "Let me do the talking, Entice. If they will speak with you, tell them you are only allowed to talk to the Head Mistress."
Confused with what Uncle George had said, I glanced at the group of men in civilian clothes who were storming towards us. All of them, about six feet tall, or probably taller, with frames of jocks and faces wearing identical black masks with a weird logo on the left side, exuded authority as they approached the vehicle.
I tried to check if the men were armed. I almost breathed out loudly when I realized they weren't.
"Who are they?" I whispered to Uncle George without tearing my gaze off the group of men.
"Guards. Deltas to be exact. They keep the entrance secured."
"Entrance?" My brows furrowed as I looked around. "Uh, they are aware that the entry point is surrounded with trees, right? I don't see walls or something to stop trespassers from coming in through the woods."
Uncle George forced a smile. "Because the woods is far more dangerous than brick walls, Entice."
"You're an hour late, George," the man with slick back blonde hair and deep set royal blue eyes said, his arm effortlessly rested on the truck's roof as he pulled down his mask.
God, I almost felt my jaw dropped when I finally had a good glimpse of the man's entire face. Oh, boy! He'd probably applied for the wrong post, because he was beyond beautiful. No. I didn't think there's any description that could give the man's features justice but a personification of a God. Not that I was exaggerating but seriously, was he even aware that he could surpass Chris fucking Evans?
"Yeah. Had to take the longer route, Ryder. Roads been blocked by the other troupe."
The man named Ryder smirked. "Sneaky little bastards." He looked at me and I held my breath. Seriously, was it what people said late blooming? God I hope not because it would be embarrassing to blush in front of this cutie.
"You got company, huh?" Ryder added, examining me. I wished I looked decent. Damn it. Why didn't Uncle George inform me that we'd be welcomed by a bunch of hotties? Not that I ever cared about guys this much. I actually got surprised that I was attracted to the opposite sex all of a sudden. What kind of magic did this place do to my body? Did someone sprinkle some fairy dust on me while I was sleeping?
"She'll be staying in the Academy."
Ryder whistled, his eyes a bit narrowed. "She wouldn't enjoy the Academy, that's for sure. With a scent like that? Ah, looks like I'm gonna save myself a bottle of whiskey for a bloody show." He chuckled softly and then patted the truck's roof. "A'right, George. Move along."
"Hold on." George's face turned pale. "A—Are you saying that..."
"Uh-hmm." Ryder grinned. "He's got invited to join this year's selection."
"What was that all about?" I finally asked when we get passed the entry point. Trees were lining up on both sides of the concrete road, creating a huge canopy of leaves above us.
"Nothing." He smiled, an obviously fake one. "Listen, Entice. Once you get to the Academy, make sure to never take that necklace off."
"It's for your own good, Ice bear. And if anything happens, don't hesitate to give me a ring."
Speaking of ring, I didn't have the chance to shoot more questions when George's phone rang, his boring ringtone made me cringe. How many times did I tell this old man to pick a new ringtone?
"Yeah? Almost there. No, it's Ryder."
Realizing it's not appropriate to listen to the phone call, I rolled the window down and rested my arm on the edge. The cold woody crisp air filled my lungs, its calming effect made me shut my eyes. Now this was peace. I was starting to like Wild Oaks, thanks to the woods surrounding it. I realized it wasn't that scary anyway. Maybe Jessy was just really messing with me back then.
When I opened my eyes, we were already approaching the end of the tunnel of trees. My lips formed a big O when I finally saw the town proper. Houses were huge and elegant, as if the town's exclusivity really had a fair reason after all.
Everything looked expensive and normal, except for the black flags with a shield and claw marks that were hanging on every post. I suddenly remembered last night. The scratch on my window, it was similar to what's I was seeing embroidered in the flags.
"What's that?" I pointed at one.
Uncle George threw me a side glance. "Wild Oaks symbol," he replied before he went back to his phone.
I didn't ask anymore. When they took a turn on the last block, I realized we're heading up hill, towards the huge castle sitting on the highest part of the town. It looked century old but I still couldn't stop myself from getting amazed with it.
I'd never seen a castle my whole life. Well, not in real life. In my dreams, I'd often see myself running around the halls of an unfamiliar castle. It was beautiful and my favorite part was the fountain which I sketched once when I was ten.
It took five more minutes before the giant steel gate of the castle opened for us. Someone greeted George again as if they'd grown familiar with him already. I couldn't help but wonder. Didn't Jessy say people can only get inside Wild Oaks by invitation? How come a vegetable seller from Callypso be this famous in Wild Oaks?
Right. Uncle George was a vegetable seller. I made a conclusion that maybe he used to supply vegetables in Wild Oaks that's why everyone seemed to know him.
Holding my bag on my shoulder, I jumped out of the truck and slammed the door shut before I followed Uncle George. The castle looked more majestic and I couldn't even stop my lips from being in awe—no matter how ridiculous I knew I looked already.
I heard giggles coming from the left, but when I saw where the two girls were seating, I found myself stopping. My knees suddenly buckled and my heart almost stopped from beating as my eyes widened in shock.
The fountain... It was the same one I'd been seeing in my dreams.
And the two girls wearing the Academy uniform...were me and Jessy.
