*Flashback*   He stared at the twinkling stars above him. The sky was clear and the weather was warm. He could hear the waves crashing against the coast while the cool sea breeze felt comforting. moving his hand, he pointed at the North Star.   “So far,” he muttered. He traced the skyline with his finger, wondering how far it extended. The boy was barely fifteen years old and his blue eyes gazed at the sky as he lay there at night all by himself. His mind was blank while his heart was numb. The boy was not sure why he was there again. Was it because he wanted to run away? But he could never run away. That was made clear to him years ago.   Then why am I here? He wondered.   He was lying atop a small rocky coast whic

Alina patiently listened to the Mermaid’s story about how she gave the pearl to her uncle.  “So you’re saying that mermaids give their pearls away to someone once they fall in love,” she said. “And if that person does not fall in love with the mermaid then the mermaid disappears into the sea, never to be found again?” “Yes!” Alya nodded. “And if the mate has the pearl, then their injuries are healed quickly?”  “Uh huh.” “So, to save my uncle, you had to give him your pearl?” Alina concluded. “Yes!&rd

Alya’s eyes flew open and she was gasping for breath. Her face and body was sweating profusely, the nightmare leaving her completely scared and confused. For a minute, the white ceiling above her made her think that she was back at the lab. Panicking, she sat up only to realize that she was not at the lab.   It was already morning and Alina was sound asleep next to her. The wall clock read 8:55 AM. Alina had told her that the servants would arrive at 9 to check up on her. Quickly getting off the bed, she hid in the bathroom, listening against the door. A few minutes later, she heard someone entering the room.   Jocelyn entered to see that Alina was still asleep. Seeing that no one was around, she reached over and twisted Alina’s ears. The little girl yelped awake to find Jocelyn pulling her ear.  

Jason stared at the empty space in his drawer for a few minutes before calmly closing it. He took a deep breath and composed himself. It was obvious that someone had broken into his bedroom and stole the ring. The thief was probably one of the household staff but if he confronted everyone, the thief might get alerted and run away.   Instead, he decided to pretend that he had not noticed it. He took out his phone and dialed David’s number.   “Hello sir,” he greeted.   “David, I want you to find out if any of my household staff has visited a pawn shop recently,” Jason instructed. “Or was seen wearing a purple diamond ring anywhere. Take help from the traffic police to secure the CCTV footage from their recent visits. I’d say, you’ll need a week’s worth of data.”

That night, the mansion was empty sans for Jocelyn. Alina was upstairs in her room, sleeping while the nanny remained fearful. She was cautious of the faintest sound, jumping in fright even at the slightest brush of air. After what happened that day, Jocelyn was scared for her life. Someone wanted her out of that house but who? Why would they want to get rid of her? Did someone find out about the stolen objects? She wondered. But how was that possible? If someone did find out, then they would have told the head Butler. Yet, that person remained quiet. Gulping hard, Jocelyn proceeded to walk towards the living room. I should watch some television series to get my mind off things. The house was eerily silent. Upon stepping into the living room, even the large mansion felt quit