With the disappearance of one the balance will crumble. Seven royal families and only one to be named as Imperial.
Zaela and Kiyara, two childhood friends living in a warm city with their doting parents ends up in the hive of mysteries, conspiracie...
"Good evening, Zaela, come in." Said Denna Roosevelt
After hearing that Kiyara is not well and isn't coming to school made me uneasy and I hurried to her place as school ended.
"Yes, Kiyara said she isn't well so I came to pay her a visit." I spoke
"Thank you so much, she will be happy to see you too. She is upstairs in her room." Said Mrs. Roosevelt.
It is strange for Kiyara to stay in her room at this hour, because she always reads her books in her dad's study whenever she takes a leave from school, I just hope everything is fine with her.
"Hey buddy, how are you now?" I said entering her room not even sure how does she look like or where exactly she is in her room, and as soon as I saw her lying on her bed, I realised why she didn't come to school.
"I am alright Zee, nothing big. Just a shock." She said getting up from the bed.
"But you look like you have a high fever. Wait a second, did you just say shock. Kie the word shock is kind of a bad dream for me, please say you didn't have a shock like mine?" I asked while adjusting myself on her bed.
"Nothing that sort but kind of felt like that I am being pulled into a space, I don't know where though, and then suddenly a figure appeared and launched towards me it almost felt like a ghost of a horror story. If not for father then....." Said Kiyara
"Your father...?" I asked
"Yes, he just hugged me and said something I didn't understand and the next thing I know was your phone call. But the only thing, not thing but a word that ravelling is 'lamia' as I heard mom yelling lamia when dad jumped and hugged me." She exasperated
'Just what is Lamia?' I thought to myself as yesterday uncle Arthur also said that a lamia was at my house too. "I am sorry to bring this up but I have something to ask you. Did you tell your parents anything?" I asked
"More than telling, I asked them. Though they didn't answer my question but now I am sure that we were right about them hiding something." she answered. I don't know why but she looks scared, maybe its fever that's making her sweat but she definitely looks aghast.
"Yesterday your dad came around mid-night, I overheard them talking. Their conversation was crazy, it was about us and my neighbour finding out who we are, and that they used some sort of precaution for hiding." I blurt out without a break for breath as I am getting agitated by every second.
"And the most disturbing thing is that they were calling the mysterious neighbour Austin as Oaklane." I continue speaking turning towards her and as I glance at her I frantically start screaming. She looks so pale, stone like, like she is frost bitten. I start shaking her, calling out to her but she keeps on staring in one direction mindlessly.
Out of fear I was about to run downstairs and call for her mom but she grabs me from my shoulders and asks "Zee are you sure your neighbour was referred as Oaklane by our parents, you didn't mishear it?"
"No, I am sure they were calling him Oaklane, but why? What's in this name and what the hell is Lamia?" I said
"Zee you may be right. You know I searched for the mark we talked about and I found a letter in my father's drawer regarding some mark" she said trembling.
"In your father's drawer, I don't want to say this but it can be anything else, it's not that everything is related to their lies and secrets." I said
It is certainly not like me because I clearly heard the parents last night and there is nothing more, I need to assure myself but somehow, I am scared and right now I feel a real strong sense of persuading kie otherwise.
"Zee, it is related. It was in a box with a diary which was locked and the paper that talked about the mark looks very old." She reaches her bedding and from beneath it she pulls out a paper which looks old, ancient indeed. "Look for yourself zee and find out whether its related or not."
I take the paper from her and the mentioned contexts in it leave me startled, it says -
Thus, the mark appears
And thy have to make a
Safe return with the new family
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Everything above and after it was unreadable and this was the only part we could understand out of it all. We both looked at each other for a while then nodded in consent, but she still looks scared as if she has witnessed a grotesque murder, though she is trying to compose herself. But I can't seem to forget that stoned face of her, I wonder why she made that look and what is the connection between her fears and Oaklane. Seeing her this way I refrained myself from filling her in details about last night.
I left her room to help her bring something to cool her temper and ease the anxiousness rising within us. I didn't say anything but I saw aunt Denna all prepared with our snacks in the kitchen and her face was full of sadness and fear, I couldn't say anything but I am sure she must have heard us. I spent some more time with Kiyara and organized our thoughts, findings and discussed on what to do next with the search for answers, our parents silence, and blatant lies.
