Guessing Sparkles (WA 2013)

Let's Start The Hunt, Dude!

Picture on the side is Peter :)

"The best type of love is the one that you least expect to happen." - KC Sparks, Guessing Sparkles

Chapter Six: Let's Start The Hunt, Dude!

I didn't say anything. Heck, I had no idea how he found out what my real name was. But then again, it was probably just his one lucky guess. My mind had a hard time processing what he just said, but I figured he was waiting for an answer from me. After a few more seconds of thinking what to say, I gained back my composure and finally came up with an excuse. 

"Listen closely, Mr. Don't-Hang-up-The-Call," I said and cleared my throat. "Margarrette does not live here, okay? And I don't even know who she is! Can I just say that you ruined my bedtime? Let me remind you that this is not the "Lost And Found" agency. Please stop calling me or else I swear I'll hunt you down with a bamboo stick! I mean it."

"I have no time for your silly jokes, Miss Clarie Sparks," he said in a serious manner, which scared the heck out of me. "I'm very sure that Margarrette is there with you. Miss Sparks, you'll regret it if you don't let me speak with her now. First, you threatened me with a cloth hanger and now you're scaring me using a bamboo stick, seriously? I'll tell you what's scary, Miss Clarie. If you don't call Margarrette right now, I swear I'll hunt you down in New York City."

Okay. He was dead serious about it. I suddenly had to wonder who Margarrette was and what her relation was to the demanding stranger. Oh and he was not scared with any of my threats, which I expected already. To be honest, I was clueless. I didn't know what to do. His last sentence was super scary. He even called me by my full name. 

"I told you she's not here!" I said in a higher tone of voice. "How many times do I have to tell you that I don't freaking know her. And no, I'm not scared with your threat too. If you want to play a game, then bring it on! Let's the start the hunt, dude."

"Your wish is my command," he said, which scared me even more. "So I guess I'll see you soon then, Clarie?"

And just like that, he ended the phone call. I threw the phone off of me and stared at it for awhile. It was the very first time I had a weird phone conversation with a stranger. Err, I had a few prank calls before but this one was different. No one was laughing in the background and there was no weird question too such as "Why did you say hello?". The man was pretty blunt with his questions. It was very obvious that Margarrette had a special place in his heart. But then again, it was not my business to know why. After all, he was just a stranger to me. 

* * *

"Claudia?" I heard a masculine voice said. "Are you alright?"

When I opened my eyes, I saw a man looking down at me. I couldn't see his face because it was all a blur. He was the mysterious man I was following right before I passed out. What really shocked me though was his name for me. Claudia wasn't my name the last time I checked. I sat up and flinched when I felt a strong pain coming from my forehead. 

"Where am I?" I said and looked around. "This is obviously not New York City to me."

I was still at the same spooky forest. Tall trees were all over the place, and birds noises filled the air. The place was scary that I thought I was in a scene of a horror movie. My gaze then turned to the mysterious man who sat on the ground next to me. He was holding a pocket notebook in his hands. 

"I have no idea what you're talking about, Claudia," he said and looked at me. "I've never heard of New York City before. Don't you remember what happened awhile ago?"

He called me Claudia again. And then I realized that something was wrong in the picture. He was very sure that my name wasn't Clarie. That maybe I travelled back in the past. Our clothes made it pretty obvious that I was not in the present time. The dress I was wearing looked so ancient and made me look like I was Juliet Capulet. I had no idea how I got it though.