The Risen HODWII

Chapter 7 : Baywalk

"Oh, nothing. I want to go out and get some fresh air," I said and walked out, leaving her in total confusion.

After some time walking on the road, I saw the right person and stopped beside her, staying that way for a while, watching the scenery.

"What now?" I asked.

"I don't know. Hang on? I can't leave because you will need me," she answered coolly while watching the calm water.

The rain had stopped, and it was already getting dark. We were in a baywalk just standing and looking beyond space. It is near Xenon's house; his house is really in a great spot.

"No, I won't," I simply stated.

She suddenly faced me, her eyes starting to water again. Lucas will have a great time dealing with this bipolar.

"Y-you won't? B-but I still need to repay you... I know you will need me. You'll n-need me, r-right?" she asked desperately for a good answer, her voice breaking from her sobs, but yet she was trying hard to make puppy eyes despite her red, teary eyes from crying.

"No. You have already repaid me, Stella. What happened before was long gone. Make a new life out of the present." I stated and faced her. "That's the last payment you can give because that's what I want." I said and turned my back on her.

Done using you... you're free of payment.

"Still, I will always be here if you need me," she said softly, and I could sense her smiling. The little girl who tried her best to hide her soft behavior to survive... the little girl who witnessed every animalistic behavior of evil men... is her.

I've experienced torture, but she saw more of it... more brutal behaviors of humans... the trauma it inflicted on her affects her personality.

And that is Uno, who witnessed what shouldn't be seen by an innocent human.

And I... I took her out of that hell.

But I... I can't take myself out of hell.

If I make a man see his own monster, he goes insane, but I'm surprised Stella survived witnessing those monsters. Even if she became bipolar, she still has her control.

Not like me... because sometimes... I lose full control if she gets out.

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**Lucas' POV**

I walked out of the room, and my eyes searched for her. But she was out of sight.

"She's not here; maybe she's with Claire outside," Xenon said, leaning on the door of his room.

Our room is just next to his room. His house is a two-story building, and there are five rooms on the second floor; below, there are two guest rooms and the basic rooms needed in the house.

"Why are you here?" I asked.

"This is my house, Lucas," he answered, stating the obvious.

"Okay, keep waiting for her, lover boy," I smirked and started walking. I'm happy for my friend... he has already found the person he loves.

"Tch. Where are you going?" he asked while tapping on his phone.

"Home. Don't miss me that much, okay, baby?" I teased, and when I sensed him preparing to run, I already ran for my life.

"You! Don't ever come back here!" he shouted at me, and I laughed.

"I can't promise, baby; I will miss you," I teased louder while grinning and closed the door before he fired his revolver at me.

I took one of his cars and drove toward the place I would be meeting Mrs. Sandoval... her mom. I went to the park near their house and saw her sitting on a bench. I wondered why she preferred talking here of all places. No one was roaming around because it was already dark, and only the light from the moon and the light posts gave color to the area.

"Oh, Lucas! It's nice to see you again!" Mrs. Sandoval gladly greeted me as she stood up and extended her arms to me.

"Glad to see you, Mrs. Sandoval," I said and shook her hand. She pulled back and motioned for me to take a seat. So I did.

"You don't need to call me Mrs. Sandoval. You can call me Tita or Mom, which I prefer the most," she said, smiling as she took a seat beside me.

"I'm so sorry, Mrs. Sandoval, but I cannot ensure the marriage if my mind is clouded by questions. I... I need to know everything about her," I said, which made her turn serious all of a sudden.

"Have you talked to Stella about... it?" she asked hesitantly.

"Not yet; she wanted to, but I can't handle myself talking to her, or my emotions will dominate my thoughts and actions," I explained, remembering that I hadn't let Stella explain herself.

"The truth is... I don't know what really happened to her," she said, which made me look at her. She was staring straight ahead, thinking about something.

"What do you mean?" I could sense that she had a piece of valuable information that could help fill up my mind.

"She's my only child, Lucas; that's why we spoiled her, and she became a happy child until one day..." She stopped and looked down, feeling sad.

"What happened?" My heartbeat hammered so fast that I couldn't help but ask.

"She was turning ten years old at that time when we went camping in the forest one night for a family bonding, which she requested. The three of us slept in a tent, but when we woke up... our child Stella... d... disappeared." She burst into tears, and I froze in my spot with mixed emotions that I couldn't explain. "That was a terrible time, Lucas! Remembering it still hurts me. We searched all over the forest for her... again and again, but... no sign of her."

"How... how did you find her?" At last, I found my voice.

"We didn't... she found us after two months on the same spot she disappeared. We set up a camping site at that place while searching for her." She stated, now calm, but a tear fell down from her eyes.

"T... two months!?" I was shocked and terrified by what I heard. That's absolutely 60-62 days!