Once Upon A [Hidden] Time - [Stolen] Series IV

CHAPTER 6

STEVE
18 JUNE 2015

"I always wondered what this castle looked like on the inside," DC Khan exclaimed as I pressed the button of the door opener. The gate moved to the side swiftly as she drove inside, and I closed the door behind us.

"Don't get started like Miss Farrow did," I mumbled.

"I read her blogs last night." She watched me as she drove all the way to the castle's entrance and then killed the engine.

"I just wonder if all women think the same way."

"How many women do you know, mister?" she smirked at me.

"Two are enough to ruin me."

"Mister, our names may sound the same," she said, narrowing her sharp eyes at me, "but we spell it differently, and we think differently."

"We will see about that," I said, shaking my head, as I stepped out of the London Police vehicle.

DC Khan was in afresh uniform while I was still dressed in yesterday's clothes—my black suit and crisp white shirt that I wore for my live TV interview. I only had the privilege of requesting the gate opener and a toothbrush from Tyler. I was still under observation, and somehow, I had a feeling that this old friend of mine hadn't believed my Lord-Edward-of-nowhere story. Did it really sound fake? Or was it truly hard for anyone to believe that a girl could elope with another man, rejecting me and my wealth and all I could offer her?

"What in the world is this?" announced DC Khan, stepping out of the car.

"Welcome to the ever-cursed Hue Castle," I replied, gesturing towards the dark grounds that encompassed the area ahead of us.

"So, it is bloody true...they never did grow grass here!" She knelt down, picking up some dry sand.

"No," I answered. "Not that they never planted it, but that it never actually grew."

"What do you mean?" she asked while we ascended the stairs towards the main door.

"There is really no evidence if grass can actually be grown here, but the historians here do claim that the restoration department tried hard to grow life on the sand." I pushed the door open. Although it was just yesterday when I came with Tyler, it seemed like I hadn't come for ages. "In this era, it's quite expensive to pave the entire area, so they left it as is. Plus, you know how much turf costs, so it's pointless to install that, either." Her eyes shone with a mild surprise and curiosity. She was no different than Myra. "Besides, UNESCO and our government don't intend to make money out of it."

"Why not?" She looked everywhere. She took her phone out of her pocket and snapped some pictures. I didn't wait for her disappointment.

"Because first: it is not a museum, hence no public visit—"

"But why?" She took some more pictures from different angles, facing whatever daylight we had, while increasing the brightness of her phone.

"Because of this!" I gestured towards her phone.

She knitted her eyebrows and stared at the phone. "I don't get it."

"The curse is true." I took a step towards her. "You can't capture anything in your camera." I looked around. "It is only darkness."

"Steve." She folded her arms in irritation. "Let's not waste time messing around."

"Do you think I'd drive all the way up here with you just so I could mock you?" I took another step towards her. "I had plenty of those opportunities during school," I smirked.

Narrowing her gaze at me, she observed me for a while. "Why can't I make myself believe you?"

"Do you have any better ideas, Detective?"