Moonlighter

Chapter 3: Kahree's Warning

Chapter 3: Kahree's Warning  

    Enzo left the bedroom and saw that Kahree was already awake. She was preparing breakfast. The two children, Bonn and Kei, were sitting at the kitchen table.

    Kahree turned around and immediately noticed Enzo's condition. He looked shaken and weary.

    "Oh dear! Enzo, are you okay??"

    Enzo wiped away some sweat from his brow. "Yes I'm okay..." he said shyly.

     "Are you sure? Did you have a difficult time sleeping?"

     Enzo nodded. "I had a bad dream, that's all..." 

    "Well by the looks of you, it must have been terrible! Please sit and relax while I finish cooking breakfast. Eat and drink well; it will make you feel better," Kahree said caringly. As Enzo sat down, Kahree offered him a cup of water.

    Kahree was cooking scrambled eggs, cured bacon strips, potato pancakes, apple sauce, and had some freshly baked bread and marmalade on the side. Also on the table was a big pitcher of fresh juice made of mixed fruits. It all looked and smelled delicious. She brought out plates and served Bonn, Kei, and Enzo. They all ate fervently.

    While they ate, Kahree sat down next to Enzo and began to ask him questions, still curious about this man from the Eastern Continent.

   "Enzo, you seem very quiet and lonely. Do you have any family?" Kahree asked.

   "I... I never knew my parents," said Enzo, with a shy pain in his voice. "I had one younger brother, but he died 4 years ago. He was involved in the local town gang scene. He eventually got himself entangled in a turf war that got him murdered by a rival gang..."

   Kahree looked on as Enzo continued eating. "Enzo, that's heartbreaking. I don't know what to say. You must miss him..."

   "Yes. I do. He was all I had. I wish I could done better to save him," Enzo replied in a cold yet sorrowful manner. "Since that time, I've just been wandering the world, being a vagrant, trying to make sense of myself and my purpose in this life."

   "Enzo, you seem like a good soul," Kahree remarked. "A conflicted one, but still very good. I'm impressed you've made it this far from your home. I, too, never knew my parents, and I have no siblings, so I understand how it's like to walk this world alone. When Bonn and Kei lost their parents, I took them in with no hesitation. I vowed never to leave them or see harm come unto them. I will do the same to you." 

   Enzo gave Kahree a quick, silent smile as he finished his breakfast. Bonn and Kei, who have not spoken in front of Enzo yet, had finished also. 

   "Alright, Bonn and Kei," Kahree announced, "it's time to wash up and get dressed for the festival! Go, hurry up okay?"    

   Bonn and Kei got up from their chairs and went into their rooms. Kahree took their plates to wash them. She back looked towards Enzo to take his plate. He was still sitting idle and withdrawn in his seat. 

  "Enzo, you still don't look very good, even after eating. What's wrong? I have a feeling the dream you had last night, whatever it was, is still bothering you. Please, tell me what happened in it. Don't be shy."

    Enzo looked back at her, then looked back down aimlessly at the table. After taking a while to collect his thoughts and realizing he had a newly forged trust towards Kahree, he began to talk. 

    "It was surreal, Kahree... I dreamt that I followed this strange white light into this massive palace. It seemed like it wanted to lead me in there. Inside one of the rooms, there was a little boy who was painting pictures. He painted this creature and it came alive.. it was horrifying.. it chased me down the hallway until I ran into another room. The room had the same boy in it, this time he was being abused by a man I couldn't see.."

   "Those terrible things, about a little boy?? Very interesting.. continue.." said Kahree.

   "Then I found myself in a strange room where the boy had already grown into an adolescent. He was approached and surrounded, for some reason, by this group of unknown men. They were wearing these long dark robes and gold masks that hid their faces..."

   Kahree's face turned pale at Enzo's description. She looked away, thinking.

   "Dark robes and gold masks... What? How could it be?"

"Kahree, what is it?" asked Enzo.

"...Moonlighters??..." she muttered uneasily under her breath.

   Enzo took a bit of surprise at Kahree's reaction. "Moonlighters? What are Moonlighters?"

   Kahree looked back to Enzo. "I see you are not aware of who they are. Your description, Enzo, it fits them. That is exactly what people have described of them. You, of all people, had a vision about the Moonlighters... but why?.." wondered Kahree, her voice drowned in fear.

   She then sat down urgently and looked straight at Enzo, her face troubled and concerned.

   "Please, Enzo, listen to me. I don't know why or how they entered your dreams, but if you never see me again, just remember this one thing: if you ever discover who the Moonlighters are, please do not reveal them to anyone about their exploits. They can find out anything. They are everywhere, Enzo. So, most importantly, do not speak out against them. EVER. You will put yourself and others in danger."

   Enzo sat there, stunned and confused. "Why? What are they? What do they do?"

   "I cannot say," said Kahree, her demeanor getting increasingly shaky. "If I tell you, I may be putting my own life at risk. I already fear that I have said enough already. I need to stop. People who have dared try to spread knowledge about them just disappear and are never seen again, even during moments where they thought it was safe. So please Enzo, just listen to me."

   Enzo still could not fully fathom the stories Kahree was telling him. But he looked at the two children, Bonn and Kei. He wondered to himself if their parents disappeared for the reasons Kahree mentioned. Could this be why Kahree refuses to talk about them? Enzo dare not ask.

   "Why would these Moonlighters appear in my dreams?" Enzo contemplated out loud, very rhetorically, after a long pause of silence.

   "I don't know," replied Kahree. "That is something that deeply concerns me. But as long as we keep this conversation limited, we run a lesser risk of getting caught. You know what is at stake now, so please, let's just stop here, just to be safe."

   Enzo nodded reluctantly as Kahree continued.

   "For now, let us forget all of this. We have to prepare now for the festival later today. Let's get dressed and go out to help out the village. I'll introduce to you everyone as a special guest."

    Both Kahree and Enzo went back to their rooms to wash and change clothes to prepare for the festival. Back in his room, Enzo made his bed and then sat there for a while, wondering what other strange truths lie within this foreign place. For certain, his experience here has been getting increasingly strange and uneasy.

   As he emptied his pockets and cleaned out his knapsack, he found an old picture of his little brother. He paused to look at it for a moment. Solace overcame the room. All the feelings and memories returned to him. He missed him. He missed having a friend, a partner, and a protege. He was his brother's mentor and confidant who looked up to him. But he's gone now. There in his lonesome, Enzo began to cry.