Forlot - Books 1-3 {Completed}

Chapter Forty-One

"Monster Protector?" I lifted my head to him. I was a bit surprised at what he said. At the same time though, I knew that he was lying again. Dr. O'Connor was the Monster Protector, and that was that.

"Lies," I replied. "Dr. O'Connor admitted that he is the Monster Protector."

"And yet, you show bravery," the man stated.

I raised an eyebrow. "Bravery?"

"Think about it for a minute. You believe that my friends and I are the evil ones, right?"

"...yeah."

"And you believe that Dr. O'Connor is a good person. Correct?"

"...what are you getting at?"

"Let me ask you this, Margie." He cleared his throat. "From the moment that you got my letter to this point, was there any time that you were scared?"

I pondered his question. What kind of question was that? Of course, I became afraid, especially when I found out who Mr. Hawk was. Why did he want to know if I got scared? It should be obvious!

"Yes," I answered him.

"When?" Mr. Hawk said. "Tell me the exact locations."

"Hmm." There were many incidents that got me scared.

The message.

Dr. O'Connor and I meeting for the first and second time.

When I thought that Mr. Hawk was standing next to the bus sign, and then he actually appeared.

Earlier, when the Colnox showed up at the mansion.

Lean and I falling off the cliff.

When I was surrounded by the group of Colnoxes, and one of them clawed its way into my skin, causing me to bleed.

There were plenty of incidents where I became a chicken, but for good reasons. I mean, you would panic like I did if any of those things happened to you, would you not?

After confessing my reasonings, he nodded. "I see." So what is the difference in this circumstance?"

"Huh?" I was confused.

"The circumstance. Taking place at this very moment. What is different about this circumstance than the others that you encountered beforehand?"

I was still lost. "Could you speak English?"

"Then allow me to explain." He put both of his hands behind his back and slowly walked around me, which made me uncomfortable, seeing that I did not trust him. "Margie, you say that you were scared as you went through that stuff. You were on alert and ready to take action of any sort. Well, I am just going to say that if you displayed those characteristics, that you were on full alert and preparing to do something, then you were never afraid."

What?! Okay, this guy is talking nonsense. I know when I am afraid.

"You have no clue as to what you are saying," I told him. "I was scared."

"Wrong. You were nervous."

"Nervous?"

"Yes, and do you know how I know?"

"How?"

"The Monster Protector will show flaws, but not in the way of being scared. Doing that will cause his or her guard to slip, resulting in his or her demise. Being nervous, however, does not let his or her whole guard down. The Monster Protector still has bravery inside him or her, but he or she does not realize it. If somebody is scared, then there is no amount of bravery. However, if somebody is nervous, then there is bravery in the heart. Even if it is a small amount of bravery, it is better than not being brave at all."

I did not understand what any of this had to do with me. "...your point?"

He stopped circling around me. "You are displaying the characteristics that the Monster Protector has. A love for monsters, kindness, and bravery. Even if you are believing a lie, you are showing the kind of bravery that everybody needs. To never give up. To never lose hope. You desired to help Lean. You did not care what she looked like. You just wanted to seek out justice for her."

Wait. How did he know that I went to help Lean? I never admitted that part to him!

"See what you are doing at this very moment?" he continued. "You are talking with us, getting to the bottom of the mess. You are not running away. You want answers. Clear answers. The Monster Protector would not run off if he or she were looking for answers. The Monster Protector would stay and fight."

"But I do not fight."

Mr. Hawk smiled. "The Monster Protector is not all about fighting and whatnot. It is loving all the kinds of people who live in the world and standing up for what is truly right."

The man pulled out an object from his pocket. It looked to be an orange and shiny rock. The moon shined its light on the rock, making the rock sparkle.

"This beautiful stone determines who is the Monster Protector, the Monster Protector's apprentice, and the Monster Protector's guardian. If it glows, then that means that it is in the hands of the Monster Protector. If it blinks twice, then that means that it is in the hands of the apprentice. If it blinks three times, then that means that it is in the hands of the guardian."

I was beginning to feel curious, but I could not let my guard down. "Hold it. So the Monster Protector has an apprentice and a guardian?"

"Correct. The apprentice and guardian of the Monster Protector are the two people whom the Monster Protector cherishes the most." He held out the stone. "Go ahead. Take it, and it will glow."

I hesitated. Should I take the stone? What if he was lying about the stone? What if it was deadly?

Those questions did not matter now. Out of nowhere, a huge wolf-like creature hurried towards us, grabbed the files, and tore it to pieces with its sharp claws and teeth.

"Hey!" I cried.

When it finished, it began to take a different shape.

Transform.

And it turned into someone whom I was familiar with.

Mrs. M.