Checkmate ⚢

Chapter 37 Distraction

Althea woke up early that morning to do her chores. Professor Oakley had told her it was part of the training program she gave to her students to exercise their discipline. Since Hana insisted that she has to come along with them, Althea had a few of them.

Cleaning the garden and the house was not exactly a new thing for Althea. She had always watched her mother, replenish the food on the bird feeder, and sweep the dust off the floor, water the plants, and dusting the album and book collection.

The sunrise is strange in the mountains. It spreads behind her, sending jagged rays of light up and over the peaks. Slowly but steadily, darkness bled from the valley, fleeing with the morning mist along the slopes of the city.

Althea's daydreaming as she worked through the house was interrupted by a few knocks on the door. When she swung the wooden entrance, her eyes widened at the visitors.

"Althea, is Professor Oakley around?" Professor Andrea—no, Andromeda asked. Althea could sense her nervousness under all that brazen gallantry. Behind her was her old mentor whose hair she left down unlike she did before.

She suppressed the anger that flared up in her chest. "She is by the pond."

"Thanks," Andromeda said then stopped the door midway from being shut. "Wait! After we mend things with Professor Oakley, could we talk to you and Hana as well?"

Althea regarded them for a few seconds. Professor Tosca hesitated to receive her stare for while, fearing she would be burned by the sun.

"She's not to be disturbed right now as she's confined to her bed." She spoke after the relapse into silence, "Maybe next time."

"Oh my, how dreadful..." she gasped, placing a concerned hand near her mouth. "Alright, we'll come to her another time."

Althea nodded, observing them as they rounded the house towards the backyard.

After all that, she pushed the door open to their room, silently, afraid to wake Hana up who by the looks of it was still sleeping. Althea opened the curtains and marveled at how the vaporous white curtains looked good at the ambiance of the room. She closed it behind her and carefully tiptoed to the bed.

How many times had Althea wished to get to the bottom of her secrecy and now that she could do it? She no longer desired to uncover the mystery in Hana. Althea just wanted Hana to preserve her brilliance and child-like wonder until the end of time. For Althea to be her wondrous adventure until Althea would get tired of discovering and analyzing—which seemed to be unlikely. Hana had endless mysteries. Hana would be the insatiable fountain of secrets, the one that would quench the thirst of Althea's soul when every day would threaten her existence.

Even if Hana will change, Althea hoped it would be because she has vastly improved her craft and her character.

Althea kneeled next to her bed and carefully removed the sheets that were covering a large part of Hana's face. Hana finally looked better, her color returning. She looked so serene. She breathed cadent, her hair was slightly dabbing her moon-shaped face and her pink lips seemed to be twisted strangely. Hana was smiling in her sleep. She always gazed at people with her big bulging red eyes that emphasized her curious nature—the one that Althea found so charming.

She gently caressed Hana's cheek, shivering as she felt the softness that resembled the silky fabric of her mother's dress. Hana flinched and Althea smiled as her lover opened her eyes, partly disturbed by the light coming through the curtains.