Sadness Behind The Mask

Chapter 17 - Mystery Of Basement II

In the morning, at 5, I took my serpent form, and went to the basement gate. Guards were already sleeping. My chance. I went in, and I was so shocked. What the hell!
There were big aquariums that had different species of snakes. And after seeing all this, I was so scared of getting caught. At the end of the long corridor, I reached the end, the door which lead to outside, the one Mendes told me about. On both sides of the door, there were two rooms, one was a locker, and some people were in the other room, working with instruments. Oh, no! They are practising snake charmer's flute!
I slid under the door of the locker, and there were serpent gems. I quickly escaped and saved myself. I didn't come to my room. I went to Mendes, I knocked his door.
"Mendes! Mendes wake up!"
He opened the door.
"I was already up, I knew it that you'd come. But why are you being so intense? What happened?"
I entered in his room and locked the door all of a sudden. Mendes held my shoulders and gave a questioning look,
"Hey! Mallory! Calm down. Why are you so scared?"
He gave me a glass of water. I hugged him and starting crying.
"Bruno is no less criminal than Daniel! I thought he's a good man."
"What did you see there, Mallory?"
"He trains snake charmers, and in return, Daniel gives him serpent gems. Because serpent gems are useless for Daniel as he doesn't know how to use them."
Mendes was speechless. And I was continuously crying.
"It means, if he gets to know that a shape-shifting serpent is alive, he will get to you, to use you for the extraction of powers from serpent gems or else they'll kill you and Lilith!"
"It's no use to live anymore."
"Don't be foolish Mallory! We'll do something. We've fought everything together, right? You've come so far, now you can't take back steps!"
He wiped my tears away. And convinced me to have some rest. I went to my room and cried myself to sleep. I don't know what next will happen. I just know I'm the unluckiest girl in this world. And now I feel like Hiraan is just a story. A fucking lie.