Ida's POV

After changing into new clothes, I head down the stairway. Ethan, Jack, Lilith, and two others were sitting on the sofa.

"Hi." I greet everyone.

"Hi. Angelin, I presume?" The man who stood in the corner leaned against the wall. His hands shoveled in the front pockets. The mystery man looked around our age, a strap of his brown hair fell in the front. His blue eyes locked with my hazel ones.

I glanced back to the sofa to find a confused Ethan.

"Yes," I replied to the mysterious man.

"Ida!!" Ethan groans, stretching his legs and pushing his head further into the sofa.

"Everyone, this is Ida." Ethan comes beside me and places his hand around my back.

I pinched Ethan's arm, punishing him for revealing my name.

"Ow!" Ethan jumps, "what was that for?"

Everyone in the room laughs except the mystery man. Neither his eyes nor his face showed any kind of muse.

The mystery man walked out of the dark, revealing himself to the crowd. He wore a sleeveless top. His muscles expanded and contracted at every moment. They were as big and as strong as Ethan's.

"Ida, then?" The mystery man asked.

"Yes."

Ethan pulled me closer to his body, feeling uncomfortable at the mystery man's gaze on me.

"Won't you introduce us?" The man asked.

Ethan nodded.

But before Ethan could speak, the man spoke for himself, "I'm Chris." He extended his hand to shake.

I look at Chris all the way while shaking our hands. He looked back with the same intensity as I did.

Chris had a magnetic pull. Not the kind that Ethan and I shared, but a different pull. A type of pull that made you aware and keep your heads up. Like an Ace in a deck of cards, Chris held power.

"This is Lilith," Chris pointed at the green-headed girl, then at a very charming girl- also about our age, "this is Maia."

"Hi! It's nice to meet you." She squealed in excitement.

"Nice to meet you too."

"This is Harry." The only normal person from the five of them was Harry. He had no tattoos or piercings and also a genuine smile.

"And this is Jake." I know, the guy who could have drugged Ethan and kidnapped us.

"Hello, Ida," Jake emphasizes my name- the real name. He wouldn't stop smirking, and I definitely wanted to whack it away.

Well, being a guest here, I don't think that would be user friendly.

"So, what bought you here after all these years?" Chris joins the others on the sofa.

"We, uh... need your help." Ethan hesitates.

"Why do you think we would help you?" Chris raises an eyebrow and crosses his hands over his chest.

Ethan does not answer back, so I decided to speak instead, "It's for me."

"What for?"

"We're trying to find someone."

"Oh, why?" Chris places a thumb on his chin, showing curiosity in the matter. (Image above)

"We're trying to find a man," I didn't want to mention him as my father, "he runs a business."

"What kind?" Chris keeps asking questions, and I begin to hesitate at his curiosity.

"I don't know." There was utter silence in the room. No one knew what to say until Lilith broke it.

"So you're saying that you don't know what kind of business that man runs, and you expect us to help you find him with so less information."

"Yes," I fidget with the hem of my shirt.

"Heh!" Chris chuckles in a disgusted manner, "Ethan, tell me, what is in it for you?"

"Nothing." He answers.

"What is in it for us?" Lilith asks.

"Nothing."

Chris laughs yet again, "is this a joke?"
Chris stands up furiously and makes way to us.

"We won't risk being found for nothing. This may not concern you anymore, but we won't risk it. Do you even have any idea how powerful the Aces have become since you left? We are constantly under target." He pointed a finger on Ethan's chest, "We are at risk of exposure from a man with no benefit to us. And tell me, do you know what this man runs a business of?" Chris waits for an answer, and when he does not receive any, he continues, "he just as likely could be our enemy." Chris slams the door of the Inn and storms off, leaving the room in complete shock and silence.

"He'll come around." Maia pats Ethan's shoulder and follows behind Chris.

×××

Ethan had gone off to sleep. It was ten at night. I was sitting alone, on the sofa, thinking about a lot of things. Sometimes it's so frustrating to think so much. To think and think to come to a point to overthink it.

I wish there were a button to switch of thinking, like how they show in the TV shows where vampires can switch off their humanity.

They switch it on and off at their convenience. Ugh! This is so frustrating.

"You look broke." Maia's presence snapped me out of my thoughts.

"That's true, I am." Honestly, I've been broke my entire life; the man who is called a father was supposed to provide for us. But he hardly did. And whenever he did so, we paid back for it.

"Oh well, I didn't mean that literally, but okay." She shrugs and puts a lollipop in her mouth.

"Which flavor is that?"

"Cola."

"Have any extras?" She removes another from her pocket and hands it to me.

We both sulk while sucking on the lollipop.

"How'd it go with Chris?" I ask.

Maia removes the lollipop from her mouth, "it wasn't that good, but I think he cooled off."

I sigh, "I'm causing a lot of trouble, aren't I?"

"Chris and Ethan have a history together. But when Ethan left, it changed a lot of things for Chris," Maia paused, as she played a memory in her head, "Ethan hadn't contacted in years then suddenly he did. But the reason was a little bit selfish. I think that's what triggered Chris."

"Tell me," I look at Maia from the side as she spoke, "the man that you are looking for, what does he mean to you?"

I take a deep breath and look away.

"I don't mean to pry, but if you need our help, we'll need to know somethings too."

I let the breath out. She had a right to ask, "my father."

"Your father?" She frowned.

"Yes, my father and I have never had a good relation. A few weeks back, he arrived home early and took Mom away."

"Does he take drugs?" Harry, who had probably heard the whole conversation, came out from the dark.

"No, not that I know of it," I shake my head slowly, "but he did own a gun."

"A gun?!" Maia looked annoyed, "I guess there are more people like us than we thought."

Harry nods, "This gives us a better idea of what we're looking for."

"That means you'll help us?" I whip my head between Maia and Harry.

"Yes." Maia and Harry say in sync as they give me their genuine smiles.

"Thank you so much!" A smile came to me naturally.

"Give me one," Harry asks Maia, stretching his hand forward.

Maia removes one more lollipop from her pocket. I wonder what else and how much more does she store in that pocket of hers. It's like her personal Doraemon's pocket.

With curiosity, I look over to the wrapper of my lollipop.

"IT'S EXPIRED!!!" I scream.

Harry shrugs and sucks on his after removing the wrapper.   

        ___________________

A/N

I am so weird.
Every time I type a chapter... the next chapter always seems to be half way done already.
It's like my fingers move magically ✦
Yup, the next chapter is on its way ;)