"So you're telling me that the girl talking to Avril is Romine?"

"Yes!"

"How do you know?"

"I had seen her. Arabella took photos with her and I had seen them."

"So, you are concluding that my brother is the one who had employed her to kill Andrei?"

"Yes, Alan! It all fits perfectly! You are intuition was –"

"See, Pristine!" Alan hollered, putting his hand up, "I am in a good mood. Don't spoil it with your stupidity."

"Spoil your mood? Alan, are you serious? Can't you understand the importance of the subject I am talking about?"

"You are claiming my brother is a killer with no proper evidence, how do you expect me to take that in?" his face infuriated.

"Really? I didn't know you were this ignorant and rude," Pristine huffed.

"Just because you are the victim doesn't mean you can blame everyone else around you."

"And just because Avril is your brother doesn't mean he can't be a killer!"

Pristine barred her eyes from pouring tears; she struggled to conceal her sensitivity.

"Seriously," Alan faltered, "After all that I have done for you –"

"ALAN!" Pristine screeched, "You have so much pride in your head that you think you have saved me from the gutter and now I have to turn loyal and grateful for your generous act? Do you really think in that puny brain of yours that you are smart??"

It would have been no surprise if the Alteiners would have knocked on Alan's room after hearing her yell. Luckily, the family was asleep, weaving dreams of dragons and draculas that put them to their slumber.

Alan had no words to speak. She had just summarized his personality and suddenly, Alan felt there was nothing to deny. He had actually expected her to be grateful, he had thought of himself smart, and obviously, he had hurt her.

"All you know was to shut my mouth with some insolent remarks," hot tears trickled down her reddened face, "I had remained silent. I had endured all because you had saved me, but does that make you superior, Alan? Just because I have nowhere to go and no one to trust, does it mean I should become somewhat like your slave? Turn left when you ask me to and jump off the cliff because you had ordered?"

"No!" a shallow defense escaped his tight throat, he noticed her brimming tears and felt like a villain. A pitiless villain only capable of hurting others.

"It just can't be Avril, Pristine," he comforted himself in the guise of reasoning, "Avril has a pure heart out of all of us. He can never be that cruel. Even his power never manifested because of his stainless soul; he just can't intend harm to others or fool anyone. But shape-shifting involves tricking victims, which is –"

"How long are you going to believe that?" Pristine stomped, her face flaring.

"Believe what?"

"Believe that he is still an innocent chap? How long do you guys plan on being blind? Till Avril kills the whole of Caperwood?"

"That's outrageous!" Alan growled, "There is a limit to your accusations and I can't accept any of them."

"Fine!" Pristine brushed the tears that cascaded her pink skin, "Now that I know who you are and what are your goals, I'll take care of myself. Please tolerate my presence only till tomorrow – I'll find myself some shelter and leave this place. Also, I'll pay you all the money you had to spend on me. Regarding the power, please tell me what to do, because I have nothing except my soul to offer. If that –"

"Pristine, stop!" Alan panicked on hearing her formal tone, "Don't leave! It's not safe! Please!"

"Thank you so much for your kindness and generosity, Alan," Pristine lurched towards the bed and covered herself with the blanket, concealing her warm tears and feeble sniffles.

It took Alan a long time to notice that he himself was drenched in tears. He had definitely fought with her so much, but their bond was something inexplicable to him. It did not begin like the regular other relationships through love or kindness; it began with trust.

Trust that their friendship was sincere and honest. Trust that they will find the killer. Trust that they will free Pristine from the perilous cobweb engulfing her. But most importantly, trust that they would never fall apart.

Alan had thought their motto had been "Together, till the end", but he realized how he had failed to abide by that. He had hurt her. He had been the meanest person out of all, despite helping her.

What have I done?

Wiping the dried blotch of tears on his face, he glimpsed the girl, supposedly Romine, waving merrily and parting ways through his open window. The girl climbed the backyard fence effortlessly as she hopped through the streets, vanishing through the murky air.

***

This was not something entirely new for them: not talking to each other.

For the past two weeks, they had entangled themselves in the most groundless debates, making each other filled with ego and refusal to talk. Alan ridiculed Pristine's cranky behaviour during classes while Pristine pointed out how Alan remained glued to Andrei, attempting to steal his spotlight.

These arguments were based on utter nonsense and they still debated, leading to large bouts of silence filling the void. An hour or two would be the maximum limit to remain taciturn, after which they unconsciously talked back.

But this time, it was different. The argument had been real and serious, voices had been raised, ego had been amplified and sentiments had been hurt. None of them wanted to reconcile with each other, let alone make eye-contact.

Pristine watched Alan walk out of the room for breakfast after handing her food. Ego forbade her from being humane as she refused to respond to his compassion and dared her from laying fingers on them, disregarding her growing hunger.

The golden vial engulfing a very ancient invisibility potion shone as warm tears dribbled on its surface. Pristine gripped the vial firmer as she buried herself within the pillow, loud sobs and violent hiccups tweaking the silence. She felt ashamed of herself; how could she shamelessly remain in the house where the boy whom she trusted thinks her to be worthless and cranky?

He may have been nice in the beginning, but now, it's his true colours that are unveiling themselves.

***

Hours passed like a flash of lightning illuminating the dreaded sky. Pristine woke up from her siesta, only to realize her incessant sobs had finally solaced her to get some sleep. As her eyes ambled towards the clock, she bolted from the bed and stood up.

She had vowed to leave the house so bravely yesterday, and there she was, sleeping like it was her home!

What should I do? Shit!

Dignity, ego and self-respect mingled into a single substance that constantly fed her mind to leave the house immediately, despite knowing that they had nowhere to go. Darkness and danger combined forces as they lurked amidst the sunset, instilling fear within the brunette.

It's okay! I'll leave. No matter what happens, I should not stay in a place where I have no respect.

Setting her mind and body towards a single goal, she began packing her belongings (a ragged bag containing a few coins and biscuit wrappers) and made way towards the window sill. Using the same rope she had climbed, she let the rope go down the length of the Alteiner's three-storey building, tying the other end to the handle of the window.

Taking a long breath, she hastened the rope firmer. Before she could bid farewell to all the inanimate objects that had heard her sorrow for the past few days, a deep knot in her soul stopped her from moving.

How could she do this? How could she remain silent and even worse, run away when she knows the criminal? What about all the vows and oaths she took to punish the actual killer of Andrei?

If I run away, does that mean I am a coward?

Pristine's sight was barred with trigger-some visions; Avril and Romine stood beside Andre's helpless body, laughing their hearts out as they watched Pristine run across the cryptic alley for life.

Should a murderer be let to live without guilt?

A sudden change of heart made Pristine toss the backpack as she darted towards the invisibility necklace.

One last time...

She spoke to the vial, adjusting the necklaces' ends.

And I will prove that neither I am a coward, nor  a murderer.

***

Avril's room was situated at the end of the corridor, which made Pristine peep through the stairs to notice any human movement, albeit being invisible. Entering his room which was surprisingly unlocked, Pristine pushed the door close.

There was nothing much unusual or eccentric to confirm he was a murderer; a regular room piled with unwashed clothes on the bed and snack wrappers decorating the wooden tiles.

Pristine walked scrupulously through the room and scanned for any peculiar features. Intruding was not something she usually approved of, but intruding a murderer's room would not fall into that category, right?

As she scanned through his desk, heaped with books and papers and a huge console system eating half of the area, Pristine's fingers reached for the shiny handle of the drawer below it.

Her eyes dropped to disappointment as she found nothing interesting, except another load of A4 sheets and printouts. Determined to not leave the room without capturing any evidence, Pristine began rummaging through the papers, briefly reading the contents of them.

School worksheets, bookmark templates and blank papers appeared in line, boring Pristine's hope. As she continued to check the papers, she spotted something abnormal.

Pristine removed the paper that caught her attention from the bunch and began reading its content. Her eyes widened with a mixture of astonishment and achievement. She had it – the proof. The thing she had been ridiculed by Alan. This one piece of paper would shut his mouth. And this one piece of paper was enough to prove the world that Pristine Marvin was innocent.

She cackled upon visualizing scenes detailed in the paper and began reading them aloud.

Pandora's Pacting Magistrate

Magical Contract

SPA : Romine Merissa

Customer : Avril Alteiner