The Runaway Huntress
Chapter 89 - 88

Chapter 89: Chapter 88

Chapter 88

It was Sunday, and Lorna’s performance throughout the week had improved, according to her dad. So, he awarded her by letting her out of the underground, but she can only be in the mansion’s vicinity. Going out of the gates was forbidden. It was already a stretch for her unfairness. And Melisca’s Sunday getaway from the underground had added to that.

Lorna’s parents had vouched for her to come out with their daughter. And for once, she was thankful for the opportunity to breathe outside.

She was following Lorna to a corridor that she didn’t know before. And up ahead there was an elevator.

"This elevator leads directly inside the mansion above. No other trainees knew about this." Lorna explained. They now stopped in front of the lift, and Lorna showed her card to the scanner. "Your card access doesn’t work here. So, in case anyone tried to go this way, it would be useless. Well, unless they stole a card from someone who can." The elevator opened with a beep, and the two got in instantly.

"Thank you for letting me come with you." She mumbled. She had to thank her somehow.

Lorna beamed at her. "Sure. We both deserve it. It’s your first week. So, I think you may feel suffocated underground."

"Indeed I am." Melisca straightened her posture. That went out of her lips automatically. She was surprised in her reaction. She wasn’t like this before. Openly admitting how she felt inside personally. She may have had some slip-ups in the past few days towards Lorna, but this was the most that she admitted directly without thinking twice. Even if her action was obvious, she mostly doesn’t admit it in words.

She exhaled. She may be giving a bit of herself, but it was a far cry for trusting the girl. She had nothing to worry about. In fact, it might be a great strategy so that Lorna would open up to her more about the secrets of the organization.

The elevator stopped and opened for them. Lorna was the one to get out firsr since she’s the host and she was the guest.

When she stepped out, she immediately roamed her eyes around. The walls and some columns were painted white and ivory. There were paintings of different artworks hanging on the walls. She knew how to appreciate art because it was one of her talents a long time ago. And she stopped when she turned 18. When her father died. He was also the one who taught her how to paint. It was their past time if not practicing archery or teaching her how to fight.

They walked into the living room, and there were some maids around who greeted them both. And Lorna was getting a bit chatty with them. She let the girl as she stood behind and admired the entirety of the whole place. It was impressive. Lorna must have had most of the people wanted to have as humans.

"Liz, this is Lope and George. George is the house butler." Lorna introduced her to the house personnel. She nodded at them, and Lope, who was probably younger than Lorna, gasped upon looking up her face.

"Whoa." The girl sighed. "You’re so pretty." The girl almost jumped in front of her to take a closer look. "Can I take a picture with you? I would like to show it to my friends and brag to them that I have seen a celebrity."

Melisca retreated. "No." Definitely not. "I’m not a celebrity."

"Please." The girl insisted and even clasped her hands together and batting her eyelashes at her. Yeah. As if that would work. She wanted to roll her eyes at Lope’s childishness.

"Lope, stop harassing our guest." George pulled the girl’s nape by the collar of her maid attire. She positioned the girl behind him. Away from her. "I’m sorry about that." The butler apologized with a bow.

"It’s fine." She mumbled. She did not look at Lope, but she can see in her peripheral vision that the girl was looking at her with regret.

"Well, Liz is a private person. She doesn’t like social media." Lorna stepped in. "But how about me, Lope? You can take my picture." She offered with a grin and wiggled her eyebrows at the girl.

Lope’s puppy-look earlier instantly changed into a tigress. "No. She’s prettier. You look like a chimpanzee compared to her." The girl did not even hesitate to say it to Lorna’s face.

Lorna’s smile faded, and she jumped at the girl. "You!" Lope ran away and disappeared to wherever the passage led to.

There was a smile on Melisca’s lips from the girls’ exchange. The butler chuckled at that.

"Get back here, you ungrateful wench!" Lorna exclaimed, but Lope was long gone.

"Those two always banter. Lope is my niece." The butler filled her in.

She just nodded.

"Let’s go, Liz. Let’s watch movies in my room. And later in the afternoon. We can stroll in the garden. It’s still hot outside for now. Please send us some popcorn and refreshments, George. Thank you!" She then dragged Liz by the arm. She did not even wait for the butler to respond.

"Why not take the stairs?" She asked as Lorna was leading her back to the elevator. They just walked past the staircase.

Lorna stopped and contemplated for a second. "Fine. Let’s take the hard way."

The staircase looked tiring to get through up and down. For humans, of course. For her, the fastest way was to take a leap on it. She would land down gracefully like a cat on the top then.

They started the trip to the second floor. "Wow. I did it without running out of breath." Lorna commented to herself.

"It was from training. Your muscles get used to it eventually." Melisca stated.

"Yeah. But my knee joints hurt. Let’s take the elevator later."

"It’s much easier going down. Your knees would be fine."

"No. We’ll take the elevator, Liz."

They were now strutting the hallway. There was another lounge room on the second floor. And sets of painting in the walls. Portraits and landscapes of landmark. Her eyes were glued to the walls left and right. The carpeted floor muffled the noise of their footsteps.

"You like art." It was a statement from Lorna. She had stopped walking when she felt that Liz was in a few distance behind her. The woman was slowing down to marvel at the art displays. She was staring from left to right.

"Yes." Melisca responded without looking at Lorna who were standing few steps away from her with her hands at her pockets. "They’re amazing. Have you gone to any of these places? Or do they even exist in real life?"

"I’ve been to in some of them. And some weren’t real." She answered as she stared at Liz. It was surprising that someone like Liz who looked tough and snobbish outside had an interest in art. She thought she was just all about action, adventure, and thrill-seeker. But there was also a relaxing side of her. "Do you do art?" She asked out of the blue.

Melisca was getting closer to Lorna and was in the last art of the end of the wall hall. "Before. When my father was still alive."

It was just a random question. But Lorna was shock to find out that the woman was even able to learn and do it.

She at last looked at Lorna who had an unreadable expression on her face. "Is this your room?" She tilted her head to the door to her right.

"Yes." Lorna mumbled and stepped into the door. She twisted the knob and opened the door wide for her new friend. "Honestly, you’re my very first friend that I’ve brought into my room." Liz walked inside.

Melisca’s head snapped back to Lorna who was closing the door behind her. "That was surprising." It was. Lorna was friendly. Well, that’s what she can see in the girl’s actions and behavior.

"My parents wouldn’t allow me to have friends over in the mansion." Lorna explained.

That’s a bit sad to hear actually. But Melisca wasn’t there to hear sob story. She scanned her eyes around immediately as Lorna got to her DVD stacks from the shelf that was mounted to the wall. Beside the flatscreen TV. "What do you like to watch? I don’t have the latest films for now."

"Anything. Just not chic flicks." She answered and she was looking down at Lorna’s corner table that had sets of picture frames.

Lorna turned her head to Liz and shook her head. Somehow, she expected that answer. She would just choose an old action film then.

Melisca’s eye caught something from one of the standing frames. She picked it up as her heart skipped a beat. She grazed the frame by her thumb. There was no dust though. Her breath hitched as her eyes were locked at a certain face from the picture. She couldn’t be wrong. Her vision should never play to her like this. She blinked once, twice. She was not seeing things. She rubbed the face of the picture. Maybe it would change or the face could be rearranged.

Her chest constricted. She was holding her breath for too long. Maybe it was just her look-alike. There were circumstances like having a doppelganger. Mom. It couldn’t be her mother in the picture!

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