It's break time and I am looking for RJ here in the cafeteria, but unfortunately, not even his shadow I've seen.
"Shan! It's been a while, but can I ask where's your cousin?" I directly ask Shan. She's with her friend, silently eating.
"It's either in the library or at the backyard," she said. I thank her. Before leaving, I first go to the library since it's not far from here.
Gosh, that guy.
When it seems like he wasn't here in the library, I ran downstairs and go to the backyard.
"Mary!" someone called me, and when I looked at who it was—it's Hans. He's my classmate back in 1st year. We're not quite close.
"Hans, what's up?"
"Long time no see, ah. The last time we saw each other you were asking me for Miro's picture. What happened now?"
"Oh shut up, Hans. I don't like him anymore and please... please don't mention his name, it cringes the shit of me." I jokingly laugh at that but I'm serious.
"Oh? It's like yesterday you were crazy obsessed with him, and now? Tsk. Anyways, nice meeting you. I'll go." We bid goodbye to each other and left. I go to the backyard, and before I reach there, I meet the gaze of RJ. I slightly smiled at him.
"What do you need?"
"I need your help."
"Funny. People indeed remember someone when they need something from them," he sarcastically said.
"It's not like that—" he cut me off.
"You used the get what you want spell with the use of emerald's necklace and to activate it right?" I was stopped by what he said. How did he know that? "I know my book. And I know what the emerald necklace looks like… So just tell me I'm right, Mary. Nothing will happen to me. If you're afraid, I guess you didn't fully understand the book."
"Huh? I just think what it says there..."
"Well technically, you can tell someone, but it should not be more than three. But if another person learns that without you telling them, nothing will happen to them. So tell me, Mary. Am I right?" I don't know what to say. I was stunned for a moment before I fixed my composure.
"Yes... y-you're right." There's no point in lying when he already knows. "RJ, I know it's a mistake of mine to underestimate your knowledge about this, but you know I'm just trying to be safe."
I heard him sigh. "Fine. There's no point in arguing about this, but just so you know, Mary—we're still not quits. What do you need?"
"Do you know a woman named Savannah? Like from years ago?"
"I don't. But I know someone who probably does. Why? How do you know her?"
"I don't. That's why I'm asking. In my parents' things, I found something in a book—it's like a diary—and the name Savannah is never leaving any pages of that diary. So I'm asking."
"I know someone who could answer that. Come with me." He held my hand and we sneak at the back. Are we gonna cut classes?
"We still have class."
"Oh now you're worried about math?" He laughed sarcastically with that.
I messaged our group chat that I cut classes because I have something to do.
We walk for a bit before we reach this place. This is in the middle of the woods, but the place looks clean. There are three houses here.
"What is this place?" I can't help but ask.
"My family's place. I live there," he pointed at a larger house among the three. "And that is my aunt's and my grandparents'," he pointed, and we go there.
"What are we doing here?"
"You want answers to your question, right? My grandparents know everything," he said before opening the doorknob without bothering to knock.
"Justien? What are you doing here? Don't you have class?" an old woman asked, sitting near the fireplace. An old man, who I guess is his grandfather, was sitting in a rocking chair.
"I'm with someone. Grandma, Grandpa—she's Mary… Mary Quinlan," he introduces me.
"Hello, good day."
I was taken aback when his grandfather walked close to me.
"You are the girl who dared to activate the emerald necklace." I guess RJ told them about me. I just simply nodded.
"What are you here for?"
RJ's grandmother let us sit in the dining and prepared drinks for us.
"Actually, Grandpa, we are here because she has a question."
"What is it?"
I sipped my tea first before talking.
"First, honestly… I was born with no natural magior and never got a ring, but one day I suddenly had one. I don't know how. And starting that day, a lot of paranormal things happened to me. Just last night, I looked up the books of my parents, where I last remember reading before passing out and waking up with magior. I looked at it again only to learn that it wasn't just a simple math book. The pages slowly became like a diary of someone. Every page had similarities that caught my attention—one of them is a name," I paused.
I sipped my drink again, and they looked at me attentively. I looked at them again before speaking. "Savannah. That's the name," I said.
I saw how RJ's grandfather was taken aback when I said it. He and RJ's grandmother looked at each other.
"Why? Do you have any idea who she is?"
"Savannah... is Emerald's sister."