I bent down on the floor when Luca also came to me flashing the light on the box which was covered with a piece of fabric.
I removed the cloth off the box and opened it.
Another wave of terror running in my veins now.
The shivering in my body got worse, as I picked it up.
The Call of Fate.
In my hands, the heading shinning in gold just like the original one in the actual world...and the one I had found from Laurel.
I swiped my index finger on the title and had just flipped the cover page of it;
When the door slammed open and walked in a man wearing a dark hood, talking on the phone when he saw us and stopped the very second.
Without wasting a second he turned around and ran outside.
Handing the book to Luca I followed the man.
While he was running his hood got stuck on the rail of the stairs, making it slide off his face.
I rushed outside, running down the stairs as the man got out of the same window we had entered from...
That's when the moon light from the sky hit his silhouette making his features visible in the darkened building...
and when I got out there too
There was no one...
The whole garden was empty and dark, but my eyes, I still could not believe who I had seen just now.
I saw his face.
When had Luca followed me here? I didn't know, I was still in shock...
That man...he
It was him!
I was still trembling and shivering, Luca who had been quietly observing me removed his coat and draped it over my shoulders.
The book was still in his hands.
"Hey! Laurel, calm down...okay? It's fine, many go around stalking innocent women, you don't have to worry okay?"
He thought that I was worried for that girl who was being stalked, how could he know that the woman in the pictures, and I we both were one.
Just the difference was, she was me in another world and this is me, in this world.
Luca carefully walked back in the Valor's farmhouse, safe from everyone's sight and then pulled me in there...
Making me walk, helping me while I was completely shocked, even my mind was no longer ready to process it...
It was true, it was him right?
It had to be him! But...but why?
I hadn't realised when Luca had taken me inside one of the rooms in the farmhouse, while all the guests were out there partying, I was here loosing my mind.
It wasn't like everyone was out in the garden, some were inside too, well mostly girls were, but who cares.
He first made me sit on the bed, and then brought a wet towel, wiping off some dust that had touched my face, my hands and my clothes.
He was calm, he didn't say a single word, nor did he asked a single question.
Maybe he was finding me weird, maybe crazy too?
After he was done making both of us clear of dust, he sat on his knees in front of me, cupping my cheeks in his big hands.
Caressing my face with his thumbs.
"Don't worry okay? Let the party end, and I myself will have police search around the area and look for that man, and I will also hire men to protect that woman okay?"
"Just please, smile at me... I am not liking you like this."
I forced smile at him, to which he also smiled a little –he knew it was forced smile.
But didn't say anything to me just pecked my head.
"Wait here, I will bring something for you."
He was about to walk away when I held his hand.
"Don't...go"
What had made me say it, I didn't know, but I was certain that I had said it because I was scared.
He smiled at me, looking down at me with love.
"I'm coming...just wait for 5 minutes, then I'll be back."
His caressed my head before he went out of the room, leaving me all alone.
Still scared, I slowly turned my head to the right, where the book was laying on the table, untouched, ever since Luca had kept it there.
Getting up from the bed, I took three agonizing steps, and I was right in front of it.
Without taking it in my hands, I flipped it open, reading pages...
Annotations at every other page, differences pointed out at every page.
But just for the starting 100 pages.
The rest of the pages, they were still fresh... untouched.
That's when the door opened and I quickly turned around, it was Luca...holding a tray which had some dishes from the party and glass of water.
And Kalix standing beside him.
His eyes were filled with worry, while Luca's eyes were filled with apology.
Of course they would be, the last person I would want to see right now, was Kalix.
Or maybe it was Cassian, whatever!
"What happened to you?, Luca said you were feeling sick all of a sudden."
He stepped closer to me, as he placed the back of his hand on my forehead.
That night was long forgotten in my mind at the moment, and just the horrifying scene of that room was flashing in front of me.
I quickly hugged Kalix and started to cry, his body tensed at the sudden burst out as he grabbed my shoulders, in a firm but gentle grip.
"Hey Laurie, what happened? Why are you crying." He tried separating me from himself but I tightened my hold over him, hiccups adding upto the cries.
"For god's sake Laurie, please tell me!" Panic was filled in his voice.
Even Luca who had been quite the whole time had gotten worried.
He stepped close to us.
"Laurel, you are making us worry."
Luca's voice broke as he talked.
"What had happened? She was all okay when she came here! What did you do?"
Kalix's gaze was throwing daggers on Luca, but he couldn't actually stab one into him, since I was stuck onto him.
"When the event started, Laurel saw someone going inside the abandoned farmhouse next to this one, she followed him there and I went inside with her..."
"In one of the rooms, there were countless pictures of a woman, and her information, ever since she saw them and then we saw the man who was stalking tnat woman, or whatever... since then she had been like this."
"You saw someone go in that farmhouse? and you followed him? Are you crazy or what? What if they were something dangerous."
Now the direction of his dagger had turned over to me.
"Stop scolding her, she is already worried and you are making it worse! And he couldn't do anything to her even if he wanted, I had gone there with her!"
Luca yanked me out of Kalix's hold, making me step behind him.
Kalix let out a sigh, rubbing his temples, his other hand on his waist.
"I had just bought the farmhouse a few days ago, don't worry I'll have police search around, and I'll make sure that the woman, whoever it is...she is not to be hurt!"
Kalix said and then raised his head, his eyes where Luca's and my hands were each other's hold.
"And you, Luca... I don't care if we are friends or not, you better stay away from my sister and whatever is going on between you two, end it!...or else the consequences won't be good!"
That were the last words he said before leaving us all alone in that room, Luca took me to the bed, and made me sit there, and began feeding me with his own hands.
Wiping the tears away that had been dripping over my cheeks.
"Don't cry anymore, everything is going to be alright, I have a friend who is a detective I will–"
There was a knock on the door, and it was opened after I said come in.
It was Cecily and Cassian, followed by of course, by dearest so-called brother, who couldn't digest a thing without opening his mouth to his best friend, with Ayla in his arms.
They were first shocked, looking at me and Luca sitting quite close.
"Laurel are you...okay?" Cecily came close as Luca stood up from the bed and stepped away, leaving space for Cecily to sit.
I nodded, passing her a smile.
"Why did you call them here? I was okay here, plus we were about to leave."
"No it's fine, he didn't tell us, I was the one who asked him, I was searching for you, but you were nowhere to be found, so I asked him, are you still feeling nausea? Kalix said you have vomitted four times already."
I stared at her with confusion in my eyes.
Vomit?