Unclaimed(2)

“Rhapsody!” I found her standing under one of the trees lining the boardwalk.

She returned my wave by moving her hand…once.

I frowned. “You okay?”

“New places make me uncomfortable,” was all she said. “I’ll get better in a bit. I just need to…acclimatize myself.”

Big words for an eighteen-year-old, but they were pretty much the usual for Rhapsody.

“Your Master is not with you?”

I glared at her.

“But did he not promise you—”

“Our school doctor needed a word with him about important stuff.” I couldn’t make myself say her name. “So I thought it was better if he just stayed behind rather than waste his time babysitting.”

“Ah.” My friend nodded knowingly. “You cut your nose to spite your face again, did you not?”

“Shut up.” I snatched the book she was holding and started flipping the pages. I needed something to distract me from the truth, needed something to—

The photo on the page caught my eye, and I swallowed at the sight of it.

Oh, drat. Here we go again. I really should be more careful about what I wished for. Most times, they came true, but in the most nightmarish forms.

“What is this?” Even though the photo was sickening, I forced myself to take a closer look.

The grainy image was of a broken, fire-scarred, wooden life-sized doll. It was missing one eye, and red paint had been smeared haphazardly on its lips, creating the illusion of a bloody, crazy smile.

It couldn’t be a voodoo doll, could it? We had studied about voodoo last week as part of our defense class. Although a pet’s main responsibility was to provide blood for her Master, LSL took pride in teaching its students various healing arts that enabled them to keep their Masters alive in more than one way.

Rhapsody peered at the book over my shoulder and shook her head. “How can you not know that?”

I was even more stunned. “I should know about it?”

“It’s what this trip’s about.” She tapped on the page. “That’s Elsa, the most infamous haunted doll in Key Moarte.” She took the book from me. She’s our case study.”

Oh God, she was talking gibberish as far as I was concerned. Haunted dolls? Case studies? Where was I when all these had been tackled?

As if hearing my question, Rhapsody said matter-of-factly, “You were probably in your rebellious phase when Professor Martin discussed this.”

I winced at her term. Rebellious phase indeed. She made me sound like a seven-year-old kid throwing a tantrum. Then again, that was a good definition of how I had been last month, with the way I had acted out, and all because I had learned my Master already loved another woman.

I squeezed my eyes shut in mortification. “I’m so pathetic.”

Rhapsody hesitated then patted my hand awkwardly. “You’re being too hard on yourself, Lady Zari.”

I glanced at her gratefully even though I was pretty sure she was just practicing how to be empathetic, which was part of the practical exams for social graces. It was her weakest point, the only subject she got a lower grade than A for.

“You are anything but pathetic.”

I smiled at her. I really hope she’ll pass this year’s exams, I thought. She was trying so hard—

“Rather, you’re just a girl who may be clinging too hard to the illusion of love.”

I take it back, I thought. I hope Rhapsody fails.





~~~~





An entire resort, exclusive to otherworlders, had been reserved by LSL for the trip. This was necessary since each student was provided her own room. Sharing was not an option, for there was always a chance a Master might drop by and require privacy for feeding.

It was nine in the morning when we finished with breakfast and the professors had us boarding the buses again. Our first stop was the public hospital. It was located in the old district of Key Moarte and was one of the many abandoned buildings that made up the key’s ghost town. It was also Elsa’s birthplace, and that was the reason why we were visiting it.

Glancing outside my window, I had to shield my eyes from the sun, which seemed to burn more brightly than usual.

As the driver steered the bus into its parking slot, the professor with us came to her feet and clapped her hands to call for our attention. “Listen well, ladies. Once we reach the hospital, I want you girls to note down all your observations. If you are one of the more sensitive types, I caution you against touching anything if you do not wish to have any unwanted glimpses into Elsa’s past.”

The professor smiled, revealing her fangs, and I flinched. She had such a gentle manner, such an unassuming face, that I had forgotten she was only pretending to be harmless.