Journey to Utopia

11: Two-Faced Foe

XI.

With all my heart I say to you

I know him more than you do

Don't judge the book by its cover

Because what's inside is better

But he is good both in and out

You don't need to sing and shout

***

THE MOON is shining brightly, a total aesthetic for the night, but here I am, dark as the sky.

Running away would not be effective. Everything would probably get worse. I guess Dave now thinks I'm guilty of something. Why the hell did I run away?! I should have just made an alibi or whatever!

Three hallways away from my room with a big open window, I stopped because of my dumb emotions. I'm regretting it. I should have just continued to run away.

"Amara..." He called me by my name for the first time.

"You misunderstood me."

I still didn't look back. I don't know what to reply.

"I know you're not a traitor."

That sentence made me feel better. But still, I can't tell him everything about the little girl.

"But I need you to tell me about that girl... Please."

"Tell me why," I demanded.

Silence filled the surroundings for a moment until I heard his deep sigh.

"My mother is missing for three years now."

What...? I slowly turned around and looked at Dave whose eyes are now on the ground. He suddenly kneeled so I was stunned. What is he doing...?

"I won't use intimidation anymore. I'm now right in front of you, begging for your help."

The Dave I see right now is not the Dave I know. Never did I expect he will beg for my help. What do I have? Why is he desperate for me to help him?

"What are you doing, Dave? Stand up," I said with a hint of confusion.

"I'm begging, Amara. I've been cold but... if you help me, I--"

"I will help but..." I don't know why but I'm starting to feel tense. "...honestly, I also need your help, Dave."

THAT MAN with blue hair and eyes is still nowhere to be seen. Wherever Blue is, I'm sure he's doing something dark secretly. After all, he works with Dave and Jacob.

After the night Dave asked about the little girl, Ivan stopped going to my room.

However, I started having nightmares again. What's weird is that I always see the magistratus who keeps on telling me to accept his offer. He also often mentions Eliza.

And I don't meet the unmasked man anymore. One time I asked the magistratus if a little girl can eat dragons, he just laughed and said it was a hilarious question.

I RECEIVED five drawings in total from Margarita: a pond, the Moon, a dragon, trees, and a leaf. That's it. She has stopped serving food on our table.

One hundred percent sure, Margarita is trying to convey a message through drawings. I don't get why she couldn't just write it or tell me directly.

She's really weird. Now I'm keeping an eye on her too. Naomi is a great help since she knows a lot. She told me that Blue and Margarita are friends since childhood.

Knowing that Blue is involved with some deep and dark stuff here, there's a big chance his friend is involved too.

Tonight, I decided to make a big move by following Margarita. Night is the time for secrets.

I brought the five papers and proceeded with the plan. If she catches me, I don't know what to do.

At 9 PM, Utopium is covered with silence again. Knowing that the guards are not on duty at this time, I went out of the palace.

My hair swayed with the wind as I successfully got outside. Now what I need to do is hide and wait for Margarita.

Minutes passed, I finally saw a figure. It is a woman wearing a dress and a cloak. It is definitely Margarita. She hurriedly entered the forest and so I did but with extreme carefulness. What could be her reason to go to the forest at this time?

As she continues to walk and I continue to follow her, a feeling of excitement with a little worry and overwhelming curiosity started to form in me.

The silence was broken when a flock of birds suddenly arrived. It is also the same kind of bird I saw the night I saved Dave. This is not a coincidence... I think.

I have been reading the Tales with Wings and I realized that there is a lot going on with birds. They have their own world where all the supernatural stuff happens. Even the smallest bird could have a big secret and a big impact. As long as they have wings, they are powerful.

Just like the tale The Bird of Dwarves

Once upon a time, there is a small kingdom with a small king, a small queen, and small creatures. Everyone is small.

They are often referred to as weaklings because of their physical size. The discrimination started a thousand years ago and caused a lot of problems to their ancestors.

But little did they know, they are about to make a big impact, especially their youngest and smallest bird.

The evil forces colonized the big kingdoms and didn't care about the small ones, believing that they are useless. However, little creatures are actually powerful. The smaller your size, the more places you can enter.

One of the leaders of the evil forces lives in a room with only one hole to let air come in. He thought he was completely free from everyone until he saw a tiny bird in his room. He thought it was just a normal bird so he didn't make it a big deal.

But the truth is the bird hates the evil so much because they killed all of his friends and family.

At night when the leader was in complete peace of mind, the bird did its plan. It brought a little amount of liquid that looks like normal water but it is extremely dangerous.

The leader woke up the next day and drank water from his favorite cup. But little did he know, it's his last drink.

Margarita stopped so I stopped too. There is a pond with blue water and trees with blue leaves. Almost everything is blue that I can remember someone with that name.

And I really saw Blue. He came out of the water and was not even shocked when he saw Margarita. That means they always see each other here.

What are you really doing, Blue?

Margarita gave something to Blue and he drank it.

Again and again, surprises really don't stop.

Blue transformed into a... dragon.

I looked closer, can't believe what I'm seeing right now.

Blue-eyed dragon. Blue is a damn blue-eyed dragon...

But what happened next surprised me more.

Without his usual smirk, Ivan arrived, wearing an all-blue outfit. He bowed down to Blue just like Margarita did.

Does this mean Ivan works for Blue? If that's the case, then Blue is a traitor.

"YOUR BIRTHDAY is coming!" Jacob has continued his 'meal reminder' role. And he mentions my birthday a lot.

I examined his face, trying to determine why he's so excited about my birthday because I myself am not excited at all. Is he planning something on that day? After all, he is Blue's acquaintance. Maybe they are working together to fool Dave. And now, I have become their target too certainly because of one thing. My superpower.

"We can have a party! Let's celebrate!" he added.

What the hell's with my birthday? It's not a big deal.

I just continued walking, ignoring everything he says. On our way down the stairs, Sarah suddenly showed up.

"S-Sarah! What happened to you?" I asked in surprise. I haven't seen her for ages!

She smiled at me but her eyes were on Jacob like she was saying something to him only through eyes.

"I'm fine, eat your lunch," she answered and walked away. She didn't stay even just for a minute.

Blue is still not here. Margarita, on the other hand, still serves food to our table but there is no paper anymore. We even had short eye contact but it seemed like she really doesn't have anything to tell me.

"I heard something again," Naomi, the gossip girl.

Everyone at the table is obviously excited except for me. I acted like I don't care but I actually wanna hear what she says.

"This year's gala will have a twist! I heard some guards talking about surprises and stuff!"

"Nam, there are surprises every year... every day." Natalie chuckled.

What celebration are they talking about?

"Yeah, but it'll be more intense now!" Naomi was very confident. "Oh, wait. Amara, you're just new here... Haven't you heard of the Black Gala?"

I shook my head and she smiled. "Well, let me tell you! It is a very important celebration in Utopium so everyone is required to attend. It's rare to meet high-ranking officials, but we'll surely see them at this event! They said Black Gala was the day that Utopium became free of a curse more than 600 years ago! And... this is what's intriguing..." She went closer to me to highlight her next dialogue. "Someone was born on that same day and she's considered Utopium's luck. But yeah... she's dead. Makes sense 'cuz it was decades ago."

Well, that's interesting...

"When is the Black Gala?" I asked and sipped on my water.

"April 16."

I almost choked on my drink after hearing the date. "April 16?!" I confirmed and she nodded.

A lot of signs and evidence are coming to me and now I'm convinced that I am involved in whatever dark stuff is going on.

I really am not a human.

WHITE SHINY dots on the night sky are like the questions in my mind. They shine so much, making my brain explode, my eyes big, and my mouth shut. If only I could find instant answers, everything would be easy.

"Wanna see them up close?" a voice stole my attention.

Blue?! Why is he suddenly here?!

Okay, I should act normal. "What do you mean?'

"There's a telescope here if you wanna look closely at the stars."

"No, thanks." I appreciate seeing things from a distance. I don't deserve the stars. They're too precious for someone like me who doesn't even know her true identity.

And why am I talking to a traitor, anyway?

"Have I been gone for too long?" He changed the topic.

"Honestly, yes... I wonder what you were doing..." there was a hidden sarcasm.

He sighed. "I was doing a very important thing... I didn't even have enough rest."

Is betraying Dave really so important to him?

I thought Blue was one of the few people I could trust here, but that was just a wrong thought. After what I have discovered, I can't trust other people anymore other than Dave. But if he betrays me too... I don't know.

The Phoenix principle really hits me hard.

"I have a question, Blue." I finally had the courage.

"Say it."

I let out a deep sigh. "I heard that a Phoenix and a dragon are good friends... but what if one of them is a traitor?"

He chuckled. "Are you trying to say we're good friends?"

I blinked twice at his answer, don't know what to say. Did he just... indirectly admitted that he's a dragon? Meanwhile, he furrowed his brows, confused at my reaction.

"Oh, are you waiting for my answer?" He didn't seem to realize what he said. "I think they'll be enemies. I hate traitors, Amara. I'm very honest and loyal. There is always a reason when someone betrays his or her friend... but I would never do that."

I don't know what to feel. I already know that he's a traitor but for hell's sake, he seemed sincere while saying every word. If that's all acting, then he's an excellent actor. But what if what he said were all true?

Hell, no, I should not get fooled. I caught his damn betrayal already.

What really are you, Blue? Are you a friend or an enemy?

***