Street Signs

Chapter 14

BRIELLE

"Let's go to the palace now," the man held my hand and pulled me out of the place without even waiting for my permission. "When they caught you here, they might punish you."

I stopped which made him stop as well. "Aren't you going to kill me?" I asked.

"If I would be going to hear my superego, then I'll kill you. But my desire for you to stay stops me from doing what should be done." Again, he continued pulling me.

I wanted to resist but I couldn't speak any word. Perhaps I was just that speechless to what I heard from him. Did I even hear it right? If not of his id, I would be killed because what I have done was immoral to him, to them? But in be first place, I did not know what part did I become wrong. All I knew was that I just stated my thought; if expressing oneself was to be considered indecent, then there must be really something wrong with the culture of this place.

With the thoughts running inside my head, I planned to resist, before we could even reach the palace the guy was telling me. I let go of my hands from being imprisoned by his warm palm, which caused him to stop and turn around me.

"What's wrong?" the guy puckered his brow. "You're wasting the time, lady. What's wrong with you?"

I gave him a sharp look. "I don't even know you. Why would I go with you in that palace that I also did not know in the first place?" I asked. "Are you trying to kidnap me?"

The man stared at me stupidly, but after some time, he was laughing already. "What are you saying?"

"I should be the one who's asking you that, Mister Royal Prince., I called him in that way because he looked like a prince with his royal blue tuxedo and white pants, as well as the white boots he was wearing. "What are you saying?"

"What am I saying?" the man still creased his brow as he pointed out himself. "I don't understand you. What are you trying to say?"

I let out a sigh. "Look, I don't know this place. I don't even know you. I don't know the palace you are saying as well. I don't know of the event there. I don't know everything about this place," I explained. "I've told you everything, and now I just repeated them just for you to get my point. I just entered the door and now I am here."

"What is that door?"

"I've found the door in the portal inside the university. A firefly lead me there, and out of curiosity, I opened it and saw this place. Unfortunately, when I entered, I can't see the door anymore. I think I was locked in here."

The guy didn't talk for some time. He might be trying to register in his mind everything that I had told him. After a while, when he seemed to understand them already, he turned his gaze again at me and asked if I was kidding on him.

I chuckled. "And why would I?"

"I don't know," the guy shrugged his shoulder. "You might be just playing with me."

"I just saw you out of nowhere," I said. "If I want to play with you, I must've planned it. Besides, it's not the right time to joke on something because I was really locked in here, can't you see?"

The guy took his sword of a sudden and snatched me. He put his arm in my leg and pointed out the sharpness of the sword at me, saying, "Are you one of the Baspiritus, trying to deceive me?"

My eyes widened and my entire body had shaken. I touched the man's arm and tried removing it from my neck because it was hindering me to breathe. Also, I was being threatened by his sword as if at any time, he would stab it exactly at my head.

"When will you stop invading our place?" the man asked firmly. In his voice, madness could be heard, but I didn't do wrong to him!

"Can you stop being emotional?" I asked him. "If you want to kill me, do it. You don't have to accuse me of something that I don't know. And what kind of element is that Bastipuri? Can you please enlighten me before you cut my head off?"

A low giggle was expressed in the man's smirk. "And now you are trying to deceive me by the way you speak towards things?"

"Huh?" I creased my brow. "Seriously? This is the way I speak. How do you say so I am deceiving you by this? Am I too cute with my voice, and so you think I am kidding you or whatsoever?"

"You know it's Baspiritu, not Bastipuri."

"Oh, c'mon," I laughed. "I won't say it if I knew it. Why don't you just believe in me that I am a human lost in this unknown place? And please, can you remove your arm in me 'cause it's hurting the hell out!"

"I won't let go of you until you don't confess to me if who's the one who sent you here."

"I told you it's the firefly," I rolled my eyes.

"How can a firefly bring you here? Stop talking nonsense. It's not even getting funnier."

"I'm not trying to be funny! What I said was true. I saw a firefly in the portal, so I followed it," I said. "The firefly eventually lead me to a door, a way to here. Now, do you get me?"

The guy didn't speak.

"Fine, if you still don't get it, I will say them to you once more." I took a breath. "I am a lost human and that door I saw in the university brought me here. That is why, I don't know what the hell you are talking about. Now, if you can't still understand, just slice my head so that I won't see that annoying face of you anymore. You're just making me tired of explaining."

The guy tsk-tsked. "This might be your new tactic again. Come and I'll show you what you deserved."

"W-what?" I stuttered as the man continued pulling me with all his intention. "What I deserved is to be away from this place! Why don't you just help me escape from here? I'm not invading in here, in the first place!"

The man stopped walking again and looked at me. "Who are you, really?"

I sighed firmly. "My name has nothing to do with you. Just take note that I am a human and I don't live in this fantasy world."

"But, why are you wearing that dress?"

"I don't know. When I entered the place, it also happened that my clothes were changed," I said. "If you don't want to believe me, fine! I won't insist it to you from now on!"

There was silence between us two after that, a quiet that was deafening. Even the wind stopped whispering, which also stopped everything around from moving. The only thing that seemed to be alive at this moment was my mind and his.

The guy let out a sigh, after some time and mouthed, "I'm sorry," as he bowed his head a bit.

I was surprised but I didn't let him know it. I did not expect that he would say sorry to me after the misunderstanding. All I believed was he couldn't lower his pride because all he knew that was right, was himself. I just hoped he wasn't tricking on me.

"Don't you really know about us, about me?" the guy asked.

"I won't lie to you."

"If that's the case, then you might be really lost," he sighed. "But if you want to get out from here, come first in the palace and just act that nothing wrong is happening."

"What would I do there?" I questioned. "Can't you just help me find the door and get out of here? Besides, I have nothing to do with the event."

"It's not automatic, lady. Finding the door would take us time, especially since I don't have any idea about the door you are talking about since this is my first time to encounter such an incident."

I pouted. "Is that so? Then, would it take me days before I could get home?"

"I'm not still sure with that," he answered. "Let me study this case first, and when I knew how to solve it, I will help you."

"What if you didn't find out?"

The guy smirked. "Trust me," he said with a wink.

I was still about to talk when the guy spoke again, which trilled my nerves.

"But," he started, speaking it in a firm manner, "if I found out that you are a Baspiritu, I would surely punish you and let you experience death while you are alive."

My eyes widened. I knew the accusation wasn't true, but with those words he told me, it felt like I ran out of my air; I just couldn't breathe freely. "What a threat," I said. "I just said that I ain't a Basparitu."

"No more talk then." The man held my hand again. "Just wait for the right time to exit. I will still be finding out the reasons why you were brought in here. Do you understand?"

I nodded and concurred with him.

The two of us continued walking until we finally arrived at our destination.

By the very moment I saw the palace, shock registered in my face for it was big and unbelievable. I thought the surprise had ended yet, but it seemed like the place had no plans to stop giving me excitement. I did not blink my eyes while focusing them on the palace. How could it be a structure of trees?