The Island's Own Space

10. I love him

The sun was yet to rise and it was still too dark outside but someone was already knocking on Bella's door. Tossing and turning around the bed before another set of knocks resonated throughout the silent room. Lyca, who was already awake after the first knock got up from the bed and did the job of opening the door, before skipping to the bed and shaking Bella's body to wake her up.

"Uhmm." With a soft groan, Bella slowly opened her eyes and met Lyca's indifferent stare. It was not long after she noticed a tall figure standing by the already closed door. Bella sat up from the bed and fixed herself while remaining half-asleep. However, she could not continue to do so as the tall figure started to speak.

"I'm sorry for waking you up so early in the morning. I needed to tell you something important." The tall figure was Matias. He slowly walked into the lighter area of the room which allowed Bella to see the grim expression plastered on his face. Bella sat up properly. The atmosphere suddenly becomes dark because of each person's actions.

"What is it?" Bella asked. She remembered how she told Matias about the cave she encountered eight days ago and thought that it had something to do with it. Bella's heart began beating a little faster than before with the feeling of anticipation and anxiousness building up from inside her.

However, the news that Matias had brought to her was about something completely different from what she was anxiously anticipating.

"I received a carrier pigeon half an hour ago. It contained a letter..." Matias hesitated.

"What was the letter all about?" Bella urged Matias to continue what he was saying.

"The letter was from the overseer of the island."

Bella's breathing hitched at the word overseer. At that moment, tens of dozens of thoughts came rushing into Bella's mind. If it was the overseer of this magical island then it must mean that he was someone magical as well. And if the overseer was just like Lyca who has Absolute Eyes which allowed her to see into everything. What if the overseer already knew what Bella had done in that cave? What if something terrible would happen to her if the overseer knew about it? What if the blue flames were some kind of force that serves as the power source of the island?

Uncountable 'what ifs' raged in her mind that Bella thought her head would split open just by trying to find a single answer.

"Bella?' Matias noticed the change of attitude in Bella and walked towards her. When she didn't respond after he called her, he grabbed her shoulders and shook them to wake her up from her world and separate her from her thoughts.

"Bella!"

Bella snapped out of her thoughts after hearing Matias shout her name. Her chest felt incredibly tight and she realized that she had not been breathing ever since hearing the word overseer. Bella gasped for air and tears started pooling from the sides of her eyes. Her panic has not subsided and she felt even worse because she could not do anything about it.

"I don't know what you were thinking about but first listen to what I have to say. It may be able to help you calm down so please just lend me your ears for a moment." Matias pleaded with Bella and she could only nod her head and stared at him.

"The overseer has sent all of the tribe leaders a letter with the exact contents as mine. The letter was an invitation to a meeting exclusive to the high-ranking people on the island. The letter also contained a brief explanation of what we are going to discuss bout at the upcoming meeting." Matias paused and examined Bella's reaction. She was still sweating profusely and her breathing was still uneven but she was calmer than she was earlier.

After seeing her current state, Matias continued with his explanation.

"The overseer mentioned that the Guardian had picked an outsider as its new master. That was all, nothing more." Matias stared at Bella after finishing his sentence. His gaze was telling her that he was waiting for a reaction from her.

Bella avoided his gaze and turned her attention to Lyca who purred beside her. The magical beast looked straight into Bella's eyes before heading to the door.

"Lyca?" Bella called out to her but she didn't stop in her tracks and continued to get out of the room. Bella's eyes flew back toward Matias who also looked back at her with the same confusion plastered on his face.

"I think she wants you to follow her," Matias commented as he stared at the door where Lyca disappeared to. "I think you should already know but, Lucaon will need to leave the tribe for the time being. I don't know what will happen if the other tribe leaders find him under my care." Matias informed.

Bella's forehead creased at the thought of Lucaon leaving but she knew that it was an action that would lead to a better outcome of whatever was about to happen. She nodded at Matias before excusing herself and following Lyca out of the room.

However, the magical beast was nowhere to be found. Bella had searched every corner of the estate but found not a single shadow of her. Bella thought about Lucaon, who needed to leave sooner rather than later. She knew exactly where to find the man who had saved her.

Bella's feet took her to the back of the estate where the sun sets and just like how she had expected the tall figure of a man showed his back to her. Lucaon didn't move even with the noises of Bella's movement but she knew that he was aware of her presence.

Bella stopped a few meters away from Lucaon and stared at his wide back. She still had no idea who he was running away from and what he did for that someone to chase after him but the man she knew was not someone who would do something bad or wrong to someone.

"Luca," Bella whispered. Without any intention of doing so, she had created a nickname for him. Lucaon did not turn back even with her call.

"I heard that you need to leave the tribe." After a few seconds passed, Bella continued. She was feeling pity for him. And with every second that passed with the silence growing longer between them, her heart broke for him.

The man who she had only known for a few weeks had grown close to her heart. She had never felt this feeling before even back to her hometown. But she realized that she knew this feeling all too well. Her mother and father always showed each other proof of this emotion. They showed it to her, too. They taught her how to reciprocate that feeling.

Ah, Bella thought, I love him.