A/N: The photo above is Gilbert Gray :D

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The late morning breeze whipped the striped white and pink curtain, allowing a brief view of the old fountain at the heart of Madame Victoria's rose garden. The draperies continued dancing and seemed to tempt the two figures inside the room as if calling them to step into the balcony and relax while sipping tea.

But Zoe couldn't care less.

She was cocooned by her warm comforter, like a human burrito ready to serve. Just the softness of her bed was more than enough to stop her from leaving, even with the serene view outside. She adjusted the blanket and laid flat on her stomach, her azure eyes glaring at the figure across her.

CRUNCH!

Darcy took another bite of the fresh red apple and licked the juice that ran on his lip. He was seated on Zoe's pink vanity chair, while his legs were crossed and his elbow rested on the table. The room was filled with an array of Anime action figures, K-Pop albums, and other collections, but his amused eyes were fixed on her.

"If you keep staring at me like that," he said with a smirk. "I wouldn't be surprised if you fell in love with me."

Zoe chuckled and rolled her eyes.

"That apple must be poisoned," she replied with a dignified arched brow. "I'm not into guys from another world, especially those with glowing eyes. But even if I am, you don't meet any of my criteria, so dream on!"

She waited for a flash of irritation, but his facade remained intact.

"Of course, what am I saying? You haven't seen anyone of my caliber, so it's only natural that your criteria can't measure my awesomeness." He shook his head and gave her a sympathetic look, "I am deeply not sorry for embarrassing you."

Zoe snorted, "Awesomeness?" She pulled her hand from the comforter and raised it to her forehead as if shielding her eyes from the sunlight, "Where? Where is it? I can't find the awesomeness you're talking about!"

"I suggest you start peeling your eyelids."

She clapped her hands and shoot him a smug smile, "Oh, right! Right! I need to peel my eyelids just to see your nonexistent awesomeness." Zoe saw his brows creased and yelled in a man's voice, "Magnificent!"

Darcy clicked his tongue and bit the fruit, allowing soft chortles to fly from lips. "That's the reason you're still single."

"Excuse me? For your information, staying single was my choice."

"So we're the same. But unlike you, I have a lot of admirers."

That was true enough. She had suitors before. However, she knew that they were only after her family's wealth, so she chased them all away. Those kinds of people, she hated them the most. But how come Darcy knew about that? Did her personality give her away? It was irritating how she felt so self-conscious.

The young man cleared his throat, pulling Zoe from her reverie. "Finally out of words?"

"Seriously? I wasn't told that Ego wears a black suit and roam around hunting zombies."

"I told you before, it's a tracker," he smiled and took another bite of the apple.

This guy was definitely better than Gilbert in hiding his emotions. Never had she met such an adversary. Or perhaps he was enjoying the sight of how lost she was. Either way, she could feel her patience waning, but she must behave-at least for a day. Once Siegfrid returned to the other side of the globe, she could torment Darcy all she want.

Images of Darcy begging for her mercy flashed in her mind, followed by a one-sided scene where he swore to serve her with loyalty. Just thinking about it filled her heart with bliss that she couldn't help but smile.

"I see that you finally snapped," he said, the hint of curiosity in his face turned her smile into a grin.

"Oh! Far from it. I simply saw a glimpse of paradise," she untangled herself from her comforter and sat at the edge of the bed, feeling the irritation replaced by excitement. "So, it's time that you explain this craziness. Just who the hell are you? And what are those tracker thing?"

As the last words left her mouth, she regretted opening it. The amusement in his eyes was gone, replaced by a deep void that drew her into darkness. She instantly broke from his gaze. That was the same look he had the first time they met. He was like a lion, intently watching his prey.

"I was hoping to enjoy a little more of our conversation," he stood and threw the half-eaten apple in the pink trash bin. "I came here with one mission."

Zoe glanced at him, tempted to ask if he was going to invade Earth, but concluded that that wouldn't be wise.

"What mission?"

"I came here to look for the one that holds the same blood as ours. The person that has been forgotten by history," he sat back on her vanity chair and faced her. "The lost heroine of Mamoria."

The words "lost heroine" rang in her ears like a song she had known for so long. She instinctively glanced to her side table where a colorful storybook ate most of the space. It was her gift for Catalina's birthday. But it was a story made by her imagination. She couldn't believe that someone was telling her the exact same words she wrote in the book.

"You're joking," she said, averting her gaze back to Darcy.

"I didn't come all the way from Mamoria just to tell you a joke. I'm not that bored, you know."

She stood and began pacing back and forth. The warm late morning breeze suddenly felt so cold and heavy. How could that be possible? She halted and turned to him with a face more confused than a walrus.

"You must be mistaken. What made you think it was me?"

"The trackers."

"What about them?"

"Just the name implies, they're used to track. When I came to this realm, I stumbled into one of them and followed it, bringing me here. However, this mansion is odd. Even my powers were restrained."

"That's why your eyes weren't gold and glowing?"

"That's right," he nodded. "I'm pleased that you can follow what I'm saying."

"But, are those reasons enough?"

"They're gathering at the same spot. I guess that's more than enough reason."

"No, that's not enough. It can't possibly be me, maybe one of my sisters? But they're always on business trips. Maybe it's Catalina?"

After hearing the last question, her heart ached like a searing hot iron. Just the thought of her sister facing those despicable creatures set all her courage on fire. She wouldn't let any of them harm her siblings, not even a single strand of their hair.

"That's not possible," Darcy disturbed her train of thoughts.

"What?"

"I'm sure that everyone in this mansion is half-blood, including your siblings."

"That's... that's a relief, yet it's too much to digest," she mumbled while massaging her temples. "But what do they want from me? Do I smell that good?"

"I believe you know the answer to that."

"You mean..." She gasped, her azure started losing their colors. "You mean, they're here to kill me?!"

"They were only used to track, but they can be lethal. The way it tried to kill you that night, only means that they have another order." He stopped and tugged his lips into a grin, "Maybe something like 'eat on sight'?"

"This isn't funny! How come nobody told me about this?"

She felt a lump in her throat and swallowed. The drumming sound of her heart increased as seconds ticked by. Zoe waited for his response, however, Darcy simply shrugged his shoulders. She would like to protest, but his cold expression was more serious than a statue.

"This is just like an Anime," she chuckled, feeling that she was about to go crazy.

"You believe in me?" he inquired.

"Of course! I mean, I saw that zombie and all those actions and-"

"As expected," Darcy interjected, freezing her in place. "You're too naive."

***

Dedicated to MariamSarhan

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XOXO