|| Aurora ||
We step into Miss Macfarlane’s room, my eyes search the room and zero on the food.
I quickly pick up the plate and take it closer to my nose, trying to perceive it and see if I can notice any smell out of place.
Javier holds my hand and stops me.
“What are you doing?”
“Perceiving it?”
He chuckles lightly.
“You can’t detect the poison that way, let’s find another way, an easier way to find out if it’s poisoned” he said.
I nod, he’s right.
I don’t think even real doctors can detect a poison just by the food,,,,,, or can they?
Javier takes the food from me, take my hand and start pulling me outside.
We walk down the stairs towards the main door, he opens it and we step out. Then we walk towards their backyard, we stopped at a cage.
He drops the plate of food and opens the cage, a big Germany shepherd dog rushes out. I quickly jump on Javier’s back and shuts my eyes tight.
“What are you doing?” He asked.
“Don’t let that thing near me!” I said.
“Wait,,,,, are you scared of dogs?”
I didn’t say anything, I only nod and I feel his body vibrate, then I knew he’s laughing.
“Don’t be scared, Oscar won’t bite”
“No!”
“I’m serious, it doesn’t bites”
“No!”
He doesn’t persuade me anymore, he turns to the dog and commands it.
“Oscar, eat!”
I take a peek with one of my eyes closed and the other slightly open.
The dog starts eating on its master’s command, it doesn’t know if the food is poisoned.
After Oscar finishes the food, it doesn’t take long before it start barking loudly. It barked for 5-10 minutes, before it finally collapse and same foamy substance start coming from its mouth.
I start to feel kinda guilty for it.
“Aurora, see, it’s the food, it’s poisoned!”
I got off his back and look at the dog with guilt. I bend towards the dog and kicks it a little, hoping it’ll just stand up and start barking at me, scaring me.
But it didn’t.
“Don’t tell me you are feeling bad”
“I am!” I stand up.
Javier chuckles.
“It’s just a dog, Aurora”
“It’s not just a dog, this dog had life, it was fine and healthy when we got here, now it’s dead! I feel like this is our fault”
“It’s our fault but we did it to verify something”
“We could have find another way”
“Which other way,,,,, by feeding it to you?”
I sigh. He’s right again we did it for a good purpose.
“Oscar, please forgive us, we didn’t mean for you to die. Please don’t come into my dream and scare me ok?!”
I plead with the dog.
Javier laughs.
“It’s ok, it has forgiven us. Now what should we do next, we’ve known that the food was poisoned”
“Next is people that touched the food, the cook and maid, but I don’t think the cook poisoned the food”
“Why do say that?”
“Because I’ve seen and spoke with the cook”
“For how long did you spoke with her?”
“Hmm, I think 10minutes”
“10minutes and you don’t suspect her? She’s the cook, she has more opportunity and time to poison the food”
I nod thoughtfully.
“Yeah, I think she’s a suspect too. But before you kill someone, you must have a motive. What motive could she have?”
“That, we will find out tomorrow”
“Why tomorrow?”
“Because right now, everyone that came in contact with that food is on high alert. So from now till tomorrow, we just have to study them”
“Ok!”
My eyes lands on the dog.
“But we should take this to the General and tell him it was the food that killed Miss Macfarlane”
Javier shakes his head in disagreement, I frown.
“Why?” I asked.
“Ian, wouldn’t agree to meet us today”.
“Why?”
“I don’t know, maybe he has other things to do?”
“Why? We have one evidence, he needs to see it right away!”
“I know my brother, maybe he’s trying to get some sleep now, he wouldn’t like it if we interrupt him”
“Sleep? He can do that at night!”
“I wish!” I hear him muttered under his breath.
“What?”
“Nothing, let’s wait till tomorrow, please”
I sigh and nod.
I wonder why the General can’t see us today again, it’s just morning after all.
Even God doesn’t get tired of listening to our one thousand prayer requests everyday.
Over pompous, egoistic bastard.
“What’s on your mind, Aurora?”
Your overpompous brother! I forced a smile on my face.
“Nothing, I’m just thinking of where to get good food” I lied.
“I know a place”
“No, it sure must be an expensive place since it’s find out by you”
“It’s not expensive, I’m not as rich as my bro, so I also have to save money too”
I smile, I interlock our arms.
“Well, let’s go then!”
“Ok, but first let’s keep these in a safe place” he gestures to the remaining food and the door.
“They are solid evidence!” He adds.
I nod in affirmation.
*
*
“Hm-mm,,,, hmmm-m,,,,!” I moan as I munch on the large piece of pizza in my mouth.
My eyes slightly close as the sweetness take over my senses.
I hear Javier chuckles.
“I will take that as a sign that you like the pizza” he said.
I give him a big thumbs up.
“I-love-it-this-place-is-just-the-best-cheap-but-delicious-great-quality,,,,,” I said with the large piece of pizza stuffed in my mouth.
“I knew you’d like it”
I nod and we continue to eat in silence. Until Javier broke the silence.
“So, Aurora, you jumped on my back because you’re scared of dogs” he states.
I nod.
“Why are you scared of dogs, they are such a loveable and cute animals”
I drop the slice of pizza on my hand and raised my head and glare at him. I point my index finger at him.
“Don’t call those monsters loveable or cute in front of me ever again!”
“Why?”
“Those animals are anything but cute, I’ll never forget that horrible day of my life”
“What happened?”
I sigh, it was the day my parents were killed. But I’m gonna skip to where the assassin was chasing after me, I can’t tell him about my horrible past.
“I was only 11 years old, I didn’t know what happened but I suddenly find myself running from a man,,,,,,,, ”
>>Flashback
He chased me to the edge of a cliff, not having anywhere else to run, I stop.
He notices there’s a cliff behind me, he didn’t stress himself, he simply raise his leg and March my chest, then I fall.
I thought the cliff would be deep, I guess he thought so too but it isn’t. It was just a few meters down, I land on my back.
Though the fall wasn’t that far, I still had a dislocated ankle.
I decided to find my way back to our home. I made it back to a busy street but it wasn’t my street and I don’t know if it’s even close to my street. I seldom leave our home, so I barely know anywhere.
Suddenly a big dog start running towards me, my eyes grew wide in fear.
Then I start running too, but I didn’t run too far before it pounce on me. Its teeth pierced into my skin, I felt like my right arm is separating from my body.
I couldn’t chase it off, until a Godsent came. The lady chased the dog away and took me home to cure the wound, since it was already giving me a fever.
>>End of flashback
*
*
“Since then, I don’t like dogs. I hate them to the core, don’t ever mention them in front of me!” I bang my hand on the table.
“Yes, ma’am” Javier said.
I keep my stern expression and glares at him, but he only burst into fits of laughter.
He points at my face as he laughs.
“What?” I asked.
“Are you trying to look fierce? Well, wipe the sauce off your cheeks before that”
I touch my face and truly I had sauce all over, I scoff but soon join in his laughter.
“Ok, the pizza was too sweet” I said.
“Then I guess we should be coming here often, we can make this place our favorite place, yeah?”
“Yeah!!”
“Good! Now, let’s head back to the mansion, my brother shouldn’t know we left the mansion or we are doomed”
I nod and stand up.
I take out my purse and placed my bill on the table, but Javier takes my money and hands it back to me.
He puts both our bill on the table with a large tip. I smile and put my money back in my purse.
“Oh, you are different from other girls” he tells me as we walk towards the exit.
“How am I different?”
“Most girls would have stopped me from paying for them, but you didn’t”
“Well, I wanted to pay but you stop me and paid instead, it’s not like I forced you, so why would I stop you.
I ain’t gonna stop anyone from doing me a favor, I’d gladly let you. After all, I’m saving up for my dream car” I said.
He laughs briefly.
“I like you, you are true to yourself, you don’t pretend”
“It’s a good thing, right?”
“Yeah! It’s a very good thing!”
We made it back to his car, he opens the door for me and I enter. He turns round and got into the driver’s seat.
“You like going to places poor people like us go to eat, why?” I asked him.
“I told you before. I’m not as rich as my General brother, so I spend wisely, though I’m not broke!”
I nod.
“It’s good”
He starts the car and drove off.