POV: Lianne Dievin
The cave was definitely not what I expected. It was actually even more. It was located at the foot of a mountain bordering the resort and another small town on the other side. The facade was neatly maintained by the staff of the resort and a makeshift sturdy stair made of wood provided an entrance to the cave.
The inside was beautiful and huge. We were awestruck. It had a floor-to-ceiling length of about five storeys high, and the center cave expanse could be compared to a football field. One could immediately see a wide body of water and a natural waterfall connected to it, providing the cave another striking scenery.
There were stalactites and stalagmites everywhere, but unusually, it had a weird color of crystallized green. There was a small opening right above our heads that invited the afternoon sunlight in, reflecting the walls and flooring thereby giving the whole area its faint green color.
Green… My favorite color.
The stone walls were covered with a variety of mosses and ferns indigenous to the area. This place was truly magnificent, but what caught my attention was the beautiful shimmering body of water and its waterfall. The atmosphere itself and its surroundings gave me a memory that I couldn’t seem to cultivate in the back of my head.
Then, I remembered the color of the necklace that the lady in the painting was wearing. It was the same. Rich emerald green.
There were caverns from side to side where most of the guests ventured on. Jen and Alona decided to dip their feet on the water, while Rachel and I continued to check on the caverns with some other guests.
The caverns were spacious but it looked like a continuous maze. It emitted an aura of mystery, most especially that it was dimly lit. Surely, if I’m not vigilant enough, I could be easily lost in this place.
Rachel was having a conversation with one of the guests. A middle-aged woman who appeared to be a good friend of their family. She was pretty much occupied, it definitely showed, so I decided to continue checking the cavern by myself.
As I examined the area again I was filled with admiration and respect for its beauty. It was no wonder why this place became one of the top destinations of the resort. Alona indeed didn’t make a mistake in choosing our day’s activity.
Touching the stone walls here and there, I found that it gave me a calming feeling. However, my eyes widened and my heart jackhammered when it caught a distinct shadow figure of a person just hiding behind a large stalagmite a few feet away from me.
Watching too many stories I guess? I know my reaction was a bit overrated, considering there were many guests everywhere, but for some reason, I just felt wary of the figure.
I focused my eyes on the shadow as it slowly stepped forward and although the cavern was dimly lit, I could clearly see the grin on Cain’s face as he began to approach me.
My breath was caught up in my throat. I pressed my hands onto my chest and out of panic, I hurriedly exited the cave, running quickly out of the cavern and into the makeshift stair completely forgetting about Rachel and the others.
I only stopped when I reached the back of the bus outside, panting. I don’t think that this would hide me from him if he’d pursue me, but at least I could collect myself here and think of a plan.
“He’s here… He’s here!” I said out loud, shaking my head.
Different emotions mixed inside me. Scared? Excited? Worried? I’m supposed to be having fun right now. Why does this man give me this kind of reaction? And why do I feel so uneasy now? Maybe because of what happened last day with him? Or maybe because of the possibility of him giving me another physical contact. The thought made me shiver and my heart leaped for a second.
After a few minutes of calming myself, I suddenly jumped at the touch of a hand on my shoulder.
“Are you alright, Li?” Jen asked me with her brows drawn up.
“Oh! Jen! Alona!” I replied in a surprisingly high-pitched tone.
Jen, in reaction, blinked a couple of times while Alona, crossed her shoulders and raised a brow.
“Why are you here? And why do you look like you’ve seen a ghost?” Jen asked again.
I drew my eyes downward and hurried to give her an alibi.
“Ah, uhm… a… a bat! Do you know I’m afraid of bats also? Aside from horses. There was a group of them hanging above the ceiling in one of the caverns Rachel and I went to, so… so… I ran right away after seeing them.”
I’m such a bad liar. I noticed these past few days, I had been lying quite a lot to my friends.
Alona eased her shoulders and released a sigh, accepting my alibi. “You really scared us back there Lianne, you know that? I thought you’re in some kind of shit for you to come running outside the cave quickly! You really should watch your movements girl, you don’t want to have another syncope right?”
I forced out a smile. “Yes, sure.”
For a moment, I thought I dodged their interrogations, but it wasn’t the case.
I looked at them, puzzled by the sudden change of expression on their faces. Alona and Jen were looking past me. This time, they definitely look like they were seeing a ghost behind me.
“Jen? Alona?” I said, trying to recapture their attention.
“Hello, ladies.”
I turned to my side just as soon as a man’s voice emerged from my back.
I held back an audible gasp when I found out who it was.
Cain wore a smile that doubled his handsomeness. He smoothly glided to our area like a man born from aristocracy. He wore a gray Henley shirt and black blazer duo with black pants that definitely looked regal on him. He exuded a friendly attitude, definitely a stark contrast to what I saw in him the other day. His overall bearing and his eye-candy appearance would probably affect my poor friends’ hearts but not me. I already saw a bad side of him and that’s an ultimate turn off.
I looked at him, then to my friends, then back to him. My jaw dropped. Wait! Did I just saw Alona and Jen’s eyes twinkle?!
Not good.
When Cain reached us, he grabbed my arm so subtly it looked like he was just making a friendly contact. But no. It was actually to detain me and prohibit me from running away.
Well, I wanted to run away from him, but aside from his grip on me, I chose to remain for the sake of my friends.
‘Think Lianne. Think! And don’t forget to breathe, ‘ I told myself. I wasn’t even aware I was holding my breath already.
I needed to calm myself. He will not intimidate me once again.