A Secret Hideout

Isabella led me to the training area. I thought we were going to practice fighting but she just walked past the field.

"Hey, where are we going?" I asked.

"Just keep walking." she said without turning back.

"Why can't you just tell me?" I demanded. She just sighed and after that we walked in silence.

We walked past the training area and I noticed the woods. This forest couldn't be seen because of the giant wall in the training area.

"I didn't know that this place have a forest." I said with surprise.

"Actually no one ever uses these woods. No child in the valley dares to enter here because monsters are always lurking in this forest. This is the only part of the valley not protected by Hecate's magical shield." she said.

"So why are we roaming around here like it's a supermarket? And honestly, after that drakon, I don't want to meet any other psychotic creature." I complained and she turned to face me.

"I bet your teachers are dead by now. And even if any of them are unfortunately alive, they must be struggling with a mental breakdown." she said teasingly. "Now be quiet. When we're there, I'll tell you everything in detail. Until then, no questions." and she continued walking.

It was a dense and dark forest. Abnormal sounds of unknown creatures kept echoing, sending a chill back my spine.

As we were walking deeper into the woods, I heard a howl. Definitely it was a wolf.

"Are...there wolfs around here?" I asked hesitantly.

"They won't do anything to us. They're my friends."

'Friends?' Someone please tell this girl that wolfs are to be afraid of, not to be friends with. Then... I remembered who she was related to. Aphrodite is the goddess of love and love don't discriminate.

If someone could have taught a wild animal about friendship, then it's definitely Isabella, the granddaughter of Love.

We reached in the middle of the woods and Isabella abruptly stopped. I was about to ask why, when she began muttering something in ancient Greek. I caught only one word. 'Open'.

When she was done, a huge room appeared before us. It was very dusty and very ordinary. It hadn't been painted for years.

Looking at it's outer shell, I was not sure I wanted to see what was within.

I already had god-knows-how-many unanswered questions. I didn't want any more complications but the opposite keeps on happening. Now, what should I say. I am just that lucky.

Isabella walked near the huge metallic door of the room and the doors swung open with a cracking noise.

"Come." she said and entered the room. I reluctantly followed her.

"Whoa!" The room was something totally different from what it looked on the outside. It was more huge and beautiful from the inside. The room contained book racks. So many book racks! It looked like an infinite library.

"What's this place?" I asked like a puppy who had been shown a bone.

"This is my secret hideout." she said with a happy smile. As soon as she entered this place, she was no longer the serious girl, I had seen until now. She looked like a very happy girl. Ready to live her life to the fullest. Her wide smile told me that this place had been her only support in her bad times. This place was the only shoulder she could cry on.

All this made me feel miserable. It's true I was left by my dad, but at least, I had mom with me. She is my everything. If my life was worth living it was just because she was it's part.

Looking at Isabella, I was certain her story was different.

"This is my favorite place." she said.

"So, you like reading?" I curiously asked and she nodded like a rattle.

"I don't know why, but gaining knowledge has always been my priority." she said.

I didn't understand why but, at that time, I got this strange feeling : that maybe Isabella is related to any other god or... a certain goddess.

I had been thinking about this for so long and when I compare the traits of Isabella with gods and goddesses, there's only one name that comes in my mind every time.

But how can that be, Isabella can charmspeak. This is an obvious sign that she's Aphrodite's granddaughter. But... there's something that just... doesn't feel right.

I tried to move aside that thought.

"So, now explain me everything." I demanded and her happiness disappeared. I punched myself in my thoughts for making a complete mess of Isabella's mood.

"Umm, about that.." she lowered her face and then turned towards her library.

"Adrian, I found this place when I was five years old, accidentally."

'Five years old! My God she had always been so brave. In such a small age she entered the forest where nobody dared take a look.' I thought but didn't know how to tell that to her.

"How?" I asked her and she looked at me. I got the feeling that she was deciding whether to tell me or not.

"Umm, I don't know you will believe it or not. But... I hear a voice sometimes, inside... my head. It told me to find this place." she said.

'A voice' I remembered that when I was hit by the drakon, I heard a voice, too.

"Isabella, when... when we were fighting the drakon, I heard a voice in a head and after that my pain subsided..." I told her everything. I was waiting for her to say something but she was quite.

"Alright, I'll tell you everything." she said with a determined face.