Chapter 31 - Alien Civilization

"Dinner is ready to be served," he said, and plated the dished. It was roasted potatoes with stewed vegetable and chicken. It looked so mouth watering.

"They look amazing," Reya whispered.

"All thanks to your help, young lady," he said, patting her shoulders.

"Reya," she corrected him.

"Reya.... you are a good kid," he said.

Reya felt her face heat up at this. She still couldn't handle compliments; they just throw her off guard.

"Do you have anything else to do?" she said with an eager look.

"Well there is something, but I dint think you will be up to the task," he said holding his chin.

"No, no I can do anything. Tell me what to do," she exclaimed.

He chuckled softly and whispered, "My master...it's very hard to make him leave his room. Can you invite him over to the dining hall? He should learn to interact with people more." he said with a grin.

Her grin dissolved into thin air. 'I don't think I Can deal with that bipolar idiot.'

"I think you are right I'm not up to the task," she said waving her hands.

Lukas looked downcast at her rejection.

The people pleaser in her kept nagging her to help him out.

With a sigh, she nodded her head. "I'll bring him down," she said and left the kitchen.

"Oh, thank you, Reya," he said with a dazzling smile.

'My god it's the dazzling smile again. I can't even say no to this kind old man,' she thought, blinking rapidly.

Reya darted out of the room.

"Oh, he is in the last room in the second floor," he shouted after her.

"Okay" she shouted without looking back.

Walking through the winding staircase, Reya kept contemplating her decision. "it's okay, Reya, you can definitely tolerate his presence," she mumbled to herself.

She reached the last door in the second-floor corridor and stood in front of it silently.

She took a deep breath and knocked.

"Dinner is ready,"

The floor board creaked, but there was still no reply.

"Hey, she said dinner is ready,"

Still there was no reply.

Taking a deep breath, she opened the door and walked in.

The room was plunged in darkness.

"Hello?... Clive?" she called.

Reya walked through complete darkness with her hands outstretched. "This guy, he owns a big ass mansion but does not even use the light," she whispered as she strode in.

She felt something near her feet so she leaned down to pick it up.

It was a small cylindrical shape thing.

"Hmm, water bottle?"

She shook it and water sloshed inside.

"Yep, its water," she whispered.

"Careful. If it touches your skin, it will melt through," a hoarse voice whispered behind her.

"Eep, Clive?" she questioned at the dark figure.

"Wow, you figured it out," he sarcastically said.

With her hands outstretched, she searched for him. Her hand touched the coarse texture of his clothes. "Hey, the lights… switch the lights on," she said.

Bright light flashed on her face suddenly.

Clive held a small torch in his hands. "I blew the fuse," he whispered.

"Oh, I see… well I'm here to call you down for dinner," she whispered.

"Hmm, okay," he said and walked away.

"Okaayyy, will be leaving," she said and strode towards the door.

"Wait!" he shouted after her.

"What? What happened?"

"What you have in your hand, place it on the ground." He said pointing his flashlight to the flask in her hands.

"Oh, okay, sorry about that," she whispered and placed it near the doorway.

While leaving, she noticed the tripod kind of shape next to him.

"Hmm... Sorry if I intrude, but… what are you doing here," she inquired.

A loud sigh was heard from the dark room. "Studying the red planet," he said.

This piqued her interest. "So what do you know as of now? Is it a rock? Or do aliens really inhabit it?" she question with excitement.

A long silence lasted was the answer for her questions.

'God, does it hurt for him to answer,' she thought with a sigh.

"Well, I'll be down in the dining room," she said and waved off her awkwardness.

"It's an alien planet. And there are people living there. People just like us," he whispered.

"What really, do they look like us," she said and walked forward to him.

"Hmm, they look exactly like us, but as far as I've observed their technology seems to backwards." He said pointing the flash light to the huge telescope in his room.

"No shit, that's awesome," she whispered as she got close to the telescope she could see a lot of notes and pictures that he had spread out on the table next to it.

"Umm, can I look?"

"Be my guest" he said and went back to observing through the telescope.

Reya saw a few pictures of the planet up close. There were houses and that looked like ancient roman or Greek model. "This column structure it looks just like the Greek temple of Apollo, and this…. this structure has been dug into the hill side it has the same archway of that of the Romans. So fascinating," she whispered in awe.

He flashed the torch her way and whispered, "You know your history,"

"Hmm I love history," she said shuffling through the fascinating pictures.

One picture in particular caught her eye.

It was the picture of Artemis in her chariot.