Sorting Things

Rachel's POV

I nearly staggered on my steps as I saw Aileen's aunt, Celine Lu. In the Lu family, wives can't go alone and husbands should be together with their wives for there are only a certain number a female member can take and that applies for the husbands as well, so when danger arises, they can fight it together. It's such a useful tradition for people who wants to avoid a member of a Lu family since if a wife or husband can be seen, the latter would follow.

"H-how are you, Aunty?" Aileen hesitantly blurt out. I roll my eyes and got my nerves calmed down.

"Excuse me, Aunty Celine, what business do you have with us?" I ask, flashing a harmless smile and a respectful gesture, at least to what it should look like.

I hear a sigh from her, "Still as hostile as ever Rachel" she said as she brush her hair backwards with her hand and glares on my direction, I flinched and cold sweat felt dripping down my back.

"Calm down little lion, we're here for Aileen and ask how she is, this is a family problem and we know that you know about the Lu inside rules" and she's right. Just how angels treat their fellow angels, Lu family members is the same and it is greatly prohibited to act violent or hostile, but if you were to step on the dragon's tale, what kind of an outcome would you think of? For sure not getting out the place alive.

The door opens once again, I was ready to face Uncle when Allen came instead, panting as if he ran a mile to get here. "A-Aunt Celine didn't knew----"

"My, what are you doing here?" she only has her head tilt on the side so I can still see her face. She's smiling yet it didn't reach her eyes, and as if the spirit of winter lived inside her eyes, she stares at Allen, executing her dominance.

"You'll poison the air with your aura" I interrupted. She turns to my direction then to Aileen.

"I think Jun is taking way too long, I'll check on him, on the mean time, do you guys want something---"

"We're good, we just ate when you entered, right?" I hurriedly said as I tried leading her to the door.

As I stop on my steps to give her some freedom to move on her own, she turns around, "Well, I'll be coming back here, with your uncle of course" she says and opens the door behind her then steps back.

I turned my back to see Allen. I sigh just from seeing his appearance and I don't like him here. I walk pass him to check on Aileen...yeah no. I look at Allen and told him to go outside the balcony for a little privacy.

He frowns at me, "I'm here to---"

"Oh we'll talk, we'll talk for sure" I pressed and glared at him. Having someone with a fragile mind here him wanting to talk, for sure it ain't good whatever will be coming out of his mouth the moment I said yes here. Heck this even happened right after the incident between the demons and her rampaging mana, plus the growing essence core...where the hell did that even come from?

I drag the curtain to avoid her seeing us and figuring out our talk and closed the door shut. I then put my attention to him, "So what do you want to know after being a stranger for, I don't know, a decade maybe?" I started, he shakes his head and sighs.

"Still hostile as ever, anyway, I'm here to check up on her physically" he really pressed the word physically that felt odd...

"Am I suppose to expect an odd news?" I questioned...there's no way that he knows it, he was not there after all.

"Yeah, it was probably my fault to begin---"

"You better not say a word that would make me grab your collar" I warned, he looks at me then sighs.

"It seems you have seen it" yeah sure I did. I grabbed the railings and exert force there, I felt heat rush on my hands and bend the metal railings, I watch it bend and felt my hand being stabbed by the protruding metal piece, I let it go and closed my eyes instead, trying to grasp my rationality.

"So, tell me how exactly is this your fault? Actually, never mind, I don't wanna hear it now, I'm asking you to break this to her without surprising later" I said while poking him with my index finger. I massaged my temple as I look over the field of the hospital,

I turned my attention to him, who started staring at the view as well, and opened my mouth more to discuss regarding Alex when a knock on the window sounded and made us both turned around in surprise. Are they back? The curtains are still blocking the sight so there is no saying who is it. My hand reach over the sliding door's handle when Allen's hand reached over instead and slide it open.

"We're having a conversation here" he started. I simply look at him with mixed emotions. What if that's your uncle? What if that's your aunt?

The curtain is moved aside and a familiar face dawned on us.

"I was scared for a sec, I thought it was uncle Jun" I murmured as I felt my mind give a relieved sensation all over my body.

"Actually, uncle Jun and his wife, Aunt Celine just head out, they said they'll buy food for us" Alex said as he looks over me. "I did guess that the room will look over the field, but this is just too much" he added, walking past me and onto the balcony. The view was truly serene but you get sic after looking at it for a minute if there are no people on the field to watch. The field stretches probably around 30 meters and over the walls that blocks trespassing or unwanted visitors at that direction are simple houses that also tower, making it hard to even get a glimpse of the road over it.

We entered and have Aileen sleep after talking and telling her that we will be just talking here since she feel scared out of a sudden.

"So, how was the interrogation?" I started as I sat back to the couch with Allen and Alex getting his own cup of water. He looks at me then at Allen.

"He caused a scene by simply revealing our family" Allen answered for him. I see, so that's why there's yet to appear an agent who will supposedly interrogate the tired Aileen.

I look at Alex and he turns to meet my gaze, "I think it's better that way" he said right away as he presses the button to turn the water off.

I shake my head, "I think so too, Aileen started to overreact the moment she wakes up and hears that you're at the agency" I said. Allen stood up and walks towards the hospital bed, his eyes are fixed on her chest.

"You said you had some contributions on why she's like this now, I think it's a good time to say it now" I said as I fix my gaze on his eyes, he glances at my direction, meeting mine.

"My stupidity and the said loyalty to my contract did contribute to this"

"Talking in vague sentences won't take us anywhere" Alex interrupted as he sat on Allen's part and drink his last drip of water in the cup.

"There's serial killings around the area, a victim was found by an alleyway in Birch Avenue downtown" he sat at the edge of the bed as he started telling us a classified information. Well, a serial killing is different to a demon killing so it's not in our jurisdiction of topic.

"Well, we had some theories that the ability of the serial killer has some preservation effects since everything seems fresh but we also track the evidences around 7 hours before morning" so...I could get the gist of what Allen is trying to say.

I stood up, "It's already understandable that the principal, your boss, gave Aileen the essence core, making her have a core on her own" well, this sure doesn't have any connections to what we wanted to investigate, but that killer might have been an accomplice to the ones who is behind the underworld problem.

I sat back and think things through when I felt Alex's hand touch my shoulder, "Why did you even stood up?"

Chapter 17 end.

To be continue