Debt

Food...

Skyla forgot about everything else as she looked down at the card eagerly and saw many dishes listed down. Her eyes sparkled and her mouth drooled at the food names that Casper chuckled and reminded her, "Come on… Melinda is one amazing cook"

Skyla squealed as she began ordering a number of items as if she was reading the menu out loud. Melinda looked astonished at the number of dishes the human was ordering while Casper widened his eyes in horror.

'Were they starving the poor thing?'

Skyla let out a satisfied smile once she closed the menu card and looked up only to see the two vampires look stunned. She scratched her chin and smiled sillily, "I am famished"

Casper laughed, not believing her excuse at all.

'She must fall in the other category - the one who has a big appetite but lies in order to save their face.'

If Skyla could read Casper's mind, she would have snorted, saying, "As if she has to lie about her appetite."

Not after long, Skyla saw the dishes appearing in front of her, one after the other making her eyes sparkle. She turned towards Melinda who was busy placing the dishes on the table and praised, "You are quick"

Melinda chuckled as she placed the last dish on the table, "I got to be"

Before Skyla could ask what she meant, her eyes widened when she saw two more hands appear behind Melinda. She blinked and still saw the extra hands making her rub her eyes.

She peeked through her eyes and those hands were still there…

One

Two

Three…

And Four... Four hands?

She pointed her finger at Melinda and screamed silently making the onlookers laugh.

Melinda shook her head as she used her extra hands to close her jaw while the other patted her head, "This is my power"

Realization struck her as Skyla nodded her head even though her eyes never left those extra hands. She drank the clear soup and soon forgot about the hands. As she was relishing her food, it struck her.

"Do you have humans here?" she asked curiously as she reached out for another dish.

Melinda looked surprised and asked, "No.. Humans are not allowed to enter our city unless the king permits it"

Skyla paused when she was about to bite into the chicken and looked up in astonishment, 'So does that make me an intruder?'

Casper, who noticed her comical expression, laughed, "Don't worry, you are safe here"

Skyla shifted her eyes to the smiling vampire before her and nodded her head meekly before taking a bite of the chicken.

She let out a groan of satisfaction and cried, "This is so delicious"

Melinda had her palm under her chin as she smiled, "Thanks"

"Ah" Skyla let out a gasp when she realized that she got diverted from the question she wanted to ask her. She quickly swallowed her food and asked Melinda, "Why do you cook if there are no humans here?"

Melinda shook her head as she laughed at some internal joke, "There are some vampires who prefer to eat even after knowing that they can survive without air or food." She shrugged, "I guess they like to pretend to be human"

"So, you can't eat, right?"

Melinda nodded her head, "Nope, everything tastes the same to us. It doesn't make much difference."

Skyla nodded her head absently as she reached out for the noodles. Not soon long, the two vampires had their jaws wide open at her swiftness.

Skyla put down her fork and rubbed her full tummy and said, "I'm full"

Both the vampires rolled their eyes, 'Of course, you are… you were inhaling your food'

Casper pinched his nose as he refused to comment anything while Melinda held back a smile as she took the empty plates from the table and placed it in the basin and commented, "Now that was quick"

Skyla let out a lazy smile as she leaned against her chair satisfied. Now that her stomach was satisfied and full, she was beginning to feel sleepy.

Melinda dusted her hands as she said, "Now, that's two gold coins"

Skyla closed her eyes as if she was about to fall asleep when she felt someone shaking her. Annoyed, she opened her eyes and snapped, "What?"

Casper sighed and pointed at Melinda making Skyla knit her brows.

'Huh?'

When she shifted her eyes towards Melinda, her eyes widened when she saw her smiling with her hand stretched out.

Skyla blinked as her eyes wandered from her hand to her face and tilted her head in confusion.

'Does she want a handshake?' Skyla thought as she placed her hand in hers making Melinda scowl.

'I guess not' Skyla withdrew her hand and frowned in confusion.

Melinda scowled as she put her hands on her hips and smiled through her narrowed eyes, "Two gold coins"

'Two gold coins?!'

Skyla looked stunned as she swiftly turned towards Casper who was staring at her innocently.

"Why aren't you paying her?"

Casper looked dumbfounded, making her raise her eyebrow. She had a strong feeling that something bad was about to happen and just as she thought of it, she heard him utter, "I thought you who would pay"

Skyla snorted in disbelief, " How will I have money on me when I don't know where I am"

Casper stood up with his chair screeching as he stammered, "B-But I don't have any money"

Skyla thought she must have heard it wrong but when she looked at him again, she saw his anxious expression, shifting her face from lazy to shock in an instant.

"Whaat?" Skyla shrieked as she grabbed hold of his collar in impulse and shook the vampire off his feet.

'What did he say?'

He didn't have money??

Who was he kidding? A broke vampire?

Feeling her distrust, Casper turned his pocket inside and out and by luck, a copper coin fell from the pocket, startling them from their argument

Both of them looked down and saw the copper coin lying by their feet. Skyla's vein popped out as she tugged his collar tightly and asked, "How many copper coins would it be?"

"Hundred"

Skyla's eyes spun at his words… Hundred? Does she have to slave her life away to pay back this debt?

She snarled in anger, "Why did you bring me here if you didn't have money?"

Casper cowered under her angry glare and mumbled, "Because you were hungry"

'Seriously…. This unreliable vampire'

Skyla exhaled as she let go of him and rubbed her temples, "Let's go ask Ezekiel… maybe he would have some money to spare"

But to her surprise, Casper shook his head guiltily, "He won't have money since we had to empty our pockets to buy clothes for the banquet."

Her eyes widened in horror, 'Does that mean…the people she knew had no money?'

For the first time since her arrival, her fingers itched to smack him. Why didn't he at least stop her when she was ordering a lot of food?

Now from where would she get the money?

A sudden cracking sound alerted them before they felt their heads being caught in a strong grip.

Skyla's lips trembled when she faced the smiling yet scary lioness who carried a dark expression.

Melinda cracked her knuckles as she smiled at them and asked angrily, "So, who's going to pay?"