BEYOND COINCIDENCE

Jaita paused at that very instant as so many thoughts flooded her brain. "How can it be?" She thought to herself as she tried to make sense of what she had just seen.

She was well aware that Mystika was a supernatural world which was anything but related to earth, but how could a drawing from an alien world correspond to the one on earth? It would not have been a centre of attraction, as it is normal for drawings with such limited size to share the same look but the same patterns of the water waves in her laptop was the same as the one in Mystika's map.

And most of all, the tattoo that Jaita had seen on Feturi's forehead was staring back at her at the middle of both boats in both maps. Jaita shook her head dismissively. "It's just a coincidence!" She murmured to herself in assurance, but she had this gut feeling that it was way more than that.

In a swift manner, Jaita brought both maps together to examine them closely. The drawings bore an uncanny resemblance, with the only difference being the label names. While the image on the map of Mystika read, "marina", the one on her laptop read "Onikan".

But she could not dismiss the fact that both images were exactly the same and at that very instant, she picked up the map and her laptop and rushed out of her office to Yuki's.

"I believe you've found what I'm looking for," Yuki uttered without looking up from her table as soon as Jaita barged into her office after two consecutive knocks.

"Actually, I may have found it," Jaita replied and sat on the chair opposite Yuki from across the table.

"You have?" Yuki lifted her face from her computer and locked eyes with Jaita. "I mean, I was just joking. I didn't expect you to have found it so quickly but if you say you have, then why not?" She shrugged, carefully hiding her excitement.

"I didn't say I have, I said I may have."

"Enough with the long talks and show me what you've got," Yuki dismissed her almost immediately.

"What do you know about the place called Marina?" Jaita turned both maps towards Yuki.

"Marina?" Yuki tilted her head and ran her eyes quickly over the laptop before shifting her focus to the paper map. "What Marina is that?"

"Here," Jaita stretched over the table and placed her finger on the landmark. "This is what I'm talking about."

"Oh! This? This is the only waterbody in the Northern clan of Mystika. But what does this have to do with what we're looking for?"

"Okay, if you look closely at my laptop, you'll see a marina there, around Onikan. Do you see it?"

"Yes?"

"Good, now do you see the cartographic symbol beside it?"

"Mm-hmm," Yuki nodded, her eyeballs dancing gently over the screen.

"Now, does that look familiar?" Jaita prompted.

"It's similar to this one," Yuki reached out for Mystika's map.

"Exactly, now does that look familiar to you? Have you seen it anywhere before?"

"Er, the flame symbol on the boats are exactly the same as Feturi's mark," Yuki recalled.

"Okay, aside that, have you seen this boat before? Have you been to the Marina? Any clue at all is important."

"Well, I don't know, I haven't been to the northern clan before, so..."

"Uh, you seem close to that Feturi, do you think she would know anything about it?"

"She should, she's a northerner, that's the reason for the flame symbol on her forehead." Yuki affirmed.

"Then we could simply ask her," Jaita's face lit up. "I'm sure she'd have more information and she'd be glad to help you."

"Ah," Yuki snorted uneasily; "I don't think that's a good idea. She doesn't know I'm still working on this," she sighed.

"Are you serious? Then we should stop. How can we continue this without your people's consent?" Jaita asked but quickly rephrased her statement after meeting Yuki's death stare. "Actually, I think we should really do this, you would be the people's hero, and Feturi would finally accept me if I can help get revenge for her son. I mean, practically not technically, he'd be her son too since she's the guardian to you and him." Jaita smiled nervously.

"She's my guardian only, he has his own guardian as well as my other siblings."

Jaita nodded abstractly, clearly not paying full attention to what Yuki was saying. By that time, she had already begun to decipher that Yuki was from a very much convoluted world than she had imagined, so she was not ready for the complicated tales of Yuki's family pattern hence, she mentally resolved not to ask for clarification on the matter. "Okay, so what's the plan?"

"I'll go there to see what I can find."

"You mean we will go there. And do you know the place? You said you haven't been there before."

"Finding the location wouldn't be an issue but following me would be the issue."

"What?! I contributed greatly to this! Don't even think of ditching me right now," Jaita glared hard at her, her fingers curled tightly into a fist as she waited impatiently for Yuki's response.

"Woah, woah!" Yuki doubled up into feats of laughter, "it's not that I don't want to take you there, it's that I can't take you there. We're literally talking about two different worlds Jaita, you're not compatible enough to enter that realm."

Jaita's countenance fell immediately. "Oh," she sighed, "I really wanted to come."

"I'm sorry," Yuki soothed.

"It's okay, I mean I've done my part, it's now for you to finish the rest. I'm okay actually, this is my world so I'm content with it."

"Are you sure?" Yuki smirked.

"Yes, I said it's okay."

"Alright, because there's actually a way I can work something out."

"There is?" Jaita leaned forward, her eyes widened in excitement at the sudden revelation.

"But it's okay, since you're not eager to come, there's no need to go through all that," Yuki shrugged.

"I was... Oh come on, I didn't mean that, I would like to come please," Jaita pleaded.

"I was just joking, there's nothing I can do," Yuki laughed.

"I can't believe I fell for that," Jaita hissed in anger.

"There is actually something I can do but it's not a funny procedure at all, in fact it's better not to think in that direction."

"How long will it take? We could try, you know?"

"It could cost you your life, actually it would cost you your life to an extent," Yuki warned.

"Is it that bad?"

"Yes it's that bad."

Jaita sighed. "I guess we have a decision then, you'd do this alone."

Yuki picked up her phone and began typing away. "I'm not actually doing this alone, per se, I'm just going to Mystika alone. We're still working on this together, and in the light of that, you'll also have to travel to Lagos to find some information."

"Lagos? Why would we need information from Lagos when you're already heading towards Mystika?" Jaita asked in confusion.

"We need to know why the marina here is oddly similar to the one there," Yuki answered.

"That makes sense," Jaita nodded.

"Good. You leave today," Yuki ordered immediately.

"To...today?!" Jaita's voice spiked up in an instant. Her face didn't bother to hide her surprise as her eyebrows shot up with a slight arch.

"Now," Yuki nodded defiantly.

"Er, the thing is, you don't seem to understand that I know not one soul over there," Jaita cracked open a sheepish smile.

"You don't really need to know anybody there, in fact the lesser people know about this, the better for both of us."

"I don't know my way around there," Jaita insisted.

"Use Google map, ask questions," she fired back.

Jaita was not ready to give up, so she pressed further. "Where will I stay?"

Yuki sighed softly. "Hmm," she pursed her lips and scratched her head as she thought of what to do. "Well, clearly, I didn't think of that."

"Clearly," Jaita agreed, with a triumphant smile over her face.

"You would book a hotel when you get there."

"The cost for a room for one night in that area is hell! Where do you think I would be able to get such money from?" Jaita protested immediately.

"Of course, I'm the one paying for it!" Yuki scoffed. "I'm covering the bills for your flight to and fro and for all your expenses over there," she frowned.

"You are?" Jiata's face lit up.

"Of course I am! What do you take me for?" Yuki's frown deepened.

"Ah," Jaita nodded. "Ok, ok, I'm sorry. No need to get angry at all," she soothed.

"I'm not angry. Why would I be angry?"

"Oh, I thought you were, since you had a very noticeable scowl on your face."

"Of course, I'm angry!" Yuki retorted.

"Oh God!" Jaita rolled her eyes and shook her head as she was so done with Yuki's wavering responses.

"Start getting your things ready now, because I don't have time to waste. I've already booked your flight and it leaves in an hour's time," Yuki pronounced.

"What? When and how did you book a flight that leaves in less than an hour from now, leaving me with no time to get myself ready?"

"Well, when you were busying arguing with me, I was busy making life easy for you."

"You booked a flight without even considering where I would stay? Tsk, you're really wonderful to be quite sincere," Jaita shook her head.

"In my little years of experience here on earth, I can quite tell that, that wasn't a compliment," Yuki stared blankly at her.

"Oh, believe me, that wasn't a compliment," Jaita returned, boldly.

"Well, I don't know how things work over here, so you wouldn't blame me," Yuki lifted an eyebrow. "But that's not the issue now, you should start heading out now, so that I can also leave for Mystika."

"You're going today too?" Jaita asked.

"Yes?"

Jaita threw her head back in surprise. "So what would happen to the company?"

"What happened to my secretary?" Yuki shot back.

"You don't know how long this would take, how can you just leave your company to just one person to manage?"

"Oh, she's used to it, trust me," Yuki replied with a grin and stood up abruptly. "By the way, I'll leave you here if you do not stand up now," she didn't spare Jaita a glance as she majestically made her way to the door, with her hands in the pockets of her long black leather coat.

"Oh, come on!" Jaita quickly scooped her laptop away from the table and ran after her. "I need to at least go home and take one or two things with me."

"You have your phone and laptop here with you, that's enough. You can get whatever you want over there."

"What about the clothes I'll change into there, my shoes and toiletries are all at home. Do you now understand why I need to go back home?"

"Here," Yuki swiftly slid a black card from the back pocket of her designer suit trousers and stretched it towards Jaita. "This would cover the expenses for your shopping over there. Get as many shoes and clothes and bags and toiletries and food, as you want."

"You have a black card?!" Jaita's jaw dropped open in awe, as she slowly took it from Yuki's hand.

"Yes? Why shouldn't a person of my callibre have a black card?" Yuki asked with her head held up high.

"Not every company owner have a black card, you know? And also, you do know you're very arrogant right?"

Yuki made a clicking sound with her tongue and laughed quietly. "I'm not arrogant. I only state facts."

The elevator beeped and they walked into the lobby immediately the door opened. The receptionist was at her stand when they walked past her and Yuki just waved slightly at her in response to her greetings.

"Won't you inform your secretary before leaving?" Jaita asked, immediately they stepped outside.

"I've texted her a while ago."

"Your method of handling your company is quite a method." Jaita replied quietly.

In moderate steps, they walked over to the parking lot but when they were about just few feet from Yuki's car, Yuki stopped abruptly.

"What happened?" Jaita turned to her and back at the car. The windows and windscreen were tinted so she couldn't see anything aside the black shiny exotic Ferrari few feet from them.

"Come with me," Yuki grabbed Jaita by the hand and quickly turned back to head towards the lobby.

"What happened? Did you forget anything?" Jaita asked, matching Yuki's fastened pace, but before they could walk a reasonable distance away from that arena, the door of a vehicle opened and closed shut behind them.

"Long time no see, girls!" A familiar voice called out, sending chills to both Yuki and Jaita.

They paused automatically and turned slowly to face the cold, distant figure standing gracefully just beside Yuki's car.