Chapter 20
TWENTY
G od, but I hope that wasn't the case and Nikki is still around—he has to be around.
"Why are you asking?"
"Never mind." I shake my head. "We should probably plan our next steps since we have until the end of the week to get to P'davi." I change the topic. The most I can do for Nikki right now is to focus on the game and win. Regardless of whether he is with me or not, the end goal is the same.
"Here," I say as I pull out my phone and open the maps app. "This is the route we have to take to get to Mount Tai." I point at the screen. "First, we take the plane from JFK to Jinan Yaoqiang International Airport, and then we'll head to the mountain via train. Once there, we can figure out the best way to get to the temple."
"But that's...more than a day of travel," Thea bursts out, her expression shocked. "We can just tele—" She jumps out of her seat, yelping in pain. Turning to Cer, she gives him a wounded look.
"Sit down and shut up, Thea," Cer tells her, his voice holding an edge to it.
She opens her mouth to argue with him but eventually just sighs and plops back in her seat.
"We will do as you said." Cer nods at me.
"There is just one issue." I force a smile.
They all turn to stare at me, waiting for me to elaborate.
"Well, you can't travel abroad because you don't have a passport," I point out, my cheeks heating up as I think of the other reason we might not be able to leave the country.
"It will be fine," Ze comments nonchalantly. "No one will question us."
"But there is another small issue."
Once more, they wait for me to continue.
"You see, I'm wanted by the police, and the moment I step foot into an airport, they will come after me. They probably already have a notice out for me at all ports of exit."
Thea blinks at me.
"Why? Weren't you telling me just a few days ago not to commit any crimes because the police would come for me?" she asks, pointing her finger at me accusingly.
"Ah, well... I didn't do it. I'm innocent."
"Don't they all say that?" Ze snorts from the side.
"You're not helping, Sir Sparkles," I grit at him under my breath.
His eyes flash at me, his body tensing.
"Tell us what happened," Cer luckily interrupts.
"It's my husband's family. They're accusing me of stealing some money, but I didn't do it. If anything, they're the ones who stole from us." I sigh.
"Husband? You're married?" Thea's eyes widen, her eyes skirting from me to Ze.
Odd.
"Yes." I give her a sad smile. "But he died a couple of weeks ago."
"He's dead. That makes you not married," Ze grumbles.
I inhale sharply at his words. Of all the rude things he could have said...
"Not for much longer. Once I win the game, he'll come back to me," I say, my tone more biting than I intended. But Nikki is where I draw the line—always. I won't let anyone talk badly about him or our relationship.
Ze stares at me, his pupils narrowing to two slits.
"He is still dead. That means he is no longer your husband and you are not married," he continues, very much pleased with himself.
For God's sake, why is he focusing on the semantics?
"Regardless of whether he's dead or alive, he's still my husband and will always be my husband." I grind my teeth, clenching my fists as a wave of violence washes over me.
"I do not agree with you, human." He crosses his arms over his chest, pushing his chin up.
"I don't care if you agree with me or not. I don't care about your opinion at all," I huff out.
For some reason, that seems to strike a chord in him as he turns sharply, his hand suddenly on my wrist.
"Ze, what's wrong with you? Leave the poor girl alone!" Thea intervenes, reaching across the table to untangle his fingers from my wrist. "You're ruining the mood," she tells him, her words charged with hidden meaning.
Ze looks at her, then looks at me, then looks at her again. He takes a deep breath, letting go of my hand before proceeding to ignore us again.
"What the hell is wrong with him?" I mumble under my breath.
"Don't mind him, Luce. He's just...weird," she tries to assure me.
"Right," I say, giving him a death glare. "Well, they accused me of stealing his money," I start, telling them about the entire debacle with the inheritance and that they arranged everything, including Nikki's death.
"The bastards." Thea slams her fist on the table. "They need to pay, Luce!"
"Oh, they will. I haven't forgotten about them. I'm just prioritizing my husband first."
A low growly sound erupts from my side, but this time I don't even bother to look, knowing I'll likely just get angrier with him.
"You don't have to worry about the police," Cer speaks. "Thea can work her charm on anyone. That is a low-level skill that doesn't demand a lot of energy, so we should be able to get on the plane without any trouble."
"Low level?" Thea's eyes widen.
"You know what I mean, Thea." He sighs. I don't think he's in the mood for yet another fight.
"But still. You do it if it's so low level ," she challenges, imitating his voice.
"You know I can't," he answers calmly.
Thea merely smirks.
"Okay, that's good. There's a flight that leaves tomorrow morning. That gives us just enough time to get some supplies before we leave for the airport."
"What supplies?" Thea asks.
"We need some new clothes, especially for you." I point to Ze. "You can't go around in your odd costume stained with glitter."
He glares at me.
"You too." I turn to Cer. "You need more casual clothes. Same goes for you, Thea. You can't walk around in a dress you stole from the theatre."
"You stole the clothes too," she quickly points out.
"And I can't walk around in stolen clothes either," I continue with a smile.
"Let's get that over with," Cer says as he stands up. Taking out a wad of cash from his pocket, he dumps it on the table. Thea and Ze stand up too, moving toward the exit.
I quickly run after them. "Uhm... That's not how you do it. You need to wait for the bill."
No one answers me.
* * *
"N o." I shake my head vigorously. "That's not happening."
Cer and Thea are laughing behind us, giving me a hint into who the culprits behind this epic fashion fail might be.
"This has to go," I say as I jump up to grab the rainbow-colored hat off his head. "This has to go, too." I point to the washed-out overalls that are a few sizes too small. Even the shirt he's wearing is so tight on his torso the seams are about to burst.
"Are you having fun, guys?" I turn suddenly. Thea hides behind Cer, but she still can't stop herself from giggling. For themselves, they chose nice, proper clothes. Thea's dressed in a pair of thick tights, a white wool midi dress and a cashmere cardigan on top of it. Cer went for a pair of cargo pants and a sweater—all in appropriate sizes for him.
But for Ze... They really made a mockery of him, and I don't know how he accepted it.
"You look ridiculous," I mumble.
"He chose it himself," Thea chimes in.
I frown.
"You did?"
His lips are flattened in a thin line, his muscles straining against the flimsy clothing. Without saying a word, he raises his arm and points to something.
I blink repeatedly as I take in what he's showing me. It's the mannequin in the window, and it's wearing exactly the same clothes as him. Except, the mannequin is much smaller and skinnier.
"That's..." I take a deep breath. "That may be a good look for some people, but it's not for you. Come, we're going to find you some clothes that actually fit," I say as I grab the sleeve of his shirt, pulling him back to the clothing racks.
"But the shop seller said this is the latest trend," he finally speaks, his voice low. His eyes, too, are looking anywhere but at me.
"The latest trend doesn't mean it will work on you." I sigh.
"But—"
"No buts, Ze. We need to find you something else, and quick."
For some reason, he looks dejected as he follows me around the clothing racks. God, did he actually like those horrendous clothes? Not only were they not very nice, but they were not in the least flattering on him.
"But the shop seller said this is what popular people wear." He makes one last attempt at a weak protest, and I finally pause. Gazing up at him, I note a slight flush on his cheeks and none of his previous aggrandizing attitude.
"And you want to be popular?" I inquire softly.
"I... Forget about it." He shakes his head.
"I'm sure we could find something similar?—"
"No. Just forget about it," he repeats, his voice thick. His blank, arrogant expression is back on, and I have to wonder if I imagined that small glimpse of vulnerability on his face.
"Okay." I nod, a little puzzled about his attitude. But as I watch him from the corner of my eye, I realize he's quite confused about himself, too.
Maybe it's the foreign world, and he's just trying to fit in. But at the same time, why would someone with Ze's ego want to fit in?
With not too much time to spare, I choose a similar sweater to the one Cer had gotten since that's likely to fit him properly. I get it in black and the largest size available. Next, it's pants. I manage to find a pair of loose black pants that might fit him. Since he's such a fan of black, this should work just fine.
With the clock ticking, I push him into the changing room to try on his clothes while I also quickly scramble to find clothes for myself.
Thea and Cer are having fun in the accessories section, and I fly past them as I quickly browse the available options. Since this is going to be a long journey, I need something warm and comfortable.
I grab a pair of leggings from the sports section, adding a pair of warm tights too—just in case. I also get a sports bra that won't be too much of a bother, then quickly survey the underwear aisle and pick up a few to have throughout the trip. For the top, I decide to go with a couple of warm layers topped by a big purple hoodie. I purposefully choose a large size so that it looks oversized on me, the hem reaching my knees.
Finally done, I get back to the changing rooms to check on Ze. This time, luckily, his clothes fit him. I give him a thumbs-up—which I realize he doesn't know the meaning of—after which we pay and we're finally ready to go to the airport.
As we get there, we successfully snag four tickets to Jinan, but the only available ones were in the economy class. With Thea's charm, we manage to get through airport security by only showing a blank agenda that they think is a passport. The staff doesn't even scan it, merely glancing at it and letting us move forward.
It's only when we're ushered into the airplane that the problems start to arise.
Thea is marveling at everything around while Cer and Ze look downright uncomfortable.
"Damn it," I mutter softly as I realize with their size, they won't have an easy time fitting in their seats. And this is such a long journey, too...
We're pointed to our seats by one of the air stewardesses, and though I'd planned to sit with Thea, I decide to ask her to switch places with one of the guys. It would be too torturous to have them both crammed in one place when they will barely be able to fit in a seat.
"But, Luce." She sighs, not too happy with the idea.
"You can sit with Ze if you don't want to argue with your brother," I offer, knowing how easy it is for them to squabble.
"No way! I'd rather fight with Cer a hundred times over than have"—she leans in to whisper—"that surly man next to me. No, thank you. You can endure his company for the flight."
"Fine." I chuckle. "I'll just ignore him and it will be fine."
Reaching our seats, I inform the guys of the changes. Cer rolls his eyes while Ze merely stares at me unblinkingly—as is his habit.
While Thea and Cer make themselves comfortable in their seats behind us, I turn to Ze.
"You can have the window seat," I tell him. He should have a bit more freedom there than in the middle seat. And we don't know who's going to sit next to us either... Yes, the window seat is best for him.
He regards me for a moment before he gives me a brisk nod, folding his big frame in the seat. As I slide next to him, I lift up the armrest so that he can have a little more room.
"I'm sorry about this. You'll have to bear with it for a few hours." I give him a tight smile.
"Are all humans as small as you?"
"What?" I frown. "Not really. I'm on the smaller side for a woman. But the men are much larger. A lot have problems with these seats too."
He nods to himself.
"Was your dead husband small, too?"
My lashes flutter in surprise. He's staring forward, his back straight, his hands resting on his thighs.
"No, he was not a small man," I mention, a smile pulling at my lips as I remember how easily Nikki could carry me in his arms—even with his busted knee. Although he hated the outside world, he'd always had a fondness for physical exercise, and he installed a gym in every home we ever owned. We'd sometimes work out together, even though I was not the best at it. But I would just love to watch him, sometimes lying on a yoga mat with a book, spying on him as he was doing his sets.
When he was shot in the knee, he was devastated to find that he couldn't move as well as he used to, but he didn't let that keep him back. He was always a fighter. And even in his last days, all he was thinking was how to fight more, harder—how to go to war with himself and his own psyche. My eyes are moist as I bring the back of my hand to wipe the tears clinging to my lashes.
In the beginning, when the grief had been too strong—too blinding—I hadn't been able to see anything other than the pain in my soul. Now, though, I can look back and be proud of my husband and everything he did.
Four more trials, and I'll see him again.
And by God I will not give up. I'll see this through to the end and I'll get my wish. If only his soul were still around...
I sigh deeply at the thought.
Ze's fingers dig into his legs, his gaze still forward. He doesn't probe further about Nikki, and I don't say anything more, the silence offering a comforting embrace.
The plane slowly fills up, more people coming in. Ze is alert and curious as he watches everyone, probably taking note of how other people look since it doesn't seem that he's been around too many humans before.
"Is your species so much more different than humans?" I ask.
"Of course. We are much stronger," he replies smoothly—not that I expected him to say anything different.
"Then are all men similar in size to you and Cer? Thea isn't that much taller than me, so I'm assuming not all of you are giants."
"No."
"No? That's it?" I raise my brows at him.
He narrows his eyes at me.
"You harpies are quite odd," I muse, watching him closely.
"H-harpies?" He blinks, his eyes wide with shock.
"Well, that's what you are, no?" I smile sweetly.
"That is...correct." He swallows uncomfortably, probably finding it hard to keep up the lie when the mere notion of it offends his superior sensibilities. Yet this just confirmed my theory.
When I'd had a moment to myself, I quickly googled harpies in an attempt to learn more about them. The doubts had already been planted after what happened at the theatre, but I'm a complete newbie to this world, so what would I know? But Wikipedia does have an entry for harpies and it describes them as half maidens, half birds. More research into Greek mythology yielded the same results. Since neither Cer nor Ze are maidens, I fail to see how they could be harpies.
Now it remains to be seen what they really are. That little lie aside, I find it easy to trust them. My instincts tell me that I can count on them, and I've already seen the evidence of that during the first trial. But that doesn't mean I won't keep my guard up. I only have one purpose in this game—getting Nikki back. Anything else is moot.
The plane continues to fill up, and just when I'm about to rejoice that maybe the seat next to me will be empty, someone comes. A man in his thirties gives me a tentative smile as he places his luggage in the overhead compartment before he settles in his seat.
"Hi." He turns to me. "I'm Matthew. We'll be on this flight for quite some time, no?" he says with a nervous laugh.
I force my lips into a smile, not wanting to be rude. God, how I hate it when strangers are talkative for no reason.
Before I can answer, Ze suddenly stands up.
"Ze." I gasp, grabbing onto him for fear he might hit his head on the ceiling. "Careful, please," I whisper, and he barely avoids a direct hit as he bends forward.
"I do not like the window seat," he states in a tense voice. Turning ever so slightly, his gaze meets that of nervous Matthew and Ze regales him with one of his glares. Everyone is staring at us.
"You will change seats with me, human. Now," he commands me, his voice chilling.
"But, Ze, the middle seat is too small for you," I murmur a weak protest. "It's a fifteen-hour flight. You'll be miserable."
His eyes move from Matthew to me.
"You will move," he repeats.
Before I can say anything more, he grabs me by the waist, easily lifting me up and changing our seats. He carefully places me in the window seat while he wiggles his big frame into the middle one. Shaking my head at him, I scoot over to give him a little more space.
Ze nods to himself, a slight smile on his lips. But as he looks at Matthew, the smile turns into a scowl.
"You do not talk to her," he tells him in a stern tone. Matthew's eyes widen as he glances at me with concern. "You do not look at her," Ze continues, his voice tightening. "You do not acknowledge she exists."
"I-I-I'm sorry, man," Matthew stammers, quickly averting his glance and making himself small in his seat. "I didn't know she was with you."
"She is. With me." Ze nods, giving him one more harsh stare before turning away.