CHAPTER V

      (THE HUNTER’S HUNTED MAIDEN) 

     CARTOMANCY. They say divination is a devil’s work as those who read someone’s future and past are all witches, as they can play with your life alongside the devil himself, but what if it was not all the case?

     “The cursed book, the deck or the stone. Which one should I’ll be playing?” 

     Whispering as her eyes glow with their bloody red nature, inside the small and dim place where the things that surround her are everything that comes to the fame and title of her life, the flowers, gifts, and the expensive applauds she lives her life in perfection. 

     “Tick Tock, Tick-Tock, should I say?” as she giggles sinisterly in return. Looking at her reflection as she admires her perfect beauty, her scripted life, and her exchanged soul to make everything according to her wishes. 

     “To have a perfect life, I will do everything even if I will exchange my soul to the devil himself.”

     Humming as she flips the pages of the magazine she stars and from the tons that prove the life she ever dreams and wishing for is all on her palm. 

     “Your soul, in exchange for the life that you ever wanted. Be my shadow, be my puppet, be my eyes and ears. Shall we have a deal?”

     A deal she never regretted, the perfect life she ever wanted. The lights, the fame, the beauty, and everything that is in it. Just how can she refuse, if in the very beginning she seeks for it to have for herself. 

      “The fool,” she whispers.

     Laying the first card in front of her as she stares deeply into it with the thoughts and names of the persons who might own it. 

     “The magician, the high priestess, the empress, the emperor,” she chanted.

     Perfectly laying the cards, side by side and according to each other. 

     “The hierophant, the lovers, the chariot, strength, the hermit, fortune, and justice.” 

     She names the first and major arcana and stares at it all deliberately before turning her sight unto her reflection by which her blood shut eyes turn black for a moment, in a few seconds, then back to their original greyish one. Then a knock stole her attention, immediately everything turns back from the dim room into the brightest ones with the cards that vanish and as she plaster unto her face with a perfect smile greeting.

     “Come in.”

     Opening the door as a staff reminded her for the remaining time before her shoot could begin, she nodded gently taking it obeying as she assures. 

     “I’ll be there.” 

     Closing the door as it left her with a satisfying smile. Everything turns dim once more like the flowers that surround her immediately withered. Leaving each one into ash burned as life was suck and somewhat had never been in the first second. To the shadow that lurks behind her, to her sight that pins towards. She stood up as she looks once more at her reflection making sure everything is perfect as it all should be. Walking to the door as she stops just in front, she commands. 

     “You know what to do.” 

     Twisting the doorknob as she steps outside, in a split second everything in that room turns into a pitch-black and entirely sucks the life of any living things and exchange it with plastic, just like a doll and delivered by the shadows the roams then one heeding her command. 

     “Shall I play the tarot game?” 

     She whispers drawing a sinister smile as she slowly closes the door taking her steps. Echoing to that silent hallway the cards are replaced with the shadows starting with its blood shut eyes smiling as the death game will finally come to life. 

     “The fool, the magician, the high priestess, the empress, the emperor, the hierophant, the lovers, the chariot, strength, the hermit, fortune, and justice. Know them all, seek their identity, and do what I wish for you to do. In your perfect wanted life, being my puppet is just a small price.”

     Taking the deal to the God who never claims to be good or evil. The heaven or hell that dwells and the forbidden exchange that she gives in. Her perfect life stands as a perfect puppet from the game that is long had the play but is yet to start. Now humming the eerie tone with her facade of a smile, everything flashes as the light embraces and greets her, as everyone adores the star, they all love but is hiding a secret from the fame of her life to the rotten life she has inside.  

     They say that playing with fate using playing cards is a foolish choice, yet to that simple child’s game, a stack of cards became the most powerful tool anyone could ever hold. Just what if a card means no harm, but simply to warn? Would you believe it? 

     “ACTION!”

     The spotlight, the flash, and the camera everything around are just perfect as they adore her, love and an in-demand model, endorser, and a rising actress. What else could the perfect face ever want more?

     “Perfect!” 

     Claiming the word as the director claps his hand and everyone applause. She smiles perfectly as they congratulate and compliment her for her professionalism and perfection from head to toe by just taking a photo shoot of her magazine in one graceful go. 

     “Perfect, just perfect Miss. Gennivier.” 

     Complimenting her as she gave her perfect smile complementing in return. Taking their hand for a handshake and casually giggling as she talks, accepts, and fools each one of them. 

     “Until next time everyone, thank you so much.”

     She bid goodbye, by which they all replied with enthusiastic smiles and thanks. Waving their hands to the perfect actress that lives up for her name. Turning her back and taking her steps and fast with her smile that faded in time as no one around to see or notice her, it all changes from the gentle she into a disgust might. 

     “That’s all for this morning, right?”

     She asks as she set her attention back to the order she was given. 

     “Yes. As this afternoon after your classes in the Academy is another photoshoot for your album and one for an interview and another for your new endorser.” 

     Laying her full schedule as her manager opens her book reading everything, she smirks as she took a deep breath out commanding.

    “Cancel everything that was set this afternoon. I need to be somewhere else later.”

     She commands thinking for the order that was set for her to do, as her manager nodded with no objection or anyone around her. Walking even faster, yet in her graceful demeanor, as her manager and assistant follow side by side. She steps out from the building and just like an automated machine condition to what she needs to do, she wore her perfect smile, the perfect one for those who are the perfect fools. To the crowd that swarm greeting her screaming and beginning for a picture or two requesting her autograph in return, she delightedly took some signing and then let her bodyguards protect her, she continues her lies picturing the perfect idol. Yet, a rotten individual who screaming her disgust for everything. Stepping inside her van as she smiles, bidding farewell to everyone as the door shut, her smile faded as she wipes her hands and cleans them with alcohol. 

     “Let’s go.” 

     She commended sternly as everyone took their seat respectively in a perfect position as they are all but dolls whose string is being pulled by her fingers. Or do they?

     “Look, it’s Miss. Gennivier, wow she is so beautiful.” 

     Loving the attention as she walks out of her car and is greeted by the students who stop in their tracks as they watch her arrival to the fame Idol that she is, her proud title and class which she belongs into marks the orange code of the Academy of Royal Knights. 

     “She's so perfect.”

     They whisper, adoring her from a distance as she draws a sly smile gliding her way to the perfect image that she holds and forever will be. Waving her hand as she gave a simple smile and a 'hi!' from those students who greeted her as she passes by, her ego runs wild as it blows big from the bubble of her running world, yet. 

      “Good morning, Lady Daniela.” 

     Stealing everyone’s attention as she stops in her track looking back as she found them all lined up on both sides bowing as they greeted. Her range boils as her sight pins towards the person she hated more than anyone and anything who ruin her perfect string of life. 

     “Goodmorning, everyone!” 

     With that familiar voice and cheer from the bliss of the one who holds the same fame as her. To the grace of perfect she, to the other who’s the heiress, no one can defy, and the 2nd in command and a natural genius in every way, and the man she forever wants, yet only had the eyes on her. 

     The maiden they all adore the six who hold that highest pedestal and the ranking she could never reach. Just how she hated their guts, just how she hated their life, and just how she envied her life. To the attention and fame that she just swam into, in a blink of an eye everything faded as she cannot compete with the real perfection that the maiden, they all adore brings. 

     To their steps, to their strides, as their light shadowed her, she watches silently as she stares quietly out in the abyss as ‘HIS’ whisper echoes only throughout her mind. 

      “A puppet will always be a puppet. As a human strip of her soul, you cannot choose which and who do you belong to. Take everything, do what you want, you have all the liberty, but remember to monitor the Shrine Maiden.”

      “Tsk!” 

     Smirking as her very first order and the absolute one came knocking with a rush back unto her mind. Her guts disgust her as she wanted to throw up, abandon and run away from that very command, yet she could not as she cannot. 

     To the maiden, they all care about, monitoring her is a pain in her ass. What’s worst to the only person she found wanting, to the man she ever adores in a distance. Yet near, the maiden is a wall she wanted to take down, yet she needed to keep. 

     “Just what is with you and everything that is you,”

     SHRINE MAIDEN

     Blowing the icy wind unto her as she looks back. Hearing the whispering dread out loud, she stops as its tone faded together with the eerie wind that slams its breeze past her. 

     “What’s wrong?” 

     Asking as he notices her attention shifting. He looks at her with a guarding tone and protective nature. Standing beside and near to the maiden he ever holds more than his life. As a hunter, a pledge older brother, a distant relative, and more. Yet deep from a taboo he should not have, he should not bear and even wanted. He desires for the only thing he cannot ever have.

     “Nothing.”

     She assures, yet to the one who knew her and watched her ever since they were kids, her nothing means a dread of everything to him. 

     Eying their surrounding as they enter the gate of their isolated, yet everyone envies and calls the haven of the elite. He stops on his track as he looks back, taking a doubt and two to a possible dread that’s lurking behind. 

     “Kyle?”

      Taking back his attention as Alliah calls noticing his gesture in return. He nodded in reply earning a smile and a skipping cheer from Alliah who then wraps her arms in Daniela's, humming a cheerful tone in response. 

     Looking at the back of the maiden as he enters the gate of their sanctuary. He put his guard up as everything might fall into the void of unexpected darkness by which as a hunter and more than his pledge blood and origin. Her safety and her very existence are his reason for living. As the gate automatically opens, letting them through as the rest are in awe and aspiration to the Elites, they could never reach. An envious heart is watching from the corner, whispering. 

      “The foolish, just what are you, Kyle?” 

     Walking away as her voice echoes, buried and faded by the crowd. She draws a sinister smile as she glances once more to the elites that bear the cycle of this played life and unto the maiden, everyone wanted to protect, as the other wanted her dead. 

     Far, yet near and to the place he can see the maiden, yet did not notice him. To the wind that continues to blow its eerie gentleness and as the flower of the Sakura falls, a heart tainted with wants, unanswered questions, and a shadow in between is searching for the way to get out from the loop they are encircling for, yet unaware of. Marking the necklace that resembles the shard of his real identity, his eyes that glows like a velvet night sky mix with a painted red sunset. He wore the glasses as his mask and creating the illusion of his true face and identity, he cannot afford anyone to know, not now but soon. 

     “Now tell me, just what can a soul of an alternate original ever do for this world’s loop?”

     Leaning at the glass window of the University’s journalist club that holds the official publication of ‘Knight’. With pride and title of a well-known school paper not just in the country, but internationally. His orange-coded rank, and as the chief editor of the school’s publication paper leaves him in the authorization of every detailed news that surrounds everyone. As his eyes deepen, staring blankly out from a distance, yet by truth marking his target. His heart screams its longing and wants for the person who by blood links to his.  

      “Well, can you take the blame, can you ease the pain of seeing them, knowing that they are just close and near from you, yet you could not call nor make yourself known? Can you suffer for long without them knowing that you are?” 

      “There you are!”

     Stealing his attention as the door slams open. Bursting out with a played call, he looks back with a sarcastic smile of the person he considers his companion, but never a friend. An acquaintance and titled as the prince. The mark of the colored rose as he together by the other five holds the fame and wants in the eyes of the girls and as an envied identity from the other boys. The seven that hold the roses, with the six who are coded by the orange one and the other as an elite. He looks with dismay as a reply to the now leaning ego he thinks of him on the door signing the name by which calls him. 

      “Found you as always, Kevin.” 

    Smiling wide, but never a friendly one. He is a rose everyone branded as one of the 7 princes. Fame and luck are what he enjoys, yet is a facade he wears like a mask. 

     To the dark alley of his life and the secret he hides, his rank is everything to everyone around him and them. To the group that was never true to each other, and friendship was just a name to be called. They each wear a mask, as secrets are what’s keeping them alive. From the mask that is yet to be revealed, he looks forward to playing the game they are squabbling about into the dark and to the rose that he’s holding, his rose of a white that hides in the shadows and always black. 

    “Playing games is not fun if you are the one who made it up, Jeffrey.”

     On the none existing games that Jeffrey always plays like no one agrees upon or even known, his cunning ways and mysterious mind no one could ever read is a shallow warning that blares its every clued distrust existence. 

      “Well, it’s almost time for our homeroom. You don’t want to be marked late or tardy, do you?” 

     Laughing it out as he read’s Kevin’s dismayed face and irritated tone. He put his hand onto his shoulder, yet as fast and immediately he puts it is when Kevin shoving it off of him. 

     Walking ahead of him as he catches up now, walking side by side and back to their room. Kevin fixes his eyeglasses as Jeffrey holds his silver-plated bracelet with the both of them hiding their true nature among everyone else. 

     “There you are!” 

     Scolded by their class leader as she put her hands onto her waist and fuming with dismay.

     “Hurry, the class is about to start!”

     Angry with her arms cross and pouting face. She points at the two with her finger, signing to hurry before their adviser will arrive as the class is about to start. They both speed up as Jeffrey taps her head gently and Kevin apologizes.

     Entering their room taking their respected seats, in time as the bell ring and everyone placed themselves properly. The door opens as a familiar footstep echoed entering and stopping at the middle with the book that thuds a sound placing. 

     “Everyone.” 

     The class leader commanded, standing up as the rest follows bowing in respect as they all greeted. 

     “Good morning sensei!”

     Smiling pleasantly as he fixes his glasses with his pointer finger, he signed with his hand, by which they are all been seated as he started.

     “Shall we begin?” 

     To the wind that somehow blows its panic howl, his face draws a hidden sinister smile that resembles the crow's call with his eyes that marks a hidden bloody cry. 

     “Now, now, now, just how would this world spin with everyone wearing their mask?”

     Whispering into a corner as no one will be able to feel, nor see and even hear his presence. Sitting at the Sakura tree as its flowers are falling gracefully by the aid of the gentle wind. To the body that wasn’t his originally, he exists with his amusement as everything spins interestingly unto his sight, as he warns.

     “What should you do now, shard heart of the original, Shrine Maiden, Daniela?”