Chapter 38: DEPARTURE - 1

The dream took Finch away from the meadow. She was now standing in front of her own oasis in a different forest. For a second she thought she had woken up. Until a girl with silver hair came striding across towards the oasis.

"Mosley, you can't keep going there every time you made trouble." A woman yelled at the girl.

Finch turned around to see a beautiful woman with bright blue eyes and long blonde hair ran, chasing the little girl that just arrived at the front door of Finch's oasis. The girl pushed the door open and stepped inside, closing the door behind her.

"Mosley!" Screamed the woman louder. "Come out now!"

"I'll come out when you're not angry anymore, Mama." Answered the girl, who yelled back from inside the place.

The woman groaned in frustration. She turned around. Her face now faced into the direction where Finch stood. Her bright blue eyes dilated with horror as if she saw something frightening.

Can she see me? Asked Finch mentally. She took a step backward and looked back at the beautiful woman cautiously.

Then the woman suddenly turned on her heels and ran towards the door of the little oasis. She knocked the door hard as she yelled in horror,

"Mosley, open the door now! Hurry!"

"No, Mama. You're still angry." Came the answer from behind the door.

Her mother turned her head around. She looked frantic. Her eyes moving fast, glancing back and forth at Finch and the door, as she kept knocking the wooden door harder, asking the little girl to open the door.

Finch, who did not understand what was happening, came forward to the woman. Her steps were uncertain and her heart was racing, but she wanted to let the woman know that she meant no harm to her. However, the woman became more and more hysterical. She started screaming and banging the door frantically, asking the door to be opened by her daughter who kept refusing to open it.

Then something moved in the air, flying at the high speed passing Finch's ear. It took less than a second for it to hit its target. As soon as it shot the woman's head, Finch felt something dripped down her face. She wiped it and checked the back of her hand. When she discovered it was blood, her eyes widened in horror and she screamed.

Finch jolted awake from her dream. This time, she felt something dripped down her face again, only to discover that it was just her cold sweat when she wiped it away. Her breath was rapid. Her heart beat faster. She brought her knees to her chest as she kept glancing to the right, where the door was.

A small ray of sunlight was coming from her small window. She noted that it was still day time. She did not know how long she took a nap for, as her dream — her worst nightmare — exhausted her both mentally and physically. She would like to have some water to ease her dry and itchy throat. Yet, she was too scared to move from the bed.

It was her first time having a bad dream like that. Confusion was hitting the back of her mind as she wondered if the little girl in her dream was really Mosley. Never for once that Mosley told her about her life before she met Finch. The woman never even told her about how she found her. Then again, Finch herself never ever bothered to question the woman who had looked after her until today.

A soft knock was suddenly heard from the door, shocking her to a very great extent. For a second, her heart stopped beating. Her blue eyes stared fearfully at the door. She crawled back until her back hits the wall and she hugged herself tighter, afraid that she was going to get hurt by whoever it was behind the door.

Mosley had mentioned that the oasis would protect her from those people who wanted to harm her. The woman had ensured her that no one was able to come inside unless being invited by Finch herself.

"Finch…" A deep hoarse voice called her name.

Her heart broke to hear the voice she had been missing for. The fear she felt before was replaced by longing.

"Finch," her name was called again. This time it brought tears to her eyes as she sobbed silently, not willing to make a sound. "Are you there? It's me, Edmond."

A small hiccup erupted from her mouth, causing a sound that was caught by the boy behind the the door.

"Finch, are you there? I want to see you." The boy pleaded.

The girl fought back the urge to go to the door and opened it for her dear friend to come inside. She did not want to make another mistake like what she did with the two men earlier. She wanted to listen to Mosley. But the thought of having Edmond — real Edmond — waited outside her door was excruciating. This time, she let herself make a sound, crying desperately.

"What happened, Finch?" The boy asked. His voice was full of concern. "You hurt?"

Finch shook her head, which was pointless because the person on the other side could not even see her. She continued to sob.

The boy now made another soft knock on the door. "Papa will take me and Neil to Claremont. We will see aunt Jennifer.�� Announced the boy, making the girl's heart broken into more pieces. "But I told Neil I want to take you there as well."

The girl opened her mouth to speak but shut it back, as she fell into silent.

The last sentence from Edmond made her heart hurt. His words sounded to allure her to step out of the forest. It made her question whether Edmond was a part of those people who hunted her. Edmond was the only one who knew — apart from Mosley — of what could happened to her if she left the forest. The Edmond that she knew, would never ask her to leave the forest due to its consequence. Edmond cared of her. This Edmond that was behind the door, was not her Edmond.

Or was he?