Chapter 37: The Wound of Courage

Rakiza screamed, but no sound came out of her mouth. Muriel stared at her, her eyes wide open. She then covered her mouth and took a step back from the coffin. She was perplexed and couldn't believe what she was witnessing. Muriel wasn't dead, because no one who was dead would have opened their eyes like Muriel had just a few moments ago.
Rakiza's thoughts were frozen. She couldn't come up with any facts based on what she saw of Muriel. She was still conscious and looking at her.
"Rakiza? Are you all right " Susan was staring at her.
Rakiza didn't respond to Susan, which was a good thing because Chin was fast asleep. But Susan was curious as to what had Rakiza staring at the coffin. "Why are you staring at Muriel's coffin?"
"Nothing, but I think she was looking at me." Rakiza whispered.
"Oh no, there you are again, Rakiza. You sound insane," Susan said as she approached the coffin, looking at Muriel for a moment before turning to Rakiza and saying, "I believe you need a proper resting place, Rakiza. You can go with Chin, and I'll stay and you come back tomorrow. "
"I don't need to sleep because I need to stay with Muriel, and..."
"And she's looking at you. That's what you see," Susan interjected, "but here I am watching Muriel with her eyes closed tightly."
Rakiza dashed to the coffin and saw that Susan was correct. Muriel's eyes were tightly shut, and there was no sign of her opening them. "What a..."
"Yeah, Rakiza, that was real fudge. Please find a room for you to sleep in, and I'll keep you awake until morning. Come back when you're feeling more energized. "
Rakiza found it comforting that the maid accompanied her into the house's guest room. She fell asleep as soon as she laid down on the bed, without a single dream. At eight o'clock in the morning, she awoke. Her bag was on the chair beneath the bed where she slept. She stretched her neck and noticed Muriel's large portrait on the wall to her left. And it was looking at her with a smile on its face. "Hello there, Muriel, good morning," she said as she dragged herself into the bathroom, where the warm water completely cleared her mind. She stood in front of the wood-curved framed mirror after putting on her reserved dress for the wake.
Then the door opened after a few soft knocks. It was the maid again; she was young and was wearing a blue inner short dress with a white ruffled apron on the front. "Mrs. de Leon summoned you for breakfast." She said politely.
Rakiza replied, "I'll be right there in a minute," with a thin smile on her face. And when she was alone again, she remembered what she had seen of Muriel the night before. She murmured to herself in the mirror, "She was really looking at me." And she overheard Susan declare that she had seen Muriel sleeping dead inside the coffin. After a few moments of mentally searching for the truth, she conceded to Susan that she was only imagining strange things. She then combed her hair before leaving the guestroom. And she was perplexed as to why Muriel's painting was in the guest room.
The kitchen was spacious and inviting. Mrs. de Leon, Susan, and Chin were having breakfast together. And as she walked into the room, they all looked at her with concern on their faces.
"How was your sleep?" Susan inquired first.
"I'm dead asleep, Susan; thank you for forcing me to sleep; you're right, I'd recovered my strength."
Mrs. de Leon offered her a seat, and they ate while casually conversing and discussing a topic. She explained that she needed to be at the airport to pick up some relatives who were visiting from another state.
Rakiza returned to the vigil room, the living room with a few companies, after an hour. Susan hitched a ride with Mrs. de Leon back to the dorm. But before Susan left, Rakiza thanked her for not bringing up the subject of her seeing Muriel, which opened her eyes to her. "That's what sane friends have to do with other friends," Susan said with a smile.
Chin left Rakiza in the vigil room for a personal errand in the afternoon. Rakiza was alone in the room, and she was nervously watching Muriel's coffin. Her attention was drawn to the flowers, which were surrounded by various types of arrangements. The flower sprays on top of the coffin were designed to look beautiful. While the flowers on the standing easel were incredibly expensive, one arrangement caught Rakiza's eye: a funeral wreath shaped like a heart and filled with white lily flowers. It reminded her of Nikolas's domain, the "A Tower" flowers. She stood up and moved closer to the funeral wreath, reading the small card clipped below and the tag "A Tower."
"I told you not to get any closer to the coffin," Theo said firmly. He was standing at the door, staring at her.
Rakiza returned to her seat and shifted her gaze away from him, as if she felt bad about him.
Theo approached the bench where Rakiza had sat and settled beside her. Both of them were staring silently at the coffin.
After a few minutes of silence, Rakiza began to speak with Theo, asking, "Where were you last night?" You said you were just outside to keep an eye on me, but you vanished. "
Rakiza remarked casually, "So you're jealous of Nikolas."
"Yes," he stated unequivocally, "extremely jealous."
Rakiza's heart raced as she experienced some exciting feelings that only a teenager could experience as they got closer to a crush. And she couldn't say anything in response to Theo's amendment about being jealous. It was Rakiza's first encounter with a straight-talking man. And she could sense his sincerity. Unlike Nikolas, who was silent and lonely, Theo was a vivacious man who spoke without hesitation.
Theo added angrily, "And I didn't like it when he held your hand tightly, and more, the way you reacted to his actions, which were a little gruesome."
Rakiza became irritated by his use of the word "Gruesome"? Was it gruesome if a man and a woman tried to connect harmoniously? That is not the appropriate word to describe such a scenario, Theo. It's your actions that irritate me. Hitting me with unfavorable words only adds to my dislike for you. What a jackass you are, to me. Why are you behaving like such a jerk, Theo? "
"I'm sorry," he said, sighing, "It's just that I don't have control over it. Maybe you can do something about it. "
"What? For your information, you're not my concern, Theo. " Rakiza retorted.
"Perhaps the way you acted whenever Nikolas was around was the source of the unpleasant feelings I was experiencing."
"And how do you interpret my behavior when Nikolas is present?" Tell me straight in my face. "
"You're inviting him to hook up with you," Theo said, frowning.
"Oh my God, Theo. You're not supposed to say those words and then get angry at us. For starters, we don't have a serious relationship. We always fight, even if we're only a meter apart. We don't share the same outlook on life. You're harsh, and I don't like it. What I look for in a man is...
"Yes, just like he was doing with Muriel. "
"And now you're accusing Nikolas of turning Muriel into a monster." What a heinous accusation you've leveled against him. Don't you have a conscience? Nikolas is a nice, soft, lonely man. "
"It's an act," Theo said sternly."
"You haven't met him? How dare you say that to him? "
"I'll get to know him soon, and he'll disappoint you for thinking he's good for you. But for the time being, you should listen to me and keep an eye on Muriel. "
Rakiza prompted him, "Your fantasy about monsters and vampires is eating you up, Theo. You should be aware of this. Please follow my advice and consult a doctor.
"I know I sounded and behaved like a fool, but you'll thank me later for being such a fool. And you'll love me for it. "
"That will never happen because you are the most abusive, domineering stranger I have ever met." Rakiza snorted, "And you're not as lovable as you claimed."
"I know what's in your heart, Rakiza, but it should stay there." I'm not asking you to love me because that's exactly what I'm attempting to avoid. "
"How did you get the idea that I'm starting to like you?"
"You can ask yourself and your heart, but ignore me for keeping you away from him in the meantime."
"I enjoy spending time with Nikolas, and you should know that." I have peace of mind with him, but with you, my world will be turned upside down."
When Theo saw the beryl ring on Rakiza's finger, he panicked. "Wait, what the hell is that?" "What exactly is that ring doing on your finger?"
"I'm not sure. I gave it back to Nikolas, and it was on my fingers in the morning. "
"See how astute he is?" You've been enchanted by him, which is why I interrupted your conversation last night. "
"What? You were the one who threw a spear at the column last night, right? "
"Yes."
Theo continued to quickly explain to Rakiza what would happen if she continued to accompany Nikolas and wear the ring. The ring binds Rakiza and Nikolas, and soon Rakiza will be under his spell and will do whatever he wants her to do.
However, it only exacerbated Rakiza's confusion between facts and realities. Rakiza became increasingly perplexed as Theo continued to educate her about vampires.
"Stop it, Theo. I don't want you to label Nikolas as a vampire," Rakiza yelled as she stormed out of the room. Theo pursued her.
Rakiza continued running through the forest, tripping and falling to the ground, sobbing bitterly. Sharp stones had scratched her knees, and she was unable to move, and then she heard rustling sounds coming her way. It was Theo, who had an angry expression on his face.
"Why are you so..." he exclaimed when he saw Rakiza's bloody knees and was about to pick her up.
"Don't touch me, Theo!" screamed Rakiza.
"Let me attend to your wounds before they become infected," Theo said as he came to a halt a few steps away.
"No, I don't want you to care about me," she sobbed.
Rakiza continued running through the forest, tripping and falling to the ground, sobbing bitterly. Sharp stones had scratched her knees, and she was unable to move, and then she heard rustling sounds coming her way. It was Theo, who had an angry expression on his face.
"Why are you so..." he exclaimed when he saw Rakiza's bloody knees and was about to pick her up.
"Don't touch me, Theo!" screamed Rakiza.
"Let me attend to your wounds before they become infected," Theo said as he came to a halt a few steps away.
"No, I don't want you to care about me," she sobbed.
Theo comforted her and whispered, "Shhh... This will keep your wounds from becoming infected." His hands were gently touching her knees, and the gentleness of his hands and movements had a soothing effect on her. "We need to clean this up around the house."
"Isn't that a poisonous plant you're putting on my knees?" Rakiza insisted.
"You know what, you've been protesting for a long time. But that won't apply to me. " He slits his sleeve and ties it to the medicinal plants that cover Rakiza's wound. "This is not poisonous; siam seeds are an emergency treatment for wounds in the forest." This is the best remedy for cleaning and stopping the bleeding from the wound. This is something I grow in my greenhouse. "
"Are you a botanist?" Rakiza inquired, dryly.
Theo smiled at her, his eyes appearing to be both handsome and harmless. It changed his demeanor from one of ruthlessness to one of compassion. Rakiza was angry at herself for silently appreciating Theo's active, concerned demeanor. His actions speak louder than words. And his movements in tending to her wounds demonstrated expertise and precision.
"Have you attended to wounds before?" Rakiza asked, dryly.
"Most of the time, when..."He frowned as he remembered a bad memory. "When dogs were injured in a fight, I attended to their wounds and cared for them until they were fully healed."
"Is dog fighting legal in your country?" enraged Rakiza.
"Yes," Theo said, after a brief pause.
"Oh no, don't you know that's illegal? With that, you're breaking the law against animal rights, aren't you? "
Theo was deafeningly quiet; he was deep in thought about their fight against the vampires. He couldn't tell Rakiza the truth about them because it would put her in danger. "That was a long time ago, and I never forget what herbs are for this and that." He moved and lifted Rakiza from the ground without asking permission.
"Put me down. What are you doing?" Rakiza objected.
But, as usual, Theo was adamant about everything he planned to do, and no one could stop him.
Rakiza realized that the path Theo was taking led to the deepest part of the woods. And it was in the opposite direction to Muriel's house.
Rakiza became alarmed and yelled, "Theo, where are you taking me?"