Part C: Chapter 58

"Mr. Carmichael, someone is here to see you,” Ivana said as she entered the office. She was looking at her clipboard. “Shall I tell them to wait or come back another time?”
Carter was already smiling like crazy at the sight of her and I couldn’t blame him. Ivana was a catch, though not someone I would personally pursue. I nudged his foot with my leg and he glared at me.

“Did they say who they were or what they wanted?” I asked, fully composed even though Carter had just kicked my shin quite hard under the desk.

Ivana looked at her clipboard once more then looked back up at me, her eyes looked hooded and tired. “Not quite so, they simply said they had something urgent to discuss with you,” she replied coolly and collected though I could see that she truly wasn’t feeling well and there was no way I was going to overwork her when she wasn’t feeling well.

“Ivana?” I called out when her eyes had gone back to looking at the clipboard.

“Yes Sir?”

I nudged Carter to get his attention but he was too focussed on glaring at me to notice what I was talking about. “Are you feeling okay? Another bothering you?” I asked, sitting back in my chair with a pen tapping against the desk. “You don’t look well.”

Carter sprung up at that and rushed over to her, holding her hands and touching the back of his hand to her forehead. “Oh love, why are you putting yourself through this,” he said, his face morphing into one of anguish which only made me roll my eyes. Of course he would be exaggerating about it. “Come here and have a seat.”

Ivana swatted his hand away and stepped back, then with her thickest accent said. “Leave me alone Carter.”

I bit my lips to stop from laughing at the mortified look that flashed on Carter’s face at what Ivana had just said.

“Come on Iva, I’m trying to look after you, that’s all,” he said as he took another step towards her while she took another step back. “That’s all there is.”

I just sat there watching how Ivana scrunched her face up and looked at her clipboard then at me. “Sir?” she called out, looking really agitated with Carter.

“Carter, leave her alone and get back here,” I said with a sigh. “We have more important things to do and Ivana needs to go home and rest.” I waved my hand at him and he pouted as he walked back to the chair he had been occupying and sat down, glaring at me. “Ivana, kindly let the person in and then you can have the rest of the day off.”

Ivana looked at me with worried eyes. “I’m okay sir, I can still do my job.” I could hear the pleading in her voice. “Please don’t send me home.”

“Is everything okay? You know you can talk to me if there is something bothering you.” I was getting concerned about her well-being but from her reaction, I think there was something much more happening. “Ivana, please talk to us.”

Ivana rubbed her wrists and looked away from us but not before I saw a flash of pain in her eyes. There was obviously something much more going on with her but it wasn’t in my place to push her to say what she didn’t want to.

“All right, just please have the person come in and if you don’t want to go home then you are free to do as you wish. Just don’t do anything your body can’t take,” I said and turned to Carter who wanted to run to her but kept myself restrained which was a first.

Ivana nodded her head sheepishly then left the office.

“What do you think is happening with her?” he asked once he was sure she was nowhere in hearing range. “I’m worried about her and it’s not just because I have a massive crush on her and she keeps rejecting me.”

“And I’m sure she can handle it, if she says so, we have to take her word for it until she asks for our help,” I said though I wasn’t sure I could sit back and watch her suffer. “That means no meddling Carter, I mean it or else.”

Carter sighed as he leaned back in his chair just as the door opened and a young girl about fifteen or sixteen entered. She was dressed in a pair of ripped jeans with black combat boots and a black leather jacket. Her hair was a fiery red and she had a nose piercing.

“Well, who do we have here?” Carter asked as he turned to look at her. His eyebrows were furrowed in question.

“Where are your manners Carter?” I scolded as I stood up and walked over to her. “I’m Aidan, and who do I have the pleasure of speaking to?” I extended my hand to her and she looked at me, then slowly, raised her hand and shook mine.

“Carla, Jemila’s second cousin from her Mum’s side,” she said with a thick German accent. She was too polite and really adorable because she had manners and that was rare for a teen to have these days so I was impressed.

Now this was interesting. “Please come and have a sir.” I ushered her to the couch where we both sat while Carter turned his chair to face us, just as intrigued as I was. “It’s nice to meet you Carla.”

Carla nodded her head as she took the office in, her eyes darting around everything. “I can’t stay here long because she will find me,” she said, looking at me with worry in her eyes. “I just need to tell you something but please don’t mention me to anyone.”

My eyebrows furrowed in confusion. “Can I offer you something to drink first?” I offered but Carla shook her head.

“I have to tell you now then leave before they find out I left.” She kept saying but her English was slightly harder to understand because of the thick accent. “They have her, I know they do but I don’t know where they are keeping her. I just saw her once as she paraded in front of everyone at how she was finally going to take all the power. Mother and father are under her control so they don’t care about the fact that she took everything and claimed it.”

I was more lost than when this conversation began. She was saying things but I couldn’t quite place my finger on what exactly any of it meant. “What do you mean Carla? Please make me understand.”

Carla abruptly stood up and began shaking her head really vigorously. No, no, no. You are not listening to me. She has her and she will kill her if you don’t save her in time. The prophecy is real. Find her.” She said it over and over again and I almost thought she was losing her mind but something told me to trust her. “When the moon turns red, the Goddess shall cry out in despair for her children and all shall be revealed but she must be saved because she is the chosen one or the fate of all lycans may burn and so will we.” Then she stormed out of the office so fast I didn’t have time to comprehend what had just happened.

“What the hell was that?” Carter asked loudly but I looked at him and rushed after Carla but she was gone as if she had never been here from the start. Were we losing our minds or what?

“Did that actually just happen?” I asked once I returned back to the office, closing the door behind me. “Because it feels like I was dreaming in daylight.”

“Same here mate. Same here.”