Aisha
I looked up when I heard a loud honk not too far away. I was still panting from running away from Arrow and his pack of wolves. Chris tensed beside me. " Hide the flower. " he hissed. I hurriedly wrapped the flower in my shawl and carefully placed it in my shoulder bag just before the rusty pickup truck pulled up beside us.
An old man sat with one hand on the wheel and the other resting outside the window. He was bald, but looking at his wrinkles I knew he was old. His white beard greatly contrasted with his dark, tanned skin. His outstretched hand out the window held a burning cigarette and I wrinkled my nose at the foul odour. " Hey kids, where ya going?" he drawled lazily.
I gulped and looked at Chris, who shook his head slightly. His message was clear - don't say anything about the flower. I understood his apprehension - it was far too risky to give anything away now, especially after we met Arrow. " We were just taking a walk, sir." I answered briskly. The old man nodded his head.
" You guys need a ride?" he asked, after a few seconds. I was surprised at his offer, and was at a loss of words. 'Should I say yes? Or should I reject his offer?' I wondered. Fortunately, Chris answered on our behalf.
"Sure, if its not much trouble for you and you happen to be going our way." he said. " We are on our way to the Hidden territory. You know where it is?"
" Hidden territory? Why, that's an hours drive from here! You can't be thinking of walking all the way there!" the man exclaimed.
" Can you take us there?" I asked.
" Of course! Glad to be of help. Come on in!". Chris and I got into the backseat and thanked the man profusely for his kindness.
I suspected that the old man would ask for something in the end, but before I could share my thought wtih Chris, I fell fast asleep, dreaming of Sirena and the Black Soldier.
A few hours later, I woke up to Chris shaking my shoulders saying that we had reached. I yawned, and looked outside. We had reached the Hidden territory. I got out the truck and thanked the old man who had driven us there. "Don't you want anything in return?" I questioned cautiously.
"Anything in return?" he echoed. "My dear girl, I don't want and neither do I need anything from you two teenagers. It was my pleasure to help." he replied.
I was astonished. "Well, in that case, your help will be remembered forever. Thank you very much, sir." I answered.
He raised his cap in farewell and drove off. Chris and I slowly walked into the Hidden territory. It looked exactly like it had when we left. Nothing had changed. We walked straight into the oak tree where the elders were. Via, at the counter, didn't even look up when we walked by. 2 elders were seated in the same seats they were when we last saw them. It was somehow comforting that nothing had changed after all that had happened.
We walked in and stopped dead in our tracks. In front of us stood Sirena and her twin! I rushed to Sirena and hugged her tightly. Behind me, Chris caught up with Ian. When Ren entered the room, everyone stood up in respect and bowed. Together, we presented Ren with the Silver Pearl and the True Beauty Flower. We waited with bated breath while the elders carefully inspected the items.
Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Ren removed her glasses and smiled at us. I sighed in relief. I mean, it couldn't be bad if she was smiling right? "Congratulations. You have successfully recovered the items you were asked to find before 5 days passed. Now, like we promised, the Hiddens of the Dark Realm and Balance Realm vow to support you in your mission - whatever you need. " she vowed. We cheered and went mad with happiness. Sirena and I jumped up and down and hugged each other while the boys grinned and cheered. It was a festive moment.
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