Chapter 2. Madeline's Dreams

Madeline's POV

I knew he was watching me because there were no other people around our house except the grass and trees dancing around me. I could also not be wrong that what I am seeing is a person. I squinted my eyes when his head slightly moved. My mouth opened as I saw his red eyes glimmer in the darkness of the forest. 

“What the bloody --- hey!” 

He must have felt like I was watching him, he swiftly turned his back and ran through nature. Due to my curiosity of who that is, I started chasing him down the forest. 

“Wait!” I said. 

The trees were not a nuisance. If I did not have stable agility, I would have bumped into them, but because I have been hunting together with a friend since I was kid, running fast is never a problem, the reason why I could still see the man in a black cloak sprinting away. 

“Hey!” I shouted. 

He looked over his shoulder and I cursed when I confirmed the color of his eyes. I could see it while he is looking at me right now! I only stopped running when he also stopped, his back still turning on me. I grasped for air as I analyzed his posture. He does not even look like he is breathing like me. Currently, we are in the middle of the forest as nature's sounds surround us just like birds chirping and the tree branches swaying. 

“Who are you?” I asked him with a grim tone. “Why were you watching me a while ago?” 

“I am no one.” 

His dark and dangerous voice sent shivers down my spine. If I could analyze it by his posture and voice, he is beyond older than me. When he moved a bit, I prepared the self-defense that I trained all my life. 

“Do not give me a metaphorical answer. I am asking you a sensible question,” I said. 

He did not answer. He just kept his stance, relaxed yet discreet. “Mister…” I called. 

“Madeline!” 

Suddenly, someone called me from afar. And I could recognize that it is Prince Arthur! When I was about to turn around to see the prince, the man in front of me vanished and was transformed into a black bird. It flew away and I was left on the ground, following the little animal with my curious and shocked gaze. 

What just happened? Was that a wizard? But I thought their kind had become extinct together with the werewolves and vampires a long time ago?

“Madeline! Are you here?” I heard the prince’s voice again through the forest. “I stalked you to your house, but you were not there! Don’t worry! Your stepmother did not see me! I am just wondering if you are here!” 

But whatever that creature was, I know that that is not definitely a mortal. No mortal could transform into a bird! 

My eyes drifted on the ground where the man’s black cloak was left. I abruptly approached and grabbed it. I was hoping I could see something with it until the footsteps of Prince Arthur were getting louder and clearer. 

"Madeline?"

"I am here,” I said calmly when I heard him from the back. 

“Oh, there you are,” he said and sighed in relief before jumping from my back. He dropped his hand around my shoulders and kissed the side of my temple playfully. “Why are you here all alone? Did you train without even calling me? You are such an imp!” 

I did not have the appetite to answer him with a playful tone. As I caressed my fingers on the cloth of the black cloak, it felt surreal and something that I could not describe. 

Is that man connected with me? Does he want something from me that he even watched me? 

“What is that?” the prince asked behind me when he noticed my silence and the cloak I was holding. 

“I encountered a creature, Arthur,” I said with a serious tone and finally faced him. “And I think it is a wizard…” 

“What?” he said and chuckled. “You are kidding. Wizards do not exist anymore. Immortals have been dead for centuries.” 

“Then can you explain the thing that I saw?” I asked and raised my eyebrow. “The man has blooming red eyes, black clothes, and when we heard you calling me, he immediately transformed into a bird.” 

“Madeline, that is impossible. You must be dreaming.” 

“No, I am not.” I gave him a glare and I could notice how he stepped back twice. Ugh, what is with my gaze? I lifted the cloak and tilted my head. “If I am lying and if I am dreaming, why am I holding the cloak he wore a while ago? So if you do not believe me, I would not force you,” I said firmly. 

Prince Arthur’s playful expression vanished and turned into a serious and strict mode. He knows that I am deadly serious this time. He cleared his throat and grabbed the cloak from me slowly. 

“Are you sure what you are saying?” he asked me. 

“I could never lie about this,” I answered and turned my back on him, now walking forward and looking at the sky where the bird just flew away. “And last night, I dreamed about the werewolf…” 

“Again?” he said. “Since you were a child, you have been dreaming about him. Did you see his face?” 

“No,” I abruptly said and shook my head. “But he said something that I could never believe until now.” 

Back when I was adopted by my stepmother, I have been dreaming about this fictional werewolf in my head. Sometimes, he would just be beside me in front of a lake while he was holding my hand. Most of the time, he was kissing me and touching me. What I can’t remember is his face.