The Preying City

Amelia walked around the slum once again. Joe was accompanying her just in case anything happened. He couldn't help her even if she was possessed once again but just his presence put her heart at ease.

Today was the third day she was doing this already. Joe's idea really worked. She had recovered all her memories yesterday. But the dialogues Mr. Secret shared with the one who had possessed her had been strangely muted. She had come today in hopes that she could recall the conversation. Unfortunately it looked like that wasn't going to happen.

But her actions weren't fruitless. Judging by the actions and body language of the two in her memory, they had come into an understanding at the end. With how she had settled the angry Mr. Secret, she could conclude that he had been offered something which he couldn't resist.

The only thing that she still couldn't figure out was why it was her who was possessed. If the objective of the hidden party was to contact Mr. Secret, they could have done it by possessing anyone else. Even possessing the private investigator would have been much more easier. She could tell that he was a normal human who would be a lot easier to influence. Besides, he also had contact with Mr. Secret already.

She really wished that she could share her experience with someone and get their input on it. Joe was right beside her but she didn't dare do it. If she spoke unnecessarily, he could also get embroiled in this situation and she didn't want that. As much as it s.u.c.k.e.d, she would have to push through by herself until she figured out enough.

The bread in her hands was almost all gone and she just needed to find some more homeless people. The brooch wasn't going to help anymore and she didn't want to waste her efforts.

Joe was following behind her. His mouth opened wide as he let out a yawn. He looked tired and had some bags under his eyes. Just as she was about to ask what he had been up to last night, a starving man approached them. He stood still and took a good look at the duo.

The man confirmed that these two were indeed the one he needed to leave the warning to. "Miss Amelia Pears?"

Amelia was shocked. Not even Big Joe knew her name. He could have easily figured it out if he dug around. She would tell him if he asked but he hadn't and she didn't feel it necessary. A starving man in the slums wouldn't know her name. She was sure that this was their first meeting. "Yes.... That's me. What business do you have with me?"

"Do not look for your jade hairpin and you won't have a similar experience again. Whatever you learnt of that night, keep them to yourself. If you don't go looking for trouble, trouble won't find you."

The man quickly turned around and walked away. Joe immediately moved to give chase but was stopped by the girl.

"What is it? He might know something. Don't you want to know about it? It's a clue right in front of us." Joe asked back a little worked up.

"No, the man said not to go looking for trouble. His words have already given me a clue. Whatever happened to me happened because of the jade hairpin. I hadn't thought of that because I had locked it away after you and Mr. Secret warned me. I feel relieved now. The loss of 2500 pounds does hurt but I can handle it."

Joe was disgruntled but he let it go. He could understand that she was genuinely scared. "Fine. But I will never be able to understand how you rich people think. I would gladly risk my life for 2500 pounds."

She just smiled at him. Joe felt a little awkward as well.

'Maybe I shouldn't have made that comment. Well whatever, what's done is done. Let me just change the topic.'

"Do you think the hairpin was something special? If a supernatural like you was possessed without even you realizing it, the possessor should be at least a grade 3. I would say he is likely to be even higher. For them to come after it personally, it must hold some good value."

"I don't know. I am just happy to be rid of it." Amelia handed the rest of the food to Joe and hopped away cheerily.

*****

Elias returned to his office after confirming that the warning had been delivered. Done with all the task he had been entrusted, he let out a sigh of relief. He had been tailing the young woman for three days and he was scared at every moment around her. She had led him and the doctor to the mansion previously and he could never be sure if she would do such a thing again.

He couldn't help but ask himself if following the woman was safe at all. Even if he hadn't witnessed the madness that had ensued after he was knocked out, he had still seen the violent fight in the ring. Besides, he could still infer some things after looking at the aftermath. It was a scary world and he didn't know how to cope with this new fear that haunted him.

The new investigator had some sandwich as he read the day's newspaper. He had missed the previous two days issues as well and he planned on catching up right now. The office wouldn't be seeing any clients anyways. Information was valuable, specially for someone in his trade. You could never tell what would come in handy.

His intention was to unwind and relax as he read the paper. Unfortunately for him, several of the headlines caught his attention. The contents described crimes of peculiar natures and phenomenon that couldn't be described as normal. He would have normally skimmed over them and gradually forget about it. But after learning of the supernaturals, he couldn't help but link these to them.

Just the incidents that couldn't be covered up by the authorities numbered this many in a daily basis. He couldn't even begin to imagine how many more cases were never discovered or buried under the rugs. There also had to be heaps more which weren't worth the news. Without him noticing, it was almost sundown.

Just like how he had done it for the past few days. He hid his worries and fear under the mask of his smile. Locking the door, he headed for his home where his family would be waiting for him. In this scary world, it was the only place which could give him peace of mind.