Sydnee was still in daze when she found herself standing outside of the mansion. After confirming the duke's words and upon knowing that she was a biological daughter, Lady Geneva heartlessly threw her out. The woman urged the maids to pick all her things out and to clean the place she stayed inside the big house.
Now, she did not know where to go.
The sun was scorching and Sydnee felt beads of sweat starting to form in her forehead. She picked up the bag where her clothes were and she was thankful for the thoughtful maid who put all her things inside it. Then she started to walk to nowhere, without realizing that she was walking to the direction of the marketplace.
It might be her luck that pushed her, but a few hours walking under the heat of the sun, she saw the bustling marketplace. Sydnee's cracked lips curved into a big smile and her vision blurred. At last, she might find an inn to hide from the sun.
She was wearing the brand new uniform of the Academy in Consolacion. And since she was walking in the streets of Obando, nobody noticed her. If she was still in Consolacion, maybe a few gazes will follow her.
"Excuse me," her hoarse voice sounded. Sydnee cleared her throat. "Miss, excuse m-me?" she tried once again.
The girl stopped walking and turned around to face her. Sydnee was startled when she met her gaze. The girl was about the same age as her but her eyes were shallow, and no emotion could be seen in those dark orbs. Sydnee swallowed hard. "C-Can I ask where is the inn?"
A few seconds later, the girl answered which made Sydnee sighed in relief. "No. Are you lost?"
"Uh..." Sydnee nodded. "I am new here and I don't know where to go."
"Then follow me," said the girl and turned around to walk ahead.
Because she did not know where to go, Sydnee silently followed the girl. But her throat was dry since earlier and if she would not drink water, she might faint in the street. So Sydne looked around and happened to pass by a vendor selling bottled water. She brought one and hurriedly drank it.
"You're that thirsty yet you did not tell me," a familiar voice sounded behind her.
Sydnee turned around and saw the girl earlier. Her brow raised and she was crossing her arms around her chest. Sydnee drew a breathe. "Sorry."
"No need to say sorry. Looking at your face, I should ask you first to quench your thirst before asking you to follow me."
"Thanks." Sydnee beamed. "But where are we going?" she asked.
The girl had started walking and Sydnee felt much better after drinking water. She jogged beside the girl and they both walked ahead at the same time. She then realized that the girl brought her in a small alley.
"You're still a student so you can't easily enter an inn around the main road. I will accompany you to the inn that accepts students."
"Is that so?" Sydnee sighed. "How much will I pay for rent?"
"Since it's student friendly, I guess you can afford it. If you can't pay the rent, the owner has a program where you'll clean the inn and she will let you stay for free."
"Really? How generous!"
"Don't be happy." The girl snorted. "The inn was not open for almost a decade and they just opened recently, so there are a lot of things to clean up. And for your information, girl, that inn is big."
Sydnee thought for a moment before asking the girl. "Are you living in that inn?"
"Is that obvious?"
"Well..." Sydnee shrugged her shoulders and giggled. "You know so much!"
The girl smirked and did not utter words again. Sydnee looked around and tried to memorize the way towards the inn. In fact, Sydnee was not really that sociable but facing a girl around her age who had been through life, she felt connection. She thought that they were the same, people at the bottom of society who were struggling for a living.
In her life before her family met its demise, she was studying with students who were of equal standing as her, those students that were living better than most of the crowd, but not above those who were truly wealthy. But when her father was put in jail, she was forced to transfer school to meet those students that were struggling in their studies and life. And when she entered highschool, thanks to her scholarship that she entered a prestigious school. What she did not expect was to face a bunch of rich kids who love to bully weaker ones. And Sydnee was their best target, that's why her highschool days were full of horrible memories.
Even though she was the target of bullies, she maintained her grade except Math. Thanks to her math teacher Anthony, she pulled it off towards the end. Sydnee lowered her head when she thought of Anthony. She was really grateful for her teacher and was also sad that she left him without saying goodbye.
How was he doing in Consolacion?
"Are you thinking of a man?" the girl asked suddenly.
Sydnee was startled and laughed. "Why did you ask that?"
"I see your foolish smile. Every girl I met with that smile were thinking of a man. You're no exception."
A blush crept to her cheeks. She looked away. "Don't stereotype. It's not always the case."
"But I am correct, aren't I? You're thinking of a man," the girl insisted.
Sydnee felt that the girl was teasing her. She cleared her throat. "We are talking for a long time, yet I didn't know your name."
"Sheila."
"Sheila? That's it?"
"Sheila Martinez."
"Oh." Sydnee smiled. "Nice name."
Sheila did not say anything after that.
After exiting the small and long alleyway, Sydnee find herself in the woods. She blinked. She thought that Obando was a city, but seeing that she was walking in the middle of the woods, she might need to re-evaluate what she knew of this place. A few moments later, they stopped in front of a huge iron gate full of rust.
Sydnee was speechless. When Sheila said that the inn was full of dirt, she had not expected to see a tall iron gate painted with rust. Just how old was this inn?
"Let's go in," Sheila said and entered the open gate.
Sydnee nodded and followed Sheila. She grimaced when she saw the weeds growing anywhere in the frontyard. There was also an old fountain in the center of the frontyard that was full of green moss. Seeing that, she knew that it would be slippery and she wished good time for the one who'll clean that fountain up.
"It's best if you behave upon entering the inn. First impression last," Sheila reminded her.
Sydnee nodded with a serious face, as she tilted her head up to take a closer look of the huge and tall building. Her mouth gaped. Well, it was not an inn at all. She knew that it was an old mansion!
An old mansion in the middle of the woods? Was this some kind of mysterious place in a horror movie where the killings happened?
And could somebody tell her why there was a royal insignia above the old and rusty door?