101. Do Nothing?

The two women stepped outside the house, facing each other. Demetria asked Clarice, "Are you ready, dear?" Clarice nodded her head. "Yes, I'm ready. I'm excited to go to the city and see other people," she replied enthusiastically. Demetria smirked. "You will see a lot more today, both the good and the bad," she said cryptically. Clarice's brows furrowed. "Huh? What do you mean? I want to see the good only, not the bad," she said, frowning. "You will know soon enough," Demetria said. "On going to the city, what do you want to try this time? Teleportation or floating in the air in invisible mode?" she asked. "I like to go to the city, hovering in the air, not seen by others," Clarice replied excitedly. "OK, your wish granted, dear," Demetria responded with a smile. She waved her hand in the air, wielding her power, creating an invisible structure, enveloping them. Clarice felt the changes in the air. She poked her hand at the invisible jelly-like barrier surrounding them. "I can touch it, it's like a jelly substance. I can feel it but I cannot see it. What is this thing?" she asked. Her curiosity was mounting. Demetria shrugged. "Nothing, just an invisible structure that will protect us. If I go to the city alone, I don't need this, but since you are new to all of this, I have to create special transportation especially for you. I called it an invisible transparent carriage to prevent birds from accidentally hitting your face. And if we collide with an airplane we won't explode, we will just bounce in the air. You can see everything below and above us, but others can't see us," she explained. "Cool! Take me to the city now!" Clarice gushed with delight. She wanted to see different surroundings other than the mountains and sea. She's bored up there in the sacred house. "Alright, let's go!" Demetria said, waving her hand. "Enjoy the view." The invisible carriage took off from the ground and hovered in the air, heading in the direction of the city proper. The invisible carriage floated smoothly in the air. Clarice watched the incredible view down below in amazement. Her eyes glowed with fascination. "Wow, the view is incredible up here!" she gushed in awe as they passed mountains, villages, seas and roads with tiny cars moving on the highway. After two hours of smooth and marvelous journeys in the air, they finally arrived in the city. Tall buildings growing like mushrooms adorn the city. "We have arrived in the city, dear!" Demetria announced. "Can we go window shopping, please? I want to visit the mall!" Clarice requested jubilantly. "Why? So you can escape?" Demetria asked. "No," Clarice replied gloomily, shaking her head. "I finally accepted my fate that I couldn't escape you, so I no longer want to make things complicated between the two of us." Demetria smiled. "So, are you ready now to accept my responsibility and the immense power that comes with it?" "Give me one week, I will reach a decision by then," Clarice said with finality in her voice, refusing to give in to Demetria's persuasion. Demetria smirked. "Let's see..." Clarice didn't like the way Demetria smiled. "Why do you have that mysterious smile on your face? Are you planning something?" Demetria shrugged. "Nothing. Ignore my smile, dear. Do you want to go shopping, right?" "Yes!" Clarice's enthusiasm returned, pushing aside her suspicion that Demetria was planning something sinister today besides shopping. "Alright, let's proceed to my secret hideout. It's my house located on the outskirts of the city," Demetria said. A few minutes later, they landed inside the living room of a two-story concrete house, surrounded by towering trees and a high iron gate. "Here we are! Welcome to my house!" Demetria announced, snapping her hand, making the magical carriage disappear into thin air. "Who cleans this place?" Clarice asked after noticing that the place looked clean, free of dust and cobwebs. Her eyes landed on the flat-screen TV in the corner. "I have a caretaker who cleans this house once a month," Demetria answered. "Come, let's go upstairs. I will show you your room so you can rest for a while. I will give you one hour to rest, then let's get down into business," she said, her tone serious. The confusion and suspicion in Clarice's eyes resurfaced again. "What is it that you are planning? Can you just tell me about it? Don't keep me hanging in the dark!" she demanded, annoyed. Demetria smirked. "Relax, dear. You will know soon enough. Follow me upstairs to your room," she ordered. With a heavy step, Clarice followed Demetria upstairs. There are only two rooms on the second floor. Demetria opened the door to the second room. "This is your room while we are here in the city," she said casually. "How many days will we stay here?" Clarice asked, scanning the spacious room, liking the light yellow-colored wall and the wide window. "It depends, two days at the most," Demetria replied. "I'm in the next room. If you want something, just knock on the door," she added, and took her leave. Clarice walked to the window and opened it wide, allowing fresh air to enter the room. She scanned the surrounding areas. She only saw houses and trees, not a single tall building in this part of town. Such a peaceful place. "People don't realize that a powerful vampire lives in their midst," she murmured. She left the window, checked the empty closet and the clean bathroom. Nothing to do, she finally sat on the edge of the comfy king-size bed. She lay down on the bed and stared at the ceiling, wondering what this trip to the city meant. It's hard to guess what Demetria is planning in her mind. But she will know for sure later. Two hours later, Demetria entered Clarice's room, passing through the wall like a ghost. "Can you please use the door next time? You are going to give me a heart attack!" Clarice protested vehemently. Demetria shrugged. "What's the use of my power, eh?" Clarice sighed. "Are we going to the city now?" she asked, standing up. "Yep. Let's go to the mall and shop till you drop," Demetria jokes, smiling broadly. "After shopping, where will we go next?" Clarice asked curiously. "Secret. You will know everything tonight. I want you to enjoy visiting the mall first," Demetria answered in a lighthearted tone. "OK, what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Clarice said. The two women left the house and rode a bus to go to the city. After half an hour, they finally arrived at their destination. The bus stopped at the mall and the passengers exited the vehicle. "Here we are, shop till you drop, dear. You can buy anything you want. I will pay for them," Demetria stated casually. "Really?" Clarice asked. "Of course. I'm loaded, baby," Demetria replied, smiling. The two women entered the mall and began window shopping. Despite all the fancy clothes, expensive jewelry, bags and shoes, Clarice didn't buy anything. After a tiring walk around the mall, they ate delicious snacks such as pizza, potato fries, fried chicken, smoothies and ice cream. "Why didn't you buy anything?" Demetria asked while munching on potato fries. Clarice shrugged and replied, "I already have everything I need back home. I don't need anything more." "OK, as you say so," Demetria stated, sipping on her banana smoothie. "I thought people of your kind didn't like eating human food?" Clarice asked because it was the first time she had seen Demetria eating all the food with gusto. Demetria grinned and whispered in a low voice, "You are a werewolf and you are eating human food. We are the same, right?" Clarice was about to argue but kept her mouth shut. She is starving and the food in front of her smells delicious. She focused on the food and ate to her heart's content. "Let's eat a lot because later you will need more energy," Demetria said cryptically. Clarice stopped eating and asked, "There you are messing up my mind again. Why don't you tell me where we are going tonight?" she asked irritably. Demetria smirked. "You will know after we arrive home later," she said calmly. Clarice sighed, taking a big bite of the crispy fried chicken thighs. "After this, where do you want to go next?" Demetria asked. Clarice shakes her head. Eager to know what's going to happen tonight. She responds, "Let's go home because my feet are aching. I'm tired of walking. I want to rest." Demetria agreed, "OK, you're the boss." After they finished eating, Demetria spoke. "Let's go to the grocery store. We are going to buy food for tonight," she said. They left the restaurant and bought groceries, including junk foods such as sliced bread, sandwich spread, potato chips, cookies, chocolates and soft drinks. They paid for their purchases in the cashier section, left the mall and boarded the bus, heading home. After they arrived at the house located on the outskirts of the city, Demetria put all the junk food on the center table in the living room and grabbed the remote control. She turned on the TV. Clarice's brows furrowed. "Are we going to watch a movie on TV?" she asked. "Yep. This is the fun part," Demetria replied, her tone serious. "Can I go to my room first? I need to use the bathroom," Clarice said, her confusion deepening. "Sure. Come back here after you are done in the bathroom. I will show you something..." Demetria said and started browsing the channels. Clarice climbed the stairs and used the bathroom in her room. Afterward, she returned to the living room and watched TV with Demetria, munching on potato chips and drinking soda. One hour later, Clarice noticed something. She protested, "Why are we watching missing kids and missing persons on TV? Can we watch something else? How about a horror or fantasy movie?" she suggested. Demetria ignored her companion's protest. "Listen carefully. According to police data, a total of 100 children, teenagers and women went missing from this city this month alone. They disappeared without a trace. Isn't that suspicious?" she asked. "What does it have to do with me?" Clarice asked. Her frown deepened, confused by the absurd questions thrown at her. "If I tell you that I know where to find the missing children, and we can save them, would you believe me?" Demetria asked, her tone serious. Stunned, Clarice's eyes widened in shock. She began to realize what Demetria had been planning all along. Demetria looked Clarice in the eyes. "Do you want us to find the missing people or not? Do you want to save the missing children? Or would you rather pretend you don't care and do nothing?" Clarice was speechless. She didn't expect things to come to this. She didn't see it coming. "Dear, if you say yes, we can still save some of the missing children and women. If they all die because you didn't do anything tonight, your conscience will haunt you forever. Do you want to know what happened to them?" Demetria asked.