"Mei! Mei! Look! Mei! A b.u.t.terfly!"
But Mei kept walking like she didn't hear her. When the line stopped, Inna moved closer, so close that her mouth was right behind Mei's ear.
"Mei!" She whispered loudly. Mei was startled and immediately turned around.
"What do you want?"
"Look!"
"What's that?" Mei had a blank look on her face.
"Huh? A b.u.t.terfly! Duh."
"b.u.t.terfly? What's that?"
"What? You don't know b.u.t.terflies?" Inna was greatly shocked.
Every child knows a b.u.t.terfly when they see one!
"Sorry, I don't." Mei still had that blank look on her face. "I don't even know you. Who are you?"
Huh? What's happening?
Is she joking right now?
Before Inna can ask her, the line began moving again. Suddenly, she saw people with black cloaks pa.s.sing by their sides. Their faces and figures were hidden but the oppressive aura they emitted wasn't.
Out of instinct and fear, Inna covered the b.u.t.terfly on her hand, forming her hands into a small cage. Then she straightened her arms to lower her hands, acting as natural as possible.
These people briefly stopped one by one at the people in the line, like a sort of inspection. Everyone else didn't seem to notice nor mind them. It was like their minds are in a different world.
When a person approached her, she slightly clenched her fingers together. She can feel the slow flutter of the wings by her palm but she tried to remain calm and natural, trying to follow the blank look everyone else was doing. No matter how curious she was, she just kept looking straight while thinking of her happy place.
After a few moments, she felt footsteps near her. And at the corner of her eye, she saw bright yellow eyes staring straight at her face.
Like a wolf hiding in the bushes, observing its prey.
He scanned her face and her eyes so closely, that surely he can see her pores too! Luckily, he only watched her face and not her arms nor hands.
Still, she broke out in cold sweat the longer he stared. But eventually, he moved on to the others.
It seems like the person was utterly convinced.
Wait a minute.
Black cloaks and strange yellow eyes....
Are they what Mei called the Reapers? Those people who stays here?
She didn't know why she hid from them, but one thing she does know is that the b.u.t.terfly would've been found if she didn't. And she didn't want the poor b.u.t.terfly to be found out.
After all, she was saving it to eat later.