Chapter 27: The Encounter at the Threshold of the Forgotten
The morning sun bathed the city in clear light and the promise of warmth, but for some of its inhabitants and unexpected visitors, the atmosphere was charged with a subtle electricity.
Himeko, after savoring her coffee – a strong, aromatic brew she mentally cataloged as "robust, with notes of chocolate and a surprising earthy sweetness" – proceeded with her investigation.
The tablet in her hand guided her with discreet precision. The "stable, yet fluctuating energy signature" she had detected seemed to emanate from a large, old structure, an abandoned cinema adjacent to the municipal library, according to the cartographic information her device had quickly assimilated.
"A place that accumulates forgotten stories," Himeko mused with an appreciative smile, "often attracts equally forgotten or displaced energies."
Her scientific curiosity mingled with a maternal nature that made her concerned for the well-being of any being that might be emitting such signals of isolation.
Meanwhile, Joey approached the same destination, his heart hammering an irregular rhythm against his ribs. The stationery store excuse was flimsy, and the possibility of encountering Léo or, worse, hostile groups, kept him on high alert.
But the image of Lyra, her vulnerability, and the silent connection they had shared the previous night were a stronger call. He needed to ensure she was safe, that she had the supplies he had left.
Each step towards the cinema alley was a victory against the paralysis of his social phobia.
Léo and his friends, after their ice cream, had indeed decided to "patrol" the library area. The brief sight of the red-haired woman in the café (Himeko) had added another item to Léo's list of "strange things."
"D'you think she's an ET too?" he asked his friends, who laughed but followed him anyway, the prospect of any adventure, however unlikely, livening up their morning.
From atop a neighboring building, Kael, the Tracker, observed the intricate ballet of movements. The red-haired woman (Himeko) approached the abandoned cinema with a calm and purpose that intrigued him.
The young human, Joey, was also heading there, his anxiety almost palpable even from a distance, but his determination was undeniable. And the group of noisy teenagers, led by Joey's brother, added an element of chaotic unpredictability to the situation.
Kael adjusted the sensors on his hood, prepared for any eventuality. That cinema was becoming a focal point.
Himeko reached the side entrance of the cinema, the same one Joey had used. The door was ajar, a dark slit inviting mystery. Her tablet confirmed that the source of the anomaly was inside.
She didn't hesitate. With the elegance and confidence that characterized her, she pushed the door a little further and entered, her eyes quickly adjusting to the gloom.
The smell of dust, mildew, and stagnant time enveloped her.
"Hello?" she called softly, her calm, thoughtful, and elegant tone of voice designed to be reassuring. "Is anyone here? There's no need to be afraid. I'm a friend."
Inside, Lyra, who was sitting on the floor of the old auditorium, started at the new voice. It wasn't Joey's hesitant, low voice. This one was different, feminine, calm, but with a resonance of quiet authority.
She instinctively recoiled, fear tightening her chest again.
At that exact instant, Joey reached the alley entrance. He heard the feminine voice coming from inside the cinema. It wasn't Lyra.
His blood ran cold. Had someone found Lyra? Someone from the "vigil"? Or worse?
The need to protect the elf, which had become almost an instinct, overcame his fear. He ran the few meters to the ajar door and entered the cinema, his eyes wide.
The scene that greeted him was surreal. In the center of the dusty stage, bathed in a beam of light entering through a broken skylight, stood Himeko. Her posture was relaxed yet attentive.
She was looking in the direction of the shadows where Lyra was hidden.
Upon hearing Joey enter, Himeko turned slowly, without alarm, merely with observant curiosity.
"Well, well," Himeko said, a slight smile appearing on her lips as she saw Joey, who had stopped abruptly, pale and breathless. "It seems this place is busier than I expected."
Her gaze was penetrating but not threatening. She recognized in him the same type of anomalous, though more subtle, energy her tablet had registered in the city.
Joey was speechless. Before him stood a tall woman with flaming red hair, dressed in an elegant and exotic manner, exuding an aura of calm and intelligence that intimidated him and, at the same time, made him strangely less terrified than he should have been.
She didn't seem like a threat in the conventional sense.
"You..." Joey began, his voice failing. "Who are you? What are you doing here?"
Himeko tilted her head slightly. "I could ask the same of you, young man," she replied, her voice maintaining its melodious tone. "My name is Himeko. I'm an... explorer."
And I sensed a peculiar energy coming from this place. An energy that seemed a little lonely." Her gaze shifted for a moment to the shadows where Lyra was hiding, then back to Joey.
Before Joey could respond, voices were heard from outside the cinema, approaching. It was Léo and his friends.
"Hey, guys, I think I saw someone go in here!" Léo's voice rang out, loud and excited. "Let's check it out! Maybe the elf has a secret headquarters!"
Panic seized Joey. Léo couldn't find them there. He couldn't find Lyra, and certainly not this new and mysterious woman.
Himeko, however, didn't seem disturbed by the voices. She merely raised an eyebrow, a glint of amused resignation in her eyes.
"It seems we'll have company. And I haven't even properly finished my breakfast."
She looked at Joey, then towards the shadows where Lyra was. Her gaze seemed to say, "And now, what shall we do?"
That old abandoned cinema in the city, the stage for so many forgotten films, was about to become the setting for an even more unlikely encounter, uniting a local young man burdened by secrets, an elf from another world, an interstellar navigator, and, just outside, a group of curious teenagers and a silent Tracker observing every move.
Saturday morning was far from boring.
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