Chapter three: A Letter Just for me

A warm touch masks my face as I slumber on the couch. My eyes open to meet the waking sun. I stretch my limbs with a light yawn as the warmth spreads throughout my body, it feels so nice. I straighten up on the furniture and look around the living room. No one is up yet. Dawn is peeking over the horizon and is barely piercing through a nearby window, guess that means I woke up a little early.

Sheriff Arikon then suddenly walks through the closed je-il and sees me.

I almost give him a smile to welcome him, but then he makes this face that is difficult to understand. He seems confused.

"Good morning Vila; did you sleep well?" he asks quietly.

"Yes, thank you," I say back not too loudly.

He then just walks over to his bedroom and I don't hear from him.

I plop back onto the couch looking down as I try to understand what that face was all about. What did he find at the lav?

Eventually, the other two wake up to have breakfast with me as Arikon-kan sleeps from staying up all night.

"He didn't say anything, but it also seemed like he'll have trouble falling asleep like he needed to get his mind off something," Vielm-kan says as she takes a few bites of her food. "I don't think he has good news for you dear." She looks to me and gives off this pity feeling.

"Mom stop, you're making her depressed," Melek speaks as to cheer me up.

"It's fine, she's just telling the truth," I reply.

"Well whichever way this case goes, you may stay with us as long as you like, Vila." Vielm-kan then gives me a warming smile as to comfort me, and it works.

A small smile curls up my lips from her hospitality. "Thank you Vielm-kan."

"Oh please dear, call me Reina!"

"Mom." Melek blushes a little from embarrassment.

We hear footsteps come up and see Arikon-kan in bare feet. He seems to be ready to break the news to me.

"Oh sweetie," Reina starts, "You've only been asleep for two hours, you really should rest."

"No," he answers, "no more stalling, I just needed to gather my words." He smiles at her with soft passion. "I'm fine, really dear."

Reina looks to Melek and they both immediately leave the room.

Arikon-kan looks at me with a serious face and takes a seat next to me. "Vila," he pauses to come up with the right words, "I don't know what happened, but there is definitely something going on. I just wish I knew what exactly."

Now I'm obfuscated. "What do you mean?"

He struggles to find the proper way explain it, "Well, when we made it to your house... It was empty, I mean, everything was gone-"

"What?"

"Not even the cujom* could find a scent."

This isn't making any sense. "I wanna see it."

"What?"

"When I came to the house after work everything was in disarray-"

"Whoa, whoa," Arikon stops me in suspicion, "you didn't come to us immediately?"

Is he seriously going to start accusing me!? "N-no, I went to the lake near our house to see if Sommi was there."

"And?"

"Then while I was going down the hill back to the village I slipped and was knocked out from the fall. Just ask Melek, he knows I was in a bad condition."

Arikon backs down a little. "You're right, that does sound valid, besides, you don't strike me as an idiot."

What's that supposed to mean? "Well, can I see the place for myself? Maybe I can make something out of it."

--------------------------

Over at the lav

The police continue to search Vila's property for any clues that might give them a revelation as to what happened.

One of them is doing a routine of walking around the house with a cujom on a leash. In the corner of his eye, he sees a flash of a shadow moving towards the house. He looks at the entrance and sees the cloak move slightly. "Was that the wind?" He mumbles to himself.

His cujom cocks his head to the side and begins pawing its way to the entrance.

The officer follows his companion mainly out of curiosity; but what is he so curious about? There's an unknown force that's drawing them both to take a look inside. The man takes a step over the threshold along with his cujom and looks around the empty space. He looks down and sees a piece of paper in the middle of the floor. He and the canine walk up to the piece of paper and the animal starts to sniff it.

-----------------

"Ren," Arikon-kan says from behind the officer who's in my house with a cujom.

The officer named "Ren" jumps a little from the sudden noise and turns to us.

"Have you found anything?" Arikon-kan asks.

Ren stutters to even make a sound from his mouth.

Then, something catches my eye on the floor. "What's that?" I ask as I walk up to it. It's a piece of paper. I don't know why, but I'm compelled to pick it up and not think about ruining the clues. I look to Arikon with guilt for messing with the evidence.

"Go ahead and read it," he says with interest, "it's for you anyway."

I nod and begin to read it out loud for the others to hear as the letter is clutched between my fingers.

Dear Vila Tesuki,

(I pause after reading this, wondering how the heck they know my name)

If you ever want to see your precious Sommi again, meet us at the lav for tomorrow's dawn. Bring no one but yourself, and come weaponless. If you do not meet every one of our terms to the letter, then I'm afraid that your dearest friends, including Sommi, will not get to see the rest of the day, or any other day for that matter.

(Another pause comes up when I contemplate over this, but I have to read on).

We do not wish to buffet, but have a simple and civilized conversation with you. We guarantee that you will get to see Sommi again, but if you happen to attend with the police, which is against what we ask for... Well... Then I wouldn't be so hopeful in seeing your precious Sommi or your dear friends again if I were you.

Yours truly,

Vensen

We all look at each other stunned by this. What should we do?

Arikon is the first to speak up, "I don't think it's a good idea for you to obey their demands like this."

"So then what should she do?" Melek asks.

He looks to his son and then to me, "I do think that you should be here to meet them, but, we can be in reach from the shadows and possibly snatch this culprit."

"I like that idea," I respond.

"Hold up, I also think you should have something to protect yourself in case we can't intervene between the two of you for whatever reason. Do you know how to use any weapons, any at all?"

"Yeah, Sommi has taught me a few things with a knife." I pull out my little pocket knife to show him in a safe manner.

"That's not gonna be enough. Let me take you down to the station and train you a little with a real dagger."

-------------------------

Cujom- A mixed breed between a dog and a bear. They are usually used in Aishy for tracking, the Archive Islands for guarding, and Kiram for exotic purposes. They stand on their hinds at 6 feet and weigh about 180 pounds.