When A Ghoul Falls In Love - Volume 1 Chapter 132

She ends the call right away.

In less than a minute, I hear the sound of knocking. It’s like a bull is slamming itself against the door.

“NELL SOLOMON, OPEN THE DOOR!”

I know that I am dead if I open the door. “Mother, if you promise that you won’t hurt me…”

“I AM GOING TO BEAT THE CRAP OUT OF YOU!!!”

I knit my brows hard. Maybe I should escape through the window. Is the ladder still there? I look out of the window. My stepfather is standing near the bottom of the ladder.

“What are you doing?” He signals me to come down. “She will kill you if she catches you.”

My stepfather is the best man in the world. I climb down the ladder. “Dad, please call me when she calms down.”

“Don’t believe anything unless you hear me say the codeword.” He lifts the ladder and places it at the bottom of the tree. “Your mother might make me call you.”

She might also threaten him. But I need to save my life today.

I thank my stepfather and run out of the backyard. Maisie’s house is too dangerous because my mother would look for me there first. I can’t go to Baek Joon Woo’s place. That’s not a safe place either.

I send texts to Baek Joon Woo and Maisie; Maisie responds right away.

[Let’s hide at the school. I am coming.]

The school must be closed now. Climbing over the wall won’t be difficult.

After a few seconds, Baek Joon Woo’s message arrives.

[Nell, don’t even think about climbing the wall. Wait for me in front of the school gate.]

“…” How did he guess that? I head toward the school. Maybe he has some other way to enter the school. I can spend the night on the street if I need to.

‘Nell…’

The annoying voice is back again; however, I don’t pay attention to it; I quicken my steps toward the school building.

It’s already late, and the chill is setting in the night. The fog has descended on the road. I can barely see anything. I stick to the side lane: accidents are common during foggy days.

‘I love you.’

Who is this invisible stalker? I raise my chin, looking up the sky. The stars are barely visible: an ominous feeling cloaks my heart. What is this?

My phone starts ringing. Without a second thought, I pick it up. I don’t even check the name of the caller.

[Nell, come back!] My mother’s voice is sharp. [It’s eleven in the night. Where did you go?]

“I…” I realise that I can’t see anything around me as the fog has surrounded me. Winds howl like beasts: my insides twist in fear. “Mother, I don’t know where I am.”

[Nell, what happened? Where are you?]

Strange shapes manifest in the white fog. They draw closer to me step by step. I take steps backwards until my back hits the wall.

One of the faint forms let out a high-pitched laugh. Sweat trickles down on the back of my neck in the coldest night of the year. “Mom, I am scared.”

These can’t be humans.

[Follow the moon!]

The moon? What is she trying to say? “Mom, I can’t see the moon.”

[Follow your intuition.] My mother screams frantically. [Run before they can get you.]

I don’t know what she is trying to say, but staying here and waiting for these creatures to get me in a fog is not a good idea.

[Don’t hang up, Nell. Run as fast as you can. Get away from them. I am on the way. Tell me the last place that you could see.]

“I was near the school.” I run as fast as I can. In this fog, even a car can hit me. But getting hit by those cars might be better. While I am on the run, thin branches brush my arms. The path seems to be getting narrower. “Mom, I might be in a park or a forest.”

There is no response.

I look at my phone’s screen. There is no network.

“Argh!” I nearly hurl it on the ground. But the thought that my mother might not buy me a new phone.

The wind susurrates, bringing the voices of the shadows who are following me. The sound is vague and incomprehensible.

I touch the hedges, wondering if I can climb over them. Can the shadows also climb over it?

A hand grips my shoulder. I let out a scream as I grab the hand and twist it.

The person let out a low groan. “Nell, it’s me.”

I blink my eyes, trying to get a look at the person’s face. The fog fades away just in time. “Killian Forst?”

“You remember me.” He grins at me awkwardly. “I didn’t expect you to see here, Nell.”

The way his accent stresses my name gives me shudders. However, I am relieved to see another person here. The hedges around me reach up to my chest. As far as I can see, there are only hedges in the garden. The crescent moon dimly lits the sky.

“Where am I?” I ask him with a levelled voice. My heart is accelerating fast in fear. This garden of hedges doesn’t exist in K City.

“This place is the space between the human world and the other world,” He tells me in a light tone. “They call it Nether. Each exit of this maze leads to a different world. However, you need a guide if you want to reach the right destination. If you are lost, you might end up wandering for a long time or meet the creatures that feed on the lost travellers.”

“…” Why does he make it sound so typical? How did I end up here?”

“Since you can see this place, I assume that you aren’t an ordinary human.” Killian smiles at me. “Where do you want to go? I might be able to send you to that place.”

“I just want to go back home.” I fold my fingers into a fist when I hear whispers behind me. I don’t care to look back. “Killian, can you take me back to the human world?”

“It’s my pleasure, Lady.” He grabs my hand. “It’s best if you hold my hand.”

His skin is as cold as ice. I resist the urge to shake off his hand, but I am afraid of offending him. I don’t want to be lost. “Killian, why are you here?”

“I was heading home.” He tells me while taking me through the maze, “I am from the Fae realm.”

“Fae?” I increase my steps to meet his pace. “What do you mean?”

Killian stops walking. He turns his head toward me and stares at me quietly for a long moment. “I can smell the moon magic in you. Surprisingly, you don’t know what Fae are.

“Moon what?” I look at him with disbelief. “I have magic?”

“How did you end up here if you didn’t have any magic?” Sighing, he walks forward, dragging me along with him. “Your magic isn’t fully awake yet, but the scent is strong. It will attract many dangerous creatures to you. I wonder which bloodline you belong to.”

It seems that Killian and I are similar. He even knows about this maze and the Fae realm.

“My surname is Solomon,” I reply to him. “I had no idea that I had magic.”

“Moon magic is usually inherited,” He explains to me, “since it comes from the moon itself. The moon is your patron. If you ever feel lost, just pray to the moon.”

My mother also said something similar on the phone. Then, she knows about magic too. How did she know? Is it because of my father?

“I heard that there are only three bloodlines in this city that have descendants with moon magic,” Killian continues. “Since you didn’t have any idea about the fae realm, I assume that you don’t know anyone related to the invisible world?”

He’s right. However, I am sure that my mother knows more than she lets on. I have many questions that I want to ask her. “Well, I know you now.”

Killian glances at me. “Then, do you accept my friendship?”

We are already walking on concrete roads; buildings and street lights replace the hedges.

Something seems off about him, but I guess it’s because he’s also magical or something.

“Yes, we are friends from now on,” I say to him. He did help me. “I will give you a school tour tomorrow.”

“I am glad.” Killian chuckles. “Your friends are here.”

Maisie, Baek Joon Woo, my mother are standing near the school gate. Their faces don’t look right. Baek Joon Woo widens his eyes when he spots me.

I look to my right. Killian is already gone. I guess that he doesn’t want to become friends with my friends.