The Runaway Huntress

"Will you join me for late lunch?" Asked Vera to her daughter as she roamed her eyes to the equipment on the table. Checking if everything was in place.

Lorna shook her head. "No. I'll go with Liz."

The doctor instantly turned her attention to Lorna with a pointed look. "That's not her name." She then picked up the folder and opened it to read the important information they only needed from their new member soon.

Lorna sighed with tiredness and replied, "It's just a name, mom. Everyone can lie about it. Aside from that, she doesn't have anything else to hide from us. You just interrogated her a while ago." She shot Rico a look and met his raised eyebrows. "And all of us heard her reason for joining." Emphasizing her last words to everyone.

"Why am I still unconvinced?" Vera murmured under her breath as she stared at the document she was reading.

Lorna blew a large air through her lips with a puffing noise and gave them a blatant look. "Mom, she had killed a wolf herself. I'm sure Rico told you already."

The doctor closed the folder in a loud snap and gave the young girl a sharp look with her eyes squinting. "Brutally and in an open area, thank you for reminding me." The edgy tone in her voice made Lorna purse her lips, for she knew that her friend had made a serious mistake.

Before, she had argued with her about it, and now she's defending her. "Nevertheless, she had killed it, and no one had seen the incident. I'll make sure to not let it happen again."

"I appreciate her capabilities, kid. But I won't risk having an asset over downfall liabilities as the consequence." She stepped close to her daughter and placed each hand on her shoulders and moved her head down a little to get eye-level with her. "Do you get me, Loriena?"

Lorna nodded slowly, and with a resigned look, she stated, "I understand, mom. I'm sorry."

Her mom sighed, and her shoulders slacked off. She backed away and took off her white coat. "Fine, besides, she's not yet among us. We will discuss this further after the result of her blood sample." She's folding the uniform in half and slinging it at her left forearm.

That's the end of their discussion now. Lorna could continue to argue later. After she had taken her meal. Her friend had been waiting outside for some time already. "I'm going then, mom."

"Don't go far from here. You two have to get back at 4 pm later at my private office." Vera announced as she took off the white elastic gloves she used from the interrogation and rubbed some antiseptic on her hands.

"What if she failed by her blood sample?" She can't resist asking her mother. Afraid of hearing the same thing as she got her answer.

"You already know it, Loriena. If anything fails, then the consequences must be applied, no matter what." Lorna nodded, nothing to be said anymore. She knew the rules, their protocol. It must be followed to maintain their undercover organization.

"Don't get too attached to her, so it won't hurt you that much later." Rico is still on his sharp tongue.

She threw a hateful glance at him and scoffed at his face. "Kindly don't speak if you don't have anything else good to say." Walking towards the far table to fetch her cell phone.

Vera's phone vibrated in her doctor's suit pocket. She fished it and glanced at the screen. "Your father's calling."

"I don't want to talk to him. I'm out. See you later, mom." After that, her daughter turned their backs on them, but she threw the guy behind her a daggered look before going to the door.

She sighed from anything that happened and turned around, facing the equipment table. "Bring this to my office, Rico. And put her name on it. Then go to the lab on the ground floor and tell them it's mine to examine and no one is to touch it. I'll see to that after lunch. You can go ahead now. I'll just answer this call." Then she waved her hands to the boy to start moving as she tapped the answer button on the screen and raised the phone to her ear.

"I'm sorry I took so long from there." Lorna apologized to Liz for the slightly longer wait. She just got out of the door and hasn't fully closed it yet behind her. "Let's go. I'm about to eat someone from hunger."

"It's okay." She responded with a blank face as she got her backpack and opened it. With one look and sniff, she confirmed that no one had touched it when she was away. "You should stay here and catch up with your mom." Closing the zipper of her bag, she looked up at her friend.

Lorna fetched her purse from her duffel bag, and when she was on her way to get to the door first, she halted on a step and turned to Liz behind her with raised eyebrows. "No, I'm coming with you, and it's fine with—"

"—I want some time alone, for now, Lorna. As what you've heard of what this place made me suffer." She stepped close to her. "Besides, I want to take a little stroll in the area and buy myself a new phone, for I don't have one. I have your contact already."

"I'm sorry, I didn't know that they were taking blood samples now." Lorna's eyebrows knitted, and her voice sounded small. She can't even look straight at her friend for her mistake.

Melisca tapped a hand on the girl's shoulder. She understands it's not her fault. She had defended her too much as she heard the conversations before Lorna followed her out of the interrogation room. "No need to apologise, you were just as surprised as me." Right, she didn't see that coming, so she had to retrieve it or replace it with someone else's before it was too late.

Lorna raised her head. "Are you sure you don't want me to go with you?" She sounded so unsure with worried.

No, she doesn't want her pity or whatever sorry this girl felt for her. "I'm fine, don't worry. Just gotta get some fresh air alone. I won't get far for maybe I could get lost around the city." Liz heard Rico's footsteps coming to the door. "I'll text you later, see you then." She didn't want to have any word from him so she hurriedly got herself out and went straight ahead to the elevator.

Lorna turned around when she heard the door open and Rico stepped in with the blood sample in his hands.

"Why didn't you tell me about that before?" She squinted her eyes at him. That there's a new set of tests in blood added in requirement.

Rico shrugged and stopped by in front of her. "It's just a blood sample, why create a big fuss about it? Melisca seemed not bothered though."

"Of course, what can she do? She's cornered on that seat." She just doesn't like to be left out of anything about the clan.

"I just found it out too. And anyway, why are you still here? Where is she?" He roams his eyes in the entire room and scans if anything is missing.

Lorna rolled her eyes at him. "She's not a thief so stop that thought." Settling at the guest's chair in front of the desk, her eyes met his waiting gaze for an answer. "She wants to be alone for a while, she would ring me up later to come here. So now, I'll be joining mom for lunch. She ain't done with the call?" Changing the topic.

"Yes, I'll leave you two then." He exited the room and Lorna waited for her mother.

Melisca had been standing near the ground-floor elevator. Waiting for someone to come out from the ride. After a few minutes, she spotted him finally, stepping out among other people.

He walked to the left and turned the corner. Following him from a distance, she read the 'Laboratory' sign above where he entered a walk-in room with a small waiting area and reception desk at the front.

She can't enter the room for he may catch sight of her. Standing at the door, she restrained her hearing to somehow learn what he was about to do.

Rico stopped by the blood sampling room inside the laboratory. Another doctor came up to him. "Is this from Dr Vera?" The middle-aged man asked. They knew each other already as the hospital staff often saw him with Lorna's mom.

"Yes, she said she'll examine it by herself after lunch." Rico handed him the blood tube and a piece of paper, with Melisca Lorwey written on it.

"Sure, I'll put this on the special case and no one would enter here anyway, we'll be taking our lunch for half an hour."

"Okay, doc. Thank you, I'm going then."

"Take care, kid."

Melisca's lip turned up as luck was on her side, but it was still too early to celebrate. She has less than half an hour to succeed in getting her sample.

She hasn't let Lorna accompany her for this mission now. Then she just remembered something when she saw one of the security walking past her. Damn the security cameras. There must be one installed inside the laboratory. She cursed under her breath for she didn't have much time.