ENCHANTRESS | Harry Potter

TWELVE

The letter from her parents arrived just the day after, during breakfast, from the postman. It was brought to her by Sahira, who had woken up early due to a morning class and had found her mail downstairs, and in a deed of good will, had brought the letter up to her. Bada had been barely awake by then, having just started drinking her coffee, dressed for work but evidently not ready to leave any time soon. She had accepted the letter from Sahira with a small smile and that had been it. She didn't waste a moment to read it. If she hadn't been awake before, now she was fully alert.

Hae had left Busan a few weeks ago. She had told their parents she would be going to Chicago, where an old childhood friend lived. They didn't know when she would return, but in her letter, her mother seemed to believe the distance would help her after the heartbreak she had been through. Bada hoped it was Chicago Hae had went to indeed.

She left for work a while later, after petting Geomeun and Jakda goodbye—the kittens were growing nicely, if she said so herself, and it was getting harder and harder for her to leave them every day, especially with the way Geomeun seemed to chase her touch after she left and how Jakda snuggled closer every chance he got—and rushed to her office. She had no way of knowing if Hae was in London but she knew the only clue she could ever get was if she solved more of the cases her team had been assigned. The sea shell in the victims' pockets wasn't a random choice. She feared the message was for her to take.

She arrived at work earlier than she was supposed to without meaning to. Without another choice, she headed to the training grounds, aiming to blow off some steam before work, perhaps calm down in the process. As she entered, she noticed Anthia was already inside. When she saw her, she sent her a smile and waved at her. In an effort to be polite but to also distract herself some more, she walked over.

"Good morning," Anthia greeted, with the enthusiasm of someone who had evidently not woken up any time soon. Bada guessed she hadn't slept much the last night and she was functioning on caffeine once more. She dared to ask.

"Good morning to you too, although I have a feeling you've been awake for a long time already."

Anthia shrugged, unbothered. "You got me. I was reading last night and lost track of time."

"It sounds like a wonder to me that you have the energy to read after working so hard during the day," Bada admitted, "I don't think I could do it."

"It was pretty interesting," she smiled slightly, "I get like that. When something interests me I need to research more and more and learn all there is about it."

"I wish I was like that sometimes," she chuckled as she shifted on her feet. "What were you reading about?"

Anthia's smile widened. "Sirens."

Bada blinked, evidently taken aback. "Sirens?"

"Yeah," she nodded, "I found they were really interesting creatures. They can blend in with us without issue. The only way someone who knows can notice them is if they hear their voice, which is usually mellifluous, or if they take into account their good looks. Some descriptions I read of them described them as enchanting, alluring. Others dangerous."

Bada hummed, hesitant on how to proceed. She thought her words over, took a moment to pick them carefully. "And what do you think about them?"

"That both descriptions are true," she replied at once, her smile exchanged by a more serious look. "I read that no matter where they are, they always take something from the sea with them. In the modern world, most of them use it as jewelry and they wear it all the time to feel closer to the sea." She smiled, her gaze falling on the silver chain seen around her neck. "Much like the pearl you always wear, tucked beneath your shirt. It's really nice, by the way."