Until You

Chapter 5

Much later, after sufficiently cursed herself for running away from the man like a frightened rabbit, Jennie went back into the mansion.

She had to call her father to let him know she was okay. She was still quite upset and angry with him, but at the end of the day, he was still her father who cared about her as she cared about him.

"Jennie. Where are you?" Her father's voice sounded sober and also concerned.

"I'm visiting a friend, Papa. I'll be staying here for three weeks. Meantime, I'm making arrangements to pay off the remaining amount you owe."

There was a brief silence.

"Which friend are you with?" He knew she didn't have any friends because she never hung out with anyone or brought them home.

"A college friend, Papa."

Her father didn't ask any more questions even though she knew he wanted to.

Jennie gave him brief instructions on what to do to arrange for his food and other basic necessities that she usually took care of. She also told him her secret hiding spot where she kept a small stash of emergency money.

"Don't worry about me, Papa. Just... stay out of trouble until I return. With that final instruction, she ended the call.

Jennie's stomach rumbled loudly, reminding her that she had missed her last two meals. A gleaming cart with covered dishes was placed in the dining nook of the room. With her mouth tingling with the faint aromas emitting from the dishes, she went to it.

A hearty breakfast later, she went outside. It was slightly cloudy, but the walk was beautiful with seemingly endless stretches of plants and trees and a gentle breeze blowing about. As she walked, her mind began to worry.

What if Krystal wasn't able to keep her promise of sending her the money in three weeks? Was she wasting her time here in this elaborate charade when she should be taking up more dancing assignments and earning money to pay her final semester fee? 

The sudden loud sounds of ducks distracted her, pulling her away from her morbid thoughts. Smiling, she went past the pond to explore the grounds further. She tried to focus on the beauty around her, rather than worry about things she couldn't control or do anything about at present.

A few hours later, when Jennie had reached the other side of the pond, the weather began to change rapidly.

Lightning flashed in the sky, and it began to pour as she hurried back. She kept her face lowered as the wind continued to pick up. It was quite surprising as the weather appeared pleasant just a while ago.

As she walked towards the stone path that would lead to the mansion, she heard a strange sound. It was faint at first and then started getting a bit louder. She couldn't figure out what the sound was because of the downpour that drowned most of the sounds.

A few minutes later, her heart almost stopped when a loud noise of an animal was emitted right in front of her. She raised her eyes and saw a huge black horse rearing with its legs very close to the top of her head.