Finding Andria

Charles stood in the middle of the living room ever wondering if the woman will ever invite him to sit down. He stared watching her pace around the living room, for the short moment he stood there, the woman was obviously on a deep thought.

What is she waiting for? He asked himself irritatingly.

As if hearing his thought, she stopped on her feet and abruptly stepped towards him, way too much for his own comfort.

She eyed him, scrutinizing him then crossed her arms in front of her c.h.e.s.t and smiled to herself.

"Are you ready to pay whatever price I ask of you in exchange for the information you seek?"

He furrowed his brows and suppressed the urge to growl at her.

"Yes." He gruffly said.

She looked pleased, "Very well."

"Wait." He cut her off. "This is for real?" He asked.

This time she was the one who suppressed the urge to grunt at him.

"Sumaya was one of the names of Andria, which is at present she's known of. In our people, Andria's the only one using the name and popular for that. No one dear to copy her, I will say that whatever your reason searching for her she isn't one of those most sought after." She paused, giving Charles a pointed look. "But that isn't my business. I don't know where exactly she is right now, but I do know someone you might want to talk to in order to find her."

Charles stood there looking like a dumb fool. Barely catching everything she had thrown at him.

So she does know Andria! But she didn't know where she is?

"Are you like acquainted or something?" He doubtfully asked.

She stepped backward, finally leaving him of his comfort zone and laughed mockingly.

"What's so funny?" He finally growled, offended by her outburst.

"I thought because you're searching for her you know something about us. I guess I'm wrong, aren't I?" She smirked. It was his turn to fold his arms in front of his c.h.e.s.t.

She continued, "We aren't acquainted nor do we know each other like that. It will be an honor if she knew me but I doubt that. Let me just tell you simply how I come to know her. Do you ever know the president?"

Charles nodded.

"Then, do you think he knew you too?"

He raised a brow.

"That's how, Andria— Sumaya, whatever, is someone popular." She winked. "We know her, she doesn't know us." She walked around Charles, fingers tapping her chin. "I do not currently know where she is, but stories travel, words are whispered to our ears."

"Your luck will determine in finding her. Being associated with her means trouble. Do you know that?"

It's as if the warning didn't registered on Charles head. All he wanted is to find Andria.

"You'll be looking up a man known in a pet name Dragon Tattoo. I heard his been staying around the city for a couple of days now. You're a powerful man in your own right, I am sure you will be able to find him. Once you do, tell him you're looking for Andria. He might help you out, but he will ask for a payment too."

"I can pay whatever price he wants." He said confidently.

She smirked again, eyeing him as if he was the dumbest person she knew.

"It's neither money nor wealth the like of us wanted, Charles. It's something more." She said in a whisper.

"What is it?"

She shrugged. "It always depends." She smiled coyly. "What you seek doesn't come for free; there will always be a consequence especially for you. Someone's seeking trouble on a blind eye."

Charles felt offended, but he kept his mouth shut, he was asking for trouble the day he commit himself of finding the murderers of his family.

"There's your information, now I want my payment." She said.

He swallowed. "What do you want?"

"I want your most precious secret."

She what?

He stared at her as if she had grown another head. "You're kidding." He finally said.

She walked through the kitchen and disappeared, after a moment she reappeared with a can of beer. She offered it to him and he accepted it, it's all he could do not to bolt out of there.

"It doesn't matter if you don't tell me. You just need to willingly give it to me."

"Are you out of your mind? Do you know what you're asking me of? My secret?" He laughed, and popped open the lead of the can and took a swig and a big gulp.

"You're smarter than that, Charles. Andria isn't something we freely discuss." She eyed him skeptically.

Charles stared and said, "why my secret?"

"You won't gain anything from that. Name your price instead, my check is ready and—"

"That is my price!" She bellowed, suddenly showing hostility. "You have said yes to me. Unless you want to know the consequences I suggest you stop arguing with me."

He looked at her again in bewilderment. She was serious; whatever she's planning it involves his secret. He can lie, right? Tell her something else instead.

"I know what you're thinking. " She said, "I will be able to tell if you're making it up."

"How on earth?"

She smiled coyly.

He fidgeted and stopped himself from pacing. He just stood there gaping not believing she had guessed right, "Why my secret?" He asked again, askance.

"Because I say so," She answered simply.

"There's a reason." He said back.

"You got your answer Charles; I'm not obliged to answer anything else. The only deal we have is to give you information of finding her. "

From the tone of her voice he knew there's no other way of finding anything else. She advanced on him again and placed his hands on his left temple not touching just feeling. She was so close again that he could smell her shampoo.

"Now Charles, give it to me willingly."

"How, tell you?

"No," she breathed. "Think about it; focus them in your mind."

"And then what?"

For the first time, she smiled prettily. "Then its mine."

"Yours?" He asked unsteadily.

"Yes."

He thought about that secret. He has few of them. For instance the secret when he was just a boy in school, and then there is the thing that he hid from his parents, but one thing stood. His most deep secret was lying to the police about his family's murder. He lied that he wasn't there with them when it happened. He didn't tell them he saw those men and their faces. He did it to protect Christina, if he had said the truth the police is going to detain them long to question and he wouldn't be able to take care of her.

His thought had begun to get fuzzy. Like a memory getting away from him, slipping by the second until he couldn't remember what his thinking about.

"There you go," she said stepping away, "that isn't bad is it?"

He was confused, "what did you do?"

"I took it."

"My secret," He said matter of fact. She nodded.

"But I don't remember."

"You wouldn't. It's already gone."

His eyes widened.

"Well, now we're done. Remember the name Dragon Tattoo, his your second ticket in finding Andria."

"My secret, whatever it was, you wouldn't tell?" he had to asked.

"Of course not," she strode towards the threshold and grabbed the door knob. She beckoned him nearer, signaling the end of their conversation. She opened her other palm, and waited for him to hand his half empty can of beer.

"I didn't know your name." He suddenly said.

She chuckled. "After you cross this door, let us assume we never met, we never knew each other, and certainly we didn't have this talk."

He studied her, and nodded, "Good," he said.

She opened the door and he stepped out. Without looking back he heard the door slammed closed.