The Missing Letter

Cupcake went to the publishing section to print new articles for the month. The siblings were at the lounge talking about entertainment and going to the movies. The adults typed on their laptops. Some spoke to their workers at other tables.

The man arrived at Cupcake’s office. He found that she was not there by the computer. However, the purse was on the table. He teleported it and opened it. It was a pastel pink envelope. It reads, “Prince Flame, Amber Castle, Lava Valley.”

“What kind of letter is that?” he asked. “That letter is a love letter. How cute she created and put in the purse? I wondered what is inside.”

Before he ripped the envelope, he felt footsteps through the floor coming to this room. He put it back in the purse and zipped it back, and left. Cupcake opened the door and dropped off the articles on the desk while the siblings sat on the sofa to play tag.

Cupcake kept two articles on the desk. She demanded Anne to carry some in her arms. The same goes for Carlo. Carlo said, “It was too heavy. I cannot carry those.”

“Just for today. We had to drop off the nearby mailboxes,” Cupcake assured him.

All three went outside to drop some articles into the one big mailbox to distribute to the south side and some to the north side. Once done, they arrived at a parlor shop to get desserts as snacks. The siblings enjoyed the ice cream. Cupcake got a cherry cupcake to remember Finna and Cherry. She wished they were here to eat together.

The man opened the door when no one was in the hallway. He reached for the envelope in the purse and put it in his pants pocket. The purse landed on the desk. Then, he saw the Rock Community page. He sat and typed whatever came to his mind. Finally, it connected to the camera. The camera belonged to Roger.

He said, “The prince will love this information. He will love it with all his heart. Did I hear a footstep?” He pressed “enter” with a smirk. Let’s see how people respond to this hoax. He thought and vanished.

Cupcake entered the room. She sat on the chair to face the computer screen. It reads in italics, “Hello, this is Cupcake. Is this a Rock Community? How many people are there? How many people can read this?”

Her face was blank. Anne asked, “Are you feeling okay, Cupcake?”

“Who typed this?” her voice was calm.

“Not us,” Carlo said.

“We went to drop off the articles. We ate desserts,” Anne explained.

“Who did it?” Cupcake wants answers.

People looked at her weirdly after her shift was over. So many eyes on her. Cupcake stayed strong and ignored their glances while the siblings just talked around. It helped a lot. I do not care how weird I typed on the page. People would think of me as a stranger.

The trio paused by Cherry. Cherry said, “I know it is not you. It has to be someone.”

Cupcake looked at her. “It has to be someone trying to frame me.”

“Let’s go to my place.”

They were at Cherry’s house. Roger poured drinks into the glasses and gave those to Cherry and Cupcake. He did not expect more to visit in the living room. He said, “I will be right back.”

He was in the kitchen to get juice bottles for the kids. The siblings removed the lids and drank them.

“Roger, sit down,” Cherry said.

Roger sat across from the ladies. Cupcake said, “Someone entered my office while I was gone with the siblings.”

“Any evidence?” Roger asked.

“No.”

“If no one entered your office during the live hours, then that would be a spirit,” Cherry suggest. “Probably, not the same kind as Bubbles. Bubbles was human to us.”

“And he is our father,” Anne said.

“I do not believe in ghosts,” Carlo said.

The room was silent.

“Let’s not offend my brother,” Anne said.

Cupcake put her hand to her chin and bent forward to think hard. Who could it be? A male in a black suit and glove hands was the one? His lips moved, “Do not think of me. I am not the obsidian prince. I am different.”

“How different?” Cupcake did not seem to talk to anyone in particular. Both Roger and Cherry found her odd.

“Do you remember? I am not the obsidian prince. You can find me in your house. I am waiting for you that night.”

They have dinner in the dining room. Cupcake did not touch her food. She was thinking of what he said. “Not the obsidian prince. He is different. He is waiting for me. I cannot skip dinner!”

“Cupcake, you have not touched your food,” Cherry said.

Cupcake snapped to reality, and she looked down at her cold food. She tried to eat the pork in her mouth.

“Delicious? Are you feeding me? Wonderful.”

Cupcake heard the male voice in her mind. She spit it out on the plate. She stood and went to the bathroom. Cherry wanted to comfort her, but Roger held her arm. He shook his head while the siblings felt worried about her. “I wonder what is going on here,” Anne said.

“She never acted this weird before,” Carlo said. “She is not weirder than me.”

“Quiet, brother.” She kicked his leg.

Cupcake put her hands on either side of the bathroom sink. She faced the mirror. She was alone and felt nothing around her. “Who are you? And why am I acting strange around my friends?”

He appeared right behind her. She saw him in the mirror. She was about to shout, and he covered her mouth with his gloved hand. His face was silent, and she muffled. “Try me, lovely lady. You look beautiful in the mirror. Soon…” his eyes were on her, and she looked at him. “I love your vulnerability tonight.”

Then, he vanished as she faced the mirror. “What do you mean by my vulnerability!”

Sighed deeply, she washed her hands and face. She cannot stop thinking about him. He was not kind for sure. He was cold as the obsidian prince. He knew my weakness. I could not figure it out, she had thought.

She passed the living room as the siblings came to her. “We want to know what is going on?” Anne asked.

Cupcake said, “I am fine.”

Cherry approached her. “You are not fine. I can tell. You are being possessed by something.”

“Possessed me?” In her mind, “How did he possess me? You are a devil! I said to the small creature in the cave. It was Prince Flame’s pet. Devil?”

Cupcake opened the door and walked out. She reached her house and unlocked the door. She closed the door. She turned around and dreaded getting to her room. She tried to think straight. “Just walk and do not think. If he wants me, he can have me.”

One heel for one tile, she walked briskly and slowly to her room. Her purse was danging on her elbow. She was afraid of-- She went to her room quietly and dropped off her bag. She sat on the bed and waited for something to appear. Instead, it was silence.

Meanwhile, the siblings were looking at Cherry. Cherry allowed them to stay in her house just for one night. The kids liked the idea of a sleepover. Roger said, “These kids, these days.”

The prince had finally drawn the entire lava. He stood and yawned, “I finished this in hours.”

“Do you want to meet the lovely lady tonight?”

“Her? Cupcake.”

“Do you want to sleep with her tonight?”

“Why not bring her here? That would be a shortcut.”

“We all love shortcuts and get ahead. This time, I want you there.”

“I have already been there last night.”

His shadow gave him the envelope. “You get to keep it for yourself. This letter should not be in the hands of Prince Flame. He would get very suspicious.”

“Speaking of him, he had not come outside to see my drawing. Neither do Princess Ruby.”

“Did you draw a chaotic swirl in the solidified lava?”

“I guess so.”

They looked at their shoes and around them. His face was speechless. The prince added, “I think we keep them at bay.”

“How long was it there?”

“I draw for hours.”

His shadow grabbed his collar. “Where is the amber rose pen? Did it disappear when you drew it?”

The prince showed him the same pen. It was still intact and orange. “Nothing’s changed.”

A kiss appeared on his cheek. “Just return to your room and never come to this area again. It will become aggressive once you step foot the next time.”

“Cobalt is meeting Scruffy.”

“I do not care about them. I care about you. Just go.”

The prince vanished to his room and looked at the balcony. His shadow then vanished. “Did I care about myself? Myself?”

Cupcake lay on the bed, asleep. The man stood by her bed. He smirked and touched her face. “There you are, lovely lady. Subdued by your dreams and vulnerability. Do you remember me?”

Her eyes snapped open. His hand swung from her face. She looked at him. “Are you the one who framed me?”

“Of what?”

“You typed the computer at my office.”

He was silent.

“I know you did it!”

“No evidence, no investigation.”

She sat up on the bed. “Why are you telling me ‘do I remember you’?” Are you the obsidian prince that I was scared about?”

His eyes lowered. “Do you remember me?”

She wondered whether to touch his face or kiss his lips. She dragged herself to the side of the bed to touch his face. He stood still as if a statue. She felt his face whoosh and thought. “A ghost?”

“Think again.”

She swung her hand to the back of his head. It was a black material. She gasped, “Shadow. You belonged to a shadow.”

He stared at her once and kissed her lips. She falls back to the bed. He moved her lips and bit her lower lip. She stared at the shining purple eyes. My nightmare is here!

He raised his body and arms. “You finally noticed me, lovely lady. My time here is ending. If you want more of me, go to the Obsidian Castle yourself.”

“Wait!”

“For?”

“Why do I have to go there?”

He smirked and kissed her lips again. So he was gone while she dozed off.