Time seemed to have lost its meaning as they continued to chat until a knock shattered the warm atmosphere. The nun shifted in her seat before granting permission to the person who knocked, allowing them to enter.
Looking over his shoulder, Jinn saw that it was another student who had entered.
The boy appeared to be the same age as Jinn. Everything from his short brown hair to his uniform showed how sloppy he was. His defiant eyes gleamed with intent when they landed on the Matron.
But the moment he noticed Jinn, his gaze froze. Although he did not personally know the boy, everyone had heard about the boy known as the 'matron's favorite.'
The boy did not come alone; he was accompanied by a teacher. She was a stern-looking woman who had a pair of slim metal glasses hanging around her neck. Her fading red hair was neatly tied in a bun.
She wore a formal black dress, which covered up everything from her neck down. There was very little jewelry on her, but even the little she had properly defined her.
This teacher also noticed Jinn's presence in the office, and almost instantly her stern expression softened a little.
Jinn turned back to the matron and slowly stood up. "I will take my leave. Don't worry, I won't miss another day of school."
It seemed like the matron wanted to say something else, but she changed her words halfway and nodded, "you can go back to the dormitory and take a rest."
Jinn turned around and nodded at the boy before greeting the stern teacher, "Good Afternoon, Mrs. Walker."
"Good afternoon, Jinn." Mrs. Walker greeted back with a stoic tone and expression, "I hope I will be seeing you tomorrow."
I missed one of her classes, but is she not angry? How strange. Had it been any other student, she would have bitten their head off.' Jinn wondered as he left the room. He could feel the burning gaze of the delinquent boy but ignored him.
Matron Agnes finally turned her attention to the pair of teacher and student and asked, "Is there anything I can help you with, Mrs. Walker?"
Despite her question, she already had an inkling of an idea of what it was about.
"Yes, Sister Agnes." The green-eyed woman nodded sharply and spoke, "Mr. Moon here has been on a streak of violation of rules. Despite my warning…"
The misfit orphan ignored everything the teacher said about him and continued to stare at the Matron's face with a lost look; his thoughts were unknown to anyone but himself.
Jinn had no idea what was happening in the principal's office; he was already walking out of the building. Unlike what he had told the matron, Jinn did not return to his room. He walked in an entirely different direction, disappearing behind a small chapel in the right corner beside the front gates.
Moments later he was back on the streets, his disguise back on.
"I only have three hours before the dawn falls…" Jinn pulled the hood over his head as he watched the sun looming above the tall building of the city. "I have to make this quick."
After a long walk full of twists and secret turns, Jinn found himself standing before an old-looking shop on Townsend street. The front glass window and doors were all covered in moss. The cracks on the wooden panels made it look like the shop was abandoned.
142 Townsend Street.
He looked at the wrinkled paper the kind old lady gave him and double-checked the address before looking around the street.
The road was nearly empty, with only some suspicious-looking people lingering around the alley. Some of them looked at Jinn, but their gaze did not linger for long.
From the surrounding buildings he could tell that he was in a not-so-legal shopping district. The other shops were either closed or constructed in temporary booths that allowed their owners to close them and escape at any time.
'This is too dark even for a black market.' Jinn knew his way around the city, but he felt like a stranger in this place. 'Why did I never hear about this place before?'
Suppressing his curiosity, Jinn pushed the door open and walked in. There was no sound of a bell announcing his arrival, only a creepy creaking of the old door.
Light fell into the store only to be consumed by darkness inside. Jinn could only see a couple of steps ahead. It was like the light itself refused to enter this place any further.
Jinn pulled on his robes and walked forward, making his way towards the desk in the middle of the shop. Despite the lack of light, he could still find his way around the shop.
The path to the desk was filled with displays of several unorthodox items. Jinn saw bottles of organs placed on shelves, arranged right beside what seemed like claws or horns. One shelf was arranged with plants he had never seen in his life, and the other was filled with vials of liquids with various colors.
All in all, the store seemed to be full of several old items. And beyond the desk—
"Do you need something, or are you just here to look around?"Just as Jinn was looking around the shop, an annoyed, gruff voice came from behind, startling him.
Jinn turned his head to see a thin yet tall middle-aged man whose figure was hidden behind a cloak darker than the vibes in the building itself peek from the gap between the two Porcelain vases placed on a shelf.
The oval-faced man had big round eyes, but they looked dull as if life had been sucked out of them. His long hooked nose hung just over the crooked grimace of his lips.
The upper portion of his head was covered by a top hat that gave him an even more sinister look. His eyes shimmered in the dark as they gave Jinn a feeling like they could see through his very soul.
'Nobody told me I would be meeting a ghost here! Give me back my feelings and my money, you old hag!' Jinn swallowed his nervousness and steadied his nerves only after he was done cursing the woman on the inside. He maintained a calm front and made sure not to show any fear on the surface.
"I would like to purchase some items from your shop; I am just not sure if you have any." Jinn unexpectedly managed to give a calm response. From years of experience he learned one thing: it is fine to be scared as long as you do not show it to the person in front of you.