Chamrose city

"What's wrong?" Avery asked when Anna suddenly looks at the entrance hall. She followed her gaze with her eyes and saw nothing out of the ordinary.

"It's nothing," Anna responded. Just now, she felt that someone was watching her, but it was probably her mind playing a trick.

Avery's lips parted for a second but were closed again when she saw her parents making their way to them. Anna noticed that she wanted to say something, so she asked, "What is it?" and tilted her head to have a clear view of Avery.

Avery waved her hand in dismissal. "Oh, it's nothing. Look, mom and dad are here," she announced, which brought Anna's attention to Mr. and Mrs. Gunnar whose making their way towards them. Dr. Cain was also with them.

"Dr. Cain," Anna and Avery greeted the man who had been helping them for a day and a half. The man smiled as he replied with a subtle nod.

"Anna, how are you feeling?" he asked.

"Never felt better," Anna answered honestly. Her answer brought a smile on the doctor's face.

"That's good. Make sure to have a lot of rest, and please avoid stressing yourself out," he advised.

"I will, sir." Anna gave her promise to him, which also meant for herself. Although she was recovered, she gets exhausted quickly. Dr. Cain gave some more advice to Anna and the Gunnars. Thirty minutes later, Anna and her new family left the hospital.

***

Inside a moving car, Anna was astonished at the dynamic scenery outside the car. The road was built to allow people to see the panoramic ocean views and luxurious buildings living off the edge of a giant mountain at the center of the city.

During her stay at the hospital, Anna had no idea about such beauty, for the hospital's location was pretty remote. Only the tip of the mountain could be seen in her appointed room.

"Is Chamrose city an island?" she asked to confirm when she saw the ocean view accompanied the long road.

"Yes, this is also a popular tourist spot," Avery commented. She was also enjoying the view outside. "Erm, the Sunset Resort that I talked about was on the other side of the mountain," she explained, pursing her lips while waiting for Anna to respond.

Anna simply nodded. Her face was as serene as the unmoving mountain. "Is that Chamrose mountain?" she asked with a fixed gaze on the lustful mountain towering the clusters of buildings, in which Avery responded with another nod. Mrs. Gunnar, who sat on the passenger seat, looked behind when she heard Anna's amused question.

"It's also known as the mysterious mountain. Many people were exploring it but returned with no success stories to tell," she said.

"Some say there is a myth living there," Mr. Gunnar chirped in as he drove the car following a sign towards the city's international airport.

"A myth? A mystical person?" Avery raised an eyebrow as she glanced at Anna, who was still looking at the mountain. "That could be true," she heard her say, which made her eyebrows knit tightly.

"You believe it?" she asked her.

Anna shrugged her shoulder without giving a definite answer. She noticed that Mrs. Gunnar was also looking at her while Mr. Gunnar glanced at the front mirror so that he could see her. Her eager eyes made the other people in the car stunned.

"What's wrong?" Anna thought that they exaggerated their reactions.

"Seriously?" Avery asked as she cupped her mouth, trying to hold the laughter from escaping. "You used to dislike fairytales and fantastical theories. No, you hate them!" she told her.

"Did I?" Anna couldn't help but frown.

"Well, that's in the past. Who you are at the moment is all that matters. Don't let the past validate your current self," Mrs. Gunnar gave a comforting smile to Anna, thinking that she probably felt dejected for finding out a contrast in her personality.

"Your mom is right," Mr. Gunnar once again glanced at the front mirror, sending encouragement to Anna.

Avery couldn't agree more. She nodded furiously.

Anna's lips curled slightly. She suddenly sympathized with the previous Anna. How would she feel if she discovers Dominic's true identity? Would she go crazy? Not many people knew about the inheritance called powerful bloodline, and even if they knew, most wouldn't live to see the day, especially when they are someone unimportant or a possible threat.

"Alright, ladies, we're here. Don't worry about your stuff. Someone will bring it," Mr. Gunnar broke the silence, which took place so suddenly. He stopped the car in front of the airport's private terminal. Someone bowed to him once he stepped out of the vehicle.

"Mr. Gunnar, the arrangement has been made. Please follow me," the man politely said as he also bowed respectfully to the entourage following Mr. Gunnar.

Anna also went out of the car. She stared at the mountain for the last time before approaching Avery, who was waiting for her to walk together. One day, when she couldn't contain her demon anymore, she would go there... to die.

***

Mr. Gunnar had booked a private jet that would fly them to one of the main cities of Country Y, the Weammont city. They couldn't use their private jet, for Chamrose city's laws disallowed the use of a personal plane on its ground.

Therefore, anyone who plans to visit Chamrose city could either board the commercial aircraft or take a private jet in any Chamrose Airport branch in their own town or country.

Anna found such fact interesting. "Is Chamrose city an independent city?" she asked Mr. Gunnar, who was now sipping a glass of champagne. They were now on board the private jet. Mrs. Gunnar was asleep beside her husband.

"Yes, and no," Mr. Gunnar replied. "Chamrose city used to be a mere fishing village. However, the villagers lost their homes after an earthquake a hundred years ago. Naturally, the government outstretched its hand to reconstruct shelters for the survivors but not on the island. Instead, they offered a piece of land for the survivors to build their new life in one of the main cities."

"Let me guess, the survivors were against leaving the island," Anna made a conjecture. Her lips curled up in amusement. The sparkle in her eyes induced laughter from the middle-aged man who was telling the story across her.

Mr. Gunnar nodded. "Yes, and there was also another reason. The government was also planning to use this island as a military institute due to its complicated terrain and undiscovered mountain. However, someone leaked the information to the media, which resulted in public outrage. The government ended up being slandered on an international TV." Mr. Gunnar took a sip of his champagne to wet his dry throat.

"Well, a lot happened, and the president back then was forced to retire alongside a few ministries who proposed the idea. Interestingly, when the outside world was in an uproar, the survivors suddenly went into silence. They only spoke when the new government offered help to rebuild their homes. The survivors appointed a representative to inform the media that they were rejecting the government's offer," he continued and paused to see Anna's keen face.

"Why do you think they did so?" Mr. Gunnar asked, breaking the train of possible theories inside Anna's head.

Anna inhaled as she pondered over the question. "They have money. Someone or a powerful organization was helping them," she chuckled, the answer was quite obvious.

"Bingo," Mr. Gunnar nodded. He looked at Anna with a proud face.

"It is said that a powerful figure led the survivors to rebuild their land while the government was in dispute with the world. However, no one knows who that person was except that he or she is wealthy and powerful."

"Then, wait-" Mr. Gunnar delayed his explanation when he noticed that his glass was now empty. He decided to indulge himself for another round of drink when an irritated voice echoed.

Avery, who was closing her eyes next to Anna, was now wide awake. Staring at her father with displeasure, a question skipped her lips, "What's next?" she asked rather impatiently,

Earlier, Avery planned to rest like her mother, but Anna and her father's conversation piqued her interest. In the end, she ended up listening and forgo her initial purpose of sleeping.

Mr. Gunnar shook his head at her daughter's interruption. "What do you think is next?" he raised his glass and proceeded to empty its content.

Avery bit her lips as she contemplated the proceeding event that could be the answer.

"Arghh!" she screamed and let her head rested on Anna's thigh. "I don't know. What do you think, Anna?" she looked at Anna, who was startled at her action. A grin spread on her pretty face. It was fun to make fun of the new Anna.

However, in the next second, it was her turn to be startled. She felt a few pats on her head. When she looked up, her eyes met Anna's empathetic gaze paired with a smile as cunning as a fox on her face. Knowing that her action was countered, she pouted.

"Heh," Anna chuckled, but soon her face turned serious. She looked at Mr. Gunnar, who was still waiting for answers.

"There must've been a hidden agreement between the survivors and the mysterious person who helped them. I bet he or she told the islanders that they could go independent," Anna shared her thoughts.

"Actually, I had the same idea," Avery got up and returned to her earlier position. "So what actually happened, dad?" she asked, ignoring everyone's suspicious eyes.

"That's exactly what happened," Mr. Gunnar replied. He stretched his body and leaned against the headrest. The plane's cold temperature was balanced with a thick blanket on his body.

"The survivors made a petition for self-governance to the government. There was a rumor saying that the mysterious person was behind this act; however, no one confirmed this individual's involvement, not even the survivors. The appeal was prolonged up to five years when they finally came to a mutual understanding. Since then, the island is declared as an autonomous area, in which the people had a degree of autonomy over their own land," Mr. Gunnar explained.

Anna and Avery wanted to know more about the story, but the landing announcement pulled their attention elsewhere.

"We're home," Avery muttered in Anna's right ear as she held her hand. "Welcome home," she said, to which Anna replied with a warm smile on her face.