The Blue Eyes

The morning was cold. The chilly air was like a spell that shut people's eyes and tempted them to go back to sleep. The hands would automatically pull up the blanket, covering their bodies that shivered under the freezing air.

But, Jack was different from normal people. He had woken up early in the morning, ignoring the temptation of the cold air. Not only that, but he also woke up the orphans to follow him into the yard. The kids were unwilling to follow the lead, and they walked with their eyes closed and staggered like zombies.

"Open your eyes, kids! How can we start our exercise if you close them?" He exclaimed as he stood up in front of the small children.

That was his morning routine in the orphanage. Thrice a week, he would lead the kids to exercise in the front yard. That was his program after he got the status of orphanage caretaker. He said that he cared about the kids' health, so he forced them to do morning exercise. Blue was skeptical at the idea, but she just let Jack did what he wanted to do.

"Open your eyes and warm up properly, Martin. We will play soccer after this. You'll get injured if you're not warming up properly," he warned the youngest kid in the orphanage.

There were sixteen kids in the orphanage, and their ages were varied from six to twelve. Martin was the youngest and the chubbiest among them. His hobby was doing two things; eating and sleeping. So, it was no wonder that the kid was reluctant to move his body this morning.

The adorable Martin started moving his hands, but the movement was different from other kids. The other kids did a stretching by moving their hands up and down, but Martin absentmindedly waved his hands while closing his eyes.

The sight was funny and made Jack laugh out loud while his hands holding his stomach. The other kids also laughed at the cute sight. The cold morning turned warm because of Martin.

"It seems like you enjoy your new life, Jack Madris."

A cold voice suddenly interrupted the warm moment. Jack and the kids turned their heads to someone who just disturbed their moment, and they frowned when they saw an unknown woman standing not far from them.

Jack looked at the lady in confusion. "Who are you? And, how do you know my name?" He asked confusedly.

The lady walked over to him and stopped in front of him. "You don't remember me?" She asked in a flat tone.

Jack furrowed his eyebrows as he examined the lady's appearance from head to toe. The lady seemed familiar.

"Ah!" He suddenly exclaimed. "You are the pregnant woman who bumped into me at the Intelligence Agency headquarter, right?"

Jack was sure that he was not wrong. He still remembered the lady's face even if they only met once.

The lady smiled, but the smile seemed not simple. "You only remember me as a pregnant woman who bumped into you at my office?" She asked sarcastically. "You don't remember what you had done to me a few months ago?"

Jack's confusion arose upon hearing the lady's answer. He could sense something was not right with the lady, and that something wouldn't be good for the kids. He then asked the kids to go back to the building and waited for him there. He wanted to talk with the lady alone.

The kids obeyed the order, and they hurriedly went back to the orphanage building. Seeing the kids had gone, Jack turned to the lady again.

"Don't tell me that I'm the one who made you pregnant," Jack said as his eyes glanced to the woman's belly.

The lady laughed a little after she heard Jack's words. "Don't be ridiculous," she replied. "I will never let a nasty werewolf touch my body."

Jack's eyes widened at the statement. "You... you know who I am?" He asked nervously.

The lady smirked as she answered, "Of course." She glared at Jack with her sharp eyes. "How can I forget a werewolf who has killed my husband?"

Jack was more than just shocked. Even his body started trembling slightly. He had killed many humans in the past, but he didn't expect that the victim's family would recognize him. He didn't expect that his identity would be exposed like this.

"You..." Jack uttered again with fear in his eyes. "Who are you? How can you know me? How can you know my name?"

The lady lifted her chin slightly and replied, "I'm Julia Concord. My husband is Andre Concord, a scientist under Orka Research Center. You killed him a few months ago!"

It felt like Jack's legs turned into pulp instantly. He had never heard the name, but he remembered that he had killed a scientist under Orka Research Center. Yeah, he remembered that he killed and ate Kevin's colleague a few months ago.

"I... I'm—"

"I don't need your apologies!" The lady, Julia, hastily cut Jack's speech. "Even if you apologize while kissing my foot, it can't bring my husband back to me!"

Jack fell silent when he saw Julia started crying. Clear liquids started rolling down her smooth cheek as she sobbed miserably. Jack could only stare at the lady quietly. He didn't know how to comfort the poor lady.

"What was my husband's sin? He was just a carefree human. He would only joke and laugh all day. What was his fault to make you dare to kill him? Did he offend you? Did he owe you something? Tell me what's my husband's fault!" Julia shouted as she grabbed Jack's collar tightly.

Jack flinched in surprise but didn't try to avoid the harsh treatment. He just let the woman yelled and cried right in front of his face.

"I know that my husband was a werewolf specialist, but he had never offended any werewolves! He was afraid of werewolves, and he wouldn't offend a werewolf!" The lady continued shrieking, but Jack didn't budge. He just looked down at the green grass in the yard.

"Your husband didn't do anything wrong to me. I'm the one in the wrong," Jack finally replied without looking at the lady.

The grip at his collar loosened as the woman took a step backward and looked up at him with her teary eyes.

"Then, why did you kill him?" Julia asked again with her hoarse voice.

Jack fell silent again. He still didn't dare to look at the lady, and he just clenched his fists to hold back his emotions. There were mixed feelings in his heart, and he couldn't explain it to Julia. Things were too complicated for him.

Julia was patiently waiting for an answer when Jack suddenly lifted his head and stared at her eyes.

"Just slap me, hit me, or kick me as much as you want. It's all my fault that you lost your husband."

Julia gawked back at Jack in disbelief. "Do you think it's enough for me just with a slap, a hit, or a kick?" She asked irritatedly. "I lost my husband when I was two months pregnant. Can you imagine how hard it was for me back then? Can you imagine how was my feeling back then?"

Once again, Jack couldn't reply to Julia's words. It was so apparent that the lady was in pain now, and he was the one who caused the pain.

"And now you act like an innocent human! You played with the kids as if you are a good person! Do you think you are worthy to be a human?"

It felt like Jack's heart was pierced by an invisible knife, and it tore his heart mercilessly. His heart was not bleeding, but the pain was spreading all over his body.

"Please just give me punishment! Any punishment is fine. Even if you want to kill me, I will not fight you," Jack finally replied.

Julia sneered at Jack's response. "You promise not to fight me even if I'm going to kill you?" She asked in an icy tone.

Jack was a bit taken aback when he heard the tone, but he still nodded his head as an answer. Perhaps it was the time for him to pay for his sin in the past.

The lady suddenly pulled out a knife from inside her handbag and lifted it in front of Jack. Jack's shocked face reflected on the sharp knife, and the luster of the knife grazed his skin dangerously.

"I know that I will be sentenced to death if I kill you, but I just want to avenge my husband's death. I'll do it for my husband, so you can't blame me!"

Julia pulled her knife back and hastily ran the knife toward Jack's heart in full power. Jack was getting ready to receive the knife, but a hand suddenly grabbed the sharp knife and stopped the lady's movement. Red blood started to soak the knife, but it was not Jack's blood.

Julia looked at the blood in horror, and she stiffly turned her head to the side. She was shocked when she saw someone there.

"Kevin?"