STELLA ran as fast as she could. Her promise to Gitto was to meet at Bicycle shed at six when she sent a paper bird to him before. She has never been late for their meetings. She had always been early. She does not know how Gitto will react. He'll probably wait by his bicycle with non-stop nagging.
However, he was not there. The figure that she was expecting to see was not there. Not even his bicycle.
Did he leave her?
Or did he not receive her paper bird?
It was the first time for her to see the spot that had been used by his bicycle was empty. For years they have gone home together. He never left her unnoticed. What was she supposed to do in this situation?
She looked around. Searching for his bicycle with the possibility that she had mistaken the place or Gitto changed its place on midday. He did it twice before when he had to run home because of his caretaker; the owner of the house that he rents his room at the moment had suddenly fallen ill. Today might be one of those days and she had not able to meet Gitto despite his promise to meet her at AcA this afternoon.
There were only a few bicycles left under the shed and none of those belong to Gitto. The familiar colour of rusty-yellow and black.
She turned to her back when she thought she saw a figure passing behind her.
"Hello?" she called out.
The crows squawked from the roof above her. The day began to turn darker and darker every minute.
"Gitto?" she tried again and no answer.
She held her pinafore skirt, suppressing the shake of her hands. It must have because of the cold. It is the middle of winter season though most of the time it looked like the end of summer and early autumn.
She thought it might be better if she starts walking before the day goes out.
She checked her surroundings one last time. None.
The cold enveloped her tighter. It was like she was having her recurring flu back in December. The chill was gripping her inside and outside of her body that all of her body hair stand. With haste, she quickened her step.
She sensed a shadow behind her; those dark wobbly dark figures, the same just like the one in her dream this evening. She remembered how those hands gripped her ankle and tried to drag her down from the tree.
Her hasty step turned to run. But her ankle-length pinafore caused her to stumble on the brick pavement. "Ack."
The shadows gradually approached her and her shaky legs did not give the cooperation that she wanted them to be. She kept on stepping on the hem of her pinafore that she wanted to rip it short and such effort was made for imagining when the shadows finally arrived.
They grab her hands like they grab her ankle in her dream and they tried to drag her though she fought back with all her might. She flailed her arms and feet like an angry cat. "No! No!" she screamed desperately. Her voice had less echo than it should, it was drawn-out by something that she could not describe.
However, her strength was not of a man. Her body was frail with an untrained muscle. Her flailing arms and legs were nothing compared to the brute strength of the shadows. Her effort to escape from the grasp of the shadows only made her fingers bleed. She did not even realize that tears had leaked out of her eyes, streaking her cheeks. "Please, no," she begged.
"Stella, Stella, it's me."
A familiar voice; one that she had waiting for, reached her ears. Her eyes which were closed shut open to see her friend's face and she stopped her arms and legs at once.
"Gitto..." she called. He was cupping her cheeks and wiping her tears.
"Yes, it's me, princess. It's Gitto," he reassured her.
Her visions became cloudy. "Gitto!" Without hesitation, she threw herself at his body and securing herself in his embrace. A place that has always a haven for her.
"You're safe now. I'm here. I'm here," he said calmly while stroking the back of her hair. "There'll be nothing... that can harm you, I promise."
She could not stop her wail and poured out more and more tears. It was strange. Her body was. To be able to let out so many salt waters from her eyes and mucus from her nose, it never has happened even when she had been bullied by Kai. The cries and the hiccup were the first. As well as having a trembling body though it had happened this afternoon. To think back, her body became like this because of these strange events that kept on occurring.
After a few more minutes of that the wave subsided, she tried to compose and calm her nerves. There were a few hiccups here and now but she no longer... feeling anything. She's back to herself.
Although it was nice being in Gitto's warm hugs in this cold weather, she has to show to him that she is fine and better. Gently, she pushed Gitto's body away. Even as the night gradually climbing the sky her injured hands did not escape Gitto's attention.
He took her hands carefully like he was cradling a baby chic and he stared at her injured fingers. "Your hands..."
"I tried to run," she explained to him. She wanted to withdraw her hands but Gitto insisted on holding them much longer.
Stella looked at Gitto's gloomy face. It had been so long since the last one he had made that kind of expression. It was like when she first fainted back in elementary. If she was strong and a magic wielder to defend herself against bullies and sorts, Gitto would not make this kind of expression. Even though it was her that was in pain, it was Gitto that was suffered.
"I'm sorry," his voice trailed. He brought her hand to his temple. Then as if on cue, she heard his sniff.
"I'm a failure, princess. I'm not worthy to be your knight. I'm so sorry," he cried.
Stella wanted to stop him but there was bile in her throat. Something was holding her back from comforting him. By saying that she's too used to his help that when he's not there, she has become useless. That instead, she should have gone home sooner, that she should have run faster, shout louder, fight harder and has at least a bit of magic just enough to magic that shadow away.
It was something that unacceptable for Gitto to say that when it was her that should be count responsible for her own body.
"Let's go home, Stell. It's dark here."
Stella nodded once and tried to stand but her leg gave away. It was lucky that Gitto still held her hands.
He crouched with his back in front of her, signaling her to rest on his back.
"How about your bicycle?" she asked.
He did say that he cannot magic his belonging bigger or heavier than a stool since the principle of exchange required him to give equal mana of equal mass. Gitto is a genius yet there was a limit of how much a student can exert their mana that had been properly outlined by the ministry itself which also includes under the proper surveillance of adult magic wielder.
But there is also an exclusion of student's element affinity that they can exert more mana than stated by the ministry. It was a bit hard for her to understand this at first, along the line, she managed to understand it bit by bit through classes and Gitto's patience in guiding her.
"Never mind that, I can take it back later. I must send you home now. I'm afraid uncle and auntie are worried about us," he said without facing her way.
"Okay," she agreed to him easily and climbed behind his back.
With ease, Gitto flew them back to her house. On their way home, Stella tried her best to hide her injury and wanted Gitto to only focus on his navigation. She had made him suffer enough in one day.