Somehow, standing there, I felt wretched, really wretched, because I actually DID die and escaped those 8 males.
Only to be REINCARNATED into an otome game and probably facing 8 capture targets.
Argh!!!!
Right now, I have finished only the first part of the prologue when I met Percy and that girl, who was none other than the rival, Lori Pensive. Both from the first faction, Sonic, where in Heaven, guardian angels reside. All warriors in that faction.
But what does that matter to me now?! How the freak do I escape this irony of a life?!
Mostly now, at my vantage point, this is only but a chapter of the prologue.
The prologue has 9 chapters, 8 of them to meet the capture targets and the last one where they all banded together and brought out a truth where all romance would start.
But I don't want romance. I want freedom and peace.
So far, I have only done one chapter when I met Percy and Lori at that church. The first capture target and rival. The second chapter...
"Hey, are you Krista?" I heard a male voice say behind me. I groaned and spun around to see a boy and girl running toward me. A different set of duo from the first one.
The boy had dyed white hair where black roots were visible and hazel eyes that shone of kindness. The girl next to him was petite and blue eyed blond who was following the boy with a somewhat determined look.
"Yep, who are you?" I asked.
"Adam Cray, and this is Katya Tic," the boy said.
Adam Cray, another capture target from Angel's Love but from the Seventh Faction, Enoch, an animal lover and truly an angel in the truest word.
Katya Tic, rival for Adam Cray as she was his best friend for all life. So, she was extremely protective of Adam, although she resonated the same kind nature as Adam, but any harm to Adam, that kindness will simply die.
"How do you know my name?" I asked. I should know about all this, having played before but after all that drama from my previous life, some details are forgotten to me, like this prologue, so I guess I have to play by the ear.
"Your parents were worried about you, so they sent us to fetch you," Adam explained patiently.
"You know my parents?" I asked with eyebrows raised.
"Yes, didn't you know, we are your distant cousins. We came to visit but you weren't there. After it got a little late, your parents were a little worried about you and sent us to fetch you," he said. The sun was slowly dipping the skyline.
"You don't look like my cousins..." I said.
"I did say distant," Adam chuckled.
"You don't look like siblings," I said.
"We aren't," Katya spoke up for the first time, "We are just best friends," Then she gave a radiant smile to Adam.
"Let's go, your parents are worried," Adam beckoned.
Hanging out with a capture target was the last thing I wanted to do. Krista before I reincarnated already attracted Percy's attention, but to deny would be a mistake, making 'em suspicious so I had no choice but to just acquiesce.
"What were you doing here?" Adam asked.
"The government didn't want to repair this church," I said sadly, affecting Krista's character and infused it with mine, "I just wanted to pray there a last time as like some kind of memory to it."
"Well, you seem to be praying for a long time. Did something happen?" Adam asked, urging an answer.
The heroine would probably answer truthfully, but I was far from being the heroine and so lied.
"No, I prayed and ended up getting lost until now, then you found me. Let's hurry to my parents, they must be so worried." I said.
But Katya didn't believe me. She raised an eyebrow and said, "Really?"
I frowned. The reason I kept it short was that if I told the truth, there would be a bombardment of questions, probably leading to an event. I didn't want that.
So, affecting innocence that was befitting of a heroine this time, I said, "Yes, it was a big church and being in disrepair did not help matters, you see? Why are you so curious?"
Katya stayed silent but then pushed a point, "I thought I saw you with someone, two people actually."
"Katya," Adam warned.
"You were there?" I asked, eyebrows raised.
Katya was quick, "Yes, as we were fetching you, we saw that you were hanging out with a boy and girl. Not wanting to disturb you, we hung back."
As Krista with her memories, I pretended I knew nothing, "You saw them too. I thought I was just dreaming."
"What? Why?" Adam asked.
"Well, they were there and then they disappeared like the end of a magic trick. I looked around but poof, they were gone. It was like they had some kind of fantastical magic..." I said thoughtfully.
Adam and Katya gave each other a nervous glance.
"Don't worry about that. We are going to stay for a while in your place. Let's get along," Adam said.
"OK," I said while I really thought 'Thank you but no.'
At least, there was no sappy event.
Boy was I wrong.
***
"Krista, you are finally home. I see that you meet your cousins," Mom said with a small strained smile that had I not been reincarnated I would not see.
"Yes, I did. It was a surprise," I said.
"Yes, it was," Dad agreed, "Their parents decided it good to drop them off for our company for a while. I hope that you'll all get along."
"I'm sure," Adam said, and Katya nodded.
I shrugged, wanting this to be over. It may only be a prologue but it could be so much worse...
"Why? What's wrong, honey?" Mom asked.
"Still down about the church," I said, also disturbed about it as a matter of fact and with a capture target and rival living under the roof, I felt very... unsettled.
"She's God devoted to the last," Dad said to the benefit of my cousins who looked slightly puzzled. "She's devoted to every religion, Catholic, Jew, Islamic, Buddhism, you name it, and anything that she thinks hurt God will hurt her too."
"You think that a disrepaired church is going to hurt God?" Katya asked.
"Yes, those places were holy communion, a place for God and to have it in disrepair..." I fretted. In my previous life, I actually didn't care much about religion but Krista's previous memories seem to be giving me a whole new personality that I didn't even know of.
"It's alright, God will always be up there when we need Him," Adam said, looking up to signify Heaven but there was no conviction to his words.
"Thank you for saying that," I smiled at him and he smiled back. Katya was then looking shrewdly at me. Sensing danger, I decided to leave to my room.
It was sparse, but filled with any religious memorabilia. The cross above my bed and a dream catcher, the Bible, Al-Quran, Torah and Sutra covered my shelves. A few God figurines according to any religion on top of the shelves. Otherwise, my room was filled with normal things a girl should have. Fiction books, a phone and computer on the table, clothes, purses and shoes in the closet, family portrait, etc.
Really, as I sat on bed, I decided to dispense the Krista attitude, no doubt this is her life but now it's mine. So, I'm going to do one thing she would probably never do.
Kill myself.
My bracelet, with ten beads to remind myself of the Ten Commandments were jingling in reproach because killing myself would break the commandment 'Thou shalt not kill'.
But I did it once and I was going to do it again. And in the same way.
On my bed under the cross, she was holding a pill bottle that I swiped in the medicine cabinet and staring long hard, I closed my eyes in prayer first, to get my wish of peaceful rest, not another life. I knew this game well enough that romance was unavoidable because through reincarnation books, when did the protagonists have any luck?
Why would I?
It's just easier that way. There was no way that I was living the irony. Just as I was about to do it, the door swung open. I hastily hid the pills. I'll do it later when there's no one to save me. I frowned at my visitor.
Adam.
"What's up?" I asked.
He was looking around at my religious memorabilia and let out a soft whistle.
"You are kinda a religious nut, huh?" He asked.
"Not that nutty, but why are you here? You need something?"
"What really happened at the church? You said you saw two people," Adam said straight off, no beating around the bush just like Katya.
"Mmm..." There was no denying it now.
"So, will you really tell me?"
"Should I?" I wasn't really in a talkative mood.
"Hmm... I know we just met, but... it's really important for me to know," Adam said, his eyes searching.
And with those searching eyes, a part of me just felt compelled to throw him a bone. It was what got me into trouble with those 8 males but I don't see any harm in it now that I'm not long for this world.
"Fine..." I relented, "The boy was Percy Lance, but I don't know the girl's name. I went inside the church, I saw Percy and we just talked a lot... then, after that, I met the girl and... after a while, they disappeared. Nothing special," I was using Krista's memories for this. I internally cringed at Krista's memories with Percy. It was mushy, with a lot of compliments, comfort, and 'I'll be there for you.' No fixing that.
"Percy Lance?" Adam raised his eyebrows.
"You know him?"
"Acquaintances," Adam said.
"Ahh..." I said, "So, how long will you be here?" I decided to redirect the convo.
"Not sure, but I promise that we won't be a bother," Adam said.
"Well, if you say so," I said. The moon was now shining down to the window with stars giving a twinkling effect to the room.
"You look beautiful," he blurted out, "The night sky seems to grace your presence."
"Are you trying to get some suck up points? Won't work for me, 'coz seriously, I'm not that type of gal," I joked with him. Before I was, but now...
Adam blushed red, "Sorry, that just slipped out, but- Woah!"
"What on earth are you doing?!" That voice was from Katya who just bang the door open, now seeing that Adam was on top of me.
Without any requisite, I just pushed Adam off.
"This means nothing," I said flatly, to both Adam and Katya. "Please don't get the wrong idea, he was startled and fell on top of me."
Katya glanced at me, wanting to say something to me but decided against it. Instead, she adressed Adam.
"Adam, I need you to come with me, we have some things to do..." Katya trailed off, giving a shrewd glance at me. Adam looked at me, mumbling apologies and was shocked himself. I was nothing of a sort. I shooed him away.
Once they left, I let out a sigh of frustration. God must really hate me to give out an event like that, where the Fates try to push you together. I shook my head, it won't be my problem anymore.
The night sky, now full black except for the moon and dots of light, was my witness to the blackest thing I can do. But before I can do it, I heard a scream.
"What the-?" And my curiosity overriding any sense, I ran to the source.
I wish I hadn't.