I woke up in a cold sweat, holding my head as I sat up from the bed. Why am I being reminded of such things now?
I checked the time and groaned as I rolled back under my covers. I can't believe its only noon. Ugh, give me five more hours. Hell, give me the rest of the day, or even better, the rest of my life.
And right before I was about to drift off to sleep again, my phone started to ring. I looked to see who it was and decided to ignore it. It rang a couple more times after that, before I heard yelling from outside.
"Damn it Depra! I know you're awake in there! Let me in already!"
Too tired to, sorry about that.
"I swear, if you don't open the door right now!"
I peeked out from underneath my covers. She's not going to go away, is she? I rolled out of bed, wrapping my covers around me before shuffling to the door. I hesitated before unlocking the door. It swung open, and I was met with the bright daylight of summer, along with the hair of summer, golden blonde, and soft blue eyes glaring at me.
"What's up with that getup?"
"I'm tired Lachesis, leave me alone."
"Hmph!" She crossed her arms underneath her chest and pouted. "You know how long it's been since we've seen each other?"
"About two weeks?"
"Three weeks! We haven't seen each other since school let out! And what have you been doing?"
"Sleeping."
"Have you even been outside the house at all in three weeks?"
I could only take the sudden onslaught of abuse from my childhood friend, Lachesis. "I don't think so."
With each response she looked angrier and angrier. "How much do you eat every day?"
"On a good day two meals. Mostly just snacks though."
"Please tell me you've at least showered?"
"I took one about a week and half ago."
Silence fell as she looked me up and down. "Disgusting."
I sighed. Why is she even judging me anyway? Is she my mother or something? A happy memory of me and my mom flashed through my head, and I felt a wave of cold wash over me.
"What do you want Lachesis?"
"You're having company over today." She said as she waltzed into my house.
"Says who?"
"Says me and all our other friends."
What? "But it's my house, so how come I don't get a say?"
"What's your say then?"
"I'd really rather not."
"Exactly, so your opinion doesn't count!"
What type of logic is that? I thought as I followed her to the living room, where she relaxed into the sofa.
"Will Hiro be here?"
"Nope, H.P. is doing something else later."
A look of disgust passed over my face. "Ugh, so he'll be there then, along with your friends."
"Don't be like that! I know you don't like him, but he is my boyfriend, so try to get along with him, all right? Besides, they're your friends too!"
"If I really have to hang with someone, I'd rather it be Hiro." Hiro is the only one who's real with me, and her friends are just, troublesome, I guess.
"Oi, that Hiro guy really gets on my nerves, thinking he can just steal best friend status away from me!"
"I really don't get why you don't like him."
"Just as I don't get why you don't like my boyfriend!"
"Your boyfriend is an ass, and Hiro hasn't done a single thing except help you. Honestly, I'm surprised he doesn't hate you."
"My boyfriend is not a donkey, thank you very much! Besides, he refuses to tell us the truth about our 8th member! What really happened to her?"
This is getting nowhere. "Whatever, so what time are your friends coming?"
"In about 20 minutes."
"Huh!? What the hell Lachesis!?"
"So, hurry up and get clean and changed already! I'll set everything up, so don't worry about that. Now, chop chop!"
She pushed me from behind, causing me to stumble over my covers. "Oh, and also don't use your covers like that, you look like a hermit."
I shuffled back into my room and threw my covers back onto my bed and grabbed another set of pajamas along with socks and underwear. I shuffled back out to see Lachesis straightening things up, humming happily as she did so, swaying her hips back and forth as she silently danced to whatever tune was playing in her head.
I couldn't help but feel an almost gut-wrenching sadness invade my being, as my eyes watered watching her. I punched myself in the chest, hard, and I groaned as I started to cough. Lachesis looked up and frowned.
"You all right?"
"Yeah, I'll be fine."
Her gaze lingered on me for a little bit, before she pouted and continued to work. "Stupid Depra," she muttered.
I sighed and shuffled my way in the bathroom, where I first brushed my teeth before hopping into the shower. I let the hot water run over me, allowing my body to relax, and my mind started to wander.
I used to always enjoy taking the longest, hottest showers possible once upon a time. I would just lose myself in my thoughts, one of my few sanctuaries in the world, the one place where I felt at peace, where there were no family issues, no past to deal with, and where I could just imagine myself anywhere but here, until my family interrupted my musings and forced me to hurry up.
Family…
I felt another chill wash over me, and I quickly finished my shower. As I said, I always enjoyed taking the longest, hottest showers possible.
I used to anyway.
I dried off and avoided looking at myself in the mirror as I got changed. When was the last time I've been able to look myself in the mirror anyway? I stared at it, the steam fogging up the reflection. I slowly placed my hand on it and hesitated before slamming my fist into the wall and taking my hand off the mirror.
How could I look in the mirror anyway, especially when I don't even like the person reflected in it?
I walked out the bathroom and saw that everybody had already arrived. Damn, do I really have to do this? Maybe if I sneak into my room now, they won't notice I've come out.
One of the girls turned around, and her face lit up as she saw me. "It's Depra!" She rushed towards me and grinned. "Been a while, hasn't it?"
The girl rushing towards me was named Hemera, a cheery girl with bright yellow eyes along with golden yellow hair. She was short, only reaching up to my chest, and having a lot of "plot" as Hiro would call it.
"Oof!" I stumbled back a bit as she tackled me. "What've you been doing cooped up inside this stuffy ol' house!?"
"Sleeping. I like sleeping."
She looked up at me and tilted her head. "But there are so many better things to do other than sleeping! Seize the day I say!" Ugh, a corny rhyme.
"Sleeping helps me not deal with you guys. It's fun."
"Right…" She said before releasing me. "Whatever you say, we're gonna have so much fun!" She radiated so much positivity it almost hurts me sometimes.
"That's enough outta miss sunshine here. Stop messing with him already Hemera." She was suddenly dragged away by another girl, with skin as dark as the night, and hair even darker, along with white eyes to match, she was the polar opposite named Nyx. She was, as Hiro would call it, "flat is justice" or something like that. He comes up with the most interesting ways to describe people.
"Hey, lemme go Nyx! I wanna talk to him more!"
"We both know you radiate far too much happiness for him to handle." Hemera complained as she was dragged back to the rest of the group, which, besides Lachesis, her boyfriend, and I, consists of three girls and guys. The last girl, Necessitas, just nodded at me before looking back down at her phone. She had neat brown hair, with different colored brown eyes.
The other three guys, Aether, Eros, and Erebus, were busy goofing around the TV, playing one of my video games. And last and most certainly least is Lachesis' boyfriend, the ass, whose name I refuse to say.
They actually all came here. I sighed before scratching my unkempt hair, which was slightly wet from the shower I took. The only place to sit was either next to the ass or on the floor.
I plopped down on the carpet and watched the others play a racing game, the one I would play with Hiro whenever he visited or vice-versa. They really sucked at it to be honest.
I brought my knees up to my head and turned toward the wall, away from everyone else. What the hell am I even doing? How can I be expected to have fun like this? Maybe I should just go to sleep here…
"Hey, King! Hello?"
I turned toward the loud voice and was met with Erebus staring at me, his only visible eye the color of a blood moon glaring at me.
"What is it?" I murmured, yawning loudly.
"I asked if you wanted to play with us. Four of us can play together you know."
"I'll think about," I said evasively, to no avail. Erebus dragged me over to the TV, where Aether handed me a controller. I chose my character and customizations, and we started the race.
"Hey, you're pretty good Depra!" Aether said, shocked as I zoomed into first.
"I've had a lot of practice," I said quietly, thinking back on all the races I had lost against Hiro.
"As expected of one of the chosen ones! His strength is to be feared to be sure, but compared to my own, he is like a scrap of paper in the wind!" Erebus exclaimed, tailing close behind in second.
With jet-black hair covering one of his eyes, Erebus was probably the most eccentric one out this group of people. Well, besides…
"You should learn to smell the roses sometime my dear Eru~! How else will you get the girl of your dreams?" Eros, the other contender for most eccentric, had stopped racing all together and was instead in a field of flowers, along with some other female CPU's. How he even managed to pull that off is beyond me.
"Like you would know. My fated one has already appeared before me, the Dark Empress Necessitas!"
"I don't want to be in your fantasy."
"Plain she may look, all the proof you need is in her different colored eyes! In my past life, my lover also had eyes exactly like hers! Such that we can meet once more is fate indeed!"
"I said leave me out of it!" She threw a book at the back of Erebus' head, which caused him to go off the course in the game.
"Hey come on! I was close to catching up to King damn it!" He complained, quickly fixing his mistake.
"I won." I said as I crossed the finish line.
"You only won because I, Aether, allowed it. Otherwise, I would have lapped you all in this race." Then again, all the guys are pretty eccentric.
"Just admit it Aether! You lost simply because I have my crimson eye aiding me in battle! With this eye, I can see what lurks in the darkness! But because of this, I am cursed to fight off the demons that lurk in the shadows! I must remain ever vigilant and-!"
Another book got thrown at Erebus, this time from Nyx. "Shut it already! How have you not grown out of this phase of your life?"
Hemera was just laughing at the entire thing, giving off her sunny grin. "He's pretty funny actually!"
Erebus just sighed before looking back at the screen. "Imbeciles, all of you. There is no joke to be had. All of what I say is true. Well, let's continue King. I can still win the prix this early in the game!"
I ended up winning the next couple of Prix's, and even the girls, who were chatting amicably, started to watch in shock.
"You're pretty good, aren't you?" Nyx said, her mouth gaping open as she just stared at my 6th prix win.
"Close your mouth Nyx, you'll catch flies." Hemera started to manually open and close Nyx's mouth with her hand, although she too was shocked.
"I knew you were good, but not that good," Lachesis murmured, before the ass cleared his throat.
"If you guys don't mind, I'll switch out with one of you."
"It has to be Aether. He's been in last place for every single last race." Erebus said in response.
Aether crossed his arms, his sky-blue eyes staring intently at the screen before he responded. "I let you peasants win."
"Like hell you did!" Erebus and Eros exclaimed, and Aether reluctantly handed the controller to Lachesis' boyfriend, who happily took it and sat down next me, a sly smile on his face.
"Go easy on me, won't you?"
I could only glare in response before turning back towards the screen. Like hell I will, I thought to myself.
The first race went without incident, and we were halfway through the second when he tried to start a conversation with me.
"Wow, your skills really aren't anything to scoff out, huh?"
"…"
"Who did you practice against to get so good? Or did you play online a lot?"
"…"
"Tough crowd, huh?"
I finished the race in first place before saying anything. "Quit talking already."
"Hehe…" He chuckled to himself as he zoomed into second place at the last second, causing an outrage from Erebus.
"How the hell did you do that you damn cheater!?"
"I would never!" He raised his hands innocently. "How could I even cheat in the first place in a game like this?"
Erebus continued to complain, and the ass chuckled it off before turning towards me.
"Well, looks like I'll have to get first the next two races to at least tie, huh?"
"As if you could do that ass."
"Hey, I take offense to that!" Suddenly his demeanor changed as we started the third race, and he leaned in close while near some item boxes.
"Well, you are what you eat, and boy is it delicious if I do say so myself."
My eyes widened at the sudden remark, and I could feel the anger welling up inside me, almost causing me to do another thing I would regret.
Almost.
"Whoa, what happened to my items!? Was it a glitch or something?" The ass proclaimed, complaining at his predicament.
No. Not again. My heart started to hammer, and sweat started to slide down my face, the thought of it happening again enough to terrify me down to the bone.
I started to breathe faster and faster, and the world started to spin out of control as I began to get extremely lightheaded. And right when I was about to crack, I felt myself get embraced by someone warm.
"It's all right. Nothing has happened, nor will it."
It was Hemera, who whispered those warm words into me, and I felt myself calm down, allowing her warmth to envelop me.
"Are you okay?"
I nodded, before setting my controller down and escaping away from the warmth she provided. "Sorry, but I'm done for now. I'm gonna get something to eat."
As I left, everyone's face filled with worry, except for the ass, whose gaze was on the one filled with the most worry. Of course, he didn't know that.
I walked into the kitchen and grabbed some cookies and started to eat them, while gulping down some water before staring out the window, gazing at the trees gently swaying in the wind before sighing. I stared at my hand before clenching it, cursing my own weakness.
"Yoo-Hoo!" I turned around to find Hemera grinning at me, her positivity radiating off of her. She also helped herself to some cookies before grabbing my hand and steering me outside towards the patio, which overlooked the large backyard, about 50 yards long.
"Wow, you really do have a large backyard!" She said, admiring view.
"You can occasionally see deer and other animals wander in from the woods in the back," I added.
"It really is a nice house," she murmured, and the wind gently sent her cascading golden yellow hair flowing to the side as she looked over the railing.
"What did you want to talk about?" I asked, getting straight to the point. She didn't answer, but instead continued to watch the swaying trees.
I walked up next to her and decided to join her, gazing out towards the trees, the sun bringing down its warmth on the both of us on a clear summer day.
And when the breeze stopped, Hemera let out a joyful laugh before gazing at me, her eyes sparkling.
"Don't you just love summer Depra? For me, it's my favorite season of the year. The warmth it brings and beautiful days like this are what really make me feel so lucky to be alive, you know?"
I didn't say anything, letting her continue.
"But you Depra, you're like a summer storm that, while it may seem scary at first, washes the world clean, helping the world flourish as a result."
I couldn't bring myself to look her in the eye, and instead turned away.
"I'm really not like that all. Hiro is more like that than anything."
"That may be true, but you should know that it's no coincidence that you two get along so well together."
She stopped leaning against the railing and let out a breath of relief. "Just figured you needed some fresh air is all."
"I really don't get you guys at all. I just don't understand. Why…" Why they treat me so well, when I've done nothing at all. Is it pity, a favor, or some other obscure reason; I really can't tell anymore.
"It'll be alright, it's not so deep." She started to walk back towards the door before gazing up at the clear sky.
"Even if you don't, we remember."
Huh? What did she mean by that?
"But if you really want a reason, it's cuz we want to! Duh!" She put her hands behind her back and tilted her head as another one of her brilliant smiles reached my eyes.
And like a lightning flash, I felt a strange sense of deja-vu, along with a strange sense of accomplishment accompanied by happiness. But much like a lightning flash, it was gone, and all I was left with was confusion in the end. And yet, even that faded away to nothing…