- "Nature has the power to humble and break the ego of even the most egoistic person" -
~ Kakez
'Tick-tock, tick-tock,' the clock murmured like an endless metronome. It was a witness to the stressed expressions and panic which plagued the room as everyone tried to fight in their own battlefield, the battle of History. Liam's eyes were fixed on the paper and beads of perspiration slowly made their way down his forehead. He massaged his chin and forced himself on a trip down memory lane in search of the last set of notes he forced down his throat the night before in a poor attempt to at least 'pass' but his efforts were in vain. He couldn't think as a matter of fact with the number of clouds that lurked about his mind. He felt like his body was slowly being controlled by the recollections of that day as the conversations they exchanged encircled his mind. The more he stared at the lanes of text printed on the paper, the more he thought it harder to not think about what had happened. He glanced at the clock before returning his eyes to the paper. He had just under thirty minutes left.
"Frick-" he muttered.
The accident. It was a moment only the two of them shared. An awkward moment he'd rather never to have been stuck in. A moment that never ceased to incessantly possess his mind like a demon. He was the only one trapped and encased in the violent thunderstorm of chaos, the only one experiencing a non stop replay of the event with images and conversations with such precision, vividly playing before his eyes. Several unanswered questions and untamed curiosity roared from the deep within him, pinned feebly by the bounds of a deal. What kind of person was she really? Who was she? What was she hiding? Was she even hiding something? They were all just going to remain questions at the end of the day. After all, the second deal was to never bring up the issue again. He often wondered what would happen had things gone another way. How different would things have been then? Not to mention, he still had another test on his hands to prepare for and Emma still wasn't aware of it. Nothing like that was more frustrating that the thought that the atmosphere wasn't the most suitable to accommodate for such.
A pen hung limply from between the index and middle fingers of Mr. Frazier, who spun it endlessly a couple minutes ago. Perhaps he was calculating the amount of failures the class was going to produce based on the frantic expressions and the evidence of 'I-tried-a-late-night/2am-cram-session' by the 'delay-mechanism' of twirling pens and looking up to the ceiling as if God was going to send an answer anytime then.
"Good morning, Sir. I'm sincerely sorry I'm late-" the door murmured as it was slid open.
A chill down suddenly creeped down Liam's spine and his insides caved inwards. His heart froze the moment the voice leaped into his ear. It was unbelievable. It couldn't be. It was surely no other person however, he thought and slowly, he averted his gaze towards the door, as almost everyone did contagiously, and his pupils dilated. It was no other person but the stone cold wall of a woman, Emma Waltz, and not only was she finally back after days being absent again since the accident, but also her skin was flawless as it was the first time he met her. Not a blemish in sight! Bruises like the ones she had had would usually take at least a week and some days!
As she wandered off to her usual seat, he took the time to observe her as the Emma from the accident appeared in his mind again. Compared to the last time, her eyes had simmered and returned to its usual level of apathy and emptiness and her hair shone and shimmered silver where the sunlight kissed it. He could feel her emitting tension from the moment she entered the classroom. It made his stomach twist. By then, he had no less than 15 minutes remaining and half the test was still left to be completed.
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The delicate wind washed their faces as they continued swimming in a sea of silence. Emma avoided Liam's gaze each time he threw glances at her and so he walked ahead of her with his hands stuffed in his pocket, trying to feel less awkward than he already did. On the other hand, Emma remained impassive the whole time, with her school bag hanging from one shoulder. Usually, they would have class after school hours at school but today seemed different. The moment the dismissal bell rang and he spotted her leaving the school compound, he felt the need to follow after her and did just that. Weren't they supposed to have class either way?
"Ironic it is that you're following me yet you're at the front, leading the way," she suddenly snorted, breaking the silence.
Liam threw a glance at her from behind him and she returned it this time, narrowing her eyes to slits, judging every cell in his body. Funnily, that moment suddenly eased his curiosity as he became immersed in the lifelessness of her eyes. The thought occurred to him that it was useless holding on to the inseparable urge of prying into what exactly had happened to her. He became aware that he was the only one overthinking the accident and the deal they made by the display of disgust and indifference on her face. It weirdly aroused a chuckle from the pit of his stomach. It didn't, however, remove the feeling of awkwardness lingering between them.
"How queer. I don't remember giving a joke," she muttered with lips pursed and eyebrows knotted.
Icy eyes ran up and down his figure and left him rooted in his position.
"Nothing really. It's just good to see that you're back and better now," he decided to say out of the blue.
He was slapped in the face with just the patter of their footsteps against the tarmac and otherwise silence. The uneasy feeling in his chest resurfaced and he swallowed hard, pushing his hands further into his pockets. Suddenly, only the tapping of his footsteps filled his hearing and he grew to realize that she had stopped abruptly. Did he say the wrong thing, he wondered, or could it be that she was going to confess what had happened. At that moment, Rooney's words came to his mind: "If within a month, Emma is not able to make a joke with you and keeps dialogue professional, never speak to her again. It'd probably be for her own good if you ever wish to see her be happy."
"Time is what we don't have and not to mention, you're progress is slow. We'll need to turn to more drastic strategies or else when the hell would you be as good as me."
She pinned her hair behind her ear, whipped out a hair clip and secured it tightly and resumed walking. Gazing at her, the weird tension subsided and he felt a chuckle escape his lips again.
"Way to dodge a compliment. Maybe I should teach you how to accept a couple nice words. We can start by saying thank you!"
"I'm afraid your brain is already rotting and going bad as you've already forgotten what this deal is about. What an even greater reason for more drastic measures to be used," she hissed, casting a glare his way.
He scoffed. Now he understood what Rooney meant by feisty.
They continued sauntering until they met up on a sidewalk lined with a string of lamp posts and rose shrubs. Liam admired the scenery and listened as the gentle wind continued to roll pass them at whip the ends of their clothes. Just then, a delicate sound struck his ear and forced him to pause in his tracks, demanding attention. He listened harder and the muted background suddenly amplified the pleasant music to his ear. He felt his heart strings tug. It was a sound so pure, mellow and full of life, mesmerizing. He turned towards the direction of the sound, searching in awe. It was coming from the rose shrubs. He bent down besides the shrubs and parted the branches, being met with a pleasant surprise that left a glorious smile plastered to his face. Hiding in one of the rose shrubs was the beautiful creature like an angel from heaven; a small cat with eyes like marble and a coat of rich silky beige and ginger-like fur. It began strolling towards Liam and although it seemed courageous outside, it was purely timid.
"Hey," he exclaimed jubilantly, immediately scooping up the the petite adorable creature before him, "What's a little guy like you doing here all by yourself? Did you lose your way?"
Emma stopped in her tracks too with a dark gaze. Only her eyes spoke as they flittered between Liam and the cat.
"You know," he trailed off into conversation, looking towards Emma, "I always thought of it as sheer luck to find a cat that would let you pet it instead of running away." A large grin was plastered to his face.
With lips drawn into a straight line, she replied in a tone rinsed of interest, "Is that so?"
On her face was that look that said 'Not of my concern'.
"Yup," he beamed, ignoring her hostility, "My mom isn't a lover of cats but I'd say this gal is cute enough to make her change her mind. Who'd say no to this beauty?! What'd ya think I should name her? Lisa....Kai... Eve... maybe Emily?"
His question immediately triggered a surge of anxiety in her heart, as a sudden lightning bolt erupted through her body, making her muscles grow tense and disrupting her breathing. Her lips parted and she slowly brought her school bag to her arms, holding it to her chest tightly.
"What exactly makes you think that's a great name huh? Fool!" she replied in annoyance almost immediately.
Liam furrowed his eyebrows, staring at her in confused silence. Was it the cat upsetting her?
"Well I mean... I was just asking whether you thought-"
"Name her Misaki..." she interrupted and looked away into the unknown, "Misaki... suits her."
His pupils dilated and surprise was written all over his face. He didn't think there would have ever come a day where Emma would seem to actually give a damn and consider what he said.
"Misaki..." Liam repeated, enjoying the way the name rolled off his tongue.
He lifted the cat level to his eyes.
"It means beautiful and blossoming. It'd remind you of the day you found her next to this rose shrub that is blossoming," she added popping her backpack unto her bag, feigning patience.
"No Emma," Liam muttered, "You mean the day we both found her!"
"Whatever..." she snapped.
The cat looked away briefly from Liam's eyes and observed the sullen girl. She observed the spark in its eyes and soon, it started purring and staring endlessly into the rich navy blue of her skirt. She narrowed her eyes, tugged at the hem of her skirt in efforts to cover an inch more of the prosthetic leg and took a step back from the two.
"I see that even the kitten is a pervert. I hate the way those eyes seem to be judging me."
As if her eyes didn't do the same to others right? Liam chuckled and looked up at her.
"I think Misaki is just loving the name you gave to her. What do you think?"
"As long as you keep her away from me, I'll let you live but I guess it's no surprise that she'd like a name like that. It's a special name regardless..."
Liam smiled and cradled Misaki in his arms. He knew then that Emma wasn't entirely frozen inside. There was some part of her that still had warmth.