Nova had been explaining something to a coworker when Ren called. Seeing the caller ID, she didn't hesitate to excuse herself and pick up. Ren rarely called as he knew how busy she often was, so she knew this would be important.
As someone who had previously worked with wild animals herself, Nova was aware of the importance of keeping calm and getting the animal to the safest place as soon as possible. Fortunately, she was able to get off work and get to the vet. The bird was in a critical condition; it was extremely weak, and it appeared its leg had been torn off by another, much larger bird. The second they got there, it had been taken away, and while they could have left, the children insisted on waiting.
They were nearly going crazy with worry, with Fred almost bouncing off the walls in agitation as Liane bit her thumb fretfully. Even Dera had his head pressed against the wall and his actions were as if he wanted to disregard the laws of physics and force his way through it. The only people who showed some semblance of calm were Nova and Cory.
Nova sipped some tea calmly, and the only indication of her perturbation was a slight tremor in her hand, and while Cory showed no visible signs of distress, his lips were straightened into a thin line with his eyes slightly furrowed.
Eventually, a vet came out and informed them that the duckling was temporarily out of danger (which made them collectively heave a sigh of relief). In addition, he asked them a few questions such as where was it found, and if they had any idea of where the mother was.
They told him about the mother duck they'd seen, and he wrote some things down on a sheet of paper and asked them some more questions before nodding and thanking them. "You can leave it to us now", he reassured. Nova thanked him and herded the unwilling children out of the building.
"Will we be able to see him again…" Lianne inquired wistfully.
The others also looked at Nova who nodded amusedly.
"You should be able to, after it's better". She smiled. "Maybe you can even help with finding adopted parents for it".
Lianne's ears perked up at that. "Can't I adopt it? It's so cute!" Saying that, the strange smile once again appeared on her face. Dera pinched the bridge of his nose in embarrassment and Cory coughed awkwardly. It should be safe to say that they were both considering whether or not it was worth breaking their friendship with her over this.
Taking advantage of this moment, Fred jumped in, "I'll take it -" before he could even finish his sentence, a certain boy named Dera had already had him in a (non lethal) chokehold. No one sought to interfere, and even Nova averted her eyes and ignored Fred who was (pretending he was) dying of suffocation.
Fred who was gasping for breath: "I really need new friends, you all are so unreliable!"
For some reason, everyone simultaneously turned to Ren and Cory. Ren in turn also rotated to face his mother who shook her head with an apologetic smile on her face.
"I'm afraid I'm too busy to take care of a duckling", was what she simply said. They all silently turned to Cory with burning gazes.
Cory thought, "What is this suddenly threatening atmosphere…"
Dera quickly intervened and said he'd ask his parents if they were willing to adopt, saving his friend from the penetrating gaze of the tigers- *ahem* people…
***
"Crack!" A rumble of thunder, and Ally frowned at the dark clouds that had gathered above before shutting her window. It had been a bright day, yet why did it suddenly appear as if it was about to rain? "It doesn't matter anyway" She thought as she made her way over to her desk and grabbed a book.
The room she was in was exquisite in its simplicity. It had cream walls and light brown beddings as well as furniture. The colour palette seemed very limited, but instead of making it look dull, it gave off a warm and cosy feeling.
"Knock. Knock". She stood up and cautiously opened the door. A middle aged man stood outside silently. He was outwardly unassuming, however, he had a majestic air around him that could not be ignored, and although there were a few white hairs intertwined with the black in his hair, it didn't take away from his aura and inexplicably serve to make him look more dignified.
"The Master and Mistress request your presence at the drawing room… young miss". Bowing at a ninety degree angle, the man delivered his message. Ally's face became a little twisted and an ugly look appeared. This only lasted for a few seconds before she regained her composure and hummed in response.
"Thank you… Mr Lynn"
"My pleasure, young miss" Without a word, he straightened his back and walked away. Ally stared at him with an unreadable gaze before shaking her head and heading to the drawing room. On her way, she passed many corridors that were decked lavishly; it was obvious that the owners of the house were very well off.
As she approached the drawing room, she heard the unmistakable sound of laughter and her heart sank.
Peeking in, the scene she saw was almost enough to blind her, it was so perfect. Her parents sat munching on biscuits and engaging in light-hearted discussion with her sister. The sunlight streamed in through the floor and their blond hairs shone almost angelically. There they were, the poster family of perfection. It was disturbing, watching her idential twin sister live all her dreams while she watched jealously from the shadows. Again.
"Oh. You're here. Allison" Her mother noticed her and called out. Ally almost flinched at the drab tone she was addressed with, yet she remained emotionless as she stepped out as though nothing had happened.
"You called for me? Mother? Father?" She shot a cool glance to her sister who sat next to them, before ignoring her completely. Her sister didn't seem to mind though, and watched the events unfold in unrestrained amusement. Her blonde hair was long and wavy, and looked so utterly soft that even Ally wanted to touch it.
Even though they shared the same face, it seemed as though her sister had been sculpted to perfection, which gave further room for comparisons between the two. And there were comparisons. Ally gritted her teeth. More than she cared to remember.
"We heard you got the second best in your class" Her father commented calmly with a sip of tea. He was undeniably handsome even though he dressed simply, with a dark blue rest over white short sleeves, and his glasses hung loosely on his nose. He put down the cup and reached over for a book.
"With a ninety five percent," Her mother added. The words "ninety five percent" were almost spat out, as if it was physically impossible for her to say it.
"Who got first?" Her father asked, unperturbed. He had a beautiful voice like flowing water, and most people would feel comfortable just by listening to it.
Ally couldn't feel comfortable. "You know who it is… she thought helplessly. "It was Dera." She simply said. Dera… it was always him causing one problem or another.
"Oh? Is it?" He asked, as if genuinely surprised. Without waiting for her to reply, he continued. "I've met that Dera boy before. However…" He pushed up his glasses and moved forward, placing his chin on his wrist, his gaze penetrating through her, "I don't seem to remember him…having two heads. At least, that's the only reason I can think of for why you can't be better than him". He leaned back on the chair and picked up the book again, ignoring her presence.
Ally bit her lips while her sister took a bite out of a biscuit and crossed and uncrossed her legs, evidently bored.
Her mother sighed as she mused, "If only you could be more like your sister- "
"Well I'm not!" She snapped.
Her mother was stunned and looked at her as if looking at a stranger. "You will not raise your voice to me, young lady". She said carefully, her eyes and voice growing colder.
Ally felt her nose getting hot. "Why? We're both your children… even twins so why… Why don't you love me?" This was what she wanted to ask. However, she didn't ask these questions because she knew it was useless. Eventually, she silently nodded and lowered her head as her nails dug into her palm. "You're dismissed. I hope you can reflect on your actions" Her father said calmly, without even looking up from the book he was reading.
Not saying a word, Ally turned around, her legs were stiff and her mind foggy, and she couldn't figure out how she got into the garden.
Not that she cared.
She slowly slid down onto the ground; she was soaked but she didn't care, she even felt grateful. At least she wouldn't be able to tell her tears from the rain. She could cry as much as she liked. So she did.
She had been weeping for a while when the rain suddenly stopped. Confused, she lifted her head and looked through blurry eyes.
A girl with long black hair silently crouched next to her and held an umbrella above them. It was the same girl who was asleep on Ren's first day. She didn't look as dishevelled as the first time, but her eyes were just as serene. Not just her eyes, but even the world around her seemed to have paused. It stands to reason that even with an umbrella, at least her shoes should be wet, but not even a trace of water could be found on her.
Despite looking at the pathetic appearance of her friend, there was no trace of surprise or anger. Contrary to that, in fact, she seemed a little bored as she silently handed Ally a hanky.
"You're ugly when you cry"
Ally smiled wryly and accepted the handkerchief. She didn't question why her friend had suddenly appeared at this time, she was used to it.
"Thanks", she whispered and blew her nose.
"That was to clean your face…"
"..."
***
The night was chilly and gave off a spooky feeling. At this time, when a lot of people would have gone to sleep, a shadow stealthily crept through the streets and to a simple looking house not much different from the rest of them. If there was any difference that should be taken note off, it would be the fact that the lawn was more unkempt, and that it looked more deserted overall than the others.
The door creaked open to a dark room, and a handsome dark skinned young man seemingly in his late twenties sauntered in. What he didn't expect was that the second he looked in, he would see a ghostly white figure look up at him. The eyes were completely lifeless, and he was so thin that even the veins on his neck could be seen.
"A-a-ahhhhh!" the handsome man shrieked and stumbled as he scrambled to switch on the light. When he got a good look at the figure, he heaved a sigh of relief. "I really thought you were a ghost…". The 'ghost' sat there and stared at him blankly and without any recognition in his eyes. He once again slowly fixed his eyes upon his phone and completely ignored the extra presence in the room.
With one glance, it was easy to tell he was an albino, with almost blindingly white hair and extremely light blue eyes. Even in his dishevelled state (it was clear that he hadn't showered- or maybe even eaten in days) it was quite obvious that if he cleaned himself up, he would certainly make heads turn.
The dark skinned young man leaned against a wall and stared at the albino-ghost with unintelligible emotions in his eyes. He finally reluctantly opened his mouth and said, "The boss said to warn you. While he's sympathetic over the divorce, it's been over a month, and his patience is wearing thin…" He added, almost as an afterthought "You may lose your job".
As if under a spell, the albino-ghost woke up and tears instantly pooled in his eyes as he rolled around on the couch.
"Wuuuu I just keep losing everythinggg" he whined and rolled off the couch.
The handsome man looked at the 6 year old grown man who was spread in a starfish pose in front of him and sighed helplessly. "Nova really won't take you back if you continue like this"
The 6-year-old-grown-man-albino-ghost-starfish-that-was-recently-divorced-and-would-soon-lose-his-job; "...Really don't want to live anymore"
That's right, the person wailing on the couch right then was no other than Ren's father and Nova's ex-husband…Craig.
~~~
"What kind of name is Craig?" Nova asked as she wrinkled her nose in distaste. She quickly regretted it as the boy's eyes filled with tears and he looked at her pitifully. His appearance was like a kicked puppy.
"...Too great! It's really too awesome…" she said hurriedly to placate him. Fortunately, Craig didn't seem to notice her perfunctory attitude as he cheered up and sipped his drink in satisfaction. Nova just stared at her companion silently as she recalled the events of the night.
It was her 18th birthday, and in order to celebrate, she and her friends had snuck out. Unexpectedly, her 'friends' had actually drugged her and attempted to record footage of her sleeping with a man. Whether it was to blackmail her or to ruin her reputation due to jealousy or something of the sort, she still was not sure.
Fortunately for her, Craig found the abnormality and was able to save her from them, and threw her into some cold water to counteract the effects of the aphrodisiac on her. It was a bit crude, she admits, but Nova was grateful. He even brought her to the pharmacy and got her some drugs to help, as well as ice cream cos, why not?
Nova had mostly been silent through the whole ordeal, but she finally opened her mouth to ask his name. She was not an ungrateful person, and she knew it was rare for people to be so friendly. Even if he wanted to help, he could have just saved her and then left; there was no need to remain. She had a hard time believing he had no other motives, but it was indeed true he had helped her a lot, as her parents would surely dispose of her if such a video came into existence.
He was extremely friendly, even if she didn't reply, he told her a lot of stories, and his unrestrained laughter caused even her heart to soften. When they passed by a puddle, a car carelessly drove past and almost splashed it on her. She was about to move back and dodge, but she was suddenly drawn into someone's embrace, and so they both got splashed. When she came to her senses, she realised that it was Craig. He didn't hold on to her for longer than necessary and instantly let go, but there was an expectation in his eyes as he looked at her and she even seemed to see a dog's tail wagging excitedly.
Craig: " :) "
Nova: "?"
"Why… did you do that?" She asked cautiously.
Craig's metaphorical ears perked up. "Isn't that how it's done in k-dramas? I saved you from being soaked!" He asked enthusiastically.
Nova wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry. She eventually gave a weak smile and nodded. Even something as simple as that made him quite content and, ignoring his wet trousers, he led her over to the hotel he had booked on short notice. Even though he had booked it, she had insisted on paying and he didn't even try to resist.
"Craig…" she rolled the name over her tongue a few times and tasted it. It was actually quite sweet, but she couldn't understand why it left a bitter taste in her mouth. She stared at the babbling boy before her. Noticing her gaze, Craig stopped and gave her a huge grin. Yes…she couldn't understand it at all.
It wasn't until many years later that Nova would realize just what that bitter taste was. And it wasn't until many years later that she would… regret it. Regret falling in love with this childish idiot of a boy.