Surprises
It's now getting late in the afternoon. The golden afternoon sun was beginning to set. Its beauty crept to its last remaining hours in the red-orange sky. The wind was also a little chilly, that Naia, a young golden haired girl, staring at the sky for minutes now, had been yawning endlessly. She stared at picture perfect lanscape, while sitting right there at the back of the classroom. Right next to the window. She knew she could only witness this wonderful scenery once or twice a week, so she grasped every opportunity that is to come, and since most of the students had gone to school, she had the liberty to look at it for a long time. Then, all of a sudden one of her friends, whom she had just befriended weeks ago came barging inside the room and marched towards her.
"Isn't the sunset beautiful? " Naia said, as she felt her coming towards her.
"Yes, of course", the girl answered " It's always been beautiful as it is everyday. Or rather every twilight"
Naia then stood up as she no longer see the light of the sunset, and began picking up her things and putting them inside her bag.
"Are you finally leaving now? " her friend asks.
Naia nods, but before she could walk out, her friend handed her a card.
"And, for what is this? "Naia asked scrutinizing the card. It had her friend's picture on it, a telephone number and the name 'Selena ' is written.
" In case you'll be needing some sort of help to cope with the past discussion. At the back of that card you will see the location on where we have tutorials. "
"Oh! " she said nodding"Thanks, but isn't this the second time you gave me a card? "
Selena only smiled. "Just keep it "
Then someone suddenly barged inside the classroom. "Selina! " the girl cried out, making Selena twirl around just to face her caller.
"Aizzy?! " Selena cried out, "What's with the hurry? "
"Arrrgh, Nick is summoning you idiot, her patience couldn't last much longer so better hurry up,will you!" Aizzy replied, talking without even stopping to breathe.
"And by the way Karen's with her. "
Selena looked at Naia, "Wanna join us? " she asked.
"I wanted to but I got a busy schedule." Naia apologized. "Maybe next time" she added.
"Oh... maybe next time I see" Selena said sadly, then she sighed this time she's furious, "Why is Nick acting like a boss all the time?! Ichaven't even done wrong this time! What's wrong with her?! "
Aizzy shruggged, cause even she couldn't go against the smart and witty Nicky McKenzie, even though she's older than her.
The duo hurried outside the school ground. Hearts beating fast. Frightened by one person, Nick. Naia tagged behind the both of them, but wasn't scared to hell like what the two are feeling.
Outside, they saw both Nick and Karen waiting for them at a canteen right outside the school, Karen sitting at the top of one of the table, staring at nothingness, while singing whatever song that comes to her mind, her hands on the table supporting her back while continuosly kicking her legs on the air. Meanwhile, Nick was busy playing rubics cube, while playing a song using her headset. Well, at least it's what they thought, or maybe she was annoyed of Karen's out-of-tune singing. She might be upset, because of Selena's tardiness, and it already doubled a moment ago when Karen starts 'singing'
"Oh! Nick! They're here! " Karen shrieked once she saw the two coming. But, Nick being annoyed for quite awhile, continued her course, although she did her Karen because of her pitched voice.
As the two gets closer, Nick said annoyingly, "I told you not to go anywhere, haven't I? " she said without looking up, as she felt Selena dawning over her. Yet, her hands were still playing .
"Nick! Stop acting like your my guard or something! " Selena said irritatingly. On hearing this Nick hurriedly finished her game, put the rubics on the table and faced Selena, her one hand on her pocket and the other on the table. These pretty tomboy, looks a lot more attractive, or handsome rather, than any guys around. Even if she wasn't the only one who wears pants instead of skirt, or wears cap instead of ponies, Nick still stood out among them.
"I'm just concerned" Nick frowned, Selena knew she had hurt her, "I wouldn't act like your bodyguard if I know you'd be safe." Then Nick peaked behind Aizzy and saw Naia. Naia flinched, and this time she was scared stiff too because of Nick's gaze. "You shouldn't just kept track on that girl you know. Your reputation depends on your action you know. How will everyone react if the 'mayor's precious daughter' is obsessing over a girl she happened to meet because of an incident that happened a couple of weeks ago? "
Selena felt humiliated, she knew her tomboy friend is right, and if only Nick was a boy, she'd totally fall for her, cause Nick never had a tint of girlyness in her. Nick's a complete boy in the heart, and that is why often times, girls thought that she's really a boy because of her face, and although they realized that she is a 'lady', Nick is still popular with the girls, they often called her 'pretty boy'. But, this Nicky girl, although she is strong in any sense, from body to gaze, Selena still respects her as a woman.
"Sorry. I said too much" Nick apologized before Selena could utter a single word. Selena knew that that would happen. Nick angry. Nick demanded. Nick apologized. It's always that way.
Selena sighed."I'm suppose to be the one to say sorry, you know. " she said, "I screamed at you. Of course, I do understand your concerns but-"
"But? "
"Don't you think you're overprotecting me too much. I mean Naia's not a bad person, she's quite shy actually, I always followed her cause maybe, she'd just disappear out of the blue"
Nick sighed, she grabbed her rubics cube and puts it inside her pocket. Then, she looked at Selena again.
"So... are we okay now? " she asked. She just wanted to know there aren't anymore hidden grudges. Selena just nodded.
"So? Where are we going now? " Karen asked coming down from the table, making a cutesy face at Nick.
"Come, follow me" Nick said hiding her annoyance to Karen. They followed her.
"Nick!" Aizzy cried in exhaustion, "Why don't we just get a ride. It's so tiring! My feet are starting to soar!"
It had been 30 minutes since they were walking and she's not the only one exhausted.
"You should've complained right before we set off, idiot" Nick said, "We're almost there, don't worry. So, until then, save your feet. "
Aizzy annoyingly elbowed her, while Selena and Karen laughed at them.
"How am I suppose to know it would be such a long walk like this! " Aizzy cried
"Oh! But you're the only one complaining, it's a sign that you should take a diet. " Nick said in such a straight face that Selena and Karen can't hold back their laughter"
"Excuse me! I'm not that fat! " Aizzy punched her in embarrassment. Nick laughed.
After some more minutes, they have already arrived at their destination. Nick quickly entered a restaurant while Karen and Aizzy started giggling behind Selena, who was now too confused to say anything.
Nick step aside and said, "Ladies first" to Selena
"You're a lady too you know! " Selena protested.
"Come on. Let's not base on the physical but on the heart please. " Nick smirked. Selena pouted, then opened the door.
As soon as she opened the door, her eyes widened. "Happy Birthday Selena! " the crowd inside cried in unison.
Selena turned red with shock and later on with excitement. She almost shed tears because of the unexpected surprise.
"Oh my... I almost forgot the date today! It's my birthday, how could I forget such a day! "she said tears rushed down her cheeks, " I never expected these. Thank you"
She, then great the guest and they great her a happy birthday in return. Every boy in the crowd then came to her and gave her flowers. She gratefully received them.
Aizzy then came towards her and said, "Of course you won't anticipate this. Nick's such a great manipulator you know"
"As expected" Selena replied. "I wouldn't be too surprised if I knew it was Nick"
"I know right, but your reaction says otherwise"
"That's cause I didn't know it was my birthday today"
Aizzy laughed.
Selena roamed her eyes around the whole place, and saw beautifully they have decorated the whole place, plus it is the hue of her favorite color. Red. Then, among the crowd she spotted her mother.
"Mom! " she cried out
"Happy birthday, darling" her mother said kissing her on the cheeks.
"Thank you Mom" she replies happily, then she looked again among the crowd looking for someone, "Where's Dad? " she asked.
"Your father can't make it this time. He had urgent meeting with the council. But we do have a little present for you"
Her mother handed her small black box, adorned with cherry blossom carvings. Selena excitedy opened it. Inside it contained an amulet, with a ruby as the gem. She held the amulet, and she saw it glimmered a liitle and she even saw her reflection. But then, it fainted suddenly
"Wow Mom, you really know what I really like"
"But of course, you're my daughter.A mother should know what her daughter wants",her mother said "Come here, I'll help you wear that"
she said she carefully grabbed amulet and places it on her neck.
"It's so pretty! " Selena said admiring her amulet again.
"Let's go then and change your clothes to match your necklace. "
"Thank you so much Mom"
she said again.
Sometime later, after she had changed her uniform into an elegant red gown embedded with red jewels, matching the very gift she received from her parents. She hugged her mother as soon as she came out of the changing room, then, she spotted Karen and Aizzy talking to a guy. The guy whom she recognized as one of the first boys who gave her a flower earlier.
"Aizzy! Karen! " she called, making both girls and the guy they're talking to turned to see her, "Where's Nick? " Selena asked.
"She was in a hurry" Aizzy explained, "she said she got a call"
"She's obviously lying! " Selena frowned. "She haven't even given me her gift yet"
"Oh but she did" Karen said. "This whole place is her gift to you"
"What? " Selena asked, then roamed her eyed once again. She didn't realize that this was her favorite restaurant, which is owned by Nick's grandmother.
"She's the one who designed this place and we just helped a little" Karen added.
Selena looked outside, the sky, it was beginning to grow dark.
"Even Naia's gone" she said sadly
"Oh! Naia never made it here. She said she had urgent things to do." Karen said.
"Oh" Selena said looking out the darkness. "Is it just me or do you also think that both Naia and Nick seems out of this world. "
"Why would you think it like that? " Aizzy laughed.
"Nothing it's just that, they both seem so far away from us"
Selena looked at her dress then on her necklace, all she can think about is her special day today, so what were Naia and Nick thinking?.
******
Naia had wandered away when she had the time to go, when she was with Selena and the rest of her gang. Right now, she was walking restlessly, until she saw a shed nearby. She looked at the sky. It was now getting dark. She sat at the chair on the shed as if waiting for somebody to fetch her. She was so exhausted, and she might die in insanity just by looking for something to quench her thirst. She sighed hard.
"That nightmare really scared the hell out of me", she said her facing saying that she had dreamt a really troublesome dream." It's really a good thing I watched the sunset today, it might soothe my mind at least."then her face grew glum again. "But, I kept on remembering that guardian whatsover guy it is... Am I being haunted by spirits?! Or maybe I have done something when lost my memory and now they're bothering me ,so even though it's not entirely my fault ... well maybe it is my fault... "
"But I didn't know myself just yet... Was I reincarnated? Or maybe I was a spirit before and this isn't my real body... Oh that's right... maybe this isn't my body... right, right." Then, she frantically grew in panic again. "But why can't I remember anything!? Am I suppose to be the reincarnated girl now!? But it had just been more than a week since I got here. What do I suppose to do!? "
"What's the matter, Naia? " a voice of a guy said in her head. But he also appeared like a ghost to her.
"You again! " Naia cried in surprise, "Y-you're the strange g-ghost, calling y-yourself a g-guardian. "
She heard the voice in her head laughed softly, at the same the image in front of her did the the action. Creepy, she thought.
"Yes, yes. I am a guardian but not a ghost though.I will tell you again, My name is Soho. And I have told you time and again that you are not a human. You seeing me is a proof of that. Your a fizenian, and a royal... " Soho cleared his throat, hoping that 'Naia' didn'y hear the word 'royal'. "As I said your a fizenian and I am your guardian, and every fizenian has one guardian" he finally said. He felt so bad about lying to her, yet this is for the best. Cause in this girl's current situation everything would be complicated, once she knows everything, and he's glad she doesn't know and is now taking advantage of it.
"Yes and yes, I know. You told me that a couple of times okay. I'm a missionary from Fi... fi... fi... what's that place called again? "
"Fizenia" Soho corrected, " Please remember that, Naia" he said thinking, forget the other things, the painful and harder once. Just remember the place you came from and the one thing entrusted to you.
"Alright. Fizenia. Right. Okay, I have imprinted it in my memory. "Naia said repeating Fizenia over and over again, as if her life depends on it, then she sighed. " But Soho, do you really think I could possibly do that arduous job? I mean. I still can't imagine how that would be my reason being here and being 'it' as my mission."
"Of course, you can Naia. Remember that you're the prin-ahem-I mean the best missionary of Fizenia. " Naia sighed as Soho secretly feared the word he was about to say. His heart beats like hell, and he avoided that one word he wanted to avoid being said by himself, just to make a perfect lie. Unfortunately, he wasn't that good at lying. But, the young lady's naiveness is quite an advantage.
A guy about Naia's age, sitting at a distance beside her, enjoying a game on his phone, noticed that Naia was speaking alone. The guy observes her thinking if she is talking to someone on a wireless headset or she's more likely 'madwoman'.
"I don't want those people to die" Naia uttered, most likely because Soho explained about what would happen if ever her mission isn't executed or is failed. "No. I don't want want my own kinds to die" she said determined.
At this point, the guy beside her started to be interested, thinking that this girl might have an 'eight grade syndrome' or just an insane little lady.
"Have you gone to different kinds of jewelry shops? " Soho asked.
"No. I haven't done anything yet actually. I was about to start-" then she gasped, "how'd you know that? "
"Eavesdroping, of course. " Soho said confidently. "I've heard you talking to Selina about it last time. "
Naia calmed herself down. Her temper unusually gets high because of him, even though they just 'happened' to meet when her memories were hazy. She gets a card from her pocket, the same one Selina gave her, then picks a piece of paper next. She puts the card back inside her pocket and crumpled, the already crumbled paper, into a ball. She was about to throw it to the already laughing Soho, but realize for a second that Soho isn't just a 'guardian' or anything. He was just an illusion in this world. At least that was what he told her. Yet. She was desperately waiting for the right moment to take a revenge on him. She wasn't being cruel, that was at least what she thinks. She was only trying to get back what he had done to her weeks ago until now. But as long as she's inside this world,and as long as people here consider as 'human',she have to wait for an opportunity to the ever advantage taker, Soho. She sighed, then flattened the crumpled paper, trying to distract herself, then her eyes suddenly grew wide thinking about something that had just popped on her mind, her hand gripped the paper she had just effortly flattened. Now, the guy really thinks she's a madwoman.
"Got no time for this! " she told herself and darted off the night. The guy gasped in both shock and amusement.
"Definetly a madwoman" then the guy scratched his head, " Wait a freaking moment. She looks familiar! " he said. "Yes, it is her. But, no way. Is my eyes and ears deceiving me?! " he cried out in frustation. "I don't know what to know! "
As Naia arrived at her destination, she heard Soho said, " Another victim of insanity", then heard him laughed. She panted vigorously as she, get a hold of the lamp post, so as to balance herself from falling to unconciousness.
"Laughing ...without... cause... is.. the.. same... as... being... insane.. " Naia uttered trying to catch her breath.
Meanwhile, Nick was also running about on the same place Naia, had gone. She lied about having a call, because actually she hates noisy people plus crowded place. She hates gowns and dresses too. She's the exact opposite of Selina, who is obsessed over those kinds of worldly goods, but she wasn't. So now, she had an open space to get away, cause though she hates parties, she do love to manipulate people and surprise them at the end. Having done all of that as a gift for her friend, she could finally escaped. But then, she saw someone familiar, and for just a secong her heart beats fast thinking that her gang were after her. But, sighed hard when she saw that it was Naia.
'She seemed exhausted', she thought as she approached Naia.
"You okay? " Nick asked as she went near her. Naia looked at her in awe, as if it was the first time she had seen her, but she answered Nick by nodding her head.
Nick then trace down her finger's to Naia's forehead, "What the hell did you do to yourself!? You bathed yourself with your own sweat! " Nick cried angrily, scolding her as if Naia did something so horrible. "I command you not to go anywhere. I'll dash to the nearest convenience store to buy you a drink. Wait for me here"
Then off Nick went.
Some time later, Naia was little by little reviving from her exhaustion, then entered the shop that she had planned to go to. She quickly glanced at the place where Nick commanded her to wait. She sighed. She didn't know what that tomboy was thinking cause she knew Nick didn't trust or even like her. Unlike, the rest of her friends who openly welcomed her in, with loving arms. Yet sometimes, Nick would worry about her. Maybe not really for her sake, but for Selena's, and right now she knew that she'll really worry. But, Naia has no time to be petty nor she has the time to deal with her own weakness. Right now, she had plenty of proper things to do, and as much as she was concerned with that thing she would be doing, it would be the opposite of what might happen to her. She wouldn't care less even if she collapse right after her all-out run. At least she knew how it felt running on a marathon, that what was she thought. Because the only thing that she is focused right now is saving her own 'kind', and finish her mission as soon as possible, even if the disadvantage of it is that she still doesn't know what the purpose of collecting a jewel's shards that scattered everywhere in this world, and how on earth will she find those. Maybe, she knew it even right before she came to this world, but then, she lost her memory.
Nick, went back to the exact place where she had left Naia, only to find out she wasn't there anymore. She roamed her eyes from the pavement to the shop, and spotted her dazingly looking at something on the glass case of a jewelry store.
"Naia! " she called her as she entered the shop, but Naia was absent-mindedly touching a diaphanous empty glass window.
Nick, grew more worried at her state, but she also thought, 'Did she came all the way here just to buy a jewelry?'. Cause Nick was also thinking that maybe she did that cause she has nothing to give Selena
"Naia! " Nick called out again, but Naia still hadn't move an inch to whereb she is.
"This is it! " Nick heard Naia whispered.
"Hey! You alright? " Nick asked as she placed her one hand on Naia's hand. The hand that touches the glass. Then, as if strucked by an electric zap, Nick flinched and removed her hands. She grew pale. She wasn't sure what is it she saw, but she was sure that she saw it clearly. Something shining and glimmering. Some kind of flaming bright red precious stone. A flaming ruby to be exact. She may have taken a glance at it, no more than a mere second, yet, but she clearly saw something on where Naia was blankly staring, and she even felt a strong strange feeling, as if being attached to it like a magnet, but once touch she'll be electrified. It was an unsual feeling, but she felt it had filled her with strength, just a tiny bit though. She gasped as Naia, came to her senses.
"Huh?" Naia asked confused at Nick's also confused reaction
"Oh...y-your w-water" Nick uttered her face turning red. "Here" she said as she tucked the water bottle on Naia's arms" Uhhh... w-well... uhmmm... d-drink it w-well a-and call me i-if you need help" she said then getting her calling card and gave it to her, "So I-I'll g-get going now and be sure not to exhaust yourself like what you did earlier" then she waved Naia goodbye and left. Naia all the while was confused by Nick's actions and was too confused too, to say anything.
"Nick?"she just said but the tomboy was already out of sight.