"Watch out, Elizabeth, this is what you asked for. Beware... my fist might accidentally touch your chest!" David Gustine reached out towards Elizabeth with a playful grin. It was evident that he was aiming for Elizabeth's chest, and he was dead set on doing so.
With a "thud," a punch landed squarely on David Gustine's nose.
Caught off guard, David failed to dodge the punch and staggered back several steps, eventually falling flat on his butt, with blood spurting from his nose.
"Oh, my God, damn it. You're done, Elizabeth, no woman has ever treated me like this." David Gustine struggled to get up from the ground, but before he could fully stand, he collapsed back onto the floor.
Just one punch knocked him out. It seemed that Elizabeth's punch packed quite a punch.
The others wanted to help, but a glare from Elizabeth instantly made them hesitate. After all, if she could effortlessly knock David Gustine down, they probably wouldn't fare much better.
"If I were you, I'd rush this guy to the hospital. There's a clinic in town, would you like me to call for you?" Elizabeth shrugged and spread her hands out. Without waiting for their response, she added, "Alright, since you're not responding, I'm going to go!"
With that, she gripped Lisa's hand and headed home.
Once Elizabeth left, the guys rushed over to David Gustine, who was still sprawled on the floor. They helped him up, and he shook his head, saying, "I could have touched it, why am I lying on the ground—" Before he could finish his sentence, he collapsed back onto the floor.
All along the way, Lisa couldn't stop laughing. She hopped and jumped around Elizabeth, saying, "Today was so much fun! That jerk deserved a good beating. I've been sick of him for a while now. I saw him fall with a 'thud', haha, that was so cool, Elizabeth, it was really cool."
Elizabeth just smiled and shrugged.
"Actually, I could've kicked his little man parts too. I believe that would've hurt him enough."
The two of them continued to walk and laugh. When they arrived home, Elizabeth said goodnight to Lisa and walked into her own living room.
"Elizabeth, hey, can you spare two minutes?" A voice suddenly stopped Elizabeth. She turned around to see Mr. kort sitting on the sofa, looking at her with a somewhat serious expression, while her mother, Sanna, looked at her with some worry.
"Of course, Dad, what's up?" Elizabeth walked over to the sofa and chose a spot to sit, facing her father with her elbows on her knees, ready to listen.
Mr. kort cleared his throat and looked at Elizabeth with a serious expression, "Listen, Elizabeth, dear, you have to understand what we are."
"Yes, I know. I only told Lisa! I haven't told anyone else." Elizabeth replied, "I promise, we'll stay here, we won't go anywhere, okay?"
"I knew it was something like this, that's why I've been feeling this invisible pressure these days, just like when I asked about the things in the lake," Mr. kort continued, "No, Elizabeth, we need to move, we need to leave here."
"No, Dad, aren't you being a bit paranoid? Things aren't that bad yet. She... she's just my friend, and I can assure you she won't tell anyone." Elizabeth responded quickly, "This is a big deal, we can't make a hasty decision. Plus, I've already applied to a few universities... If I go to college, I'll be leaving here soon, won't I?"
Mr. kort's face was stern, without a smile, but he didn't immediately object.
That's right, Elizabeth was about to graduate from high school. If they waited until her college acceptance letter arrived before leaving, it probably wouldn't be too late. There were only two months left, two months...
"Dad, it's just two months!" Elizabeth appealed, stretching out her hand towards him, "Please, I can't just leave like this. I have friends here, my life is here. Even if we have to leave, we need to have an explanation, right? And... why do we always have to run?"
"No, we're not running, we're trying to blend into human society. We're the result of a mistake by God, and we can only continue to live in this world by staying low-key." Mr. kort sighed, deciding to compromise. Hopefully, there won't be any trouble. He waved his hand, "I need to think about this."
Elizabeth nodded, looked at her father, then at her mother, and slowly got up to go to her room. She was indeed scared by what just happened.
Lisa arrived home just as Joseph was getting in. He glanced at her and said, "I haven't got time to cook dinner tonight. Let's eat out in town or order takeout."
"Let's order takeout!" Lisa replied, stepping inside and addressing Joseph who'd followed her in. "Were you at Jason's?"
"Yeah, I went over to the Prescott's with him. Things didn't go so smoothly, though. Then we came back together." Joseph replied with a smile. "You're ordering..."
"I'm ordering the takeout." Lisa dropped her backpack and sat down on the sofa, picking up the landline phone. As she was about to dial, a thought seemed to cross her mind. She turned to Joseph and asked, "Hey, Dad, can I ask what you and Jason were discussing? Was it about me?"
"About you? Why would it be about you?" Joseph sat down and massaged his neck, then remembering something, he stood up, ready to brew himself a cup of coffee.
"Weren't you two together to discuss this?" Lisa shook her head, somewhat displeased. "I bet he didn't tell you that I dumped him, did he? I knew it... From your expression, I can tell he didn't. He's such a hypocrite."
"What... what are you talking about?" Joseph asked, surprised.
"I'm saying I dumped Jason. Surprised, aren't you?" Lisa huffed, clearly upset. "When I first told him I liked him, he immediately told you. Men and their vanity."
"Forget that, I heard you. You dumped Jason, right?" Joseph said, perking up and nodding. "I knew he could handle it. Jason promised me he'd sort things out between you two. I guess... he is indeed a man of his word."
"What? He said he'd sort things out between us? Good heavens, Dad, I was the one who brought up the breakup. It wasn't him... Well, I didn't exactly spell it out, but... I don't care about any of that anymore."
"I approve of this." Joseph smiled and said, "No matter who brought it up, I like the outcome. But... I don't agree with what you said later."
"Which part?" Lisa shrugged.
"He's not a hypocrite, Lisa. He's a good guy. He's even saved your life twice." Joseph looked at Lisa and said, "He's not just an ordinary person. He's my friend. So... can we drop this?"
"Fine, I can't believe..." Lisa shook her head, then picked up the phone and said, "Hi, is this Little Pinecone Pizzeria? This is the Cox residence, ...Okay, thank you. Goodbye!"
As the sun began to set, the night began to blanket the town. Jason sat on the balcony, cradling a cup of coffee. The bitter taste lingered in his mouth, keeping his mind sharp.
Birds fluttered in the trees, and the wind swept through the forest, making a rustling noise along with the occasional roar from some unknown beast. Something dark in the forest seemed slowly to spread into the night.
The moon had just begun to rise, but a gust of wind brought clouds that slowly obscured its pale glow. Jason still sat on the balcony, a corner of which was illuminated by the light spilling out from the living room.
The wind rustled the leaves. "It's not a very quiet night, is it?" Jason took a sip of his coffee, shaking his head and murmuring to himself.