"Hmm, how do we get there?" I asked the stunning lady standing by my side. She was almost a stranger in a short green dress that made it halfway to her knees with a very subtle cleavage at the top. She was blessed in her upper area, a factor that almost changed the roses' ranking. Merry's hair was now in a side-part style, her curls cascading like endless darkness.
"Let's take a taxi, I don't want to walk there and get all sweaty," She offered.
"Do you even study somehow, or do you just fool around?" It was half a question and half a scolding. I just finished my afternoon classes, but somehow, Merry was dressed in something that there was no way she could bring with her to school and she acquired a completely new haircut that probably took over an hour to arrange. SHE HAD CLASSES TO ATTEND!
"What are you talking about? My grades are as perfect as Nyssa's, I'm at the top of my year in Business School," she shrugged. Something in her statement made me squint my eyes in suspicion.
Could it be that she was a cultivator?
So many things would make sense if she was!
Her friendship with Nyssa could be explained; maybe Nyssa taught her some cultivation tricks so she could protect herself. Sympathy between two roses or something like that. They both had perfect scores, although I was not sure if it had anything to do with cultivation. They were both ridiculously beautiful, although all the ten roses were.
But too many coincidences adding up could lead to facts. My sister tended to disappear during the day to God knows where, often coming back with stuff we couldn't afford, and honestly, cultivation would be much better than my nightmares about her working in prostitution for extra cash.
'How does she make money with cultivation?' I pondered, and a few ideas came to mind. I hoped she didn't do anything illegal with her power if my conjectures about her were correct.
My mind raced as it kept coming up with other situations that my theory could explain. For example, last night at the karaoke, she seemed to be aware that the three had malicious intentions, yet she didn't fear them in the slightest.
Furthermore, she left Nyssa alone, then didn't worry about me going there by myself to fight off three guys. She knew that the other girl was powerful enough to beat them black and blue!
"Wait, Merry, can we trust each other with our secrets?" I grabbed her arm, making her stop in her tracks and look at me in surprise.
"Of course, we can. Why are you asking?" Her hazel eyes seemed greener outside as the sunrays seemed to compete among them on the special spot that illuminated her irises.
I hesitated for a few seconds, unsure if I should bring it up. If I were wrong, it'd be difficult to undo mentioning cultivation, but it was also insincere to demand her to tell me her secret while keeping mine safe.
"Are you a cultivator?" The words eventually came out of my mouth. I needed to know.
"What do you mean?"
Her words hurt me a bit, but I also knew she was in a tough spot if my conclusion was right. When you take someone by surprise, they are unable to make a clear decision immediately, and the first reaction would be to probe the other side, gather information, buy time, and use all that to decide on a plan.
"I'm asking whether you are a cultivator, if you use Qi to empower yourself. Please be truthful with me."
A short pause, silence between us as the world kept moving. The cars' sounds, the tiers rolling on the asphalt, the honks. The laughter of pedestrians, their conversations, their shoes hitting the bricks as they walked. Everything turned silent in our private world as I waited for her to take the first step toward a deeper bond, one with no secrets.
"Cultivation is fictional," she declared. A step in the wrong direction.
'Is she not going to trust me?' I asked myself, feeling physical pain in my chest. My grip over her hand loosened.
'No, push further.' Push the waves and help the tides. I'm her bigger brother, I should assist her in opening up, giving her a sensation of comfort and assurance. Instead of blaming it all on her and playing the victim, acting would be better.
"It's not. I am a cultivator, that's how I beat the three thugs earlier today. Are you one too?"
Vulnerability. Being at the mercy of others sometimes could give you power. I shared my secret with her, backed by proof, and now it was up to her if she wanted to reciprocate the gesture.
"It's not, I am a cultivator too," she admitted. "But are you really a cultivator? Hehe, I'd never guess with that weak display," she poked me, her giggle lightening the atmosphere.
"Eh, keep your mouth shut if you don't want to be spanked in public," I brandished my ultimate weapon, "here's our cab, let's get to your audition. By the way, are you telling me you'd fare better than me against them?"
She released her hand and we both entered the backseat, enjoying the comfortable leather seats of the white Merces car. The air conditioning was turned on, keeping the temperature pleasant at 22 Celsius. At least it should have been pleasant, but I prefer colder environments these days.
"Yup, they wouldn't lay a single finger on me without having it broken." She got closer to me, placing her colored lips close enough to make her breath tickle my skin as her hand rested on my thigh for support, "I bet they wouldn't last three seconds against me."
She took joy in whispering into my ear every time she made outrageous statements. An inseparable part of the teasing she so much loved.
"Be a good girl, the driver will get a boner if you keep leaning all over me like that," I whispered back, hoping the man couldn't hear us. He was a professional, he kept his eyes on the road. The driver was a mere excuse, he couldn't see that much through the narrow mirror. Someone else in the car was at risk of getting a boner from the situation.
"Where did you learn about cultivation? Is it what you and Nyssa did in your time together last night?"
Her grip on my thigh got tighter when Nyssa's name came up, making me stifle a quiet groan. It was not enough for me to cry about it, so I tried to ignore it.
"Among other stuff," I gave a vague answer.
"Other stuff?" Her grip turned painful beyond my tolerance. It didn't make me scream, but it was… painful.
"Merry, sweetie, you're hurting me. Mind loosening your grip a little?" I asked in the hope that the scary smile she was giving me didn't mean she planned my murder tonight. It was different from her usual smirks and grins. This smile looked like a bad omen.
"What other stuff?" She asked again. It was not a grip anymore, that clench could act as a tourniquet.
Wait, why was she angry?
Some wild thoughts entered my mind, fueled by my forbidden desire for them to be true. It can't be that she was as broken as me. I could say that I was turned on by her because she was freaking hot, but what was her excuse?
Yup, chill man, there's no way-
"Argh, they will have to cut my leg off soon if you don't let go," the pain woke me up from my reveries and fantasies. I closed my fingers on top of her palm, trying to pull it off. Her dark green nails, matching her dress and eyes, felt like claws that would rip my flesh apart if I kept pulling them.
"Excuse me, we have reached your destination," the driver's announcement made me sigh in relief, believing my salvation was right there.
"Wait, we are in the middle of a conversation. We will pay the extra if you shut up and stay out of it," Merry's melodious voice somehow didn't sound hostile at all, but the situation just kept getting scarier. She was not joking when she claimed those three dudes were not her match.
"We will talk about it later tonight, at home. This is not the right place to talk about family secrets, alright?" My forced smile turned into a grimace as I started losing sensation in my right leg.
"Hmm," she pondered on it for a moment, staring right into my eyes all this while, "Okie, we will talk about it later tonight. Let's go." The cuteness returned to her voice as she let me go. She jumped out of the car, leaving the bill to me, maybe as part of her tantrum. I did not mind though, even if she used her cultivation to make extra money and was richer than me, I wouldn't be stingy with someone I care about.
'Huh, I hope things are going to be okay…'