Alicarde had nothing to say for himself. The countless missed calls from Anne weighed heavily on his conscience. He had been too depressed to even look at his phone, and once he emerged from that dark cloud, he left all her messages on read. The guilt gnawed at him, far more potent than any excuse he could muster.
Anne was not just his first friend here; she was his only friend. The blonde girl with a heart of gold had always been there, worrying about him, wondering why he hadn't been coming to class. In truth, if the roles were reversed, Alicarde would have likely stopped caring after the first call—assuming he even made one. But Anne had grown on him in a way he hadn't expected, her kindness penetrating the hardened exterior he'd built around himself.
"So, Anne... right... so I had this thing, and I... well... I wanted to text back, but honestly, I felt really guilty for ghosting you for so long. It was sort of my bad." His words were awkward, the guilt more than apparent.
Anne looked at him, her eyes narrowing. "You show up after a few days looking like you just crawled out of a luxury magazine, and that's your excuse?" Her glare was sharp, cutting through any pretense.
"My bad, Anne. Forgive me, Anne-sama," Alicarde replied, trying to lighten the mood with a playful tone, bowing his head slightly.
Her expression softened, but the glare remained. "Hey, am I being a nuisance to you by calling and texting?"
Her words stung, making his heart sink further. "No, never... you are literally my only friend, and I appreciate it. Knowing that you have my back means a lot to me." He spoke with sincerity, hoping she could feel the truth in his words.
Anne's eyes brightened, her smile like a rainbow after a storm.
"Really, I'm your only friend? Geez, you need a social life. Well, I guess I'll tough it out with you for a little while longer. After all, I am your only friend," she teased.
Alicarde felt a wave of relief wash over him. She had let it go, at least for now. Anne gently placed her hands on his shoulders, locking eyes with him, her expression serious.
"Ghost me again, and I'll kill you and be the only person at your funeral. You get me? Capish?" she whispered, her voice taking on the tone of an Italian gangster.
Alicarde nodded quickly, a playful smile creeping onto his face.
"Are you an Italian gangster now... Capish?"
Anne gave him a cold glare, balling her fist and holding it up to his face.
"Yes, ma'am, understood. But it would be hard to kill me with that cute and dainty body of yours. I'm sort of immortal, you know," he said, trying to keep the mood light.
Anne's face reddened slightly as she adjusted her glasses.
"I'm... I'm not cu... cute," she mumbled, her voice barely above a whisper.
Seeing her flustered state, Alicarde leaned in, using his finger to lift her chin.
"Wow, are you blushing? That's so cute... you are the sweetest thing in existence," he whispered softly.
Anne must have had enough of his nonsense, as she suddenly punched him in the gut. It didn't hurt, but he pretended to double over in pain.
He gazed at her noticing the faint shimmer of a chain on her neck.
"Nice chain, I didn't know you accessorized," Alicarde said, attempting to change the subject and gesturing toward her neck.
Anne paused, the annoyance fading as she reached for the pendant around her neck.
"This old thing? You wouldn't believe it, but this is a magic charm given to my gran by a witch, and my gran passed it on to me." Her voice held a note of excitement as she shared the story.
The pendant was small, silver with a round, almost oval-shaped gem embedded in its center. It dangled delicately from a thin chain, its surface reflecting the light in a subtle shimmer.
Alicarde wore a deadpan expression, unable to sense any magic from it.
"I think your grandma was scammed. Charms and magic aren't real, you know," he said dismissively, despite knowing otherwise.
Anne rolled her eyes, unfazed by his skepticism.
"Yeah, I know, but I believe esper powers are real. They have to be. And if they are, then magic must be real too, by that measure witches too." Her gaze drifted off as if lost in a daydream.
Alicarde looked at her, feeling a pang of guilt. He had just denied the existence of something he knew to be true. The world she imagined wasn't all rainbows and sunshine more often, it was hell. Though Alicarde hadn't personally witnessed it, he had heard enough from Carrisa to know the truth.
"So, you didn't believe my heroic battle against a skinwalker, but you believe in an urban legend?" Alicarde teased, recalling her disbelief.
Anne smirked, turning around and walking to a nearby bench. She sat down, a knowing smile on her face.
"Who on earth would believe in monsters? If you had said a witch or an esper, I'd totally believe you. Speaking of espers, there was footage from a supernatural battle in the city."
Alicarde's heart skipped a beat as she recounted the incident with Argint in Evergreen City, though she didn't know it was him.
"I believe this city's underworld was behind the cover-up. After all, we live in a coastal city, and lots of trade happens here, so the underworld and mafia must have covered it up, and the cops were bought out."
"Yeah, sure," Alicarde replied nonchalantly, trying to hide his unease.
"That's not all, Ali. These days, people have been going missing left and right, and no one is talking about it. Like, it's mind-boggling. No news outlets are covering it, at least not the formal ones," Anne continued, her voice tinged with conspiracy.
Alicarde listened to her theories, trying to maintain a skeptical expression. He always remembered the faces he made in different scenarios. His mother was good at catching lies, so he had learned to make his lies more believable.
The trick had been to let her catch some lies and create a pattern for her to use for detecting falsehoods. When she believed her pattern was working, she wouldn't catch him when he didn't use the patterns.
"Anne, dear, do you need some cold water? You look stressed. Maybe I can call our professors and tell them that the class rep is about to become a loon," Alicarde interrupted, feigning concern.
Anne stopped, her tone indignant. "I am not a lunatic... and speaking of which..." She leaned in close, her breath warm against his ear as she whispered.
"We already submitted Professor Malefica's assignment, and, oh, by the way, don't tell anyone, but she's conducting a little test today to see how much of the topic we understand and to weed out those who slacked off, like you."
Smiling like a seductress, she continued, "You don't need to worry, though. Mommy Anne settled it all for you. I did your part of the work, and I also kept a copy for you. But now that I'm a... loon, I guess you don't want it. Oh, and the test starts in ten minutes when Malefica shows up."
Alicarde was about to tease her for calling herself "Mommy Anne," but refrained. His future was in the hands of this little mommy.
"Madam Anne... no, Mommy Anne, I believe! I believe in espers. In fact, I was the first person to believe in espers, and your grandma was definitely not scammed by a shady character. That charm works like a charm," he said, his tone dripping with sycophancy.
Anne looked at him, stifling a laugh at his ridiculousness.
"Fine, I'll let it go. Oh, and by the way, I believe in the existence of monsters too... I just don't believe you fought one and lived without a scratch. Next time, show up with a broken bone or two, okay?" she said, reaching into her bag.
She handed him a thick stack of papers, and Alicarde stared at it in disbelief. He was supposed to study this in under ten minutes and expect not to fail?
Anne stood up from the bench, giving him a look of pity.
"I'll go now. I still have class rep work to do, and also, I cannot believe the hoops I had to jump through for you. You owe me lunch or something, but I could totally take your soul if you offer it," she teased.
Alicarde placed his hand on his forehead, falling to one knee in mock despair.
"Fair maiden, I would gladly offer my soul. A shame my folly has cost me my soul and my life, now owned by a wicked she-devil."
Anne chuckled at his dramatic flair, always amused by his antics. She said her farewells and walked toward the large building where their class was held, leaving Alicarde on the bench.
Alicarde looked at the thick stack of papers with a serious expression and began to skim through them. The topic was interesting enough to hold his attention, so he read on, absorbing as much information as he could.
When he finally raised his head and checked the time on his phone, his heart sank. He was late—by a whole twenty minutes.
"Oh God, I am so screwed," he muttered, jumping up and sprinting towards the building.
Of all the professors in the psychology department, Alicarde had heard the most about Malefica. She was the kind of professor who made students tremble in their seats—not just because of her strictness, but because of the stories that followed her.
Even though he barely attended classes, he knew she was ultra-strict, notorious for catching students off guard. But the rumors didn't stop there, some said she had the beauty of an angel but the soul of a demon.
As he approached the lecture hall, Alicarde noticed with some relief that the side door was slightly ajar. 'Perfect,' he thought. It had worked last time, it should work again. He slipped through the door, which creaked ever so slightly, and entered the room as quietly as he could, trying to be as soundless as a ninja or a nightshade moving through the darkness.
As he crouched and began to move closer to the other students, he caught sight of his familiar, Warth, looming on the wall beside him. Warth seemed to have a presence all its own, its form darker and more defined than mere shadows should be. Its eyes, seemed to glare at him with that ever-present menacing look.
It was a reminder of the darkness that lingered in his life, always watching, always waiting.
'I don't have time for this,' he thought, pushing the dark presence out of his mind. He rolled into a crouch behind some seats, then slowly began to edge forward, hoping to blend in with the other students before anyone noticed him.
Just as he started to relax, thinking he might have actually pulled it off, a voice rang out, cold and precise.
"The student that just came in, the one that fancies himself a stealthy ninja... I have a question for you."
Alicarde froze, his heart sinking. Malefica was facing the other way, but he could feel the weight of her words pressing down on him.
She turned slowly, her gaze locking onto him with a laser-like intensity that made his blood run cold. Her hazel eyes were like shards of ice, her expression as unreadable as ever.
He stood up, feeling the stares of all the other students drilling into him. He was the center of attention, and at that moment, all he wanted was for the ground to open up and swallow him whole.