"I suppose I don't have to write anything today." The girl discarded her note into the bag as she walked to the house with her new friend, holding at her life.
"What a worst day to go to school in Monday. Those brats hits me on the eyes like they thought they were some bullies or something? How immature of them..."
"That boy is also terrifying."
"So what does being a criminal out there feel like?"
"Bad. So unjust, human..." The creature pokes its head out of the bag, letting air and the storm brewing near his marble face.
"People really took it bitter when I tried to help them. Next thing you know, they called the police after you save a kitten from a burning building."
"Well, if there's really a burning building to begin with."
"How did you even get here? Where did you come from? And why are you so desperate to clean your crime? Sounds like you're playing fire to be here..."
"Oh, human. Playing fire is my skill..." The creature brags with a taunting smile.
"I wouldn't be here looking for you if I wasn't this great! But if I want to continue my vigilance on the city of Elis, I had to clean my name first. Which is the awful part of being great and famous across the town."
"Can't you just pick someone mature and older than me? I'm 19 and I have a lot of homework to do."
"Oh, human. It wasn't that simple to be a chosen one when
"How am I the chosen one? Am I slaying a dragon to make a life-changing moment that somehow turned my point of view with people afterward? Is that what being chosen one should be?" She angers.
The creature forces its honesty, "Well, you're not. That's just what I called you when you're...had what I needed."
"That's what The Adventure of Thalia said in chapter 3 to her new slimy friend she met in the forest when he said he needs her help to get a resin from the sacred tree. Then it ends with world liberation from the evil dragon."
"Gosh, that chapter ends so quickly with 20 chapters. So quick and anti-climatic when it could've been extended by...80 chapters? I mean, I don't want to read that long either..."
*Stomp moss* "But it felt like it could've been longer. Something longer than your average school project homework. Like Thalia beating the shit out of a moss for six chapters because she had to look like an idiot after her mother doubted her stupid decision for the graduation ceremony plan?"
"Oh, what was she thinking? She deserves to let it all out! Hrgh!"
She starts ranting on the pavement street in an empty field as drizzle comes down from the clouds—a tampered kettle boiling above her hair. The purple eye brings disdain and further ache to her vision—she had forgotten the calm days. The creature looks at her in an awkward persistence until the girl pauses.
"Friend, are you okay?"
"Why did everyone hates me??" She stares back at the creature with fury, sharpening her pupils like an alarmed cat.
"Eek!" The creature hides behind the bag.
"Why didn't I just punch Lisa on the face when I could...? They think they are..."
The thought of shivering touch within the crystal still lingers in Eve's fingers. The immense power is irresistible for her to ignore, even in her lowest hour. The sharp touch on the finger imprinted a hope that seemingly conflicted with her anger.
"My finger. It's still cold..."
"Did the rune do something to you, friend?"
"Oh, god. I can't stop feeling that cold on my finger...I just...I just can't..." She shivers in addiction, wanting more of it.
Bwoosh! The drizzle turns into a shower in a second, catching Eve in an unprepared moist. Her body is soaked in intense humidity, leaving her sweater soaked immediately down to her bra.
"Uh oh...Looks like it rains today! Your clothes are now wet, friend!"
"HAARGH!!" Eve yelled across the sky, soaring the storm with her anger while water ran over her face continuously. The creature trembles in fear as it hides from her scream.
That's how she returns home afterward. A soaked shirt in wet boots and humid air.
"Eve, you're back! How was the...oh?" A woman stood in shock in the kitchen, holding a stew pot on the burning stove while wearing an apron.
"It was raining outside, dear?"
"Hm." She nods back at her. The soaked body is an unpleasant feeling around her skin—a cold sensation she didn't ask for.
"Hey, uhm...is anything okay in the school? You did great out there, right?" The woman comforts her with an approach right before Eve can head upstairs.
"Everything's fine, mom. Just a soaked shirt and that's it...Sorry if I had to make you wash twice today."
"Oh, it's fine. Clothes like that don't come to waste when it has a quality cotton filter for germs and dust. That's why we buy that sweater for you, right? Because we love you, Eve." The mother's hand consoles Eve's shoulder, comforting Eve with a little patience in this harsh time.
"By the way, did you hear about the new exchange student today? What is his name again? I think it's D or something...? Anyway, I hope you and that Carven boy get to know each other." The mother picks up a new apron from the living room. A red suits her the most, even if it is a stain.
"I don't really fond of him. He had too many people leeching on him the moment he stepped on this school." She looks down on that name. Hearing it reminds her of the girls that go insane for him, muttering and murmuring words that she never thought of to a man.
"Well, I've met him. But he seems busy with all those girls."
"Hey, no need to be harsh on him. Dion is a new student. I'm sure you'll get along with him just like you did with Cyrus. I'm sure you'll be fine with him as you did with many."
"Oh, that reminds me. Is Cyrus still here? I have some leftovers treat for him!" The lady stares through the window, witnessing the beautiful sunset heading down with a red cloud.
"I'm not coming with him. He had a business with some girls. I think he doesn't mind about it..."
"Oh, I see. That means more people to meet, right?" The mother finishes a stew pot with boiled water and chopped meat. With only one light shining from the kitchen, the steamy air blowing from the pipe leaves a warm yet moist sensation on her skin.
"Yeah...I guess so." Eve rolls her eyes up the way she went upstairs.
"Eve, uh...now that tomorrow would be a holiday...don't you think it'll be a great idea for three of us to go for a...trip? Your dad took an overtime so we can save up for a trip to...camp? Isn't that great?" Smirk the lady who feels proud of her finished dishes, watching the steam go off and a brown soup cooks together with a bone of a cow's rib.
"Sorry, mom. I don't like trees..." She was hesitant to tell that.
The mother's smile falls short right after she says no to her face, leading her pot to flood past the lid and her stew being overcooked without her care.
"Oh...uhm...busy as usual, huh? Well, that's a good idea! We can save more for later day?" She accepts the rejection calmly, letting her daughter feel comfort for speaking out.
"Not that I'm surprised by your answer, but I also felt a bit worried about going out tomorrow. So, uh...it's okay!"
"W-well, I think my cooking needs more care now! Can't let my daughter come home hungry, right?" She returns to her duty.
"Don't forget dinner will be at 8, Eve! Your dad will come home by six, too."
"Okay, mom. See you at dinner..." She went upstairs with her soaked bag and clothes, dripping the staircase with a small puddle.
"Huh, she's growing up. Come on, Stella..." She turns the stove off, clearing her throat as she sits on the couch to clear her head from the stress of cooking. Her smile at her daughter's response shows how much she adores her.
"It's obvious that she's going out with the new student. I can see that from the looks of her eyes. Like something lively came from calling that boy's name."
"I'm so glad she's having fun with more friends in school. She has too much friends too talk she can't mention one for me..."
"Aww, Eve. You didn't have to." She swings her left hand with self-exaggeration and appraisal.
"I guess tomorrow, you're about to walk off with style...haha!" She chuckles.
But as she sat calmly in the living room, her eyebrows lowered, with an uneasy feeling that she couldn't resist behind her pretty face, trying to get rid of the steam boiling on her face.
"Who am I kidding? It couldn't be a friend..." The smile fades, and she starts thinking seriously.
"Why am I even trying to do it? Frayfoil is not even a safe place to have fun. My daughter would've been twice in danger than here."
"But I can't just stay silent and pretend none of this is okay, right?"
"I just hope I didn't have to pretend I don't know anything..."
Each word she mutters makes her more uncomfortable on the couch, grasping her pants tight while she holds her tears from shedding as she reminds herself for the best. And for that, she had only a pot to distract herself from such thoughts.
"Let's wait for your dad to come home, then."
Returning back to her room is a pleasant surprise after the bummer. The door to Eve's room is shut tight, locked, and barricaded with a chair before she can put Charger out. There are too many things that Eve couldn't risk putting with her new guest in the same spot.
"Phoo, what a horrible day. Creature, get out of my bag...now!"
"Wee! I'm free...!" Said the creature with hope after landing on a wooden floor with his feet. The soft thumping sounds he makes upon landing are a melody of his dramatic time.
"So, what do you want to do now, human? Should we start organizing our room first and see?"
"Playing with lights and singing a song while the rain is long?"
"Oh! Oh! Maybe you want to see more of my cloaking skill?" The creature pulls the watch on his wrist, cloaking himself out of the blue.
"We don't have time for that. You have a business I need to finish and I couldn't risk you staying here. Appear before me..."
*Uncloaking* "Oh...okay! As long as we can have fun together, I suppose. And to hold the deal, as well! Ehem..." Charger walks around the room with a curious face.
"Woah, I haven't felt the touch of wooden floor since three weeks ago! What a fascinating touch for a interior, human."
"This whole deal is a broken cause because of you. Everything happening in my home is also you..."
"Truth to be honest, I don't want to help you and put myself in trouble when you have already put me twice in danger. I really wish we never met at all if you had to come at me in that moment again."
"Aww..." The words break even a heart of stone.
Eve pauses, "But, I'm only helping you because I have a novel thesis to be submitted in next weeks. I want to graduate from this school and leave the heck out of that institution as soon as possible and start my own novel group immediately—and too bad I couldn't do that without any inspiration." The stack of papers on Eve's table is the main course of this deal.
"So, you are going to help me as well. Will you?"
"Yes, friend. Anything for my partner!" Charger grabs a sheet. He took out an over-sharpened pencil on his wrist.
*Scribbling* "You want a share of my greatness? My journey? My will? Anything!"
*Cloaking* "Oh! Maybe you want the mechanical composition of this stealth device?" The creature disappears again.
"I need an inspiration. Not your lame criminal story that sounds childish like a kids' storybook. Who wants to read a story about a runaway criminal meeting a girl in a public school in broad daylight?"
"What I need right now, is for you to help me tell more about this...realm. And also..." The crystal still shimmers with cold—a cherishing sensation to Eve's mind. Putting it out of the bag is the best part of the conversation.
"I saw a world in my head. A floating island...no, a multiple floating island. What was that place?"
*Cloaking* "That's where we are going, friend! It's the radiant world higher than any reality ever! The world of light and holy—Elysian."
"Elysian? I could write about that later. Sounds like a Greek palace for a dead being that was performed in a good deed. Any chance a beautiful woman is waiting for us there with her cold-flamed husband and his three-headed dog?" She thought in a bargaining pleasantry.
"The rune I provided you is the key heading to that place, human! Those are the best place for any humans to enhance their greatness from being bored to forged with greatest power ever. Twcha! Take that! Woo!"
*Bonk* The creature bumps into a drawer. "Buttleboo..." He murmurs.
"I have a lot of drafts in my back paper, but I couldn't decide on which one to confirm yet. First, there's that new boy—then there's you—then there's everything that happens to me in an unfair treatment."
"Maybe I can share a part of my adventure with you? Do you want the part where I manage to sneak on a criminal territory using my stealth—"
"The journey of greatness is not a proper thesis to share. This is a college, not some kids' library. I need a long story that could've been deep."
"Something
*Uncloaking* Charger stood awkwardly, "I don't know what deep means, but...maybe we had to look after the radiant realm first."
"That's why you had to find out for me. Cause right now, you are my wishing star for everything that happens here."
*Cloaking* "Really? That's the best compliment I've ever heard before!" Her sharp words were meant to corner, but Charger found it flattering to hear.
"Table's foot," Eve warns the creature.
*Bonk* "Ouch! That's tough."
"Woah...your house looks fabulous!" The boy starts familiarizing himself with the interior and the wallpaper. The color, the object, and the size that doubles his is an impressive catch for an eye.
"Hold there! You have no right to hold that thing. Wait, where are you right now?"
*Uncloaking*"Ooh, shirts! I wonder what kinds of clothes you people have been using since..." The boy wanders through the room, reaching to her wardrobe as he finds a smaller room inside.
"Hey! What did I say?" She scolds. "Do you want to lose your staying privilege here?"
"Sorry! I...uh...just want to look!" Said the boy with a shirt on his face.
"Whatever, that shirt wasn't even fit anymore. Go wear it for me..."
"Buttleboo!" The creature complies, tucking the shirt from the bottom to his head as commanded.
"Pwah! I look good in this shirt! I feel so livid!" He brags about his new look in the mirror, watching as the old boy leaves his eyes and is introduced to a cooler one.
*Cloaking* "Huh, have I always been naked...? Am I naked? Aww..." The boy ran from the mirror with pity and guilt for his indecency.
"Charger, start packing my bag for tomorrow..." Her finger twirling in a circle, directed towards her wardrobe for Charger to follow.
"I need two sets of clothes. No, make it three! And stop hiding with your stupid device that I'm not asking you to do at all!"
*Uncloaking* "But I thought I can't touch anything here...?" Charger stares in confusion
"Just go get them, now!" Eve yelled.
"Got it, friend!" He starts working on the wardrobe—hands scattered through the racks as the dim light of his horns emits guidance.
"Goodbye, home. It'll be a lost in the sauce or dead in the last dance." She glares sadly at her comfortable bed, where many books remain unfinished.
Lots of work to handle for Eve and Charger in an empty room, as they were running around a quiet room. Her bag is filled with books and a set of pencils, followed by clothes that Charger was requested with.
"I'm home!" Yelled a man downstairs.
"Wife, glad to see your face again! How's the cooking?"
"Charger, stop it! My dad's here!" Eve rushes. Sweat flashes her skin like a thought exploding from her guts.
"Where's my lovely daughter?" The sound goes upstairs.
"Ooh...I think you should bring this one out, Eve! Looking good for a..." The boy drags as much pants as he can, only to be sent under the bed through the process by Eve.
"Hide there. Don't try to move anywhere until I say so—"
The door knocks before her, reminding Eve that her father is there. As everything goes to a mess, she feels exasperated to have herself in such a situation. But angering is not a solution.
"Eve, are you there?" The father grew concerned.
"What's that sound over there? Are you okay?" The father stood at the door with his working clothes still on.
"Yes, Dad. What is it?" She opens the door—face calm and slightly sweaty.
Relief comes to his face. No longer does he fear the non-existent, "Oh, Eve. I was worried there. I thought you were busy there. I hear a wreck there! What happened? And why are you...sweating?"
"Oh, uh...I was busy...uh...reading hard?" She tucks her shirt off to cool her neck—rolling her eyes off as she maintains a calm yet exhausted face.
"Oh, really? You look...overworked. Must be a hard one in school, eh?" He glimpsed into a few messes left by her.
"Yeah, the school's getting hard since the new student comes, and the semester seems to intensify somewhat. Had to learn harder for this one. A bit too hard..."
"Ah, I see. So I didn't have to tell you about the new guy, then." He chuckles.
"I gotta go. Had to study for next quiz..." Eve swings the door to close.
She was interrupted by her father's hand, crawling out to the door and blocking the lock from reaching the knob.
*Abrupt* "Uhm, Eve...can we talk for a moment? There's something I need to discuss with you lately..." The father stops the door from reaching the hinge. Imagine her face when she saw this—A displeased face hidden behind the facade.
"Oh, what was it, dad? I'm in a hurry..."
"W-well, it's about you, Eve..." The father stutters—hesitant and doubtful to answer as if Eve's face terrifies him of an unwanted reaction.
"You see...I had a chocolate for you~! You know, your usual one? The Wix special with caramel topping?" The father offers a wrapped chocolate bar before her face.
"Woah, you got the caramel now?"
"Yep. Would you like some? We could talk on your bed and have some treats like usual in the evening. How is it?"
*Creaking* Something creaks under her bed.
"What's that?" The father stares behind Eve's face.
"Huh?"
"I swear I just heard something under your bed. You have rats there, sweetie?"
"Uhm, no Dad. It's just..."
"Sweetie, are you okay?" The father looks concerned.
*Creaking* The bed creaks again.
"Wait, I swear
"N-no, dad! I can't! Had to go...I'll meet you at dinner! I promise!"
"W-wait, Eve. What about the chocolate? It would melt now!"
"We can eat that later! Just keep it in the fridge for me! I'll be down in a second!" She slammed the door before his face.
"But you know Wix doesn't last in—" Slam!
"Oh...I see..." He stares in pity—face lowered before the closed door, preparing to depart.
"It's okay, Eve! We can talk about this at dinner! I promise!" The father steps off. The noise continued inside the bed, but he couldn't ponder for long.
"This is harder than I thought...."
"Maybe too hard..."
"But it can't be harder than what she do down there, is it?"
"I hope not."
*Eavesdropping* "Okay, he's gone. You can walk off now, Charger."
"Gosh, did you really had to do that? You almost got me in trouble, Charger!" She bumps her head on the door.
"Why can't you just stay quiet there and let me handle this myself?"
"I can't believe I just said no to chocolate. Did you realize how much I want that chocolate? That was my father's greatest gift from his work and I just—" She turns around to yell at Charger. But what she saw later was shocking.
"Oh, uhm...is anything okay, friend?" The creature appears dumbfounded with the watch he held on his right wrist. The unusual device was held with a deep inspection.
The girl stares at the creature with a pupil so large and a face so blank. Without any words, she snatches the watch of the creature's hand with one swing from her left hand.
"No, my watch! Friend, don't take it from me!"
"You had one job, Charger. One. Job." She murmurs.