Chapter 9: Nekare
Wednesday, November 15th
7:14 a.m
Gray jolted awake abruptly, his body sweating profusely,
"Huh, what hour is it…" he mumbled, his speech slurred.
He grabbed his phone and turned it on, checking the time as he squinted his eyes.
It was 7:15 am
"I'm late… I don't feel like going to school…" he groaned with annoyance.
With great difficulty, he removed the blankets from his body.
The cold temperature made him shiver incessantly, and like always, he yawned multiple times in his way to the bathroom.
The tired Gray did all of the steps in his morning routine before going to the living room.
Inside it, he saw his sister. Kathy, after seeing his brother, started to scold him, "You slept so much yesterday. You didn't even eat anything!"
"Sorry, I was too tired…"
His sister stopped eating her breakfast and checked her watch. Without gazing back at him, she said, "If you want, there's some leftovers of yesterday's dinner."
Curious, he asked what did she make.
"Nothing special, I just made some carbonara." Kathy replied.
During his whole morning, Gray felt as if he had forgotten something.
And just as he wondered if he was going to eat her food for breakfast, he finally got his answer.
I didn't have any dreams today… Or rather, I had them, but I can't remember it.
Wait, what if I'm dreaming right here, right now!?
He immediately raised his palm in front of his face, counting his fingers multiple times.
Luckily, nothing seemed off, signaling his presence inside the real world.
"I'm awake," he silently sighed.
Taken aback by his brother's sudden gesture, Kathy suddenly asked, "Uh, are you alright?"
"What do you mean?" Gray replied, confused about Kathy's question.
"Why were you looking at your palm like that? Do you think you're a palm reader or something?"
Oh.
A drop of sweat started rolling down Gray's forehead as he began thinking on for an plausible and rational explanation,
"I had a sharp pain coming from it," he nervously said.
"Alright.."
It was obvious; Kathy was wondering on what was wrong with her little brother.
Additionally, Gray was aware that his sister neurons were firing at unreal speeds to find ways to to find more ways to mock him.
The air of the room grew increasingly awkward, causing both of them go inside their respective rooms.
…
After Gray Montoya closed the door, he grabbed his bag and checked his diary for the subjects of the day.
"On the first hour we have latin, on the second one we have maths, on the third we have music, on the fourth we have grammar, on the fifth we have literature and on the sixth we have biology…"
"This day is going to be rough," he complained.
He went towards his library and started taking the books of the corresponding subjects.
After he was done, he noticed that the bag was awfully heavy, causing him to curse loudly.
Since he had time, he decided to bring his attention over more important matters.
Earlier, Kathy mocked me about being a palm reader. I wonder if there are Nephilim with that ability. I've heard many people claim of being palm readers, but it's obvious; most are just scammers.
Since people with no abilities can make bank with their lies, could use my dreams to gain some money? As long as I don't exaggerate, I could stay hidden from the Nephilim world…
Gray then sighed.
Never mind, I don't think I would be able to get revelations from something so unimportant.
Still, I only had 2 prophetic dreams, of which I'm not even aware of their meanings, so I really can't be sure, he scratched his head, recognizing the many cons and little pros within his ability.
My power is tremendously limited. If I can bring it outside of my dreams, however, I might be able to achieve great success…
I have to name it too. It's annoying to call it 'ability' or 'power' every time.
Hm… Let's brainstorm.
Should I call it Book of Revelation?
You know, since I had a dream based on the biblical apocalypse.
It sounds really cool. But my power isn't centered about books. I would just sound really stupid…
How about Melange? The spice was called like that in Dune. It allowed people to have revelations about the future too.
He scratched his head and said, "I want something original, though…"
Maybe Starsight?
It's kinda cool, but not what I'm looking for.
Could it be…Genesis?
Didn't the Bible say something in the lines of, "In the beginning, God created the Heavens and the Earth, and the Earth was a formless void."
What I'd seen after getting blasted by the Third Trumpet was only a formless void… And even in my second dream, the one with the statue, was like that.
He then came to a new-found understanding.
"Wait, could those dreams be connected…?"
It does make sense, Gray thought.
Glad that the Bible helped him on his quest to find a good name, to honor it, he decided to 'borrow' the name of the first book.
Worried about the time, Gray took his phone and after he checked it, he sprinted away from his house.
He was late!
…
While running, he couldn't help but ponder about every minimum thing that had happened in these days.
"Nephilim, huh…" he muttered under his breath.
The name sounds kinda familiar. I may have read it inside a web novel, or inside a book belonging to my mother's library. Regardless, I should look it up when I can, Gray thought, wanting to increase his knowledge.
He ran amidst the city, narrowly avoiding the passersby who went towards their destination. The heavy bag he carried made him get exhausted much faster, but at least it could be considered as a nice workout.
Like always, he had to stop in his tracks to rest for a few seconds before running once more.
He couldn't dare to be late to school, because, if Kathy were to find out, she would surely make him wish for death.
"Everything hurts so bad…" Gray said as he wiped the sweat away from his forehead.
Some pedestrians looked at him with weird expressions, judging the tired young man.
A middle-aged woman started speaking to her friend, pointing at him, not bothering to be a civil person. "If you're that exhausted, just take a break. What's the point of running that much if you're going to pass out once you reached where you wanted to go."
Growing increasingly frustrated, Gray had to restrain himself from throwing her in the middle of the road.
"If you have to talk badly about me then try not to be such an asshole about it! Whisper it instead!" he mumbled under his breath.
I don't have time to deal with this…
The young man started moving once more, his speed clearly slower than how it was at the start of his 'workout.' He looked at the cars passing on the road, jealous that the people who drove them didn't have to rest every once in a while like him.
He and Kathy never had something as expensive as a car. The money she received when they were young was barely enough to get a bike.
They had thought about selling their house, but since it contained all the memories they made with their mom, and the fact that nobody would sell an apartment to two young kids, made them abandon the idea fairly quickly.
Luckily, his sister's income increased once she got older.
They still didn't have enough to buy a car, but they could live comfortably without having the fear of sleeping with an empty stomach.
Gray had thought about abandoning school so he could help Kathy by starting to work, yet he didn't dare to ask. If his sister were to find that out, she would murder him, without a doubt.
He also didn't want to throw away all the sacrifices she made for him. After all, she had given up on school just to sustain him.
…
After some minutes, he could finally see his school.
The gates were open, therefore, he made it in time. Gray entered from the main gate, ignoring the gaze of some students.
He didn't have the best reputation in class. If he hadn't met his friend Rowan, the situation would've been way worse.
"He wasn't late, you need to give me five euros!" a student whispered.
"Shit!" the other students reached for his pockets, giving the green bill to his friend.
Gray's eyes widened in surprise and disbelief.
You can't be serious…Did they bet on me being late!?
He groaned and continued speaking to himself.
First that woman and now this? I knew that this day was going to be rough. Had I not made a reality check like Casanova had taught me, I would've probably thought of being inside a dream—this situation is just too unrealistic!
Gray brought his right hand to his face and checked it all over, inspecting every finger.
My hand look normal. I wonder what its aspect would be whilst dreaming.
Well, once I make the habit, I'll come to find out, he thought with great expectations.
Following the bizarre discovery, he started moving towards his class.
He walked slowly through the almost empty hallways, tired from his past exertion.
He was walking up the stairs, when suddenly, he felt that wretched feeling of having his soul scrutinized by an ancient, malevolent being, harboring intentions he couldn't dare to think of. The feeling wasn't as strong as the last times, but he still couldn't help but look back.
In his eyes, beyond all his expectations, the figure of a girl was reflected within them.
She had short, black hair with bangs that almost covered her left, blue eye. She had a pale face, covered with small freckles. Her attire was composed by a purple sweater paired with black, cargo pants.
Gray, completely taken aback, emitted a sharp yelping sound.
Following his not-so manly behavior, he began to apologize profusely.
"Please forgive me, I didn't see you…"
Why does everything have to happen today? he silently asked himself, embarrassed by his behavior.
This isn't the first time that I get this bizarre feeling, but it is the first time I actually see someone behind me.
"No, that's not possible…" Gray mumbled under his breath, shaken.
Could she have been the one who was watching me?
Is she a Nephilim? Did they already find me…?
Doing his best to let his rationality take ahold of him, he began to think of different explanations regarding his encounter.
I could be wrong. I have to be!
I stood on edge this whole time, so it's has to be just a coincidence.
The stress is making me imagine things that aren't there.
Yes, that has to be right.
The girl then started talking, her voice as docile as the wings of a butterfly,
"Don't worry, Gray."
When the last letter of his name came out of that girl's lips, his expression turned awry.
She knows my name?
How much does she know? D-did they tail me…?
If they did, does that mean that they know where I live…?
Is Kathie going to be alright? Fuck! I should've been more careful!
Gray clenched his teeth and asked, his voice grave, "How do you know my name?"
The girl's eyes dimmed down before exhaling, "We are on the same class, I sit on the last row…"
His eyes narrowed, analyzing if the girl in front of him was lying.
"What's your name?" Gray asked.
"Nekare," she said quietly.
Gray's eyes narrowed slightly once more.
Is she a normal person? Did my shitty brain forget about her too?
"It was nice knowing you, Nekare. I have to go to class now, you know how our professors are. Sorry again for how I acted after seeing you." Gray quickly said, trying to find any excuse to get away from the mysterious girl.
He then went up the stairs as fast as he could, still shaken by his encounter.
The chances of her being a Nephilim were slim, yet he couldn't dare letting his guard down. After all, he felt a similar, inexplicable feeling as he did with every time he felt 'observed.'
"This stress is not good for me. With every event happening to me in these days, my thoughts keep on pointing towards the worst thing I can imagine," he silently thought, hoping that his fears wouldn't come to life.
Gray speed-walked towards his class, noticing some classmates still entering it.
Seeing them, he exhaled deeply.
He was glad to be in time.
Before entering the room, he turned around, expecting to see the mysterious girl go inside the class after him. However, she wasn't there.
"That's strange, maybe she went inside the bathroom?" Gray asked himself.
He then went inside the class, sitting next to Rowan as always.
As they talked about trivial things, Gray asked if his friend knew a girl named Nekare,
"What do you mean if I know a girl named Nekare? Gray, she's literally in our class." Rowan said, snickering.
Gray breathed a sigh of relief, stretching on his chair.
That's good, she wasn't lying…
She does seem like a normal girl, but I can't shake the terrifying feeling I've felt...
To be sure, I'll be careful from now on.
The fact that someone could have tailed me all day is horrifying.
I'll also inform Casanova as soon as I can.
"Tell me more about her."Gray replied..
Rowan's mouth slowly widened. "Do you like her or something?"
"No, I'm just curious. I never interacted with her."
Hell, I even forgot about her entire existence.
Rowan ignored his friend and started grinning from ear to ear, "You finally found someone! Dude, I used to think that you swung the other way! You always avoided the girls that I tried to set you up with; some were interested in you too!"
What is he talking about?
Not interested about his senseless words, he shushed Rowan up, telling him to keep talking about Nekare.
No point in saying he's wrong. He made his mind up already.
His friend stopped for a moment before scratching his buzzed hair, "From what I know, you aren't the only one who never spoke with her. I'm think I never saw her speak with someone who wasn't a professor…"
Rowan grinned once more, "You could say that the both of you are the same species."
If she's really a Nephilim, his remarks are going to be right…
After a minute, the professor of latin entered the class.
Gray's eyes narrowed once he realized he hadn't seen Nekare enter inside the class.
Slightly worried, he decided to turn his head to search for the mysterious girl.
She sat on the last row with a smile etched upon her face, its direction pointing towards him.