Sunday.
With all of my homework done, I found myself watching one of the latest movies being aired using website that supplied free online copies of the most recent releases as I lazed around my room.
I enjoyed it a lot. Watching the film leisurely in the comfort of my room felt like I was above all the people who pay money to watch overpaid actors and their superficial acting in a crowded cinema. After all, everything’s better when you don’t have to pay for it.
I was watching a lost footage type horror flick about three people and their efforts to survive a zombie apocalypse. Pretty standard stuff. It was starting to get good when one of them got separated and the other two ended up trying to find him in an abandoned hotel. The scenes were beginning to get intense. Just before the suspense got unbearable my phone rang abruptly, causing my soul to jump out of my body momentarily as it caught me by surprise.
After recovering, I grabbed it from the small table beside my bed and checked who it might be. It was Aunt Faye.
I guess it’s that time of the month again.
My aunt often gives me a call once in a month to see how I was doing. I used to live with her back in my hometown but ever since she began working overseas I decided to move to the city and live by myself while attending school. Since then, I’ve been living in an apartment building near school that my aunt recommended since she’s good friends with the landlady.
Coincidentally, Noah was planning to attend the same high school I enrolled in since some of his relatives lived in the city. I’d guess he’s currently living with one of them. Then again, he never really talks about his family and I never felt the need to ask him about it. I’ve only seen Noah’s parents about two or three times, and most of them were during big school events.
“Ah, are you drifting away in your thoughts again?” asked by the stern voice of a woman through the phone. I immediately snapped out of it and replied to her as quickly as possible after pausing the movie I was watching.
I’m not in the mood to get scolded today.
“No, I was just… I saw a UFO…”
A UFO!? Really!? Since when did I suck at giving excuses?
As much as I hate adults giving me a lecture, I readied myself for the imminent onslaught of words courtesy of my Aunt.
“… Oh, I see.” She answered with a sigh.
I can’t believe she actually bought it. Although hearing her exhausted sigh afterwards made it feel like she was too tired to give me an earful right now, “So, how’s school? Are you eating well? You better not be smoking. I’ll take a plane home immediately just to smack you if you’re starting to use cigarettes.” Here it is, full level parental mode. This was one of the reasons why I wanted to try living alone.
“I’m not!” I exclaimed, “I’m not stupid enough to waste my money on a stick of dried leaves.” I took a deep breath and made myself comfortable in my chair, “School is going on fine, and I’ve been alright cooking my own meals.” I contemplated telling her about the events that had transpired involving May and the others but decided not to since it’ll end up making her worry, I don’t want to distract her from work.
I’ll just have to make sure Noah never mentions it to her. I’ll give him a call after this one.
“That’s a bit worrying,” she said.
“What is?” I asked, perplexed.
“By this time, I expected someone to cook your meals for you.” She said jokingly.
“Shut up, don’t expect me to trust somebody else to cook my food.” I replied, feeling a bit embarrassed. And irritated.
“Eeeeh? Noah told me you’ve been hanging out with a girl calling you her assistant or something.” she said, hearing that almost made me fall of my chair.
I’m glad that Noah didn’t mention all of the dangerous things that had happened to us to my aunt but, why did he have to tell her about May?
Thinking about it again, he must’ve been forced to tell her. My aunt’s interrogating skills are so good whenever she gets serious, I’m surprised she hadn’t been recruited by the some government secret service.
“She’s just…” I wanted to say she was a friend but I hesitated.
What is she to me? More importantly, what am I to her?
“She’s a classmate of mine.” I answered half-heartedly.
“Damis, I can’t believe how disappointed I am right now,” she said in a sarcastic voice, “Having a girl be with you like that and you don’t even see her as a friend. If I were her I might’ve broken you a bone or two.”
The way she said that sent shivers down my spine.
And knowing May, she just might do what my aunt said she’d do.
“Anyway, is that all?” I said, I was starting to get exhausted from talking to her. Even though she’s my aunt, I can’t stand her teasing me like this. It’s making me all self-conscious.
“Just need to say a few more things,” she said, “I already sent your allowance to your account. Try to spend it wisely. I’ll also be attending your graduation ceremony next year so you better do well in school. I’ll be expecting you to get at least an award.”
“Alright, alright. Thanks.” I replied.
“Take care. And remember, if you need help all you have to do is call.” She said in a serious yet sincere tone. The way she’d tell me when I was younger.
“… Mhm.” I uttered in response.
After she hung up I proceeded to call Noah. Just as I was waiting for him to pick up I heard the sound of my doorbell. I tried to ignore it at first but it kept on being pressed until it was no longer bearable. I furiously rushed towards the door and opened it immediately.
On the other side was Noah, accompanied by two girls I recognized as our classmates. They wore clothes as if they were planning to go around the city. I briefly remembered a past conversation with Noah about him being asked out by a classmate of ours. I honestly thought he was just joking around.
“We’re going out today, wanna come with?” he said in a persuasive and charismatic voice as he smiled. I glanced at the girls and saw that they weren’t too fond of the idea.
I slowly began closing the door.
Just before I could close it completely, Noah jammed his foot through preventing me from shutting the door. He pushed in his hands and began pushing away, trying to open the door again until he could fit half of his head through it.
“Please.” He said in a serious tone as he looked at me with such a pitiful expression, as if he’d be put in a bad situation if I didn’t come.
I let out a short sigh, “Give me a minute.”
I needed to buy some toothpaste anyway.
All of us walked down from the second floor of the apartment building where my room was located. I chose to wear nothing special, just some casual clothes and a pair of slippers. If I tried to find more extravagant clothing it might take me at least an hour before I’m completely satisfied.
I glanced at my phone and saw that it was a little past ten in the morning, which means the scorching sun will be shining right on top of us. I should’ve brought a cap with me.
Seriously though, why is it so goddamn hot today? I tilted my head towards the sky and saw that not even a single cloud was floating around the atmosphere. Must be because of that global warming and climate change nonsense. Still, having the weather be like this just as I decided to leave my room makes me feel like Mother Nature is trying to mess with me. On second thought, it’s more like she’s telling me I should’ve never left my room today. Well, she should’ve told me that before I got dressed.
As we reached the exit I saw two familiar figures sitting on the bench next to a few flowers which grew in front of the building. They sat there chatting with each other. Looking at them closer it seemed like only one of them was actually trying to have a conversation while the other couldn’t care less as she kept staring at her phone, though she gave an occasional nod as a response.
As we got closer I recognized the two of them, there was June wearing a modest white dress with a short, pale pink, long sleeved vest thing on top and a pair of brown sandals. May on the other hand wore her school uniform for some reason. That’s some next level dress code right there. Even I wouldn’t think wearing a school uniform while going out on a weekend. Although with this kind of weather, I’d rather not go out at all.
More importantly, I thought she’d still be at home recovering from her injury.
June, who noticed us walking towards them, acknowledged us with a smile. With her eyes drifting towards me she began to look away. She’s still doing that, huh? I didn’t let it bother me as Noah began to talk to them.
“I brought the creepy short-tempered sloth man you told me.” Noah told May in a jokingly manner. The girls giggled at what he had said as one of them glanced at me with a wide grin on her face.
I saw June chuckling as she stood up, still looking away. May on the other hand kept quiet as she remained seated playing with her phone. She suddenly stood up, put away her phone and grabbed my hand as she began dragging me along with her.
“You guys go on ahead. We’ll catch up later.” She walked towards their opposite direction. I glanced at them and their surprised expressions. Noah scratched the back of his head as he tried to force out a smile, June looked at me as May pulled me with her. She looked disappointed for some reason.
May kept pulling me along with her until we reached a small outdoor café a few meters away from the apartment building. She let go of me and pointed to one of the seats at a table.
I rubbed my wrist as it felt a bit sore from being tugged on for so long and sat there. She followed and sat on the chair in front of me.
Silence ensued.
“So, um… are you alright now?” I asked.
She gestured the waiter and told him to bring the both of us a glass of water as she ignored my question. I’ll just take that as a yes.
I avoided the waiter’s gaze as he placed the two glasses of water in front of us. How can I be able to look at him when the only thing we could order was water? I could even feel his judgmental stare as he walked away from our table. But at least they serve water with ice here not like the other place I ate at before. I just hope it doesn’t taste like soap.
Although we were already seated and ready to talk, May kept messing with her phone without even bothering to explain herself.
“Why’d you drag me here?” I said with a sigh.
“I thought it’s time we talked about our deal.” She replied putting her phone on top of the table, “I need you to tell me more about those visions of yours.”
At first, I felt reluctant about the idea, but after recalling our conversation a while back about how important information is to her when it comes to solving problems, I decided to go along and began to recall everything that has happened to me these past eighteen years involving my visions of death.
It wasn’t easy, though. There were a lot of things I’d rather keep in the deepest part of my mind, deep enough for my neurons to reach.
“Where do I start?” I said before taking a deep breath, “I’ve had them ever since childhood. The first vision I had was… that of the father of a classmate in first grade. You could say she was a friend of mine, we frequently talked to each other. This was before I met Noah by the way.
When she celebrated her birthday in class, her father came in wearing a clown costume and tried his best to make her laugh. I recall seeing her and all of our classmates including our teacher laughing at her father’s performance. But strangely enough, I found myself watching them with not even a grin on my face. I started feeling uncomfortable and wanted to leave the room so I left.
After going out by myself and heading to the school playground my head began to hurt like crazy, it felt like someone was drilling on the sides of my skull. It was then that I saw it… I saw her father, lying dead on the ground in some alleyway. I remember it being enough to give me nightmares for weeks.
I ran home afterwards and never left my room for days. I remember staring at a wall for hours, trying to forget what I saw, but it just kept on coming back to me. I remembered feeling sick and vomiting a few times in my room, to the point where it began smelling too rancid for me stay in it any longer.
After a while my Aunt finally managed to convince me to go to school again. I remember my friend running to me, asking me where I’ve been all this time before she began crying in front of me, saying that her father had died. Hearing her say that made me remember the vision I had. I still wasn’t used to it back then so I began feeling sick again.”
I looked away and turned my attention to the passing vehicles, “I shouted at her saying then I pushed her away. That was the last time I saw her. It was also the last time anybody in my class talked to me. And from then on, my visions kept appearing. “
May rested her chin on the palm of her hand as she stared at me.
“How often did you have them?” she asked with an inquisitive stare.
“A couple of times in a month, maybe two or three.”
“So, they weren’t that frequent then.” She said.
“I was trying to avoid having them so maybe that contributed to it becoming an occasional thing.”
After taking a sip of water, she laid back on her seat.
“Tell me, how many people have you seen die?”
“… 542. I’ve seen 542 people die.”
“I’m surprised you actually counted all of them.” She commented.
“It’s become a habit, I guess.”
“So,” she pushed her seat near the table and leaned towards me once again, “When did the two of you meet? You and Noah.”
“I don’t see that being important in this discussion at all.” I replied dismissing her attempt at poking her nose where she shouldn’t.
“Come on, if you’re already telling me about your past, you might as well tell me about how you two met.”
I let out a sigh, “Fine,” I replied, “So none of my classmates talked to me ever since that thing happened, fortunately no one resorted to bullying me or anything. Being one of the smart guys probably had something to do with it. But to be honest, constantly being offered the cold shoulder was somehow worse than that. That went on for a few years and in third grade I met Noah.
I remember him asking me if I could help him with his homework, and I refused. After that he kept on bothering me and begging for my help until I had enough and decided to entertain him. Since then he kept on bothering me until he began bothering me for things other than homework.
Time passed, we continued getting to know each other up to the point where he found out about my visions. Unexpectedly, he didn’t care about them that much at all. He’d talk to me the same way he always has while still acknowledging the fact that I am able to see people’s deaths...”
There’s a part of this story that I felt reluctant to share, mostly because they included the memories I was never fond of and I still didn’t feel comfortable talking about it.
“… We’ve been good friends up till now.” I continued.
“Hmm…” she uttered as she glanced at me. The tone of her voice as she made that noise bothered me.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“I expected it to be a bit more dramatic than that.” She replied a bit disappointed.
“Well, you’re the one that asked so stop complaining.” I said feeling annoyed.
She laughed at my reaction. I can’t help but feel that she likes making fun of me every time we’re together. I don’t like it. I’m not a fan of being laughed at unless I’m making a joke, which I almost never do.
“Have you thought that something might be causing those visions of yours?”
“There was a time where I did, but my visions are too random. I won’t have a clear idea of when I’ll have one, who I’ll see or what killed them. The only similarity I could think of between all the visions I had so far was how a death will happen within the span of a day, but other than that, it could take place seconds, minutes, or even hours within that timeframe. I can’t help but feel like someone is making me see all those dead people just for the heck of it. And worst thing is, I won’t be able to forget a death I see for hours. The image will keep staying with me until I go to sleep.”
“Earlier you said that you try to avoid having those visions of yours, how can you do that when you don’t even know what is causing it in the first place?”
“… I don’t really know. My efforts to avoid them have been avoiding stressful situations and keeping a quiet and problem free atmosphere around me. I’m not sure if doing it actually suppresses these visions of mine but it’s better than doing nothing at all.”
“Is there any noticeable pattern between each of your visions?”
“Pattern? Let me think… I guess all of the people I saw die were people that I talked with once or twice.”
“Anything else? I doubt that’s the only thing you’ve figured out.”
“… I can only see a person die once.”
“So that means if you saw a person die and they somehow avoided death, you’ll never have another vision of them ever again. Is that correct?”
I gave her a nod.
The topic made me recall about my days back in middle school, making it more difficult for me to suppress the memories that I wish I’ve already forgotten.
“I see…” May uttered.
I glanced at May as she sat there, holding her chin as she started to drift in her thoughts. Looking at her made me realize how serious she is about our deal. I can’t deny that it made me feel relieved, perhaps even happy.
My eyes slowly drifted towards her chest area as I observed her uniform. I had no ulterior motives in doing so. Seriously, I just wanted to check the wound on her shoulder.
Under her uniform was large bandage covering her right shoulder. Noah knew about May being injured so he couldn’t have asked her to come along with them so I’d assume she went here and joined them under her own volition.
It doesn’t look like she has fully recovered and yet she decided to come all this way and just to talk to me. She can be a real pain in the ass to be with but I’m actually starting to feel touched by her actions.
“What made you come all the way here just to talk to me about this?” I asked, “Wouldn’t it be easier to just talk through the phone?”
“You say that as if I went here just so that I could talk to you like this.” she turned towards me, “Still, I can’t deny wanting talk to you in person.” She replied with a mischievous with a grin on her face.
I looked away and scratched the back of my head as I felt embarrassed for some reason. No one other than my Aunt is able to make me feel all embarrassed like this. Seriously, just what is wrong with this girl?
No, more like what’s wrong with me?
Must be the heat.
I coughed to clear my throat, “So, anymore questions?”
“For now, that will be enough.” She answered, “I’ve done some research a while ago and found that there was someone else that had an unusual ability like yours.”
“Are you serious?” I asked, pulling my seat into the table to be as close to her as possible.
“People call him the sleeping prophet.” May said, “Apparently he’s around our age and is able to predict future events based on his prophetic dreams. He uses an online forum site where he posts all of his predictions under the username Koma. Around fifty-thousand people visit that webpage each day inquiring about things that will happen days from now. They’re treating him like some kind of online fortune teller.”
She picked up her phone and passed it to me showing the webpage on the screen. There were hundreds of dated posts ranging from predictions about random accidents to weather and traffic conditions, all posted by a user named Koma bearing an empty profile picture. There were also a bunch of other users posting their inquiries about future events.
Online fortune teller, huh? He looks more like an online news source to me.
“I found something familiar in one of his posts.” May continued, “He predicted that there will be an explosion happening during our first day of classes and that no one will get hurt. He made the post a week before it happened.”
Thinking about it again, that post must’ve been the reason why nobody got hurt in the first place. But as much as I was astounded at what I was hearing, I was still a bit skeptical.
In our day and age, manipulating date and time is as easy as applying whiteout to a written mistake on paper. And not everything you see on the internet can be considered as fact. Especially when the one giving out that information is anonymous.
“Are you sure he didn’t just mess around with the dates and made it look like he posted those before it actually happened?” I asked, giving the phone back to her.
“I wasn’t expecting you to believe everything I just said right off the bat. All I want to say is that if all of it was true, then this sleeping prophet fellow might be able to help you and your visions.”
Trying to find someone in the same boat might be a good idea. It might give me more insight on what these visions actually are and possibly learn how to control them. Even remove them completely.
In the midst of my sceptism, I really wanted all of it all to be true. At least if it was, it’ll give me hope that it might be possible to get rid of this blight of mine. But just in case, I’ll keep my expectations to a bare minimum. All of this still sounds too good to be true.
“How do we find him?”
“I still have no idea who he really is or what school he might attending. But, give me time and I’ll be able to find that out.”
Give me some time, huh…
“You know… how do I day this? Umm… Thanks.” I said as I tried not to act too sincere.
She looked at me, astounded. She didn’t have to be that surprised.
“No need to thank me. I made a promise.” She replied.
“At least let me say this,” I insisted, “This is the first time I let someone else help me with my visions. I’ve always been reluctant about sharing it with others, even with Noah.” I stared at the glass of water in front of me, “That’s why I’ll be trying my best to be of help to you as well.”
At some point in my life, I thought showing gratitude was something I should always do. Because there were a few times where I’ve forgotten to show how grateful I am. Because of it, I was never able to give my thanks. And it made me feel so, so frustrated.
What a sick feeling. I hated it.
“That’s good to hear.” She said to me with a smile I could only describe as genuine, “I would’ve never made you my assistant if that weren’t the case.”
Well, at least it made me realize something important.
“I guess I shouldn’t have said all that.” I replied.
We began to laugh, muffled by the sound of passing vehicles on the road.
----------------------------------------
Slowly and with moderate sweatiness, the both of us walked to where Noah and the others went to.
May told me that they were planning to go to the new theme park that just opened a few days ago. I think it was called wallaby land or something.
I’ve been sensing a pattern on how these kinds of establishments like using animals as mascots. I admit that they’re pretty cute in a way but I’d rather have them think up of something original. I mean, why don’t just they create their own mascots from scratch and not plagiarize one of Mother Nature’s creations.
I don’t know, maybe that’s just the part of me that hates all things life and society talking.
“Noah said it was a good idea for us to try and enjoy ourselves after that ordeal we’ve been through.” May said as we got ready to cross the road.
“I don’t think it’s a bad idea but,” I said as we looked at the theme park’s entrance, “Why couldn’t he have chosen someplace less crowded?”
We started at the line of people trying to get in. One of them was Noah accompanied by June and the other girls. We approached them as Noah frantically waved at us with a smile on his face. Seeing him like that, the others took notice of us as well.
June, who was peeking through the gates turned towards us and waved as well. We waited with them in line the other girls chatted with Noah and June while May began playing with her phone again. Feeling bored, I took out my earphones and listened to some soothing music.
Seconds turned into minutes, minutes turned into hours, and before time turned into anything else, we were finally inside the theme park. Swarms of people could be seen playing around the rides and establishments as their laughter together with cheerful music and announcements polluted the area.
It was loud, loud enough for me to not be able to recognize what I was listening to anymore. With beads sweat running down my face, I began regretting my decision to go with them. I expected this to be a walk in the park or a trip to the mall and not a journey into a concentration camp.
Noah with June and the three other girls in tow walked in front of me while I looked around and checked all of the money grabbing establishments scattered throughout the theme park’s vicinity.
I’ve noticed a number of girls glancing at Noah as they let out their girly giggles mumbling about how attractive that well-dressed guy surrounded by equally dressed girls looked. I also noticed June who was glancing at me, whenever I’d glance back at her she’d look away in lightning speed. I began touching my face to see if there were any foreign objects stuck on it thinking that it might be the reason as to why she kept looking at me.
In the corner of my eye I saw May in front of a gift shop staring at all of the items on display. I decided to walk over there and take a look at the top ten facts about wallaby land which was written on a large frame on the side of the shop she was staring at.
I read one of the facts, “This theme park took only six months to build.”
Well, that’s a bit worrying. Looking at how big the place was I’d think it took at least a year to be constructed.
I read the next fact, “The owner of this theme park, Mr. John Reynold Hughston, has a pet wallaby named Sanders. The mascot of this park was based of the owner’s pet.” Next to the fact was a picture of the owner’s wallaby being hugged by none other than Mr. Hughston himself. I guess love transcends species.
“Damis, do you have any idea what this creature might be?” said May, showing me a small wallaby plushie she probably bought off the gift shop.
“I can’t believe you bought that when you don’t even know what it is.” I replied, surprised at what she just said, “It’s a wallaby. I’m surprised you never heard of it. The name is plastered all around this place that I was sure you noticed it by now.”
“It’s the first time I went to this place so I got distracted.”
But still, the place is literally called Wallaby Land. I really think she should’ve let herself heal more because there might not be enough blood going to her brain right now.
She stared at the toy wallaby she held in her hands, “… Is this the thing that wears boxing gloves and jumps around?” she uttered as she held her chin.
Hearing what she made me hold my forehead in dismay.
Is this for real? May, the girl I regarded to be smarter and cleverer than me, stood there with no idea what neither a wallaby nor a kangaroo is.
“See, here… What you’re talking about is a kangaroo.” I explained, “Wallabies and kangaroos belong to the same family making them quite similar in appearance.” May kept staring at the plushie as she nodded in response.
Seeing her like that made me feel like I was teaching a primary schooler about the animal kingdom for the first time.
“… I see…” she uttered, “I’ve seen these things before in movies and video games yet I never known what they were called.”
“Couldn’t you have like, searched it on the internet or something?”
“It’s difficult to search something like that on the internet when you don’t know its name.” she replied as she took out her phone. She began messing with it before staring at it intently.
“Ah, I see…” she muttered. I took a peek at what she was looking at and it were pictures of kangaroos and wallabies out on the wild.
“I’m surprised you never knew about them until know.”
“No. As I said earlier, I already knew about them before. I just didn’t know what they were called.”
But judging by the way she described a kangaroo earlier, I’d say it’s the first time she saw what they really looked like in real life.
“Anyway, I don’t feel obligated to learn about things that are unimportant to me.” She continued.
“Still, I don’t know what school you went to but they’ve been teaching us wildlife since grade school.”
“…. I don’t care.” She said, dismissing what I’ve been telling her as she turned around and walked away, still holding the wallaby in her hands. Somehow, seeing her act like that put a grin on my face.
I continued walking around the park avoiding the massive crowds that lingered along the area as I passed by all the rides and shops that were lined up neatly on the side of the pathways that intersected around the whole park. There were your typical amusement rides such as a Ferris wheel, a roller coaster, those spinning tea cup things and for the kids at heart, a merry-go-round among others.
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As I was staring at some magazines that were on display in another gift shop, I received a text from Noah saying that we’ll meet up at the food court at the centre of the park. After giving it a read I headed on my way there.
The food court was crowded as well, but compared to the other areas of the park, the population there seemed considerably less. They were seated next to a table that had one of those large parasol things sticking out the middle of it acting as a cover from the glaring sunlight. Although I’ve already grown accustomed to the heat, it’ll feel better to eat under some decent shade.
May and June sat next to each other while Noah and the girls sat in front of them. On the table in front of them were a few already half eaten meals hinting that they already started eating even before I got there.
Before I went to their table, I bought some food at one of the food stalls surrounding the place.
“Ah, sorry dude, we already began eating before you came here.” Said Noah.
“It’s okay, it’s not like you’re all done eating anyway.” I replied before digging in.
Seeing me indulge in my meal the others continued eating as well. Noah kept talking with the others about the rides they went on and the stuff they saw and made a few jokes about how he almost puked when he took a ride in the roller coaster.
I glanced at them as they chatted with each other, June smiled cheerfully while I noticed that even May had a grin on her face. Everyone’s enjoying the time we’re having right now. But just as the time before when my friend celebrated her birthday in class, I just sat there, expressionless. Making me realize that even though I believed that I’ve improved and became a better person ever since that day, I’m still the same as ever. And it made me feel disappointed.
June glanced at me as she smiled, having her look at me like that made me force out a smile of my own. But that was all it was, forced. Somehow, even though all of them were there in arms reach, they felt so distant. No, it’s more like I was content with being the spectator. After all, it’s easier to watch and learn than to indulge and do. It was safer that way. A lot easier.
Only important matters deserve absolute effort. That’s right, that’s how it should be. That’s how it always been. And I wouldn’t have it any other way. I found myself staring at the distance, looking at some birds that were flocking along a power line meters away.
The sounds of conversation that were still audible to my ears even though I was wearing my earphones slowly became unintelligible as I turned up the volume. And while taking an occasional spoonful of food into my mouth, I wished for time to move a little faster.
----------------------------------------
Our lunch, which were nothing more than empty paper plates at this point, were left laying on top of the table we used before we began going our separate ways once again.
But this time, I don’t think I’ll be wandering around this place alone since a certain someone has kept tugging on my right sleeve before I even managed to get away from the table.
“U-umm… D-Damis?” June asked nervously asked as she slowly let go of my sleeve.
I turned around to face her, she was bowing her head, face all red. She looked like she had a fever. But with today being as hot as it is, thinking of that possibility would just be plain stupid. I’ve already seen that expression of hers enough times for me to be able guess where this conversation will be heading.
I noticed Noah and the girls looking at June as if they were cheering her on, May on the other hand was nowhere to be found, making me think that she might’ve left already.
“I-I was wondering… I-if it’s okay to… go around the park w-with… you…” she said, struggling to talk without stuttering. She continued bowing her head though she’d occasionally glance up at me before looking away as fast as she could.
I saw Noah waving farewell as he and the girls left the eating area. The way he acted made me certain that he was the one behind these turns of events. It’s just like him to encourage June to approach me and ask me to go with her like this. Thinking about it again, he kind of did the same thing with May.
I’m feeling a bit reluctant to take her up on her offer mostly because I’m not confident that she’ll be able to enjoy spending time with me. But, it seems as though I have no other choice since Noah left already. Without him here, a suggestion like “I think it’d be more fun if you go around with Noah.” Would no longer be valid. He really knows how to put me in peculiar situations. I should’ve just kept ignoring him that time in third grade.
I let out a sigh, “… Why not?” I answered, forcing out a smile.
She began looking at me with that bright smile of hers. I can’t deny her looking a bit adorable as she stared at me like that. Good thing I have quite a long tolerance with stuff that evokes the feeling of cuteness and whatnot. So, I think I’ll be able to at least keep her occupied and entertain her for a while. That’s if I don’t get carried away and start leaving her behind. That would be bad.
The both of us began walking away from the eating area as we headed to the many booths around the park. The booths mainly consisted of typical amusement park games such as water guns, throwing hoops, and others. There was also that booth where you throw a tennis ball at a bull’s-eye in order for a guy dressed as a mascot to fall under a large tub filled with cold water. I found that game to be quite appealing.
Just before I headed to the booth I mentioned, I remembered that June was with me. After looking around for her, I saw her in front of one of the booths staring at some of the things in display. She looked just like how May was staring at a gift shop earlier. I decided to change my plans and head to where she was.
I got a closer look and I saw her in front of a booth that facilitates that water gun game staring at a wallaby plushie wearing sunglasses on the shelf labelled as the “prizes”. Since I’ve read a few romance novels in the past, mostly because they are practically unavoidable, I had a pretty clear idea of what she’s trying to do. And I’m not against doing it for her.
I don’t mind playing games like these once in a while, and judging by the looks of the other players, it seemed kind of fun.
“I’d like to play.” I told the guy who was running the booth. The guy looked a few years older than us, bearing a thin beard, he wore a cap and a t-shirt both bearing the theme park’s logo.
June glanced at me after hearing what I said, I never glanced back because I know she’d just look away immediately. But hearing her soft gasp was enough to alert me of her attention. Not that I’m doing this solely for her to notice me and my efforts to get her that prize she keeps on staring at. I’m not trying to win a prize here, I just wanted to experience the game. And if I somehow managed to win anyway, I’ll just give it to her.
After briefly recalling what my aunt told me about spending my money wisely, I hesitated to pay up and play the game. But, it’s not like I‘m wasting all of my money here since I’m just going to play it once, it’s all for the sake of experience.
After giving the man some cash, he gave me one of the guns then instructed me to shoot five of the targets consecutively to win a prize. Sounds easy enough.
I began shooting one of the tin cans with yellow smiling faces drawn on them. I aligned the sights and slowly pulled on the trigger. What I expected to be a powerful gush of pressured water was nothing more than a lousy squirt that didn’t even reach the target.
Maybe I should’ve pulled the trigger faster rather than gradually, it’s a water gun after all.
I shook the gun to see if there was still water left in it then readied myself for the next shot. Before pulling the trigger, I remembered something I watched on a movie where the guy who was an army sniper said that controlled breathing ensures an accurate shot. I tried to calm my breathing and feel my heartbeat as I aimed to shoot the tin target in front of me. As I exhaled I quickly pulled on the trigger.
Nothing.
Not a drop came out of the gun even though I tugged on the trigger as fast as I could.
Maybe I pulled on it too fast? If I could remember correctly, pulling the trigger of a water gun creates enough suction for it to suck up and propel pressured water out of its nozzle. Pulling it too fast must’ve caused it to pull in air rather than water since the gun wasn’t even full of it.
I positioned myself once again and got ready to shoot when I heard deep suppressed laughter coming from the booth. I glanced at the source and saw that it was the facilitator trying his best to look away as he muffled his chuckles by covering his mouth with his hands.
He kept letting out those sounds of amusement, unaware that I have already noticed his rudeness. I gently shook the gun and discovered that there was enough water on it for only one more shot. How does he expect me to shoot five targets if I can’t even shoot three?
Feeling annoyed by his laughter and how he treated a customer, I got ready to shoot again. Only this time I won’t be aiming at the tin can but rather on the mobile phone that was on the edge if the table near him. Normally I’d treat adults with outmost respect since I believe that they have been through a lot in their lives and their experiences have already molded them to be the best people that they can be, and someday I wish I could reach that part of my life as well. But in my eyes, at this moment, that man wearing that laughable excuse of a uniform while laughing at me, did not look like a respectable adult but more like a useless delinquent in a grown man’s body.
I pulled the trigger with the right amount of force and this time water gushed out of its nozzle and towards the phone on the table, hoping that it wasn’t water-proof. The expression of shock on his face was enough to put a grin on mine. I looked away before he could have a chance to glare at me. I turned my face towards him as I bowed and asked for his forgiveness while trying to act as sincere and helpless as I could.
“Uhh— just… don’t do it again,” The man said nervously as the other players glanced at him, “You’re lucky this was water-proof.”
“Yes, I’m sorry about that.” I pleaded. Still felt good about it though. I’d do it again in a heartbeat. Although hearing it was waterproof made me feel a bit disappointed.
I heard another suppressed chuckle to my left and saw it was June, looking away as she giggled with delight at our performance. She called the man and told him she wanted to buy that stuffed wallaby she was staring at earlier. After giving him the money, she got the plushie and held it in her arms as she looked at me with a bright smile. Couldn’t she have bought that in one of the gift shops instead of the booths? I shrugged as we began walking once again.
I kept letting her lead the way as we passed more booths and bought a few snacks from the many stalls around the area before taking a rest at a vacant bench near the amusement park’s merry-go-round. I personally nominated this place to rest in because compared to all of the facilities here in wallaby land, the merry-go-round seemed to be the least occupied, plus the bench was conveniently shaded by a large tree next to it.
Since the bench was spacious enough to accommodate three to four people, we sat a few inches away from each other as we continued eating our snacks. I bought a waffle that I’ve finished just as we got seated, while June bought a vanilla ice cream cone.
Feeling thirsty I took out the can of green tea from the plastic bag I got after buying my snacks earlier. The drink fizzed as I pulled open the can. A sweet, clean, and refreshing aroma blew through my face as I poured the tea inside my drying mouth. It tasted okay.
Suddenly, I felt the urge to glance ant June. I turned towards her and saw that she had already finished her ice cream cone. She bowed her head as she looked down at the stuffed animal in her hands. This might be a good time to start up a conversation. But, what should we talk about? I know nothing about her life and interests other than her past relationship, but we’ve already talked about that. Should I tell her about the phone strap? No, I already decided not to. Something about the art club maybe? No that’d be a bad idea since we never told her that we knew about it, and art isn’t really a topic that I’m well versed enough to talk about.
I guess I have no choice then, as much as I’m reluctant to talk about that incident, asking about how she’s been doing would be a good conversation starter.
“So… how have you been doing since… that?” I asked. Forgetting to clear my throat before speaking, I ended up messing up my voice. Fortunately, it wasn’t too noticeable.
I immediately drank up more tea as soon as I finished speaking.
“Oh,” she uttered as she glanced at me, it looked like what I said caught her by surprise, “I-I’ve been fine”, she looked down on the sunglassed wallaby once again, “The policemen escorted me back home and talked to my mom. The day after that I talked about it with my mom and…” her voice became silent as she closed her eyes momentarily. After opening them up once again she raised her head and gently looked around as if she was trying to find something. A few seconds later, she stopped, staring at the giant spinning wheel far away at her right.
“I want to… Do you mind if we took a ride in that?” she said as she glanced at me with a gentle smile.
I already planned on taking a ride there sometime during this trip so I responded to her request with a nod. I’ve wanted to see the view of the town from up there ever since I saw that Ferris wheel.
Unlike the other rides in this amusement park, the queue for the Ferris wheel was unusually short. Because of it, we didn’t have to wait long before we were finally inside one of the Ferris wheel’s compartments. Although, we still had to pay an amount of €15 per head, which was more than what I had anticipated. So much for spending it wisely (sorry, Aunt Faye).
The Ferris wheel’s passenger compartments were about the size of half a van. There were two sitting areas which looked like it can fit up to three people each. The insides were coloured white while the seats were brown, few of the interior walls had the theme park’s logo and images of the park’s mascot. The décor alone was enough to make me hesitant about going inside, though I couldn’t say the same for June since her expression upon seeing he interior could be compared to a kid in a candy shop. But nonetheless, the two of us made our way inside and made ourselves comfortable.
We sat in front of each other, I looked through the thick glass pane that surrounded half of the pod as we waited for the wheel to start moving. The seats were soft and the inside was surprisingly cool. I noticed a gentle, cool breeze of air hitting the back of my legs. There was actual air conditioning inside this pod. I guess that explains the outrageous fee. The glass pane surrounding us provided a clear 360 degrees view of everything around our position. I’m genuinely impressed at how this pod was designed, except for the interior of course.
Before long, the Ferris wheel rotated our pod upwards in a slow, steady pace. Everything around us soon became nothing more that miniature versions of what they were as we slowly began reaching the top of the wheel. Although there are quite a few Ferris wheels that were considerably larger than the one they have here in wallaby land, the birds eye perspective it provided could be compared to that of our school rooftop, if not a tad bit higher.
I took a quick glance at June, almost forgetting that she was with me. I saw her looking out the glass with an astonished expression. Her eyes widened and her mouth slightly open.
I remembered when I was still in elementary school and I first saw that fireworks display at my hometown during the New Year. I stared at the black sky covered with thousands of stars in front of our house after my aunt told me to. I kept asking her why but she just told me to wait and see. I remember having that same expression as her when I saw the first of the fireworks explode out in the night sky.
I turned towards the glass pane at my right once again and looked at the city below. Looking at it from so high above made me see every street, every road, every building that I knew and didn’t know.
The river that passed through the whole city sparkled as the sunlight shone above it making it look like it was made of liquid gold.
“The city looks amazing at this height, doesn’t it?” June said as she stared through the thick glass with an elated expression.
Amazing it is.
It felt like I could never get used to this view.
“Thank you.” June said suddenly causing me to turn towards her with slight surprise.
The Ferris wheel stopped rotating, leaving our pod suspended at its highest position. They must’ve unloaded the other pods and let new passengers come in. June kept looking at the city through the glass. Although she didn’t have as much as a curl on the ends of her lips, I could still see a gentle smile. Her sincere voice was unwavering and clear, as if it was rehearsed and recorded and processed using software of the highest quality. I never thought I’d hear those words again, from another girl nonetheless. It felt like I was doing something right. I liked it. The feeling that someone is in your debt. Having someone else think highly of you. It made me feel all fuzzy inside, even a bit embarrassed. Perhaps this was just the golden rule in play. But then again…
“Why…” I muttered unconsciously. It looked like June didn’t notice it though. Good thing, because it was such a stupid thing to say. Why else would she thank me for? She probably thanked me with our past ordeal in mind.
“…If you’re thanking me for helping during that escape of ours, I can’t take all the credit. Noah and May deserve some as well. Not to mention you being overwhelmingly prepared for a situation like that. If you ask me, I should be thanking you.”
“I know but… I can’t imagine being able to get away from that place without your help… When I was panicking, you helped me feel calm… and safe. You kept my hopes up and promised that we’ll be able to escape. You… saved me.” She insisted, turning towards me with her faint rosy face.
This girl, she’s too nice. Too nice for her own good. Maybe even too nice for comfort.
Just like anything that does not meet my expectations, it made me feel uncomfortable. I never once got the pleasure of knowing a girl a nice as her. It was almost unbelievable, inconceivable. Compared to the other girls around my age, she was like an angel in disguise. A four leafed clover. A floating stalk in a cup of tea.
She and May are the most impressionable girls, maybe even one of the most impressionable people I have met up to this day. Making me think that maybe I had the wrong impression of people all along. Perhaps I was merely drunk on my own assumptions. Thinking about it again, if people like them were more common than I thought, then I should’ve had a few similar encounters in the past.
On second thought, maybe I did.
Was my friend in first grade as nice as well? How did she become my friend anyway? I can’t even remember her face anymore…
“Damis?” June said looking all puzzled as she tilted her head staring at me,” … You’ve gone quiet all of the sudden. Is something wrong?”
“It’s nothing. I just remembered I had to buy toothpaste today.” I said, looking away as I scratched the back of my head.
She began giggling at me, attempting to muffle her laughter by pressing the stuffed wallaby she’s holding onto her mouth.
Although I had no idea why she was giggling like that in the first place, I decided to humour her and let out an occasional chuckle or two.
I saved her, huh?
I began staring outside the glass and into the distance once again.
Reminded of the previous act of heroism I’ve done.
Heh.
I couldn’t help but grin.
I almost let out a chuckle.
It felt like a joke.
Someone who would consider staying away from danger and not getting involved is far from a hero.
“I-I…” June said abruptly, catching me again by surprise. She seemed to be holding back as she spoke. She looked away before taking a deep breath. That’s right, one step at a time.
“I’ll be leaving the city tomorrow.” She looked towards the city, downhearted.
“My mom talked about it yesterday. We were supposed to move to another city a few weeks from now but after all that happened, my mom thought it would be best if we left immediately.”
As much as it made her sad, her mother made the right call. And I think June herself knows that it will be for the best. Although our kidnappers had been detained by the authorities, the person that gave them that job in the first place is still out there. And who knows what he’ll be planning next. Whatever it may be, it’s best to move out and lay low for a while.
This is all the more reason for me to tell her what those guys were after. I knew that someday I’d have to tell her about it. But it seems that waiting is no longer an option.
“They were after that phone strap of yours. Specifically, the old looking pendant stuck on the middle of it.” I said, being as straightforward as possible. I prefer having serious conversations that way. I thought about it but I decided not to tell her about what the pendant really was and how much it costs.
I told her what she needed to know, and hopefully that’ll suffice.
“… That’s the same thing the police told me. They also told me the pendant was a stolen item from an auction in another country a few months ago. They said it was worth eight hundred million.”
And here I was, trying not to tell her about it.
“What did you do with it?”
“The police contacted the people who owned it saying that they’ll return the missing item, so I gave it…”
I had a hard time believing she would just hand the pendant over to them that easily.
What happened to holding on to that keepsake even before he was gone? It might’ve even ensured her success and luck in the future.
Although, guilt might’ve been enough to make her let go of that keepsake. And I don’t think she’d have it in her to object the authority’s wishes. She wasn’t even meant to have it in the first place. And I think she knew that as well. Having the man she looked up to turn into something else because of the possibility of him being a criminal. She must feel deceived, betrayed, or at least, confused.
“I think you made the right decision.” Given a similar situation I may have done the same thing.
She responded with a modest nod as she kept looking at the city.
Something felt wrong.
“If that’s the case, why do you still have to move out of the city? If they were only after that pendant, there’s no reason for them to bother you anymore.”
“…It’s just that… my mom had enough.”
Enough?
I’m curious about what she’s talking about but, should I pry into this topic even more?
Do I have to? I’m not even sure if I had the right.
I’ll just leave it to her. I won’t reply, instead I’ll wait for her to talk about it herself.
I kept my attention on the city below us.
…
It’s no good.
I had to know or it’ll bother me to no end.
I’m really not happy with this habit of mine, but thanks to it, I can do better in class than most people. So, I guess I can live with it. As long as this curiosity doesn’t lead to the metaphorical cat’s death.
“…Mind if I talk to you about it?” she finally asked. Hearing her say that made me breathe a sigh of relief. It made things a lot easier.
“Sure.” I replied trying to hide my eagerness to know.
She took a deep breath as she got ready to speak, “When I was in middle school, my father died during a work-related accident… mom and I were devastated, and it affected me a lot since me and dad were close. After a few years, and after the man I talked to you about disappeared, my mom remarried. My step-father was a nice man, he worked at a bank near the city park. But, during the morning of the first day of classes when he was driving me to school, we got into an accident and…” Although she kept staring through the glass beside her, she began hugging the stuffed animal in her hands as tightly as she could. She looked like she was feeling uncomfortable.
Hold on, her step-father was the one that I saw die in that accident? I didn’t expect that at all.
Somehow after that discovery, I felt guilty. And after hearing her story, I began feeling sorry for her. To the point where thoughts such as “what if I saved him?” began flooding up my mind. But, it’s not like I could’ve saved him anyway.
First of all, both of them were in a vehicle so there’s no way for me to warn them about what’ll happen. And secondly, it all happened too fast. It’s one of those cases where a death happened immediately after a premonition. But most of all, I didn’t have any reason to save him that time. Perhaps even now, I still don’t.
I never knew my real parents, but I my aunt Faye took care of me. And because I never knew them, I never developed any emotional ties with them. Even if I found out that the both of them were dead, I don’t think I’ll grieve about it at all. But June is different, at least for the time I’ve known her and the things she said, she values her family.
Misfortune might’ve shaken her life multiple times now. And for some reason, it felt unfair. Although there might’ve been an obvious reason for me to feel that way, and I’m just oblivious of that. All of those experiences molded her into what she is now.
Somehow, even though she isn’t even that strong as a person, and somewhat paranoid and often dependent on others, I found her to be admirable. Maybe it’s because in spite of all that she’d been through, to a point, she was still normal. More normal than I am, at least.
“You know… remember when we were stuck in that room that time and made that promise?” In contrast to her recent melancholy, she asked with a cheerful voice. I’d guess she felt the need to change the topic. If the conversation kept going on this dramatic path I might’ve done the same. But what promise? I don’t remember making such a thing. I don’t recall having any reason to make one in the first place. But, saying that I’ve forgotten about it might not be good for her. It might be best to just go along with her for now.
“Oh yeah… about that—”
The thought of our promise finally popped into my head.
Hold on, why the hell did I make that promise? Making that kind of promise was basically suicide.
My secret isn’t something as tame as the one she may be thinking about. For all I know, I might be the only one in this overpopulated blue mass of a world that has a secret such as this. And that makes keeping it that way more important.
Argh.
This is what happens when I keep beating around the bush. I should’ve just flat out rejected her blatant fervor back then. But, there’s no use complaining about it now. I’ll just have to make do. And by that, I mean fight fire with fire. I’ll have to turn that eagerness into silence.
With a deep breath, I prepared to speak.
“Do you like me?”
I looked at her straight and asked the question. Judging by her demeanor she’ll end up getting all flustered and embarrassed after hearing that question. Not to mention the fact that she’s been acting weird whenever I was around which assured me that she thinks highly of me. Hopefully it’ll make her feel awkward enough to refrain from talking for a few minutes.
“E-Eh?” stuttering, she glanced at me for a moment before looking away blushing,
With that reaction, I’m sure she already forgot what she was talking about earlier. Good thing she’s somewhat predictable. With this, my secret is safe.
Just before I could stare out into the city once again, she nodded as a response. A slight, brief, downward movement of the head often used to signal agreement or assent.
For a second, I almost lost my composure.
A wave of shame and awkwardness blasted through me like a strong sea breeze.
But since I have already developed a strong barrier against these feelings, I managed to keep myself together.
“I-I didn’t expect you to be that straightforward about it…” she shot a few brief glances at me.
This is bad. With her acting like that, there’s no way for me to be avoid the atmosphere.
I found myself trying to look away as well.
Is it just me or is it getting hot in here? I’m starting to feel beads of sweat rolling down my neck.
That was a nod, right? Which meant she likes me to a certain degree.
…
“Do you like me as a man?”
This wasn’t in the plan. But if things are going on some romance novel route then I might as well satisfy my curiosity and inquire more about it. Keeping her occupied with an embarrassing topic such as this might make her forget about our promise altogether.
Although, I don’t know how much longer I’ll be able to keep this up before I end up jumping off this Ferris wheel.
Speaking of which, our position on top of this wheel hasn’t changed at all and we were still hanging on top of the wheel. Is this still part of the ride? With that in mind, I don’t think jumping off will be a good idea.
Without a moment’s notice, still looking away, she responded with a nod, “I guess… I do…”
…
Seriously?
I already had my suspicions but, this girl gets attached to other people too quick for her own good. After all, we’ve only known each other for two days.
To find out that she really does harbour such a feeling towards me… I can’t say I wasn’t dumbfounded.
“Why?” I asked, looking at her straight. I had no ulterior motives in doing so, I just wanted to know her reasons.
It felt like I needed to know. It felt more important than all of the things I held with importance.
“Huh? W-Why? U-umm…” she replied, still flustered as she hugged her plushie tight, “Even though you act a bit weird… you’re dependable… and you kind of… make me feel… safe.”
Steadily, the wheel began moving once again.
…
I guess I should tell her about it.
After all, a promise is a promise.
But fortunately, a secret can be anything.
Even a lie.
“I move my feet when I lie.” I said, overlapping my feet to prevent my mannerism from acting up, “That’s the thing I’ve been keeping secret.”
I glanced at her, expecting some sort of a reaction.
After looking at me with wide eyes, she began giggling.
“That’s a weird habit.” She managed to speak. With teary eyes, she kept chuckling.
“Could you stop calling me that?” I said, slightly annoyed, but not to the point where I was angry about it, “I can’t deny being different from the average person, but that’s pretty much the only thing you got right about me. I’m not as dependable as you think I am.”
“… You don’t know that….” She stared outside the glass, with the same, coy smile. But this time, unwavering.
I found my eyes to be glued on to her for the rest of the ride’s duration, which lasted for a minute before bringing us back on the ground once again.
Later that day, I found out that the Ferris wheel had stalled.
----------------------------------------
“Of course, I know that.” I muttered to myself, recalling yesterday’s events as I walked to school.
I know myself more than anyone. I am my oldest friend after all.
After our trip on the Ferris wheel the two of us met up with Noah and the others. May was still nowhere to be found but judging by the way Noah was acting I’d guess she already went home.
Noah and the girls greeted June with grins on their faces as they circled around her. I just kept my distance as we all walked together around the theme park before going our separate ways and heading on home.
Something about June caught my attention just as we got ready to go home. She looked brighter than usual. And for some weird reason, she looked liberated as well. The slight, gloomy atmosphere she had while we talked in that Ferris wheel seemed like nothing more than a misunderstanding. No, it might be the same for everything before that as well.
As I approached the school gate, I noticed a familiar figure walking a few meters in front of me. Unlike the other crowds of students walking to school together, this one seemed to be avoiding them. And the most unusual about her is that, she wasn’t staring at her phone.
“She stands out too much.” I muttered to myself.
I began walking towards her, bringing with me a few questions I wanted to get off my mind. I was planning to give her a tap on her shoulder but her blatant threat she stopped me in my tracks.
“Touch me and I’ll break your thumb.”
It sent shivers through my spine. She sounded serious and awfully aggravated so early in the morning. Oh, I almost forgotten she had an injury on that shoulder of hers. My bad.
“Sorry. That thing must still hurt.”
I walked beside her but still keeping a considerable amount of distance between us. I didn’t want people shooting weird looks at us. And I don’t like having people stare at me while I mind my own business. It makes me feel like I’m doing something wrong.
“So, how’s the progress with the sleeping prophet search?”
She let out a deep sigh.
“I told you to give me time, didn’t I?” she replied wearily.
What’s up with her attitude today? It’s more annoying than usual.
“What’s up with you today? You look like you just got into a fight.” I replied hoping to knock some sense into her.
“I feel like a soldier going off to the battlefield, forgetting to bring a gun. A track and field athlete who forgot to wear any shoes. A person wanting to hang himself, forgetting how to tie a noose.”
“What’s up with that last analogy? You want to kill yourself?”
After talking, I got what she was trying to say. She should’ve just said it straight rather than try to be vague and clever about it. But at this point, it’d be more unnerving if she suddenly began saying things that make sense.
“So, you forgot to bring your phone with you.”
“Tsk.” Her expression quickly changed to that of an agitated cat ready to pounce on someone. And by cat, I mean a lion.
“It’s not that a big deal, right? I mean, at least it isn’t lost or something like that.”
“Just because it’s no big deal for you it doesn’t mean it’s the same deal for everyone.”
Hey.
I might steal that line of hers.
“Anyway, what happened with that girl what’s her name?”
I’m starting to think she has memory issues. Actually, it’d explain a lot if she did.
“You’re asking that as if you’re actually concerned about her.”
Wait a minute.
“Back then, you knew she was going to get kidnapped, didn’t you? That’s why you told me to get more information about her, so that I’d keep an eye on her.”
She didn’t even bat an eye at what I just said.
Honestly, she only listens to the things she cares about.
“June said she’ll be leaving the city today.” Talking about the topic made me recall our conversation on the Ferris wheel. Especially the embarrassing parts.
I shook my head and tried to keep those thoughts at bay.
You don’t know that.
Those words resonated in my head once again.
“Hey, May. How much do you know about yourself?”
“That’s a rather unexpected question.”
She looked at me as if I told her a joke.
“… Forget I ever asked that.”
She let out a chuckle,” I know myself just as much as other people know themselves.”
“That… doesn’t answer the question at all. If anything, you just gave me more questions.”
“One of the mistakes people often make is to think that they are unique. People have a more things in common that they think, that’s how we can feel empathy after all.”
I could’ve sworn I heard someone say something similar to me before.
I almost heard her say that in a different voice.
The person I dreamt about back in that old warehouse.
The same guy whose death caused me to feel frustrated.
“Have you and Sir. Nathan talked before?”
“Yes.” She immediately answered, “On a few occasions.”
“You… never told me about that.”
“I only talk about such things when asked.”
He was our homeroom teacher back when we were red ties. That was before he had a heart attack.
I’m a bit surprised to know that Sir. Nathan also had a connection with May back then. I guess he had a soft spot for introverted students.
We’ve passed the school gate and continued our way to the school building, walking along the paved path surrounded by few, large trees on either side with a bunch of other students in the vicinity.
The director of this school evidently adores trees and other plants since most of the school is covered with lush greenery. He’s got some great taste. Unlike yesterday which was hot and slightly humid, the weather today was milder and more bearable, making the morning walk to school feel like a breeze.
I began hearing whispers about the recent kidnapping incident that involved the two students who were walking next to each other, which were us. I tried to avoid the curious gazes of some of the students who’ve probably heard of the rumours.
“This is annoying.” I muttered to myself as I gradually walked faster.
“Don’t worry, I told Glenn to take care of all of the rumours caused by the recent incident. Although a few students talking about it here and there, you can expect that it won’t go out of hand.” May whispered.
“So the student council president even has the power to do that, huh?” I replied.
“He has connections.”
…
Luckily, the media was nice enough to censor out our names during the news report last night. Although they did mention our school and year level.
They also interviewed June’s mother, and talked about the kidnapping and the traffic accident that occurred on the morning of the first day of classes.
Thinking about it again, they could’ve done better to hide our identities.
“Oh, I almost forgot.” May said, stopping in her tracks, “Could I borrow your phone for a bit?” she held out her hand.
I stared at her behind me, wondering what reason she’d have to use my phone other than not having her phone with her. I’m not the type who let’s other people use the stuff I own, even if that person is someone I knew for many years.
It’s a habit of mine I like to call, the ‘Noah Factor’.
“Why?” I said.
Although I’m reluctant about letting her borrow the phone, I’m not totally against lending it to her if there was a good reason.
“I need to check something.” She said, still holding out her hand.
“Is this ‘something’ going to benefit me in any way?”
“Just give me the damn phone.” She shouted.
The students who were walking along our path took notice of our interaction. Suddenly, the feeling of dozens of eyes staring at me felt as heavy as a month’s worth of schoolwork.
With the risk of her screaming at me once again if I kept on denying her, I took out the phone in my pocket and handed it to her.
“Oh, wait, I forgot to undo the password.” I said, trying to reach for it but she pulled it away at the last second.
“No need. The password is simad, right?”
“Hold on, how did you--”
“A simple yet competent person using such a simple yet competent password. It wasn’t that hard, really. Took me two tries.” Her slender fingers moved around the phone’s screen as she began messing with it.
I walked towards her to take a peek at what she was doing. She used my phone’s online browser and entered a short URL on the search bar, it looked familiar.
“When did the Ferris wheel stall yesterday? I wasn’t around to see it happen since I went home after lunch.” She asked abruptly as she waited for the page to load.
“How do you know about that?”
May turned her attention towards the phone’s screen. On the screen was the sleeping prophet’s forum where he posted a new prediction yesterday.
The Ferris wheel in a new Wallaby Land will encounter a problem.
-KOMA
According to the webpage, he made the post an hour before it had stalled.
“Judging from your reaction, the prediction came true and it happened long after he posted it on this forum.”
“Is this legit?”
“After going home, I stayed on this webpage for a while and waited for an update. I can assure you that he posted this prediction around two thirty in the afternoon.”
If that’s true, then it might mean he’s the real deal.
“Ms. May?” said by the disembodied voice of a young, female girl coming from behind.
The both of us looked behind and saw female student, she seems to be in the same year level as we are. She’s a bit in the short side even though she’s basically the same age as us. Although she was staring at May with a perky smile, she took a quick glance at me and smiled just as bright. It was kind of warm.
The ponytail wearing brunette began sprinting towards our direction, constantly waving at May. May looked puzzled as the girl stopped right in front of her. She was close, really close. I almost thought the two of them had a past together. Although that might not be completely out of the question.
“Umm… don’t you remember me?” she began acting all coy when she asked May.
“… Oh, you’re… June, right?”
I palmed my face so hard it almost made a sound.
Wrong girl, May.
The girl giggled at what May said. She must’ve thought it was a joke.
“No, it’s Casey.” She clarified with a smile.
May’s eyes widened up as she came to a realization.
“Oh, the music club girl.”
“Orchestra club.” She clarified once again, still smiling, “I never got the chance to give you my thanks last Friday since you left in a hurry.”
“Oh, don’t worry about that. The job wasn’t that hard anyway.” May made a confident grin of her own.
So that’s what she was up to last Friday. This Casey girl must’ve been another client.
Getting multiple jobs like that, I kind of understand why she wanted to have an assistant now. Still, picking the easiest job of the two is unfair. But I have to admit, keeping it a secret from me was a smart move. I expected no less from her.
Casey began reaching for something in her bag. What she took out was a tiny keychain of a crown wearing bunny in an orange suit. Not the colour orange but the fruit orange.
Although technically, classifying the suit as both the colour orange and the fruit can also be correct. She grabbed May’s free hand and put the keychain on her palm.
“Thanks for your help.” She kept holding on to her hand as if she’d forgotten about it.
“O-oh, thanks, I mean, you’re welcome.” Said May.
Oh, this is a rare sight. May began getting slightly flustered as she tried to let go of Casey’s hand. It’s the first time I’ve seen her blush like that. Noticing May’s reaction, Casey got flustered as well.
“W-well, see you later.” Casey bid farewell, glancing at me before she continued her way into the school.
May kept staring at the gift she gave her.
Without her noticing, I began to take my phone out of her left hand. After successfully retrieving my phone, I continued my way into the school building as well.
“Hey, the bell’s gonna ring soon.” I reminded her, seeing as the two of us were the only ones left still walking to school.
Without even as much as a glance, she put the keychain on her pocket and began walking towards my direction.
Just as I got inside the building I felt a familiar pain in the sides of my head. The pain was so intense, it was enough to bring me on my knees. After a few seconds the pain dissipated and my blurry sight gradually recovered.
May stared at me, motionless. She looked confused but quickly realized what was going on.
I gently stood back up and turned towards her.
“Casey is going to die.”
Chapter End