Monday

While I was relaxing in an abandoned chair at the back of the classroom, a student suddenly approached me with an unexpected request…

"Please be my pet."

A girl I had no idea about suddenly approached me, took a seat beside me, and just said an unbelievable thing.

So, what is this supposed to mean? I… don’t know.

"Hey, I don't really want to ask you like this, but... Are you okay?" I asked.

"Perfectly okay, as you can see," she said, smiling and playfully putting her right hand on top of her head.

"Okay, good to hear, but what you just did doesn’t really prove anything."

"You have a point."

A weird individual just appeared.

"Then, will you please excuse me?"

I’m not in the mood to deal with someone like her.

"I will wait for you tomorrow."

"Please don't do that."

Why would she do that?

I don’t get it.

----------------------------------------

Tuesday

I always preferred going to school early to relax in the back of our classroom.

There's this abandoned wooden chair, big enough for three people. It's the only seat you'll find back here, and you might wonder why there's even a chair in this spot.

Maybe some seniors decided to put it there in the past, for the same reason I'm drawn to it now. Perhaps they wanted a quiet place to unwind. Who knows?

This spot is quiet and perfect for relaxation. That's why I find myself gravitating towards it every day. Well, I say "every day," but that's a lie. It's only been a day since school started, and a day since I stumbled upon this chair.

It feels like fate that I found it. Yesterday, while wandering aimlessly around the school, I stumbled upon this abandoned chair.

I wanted to claim this spot as my own, my secret sanctuary, but that seems unlikely now.

Just yesterday, I decided to stay after school to relax here again, only to have some random girl ask me out of the blue to be her pet. A pet? Why would someone say that to me out of nowhere?

This could be the end of my secret spot. I don't own it, of course, but I was hoping to make it mine... But now that the same girl from yesterday is sitting in the chair early this morning.

"You're here again? Are you going to ask me to be your pet again? Please leave," I said.

"I haven't completed my mission yet; that's why I can't leave," she replied.

A mission? To have a pet?

"You're bothering me. Please leave. I don't understand why you're doing this, but I don’t find it funny," I pleaded.

"I'm not joking around," she insisted.

"Really? Then I won't help you with whatever mission you have. Please find someone else to be your pet. I can’t comprehend what you’re trying to say."

"I see..."

She started to cry.

“Now you're crying. Maybe I said too much, but I'm serious. I want to sit in that chair, but I can't if you're here” I explained.

She remained silent.

"If you have nothing else to say besides asking me to be your pet, then please leave."

"Please be my pet."

"You know you’re starting to get annoying. If you don't clarify yourself, I won't understand you. I don't even know you well enough to think you're crazy, but you're really pushing it."

I paused, then continued, "If you just want to sit in this chair, just say so, and I'll leave. It can be your chair starting today. But if you still want me to be your pet, forget it. It's ridiculous."

"Being a pet isn't ridiculous."

"What are you even trying to say? Why would someone want another person as a pet? That's not normal right?"

"Is that really how you see it?"

"Yes. It's a joke. I can't take it seriously. I don't want to be a pet. Please don't talk to me if that's all you're going to say. You're causing me problems."

"Why is it always the same..."

And she cried again.

The intensity of her tears sparked an emotion within me. Guilt? Confusion? I couldn't quite place it, but it made me feel uneasy.

"How am I supposed to react? Did I say something to upset you? If it's because I rejected your mission, I apologize."

"You apologize?"

"Yes. It feels like I'm crushing a child's dreams, like telling them Santa Claus isn't real. That's how I feel about this situation. I rejected your idea of having a pet, and now you're crying. I'm genuinely sorry for that..."

Silence.

"Did I make myself clear? You're the one not making sense, but I won't bother anymore. Let's end this. Okay? I'm leaving."

I just want to sit. Why does this have to happen? *sigh*

"I'll wait for you tomorrow," she said again.

“Please don't. I've told you how I feel.”

Feeling guilty, I turned away from her.

"Wipe your face. Class is starting. There's no point in waiting for me, my answer will be the same," I said, walking away.

----------------------------------------

Wednesday

I arrived at school early again this morning.

Yesterday afternoon, I chose not to go to the back of the classroom because I didn't feel comfortable being around her. I thought she might be sitting in the chair again at that time.

I want to avoid her...

I just hope she stops doing that. If she simply said she wanted the chair, I would give it to her, but she didn't mention anything like that. So, I don't have any reason to stop visiting this secret place. That's not a proper reason to avoid it.

It's not like I own it or anything, but I'm willing to let her enjoy the secret place as an apology for what I said. Besides, because of that situation, I can't call it a secret place anymore now that she knows about it.

But of course, I won't take back what I said. I mean it, and I won't retract it.

Now, let's see if she's here.

It's empty.

"Finally," I breathe out. Inner peace, I must say.

That's for the best. I want this peaceful place to be mine only. I know it might seem selfish, but I just can’t stand the thought that she brings such an uncomfortable feeling to a place that's supposed to be relaxing.

I can't understand her intentions, and that's why I said all of that. As much as possible I want to avoid lying when it will only bring bigger problems later on.

I take a seat in the chair.

It's so quiet right now, with only a few students here this early in the morning. I'm the only student from our class here at the moment, making this area really peaceful and quiet.

So relaxing...

I just hope this peaceful time continues. That's my everyday wish, my ultimate wish.

>>>

It's lunch break.

After finishing my lunch in the classroom, I decided to visit the secret chair once again which is my daily routine.

I took a seat on the chair.

It's not as quiet anymore since I can hear my classmates' voices just behind me, but other than that, it's still peaceful here at the back of our classroom.

I mean, I'm the only person you could find in this place, and in front of me is a tall concrete wall not that far. There are no trees here, only a chair, but the area is not that small, so it's not suffocating.

As always, I will spend my free time here before class starts.

Ah… I just love this place.

"Oh....."

She's here, and she's slowly approaching...

What to do...

She's here again...

"Hey?" She called me.

"What?"

She didn't answer me, but instead, she took a seat beside me.

Please don't ruin my day again...

"Hey..."

"Stop repeating that, tell me, what are you planning now?"

"Will you listen to my story?"

"Why would I listen to someone's story? Isn't that something you do with someone close to you? We're not even close, right?"

Why would she do this?

"After what I said yesterday, it's incredible how you can talk to me like nothing happened," I continued.

Reading on Amazon or a pirate site? This novel is from Royal Road. Support the author by reading it there.

"You see, I have this friend."

"I didn't even say I would listen to it..." *sigh*

She started anyway, even though I still haven’t agreed to listen.

"I met him at the same place we are right now, and we had a little fight about who was going to be the owner of this place. That was our first meeting."

So, she arrived here before I did, and I'm not the first one...

I guess she's the original owner then.

"He was a good friend of mine. He used to listen to my stories, and we talked about many things here in this spot. It was such a happy time for me, having someone to listen."

"Then good for you."

Really. I'm not the type to talk about myself, so I don’t really know.

"One time we talked about pets."

"Uhh... Okay?"

"He said that pets are nice, and he loves taking care of them. But he admitted he wasn't that much of an animal lover; nonetheless, he still loves having pets. 'They are a real family,' he said. He is happy with them, wants to take care of them, and wants to grow old with them. That’s what he said when we were talking about pets."

. . .

"He said, 'Pets are someone you can trust, they're loyal and worthy of love. Sometimes I joke around with them, but it's just my way of playing. Overall, being with pets is simply enjoyable.'"

Sounds like a pet lover to me, since he really appreciates being with pets.

"Oh, I see." To be honest, I might know a person who is the same.

"Then one time he said this to me, 'Please be my pet.'"

He said what?

"It came as a shock to me. I told him to stop joking around, and I asked why I should become his pet," she said with a slight laugh.

Exactly my reaction.

But why... why would she tell me something like that?

"But then why-"

"That's the story I want to tell you." My question got interrupted.

"That, that was an unusual way of ending the story.”

What kind of ending is that?

"Sorry, Sed..."

"About what?"

Huh?

"Wait... What are you talking about? And why do you know my name?"

How did she know about it?

"I'm sorry about what I did, I should have never asked you to be my pet."

"Well, that's fine, but I don't quite understand why you felt the need to share a story with me that I can't fully understand. It would be great if you could communicate more clearly, as that would have prevented our fight in the first place," I said.

*cries*

Again? What's with this person?

"I’m sorry for being selfish."

"I already accepted your apology, there's no reason to overreact."

This girl is more sensitive than I thought.

"I love you, Sed. I love you so much," she said in a low voice.

My eyes widened, and I gave her a confused look. I can't understand what's happening.

"I love how you let me stay by your side even for a short period of time. I wish you would love me too and I wish that we could talk about more things. I wish time would stop, and I wish I met you sooner."

With a painful voice, she uttered her feelings, looking down.

“I cherish the moments we’ve spent together even for a short period of time. I hope you feel the same way about me and that we can share more meaningful and fun conversations. I wish… I wish time would stop,” she continued.

Although I have no idea what she's talking about... I feel bad.

"If I loved you once before, then I’ll love you twice as much now."

What's that even supposed to mean?

"I have a question..." she asked.

"A question?"

"Please be honest with me... Do you love me?" She said slowly.

I took a deep breathe, confused with what’s happening, and looked at her.

"I don't love you."

"I see... This is unfair..."

"I don't know what you are talking about."

"I know, you don't know anything about me until now. There's no way you could love someone like that easily, right?"

"Yes. Basically, I know nothing about you."

The tears streamed down her cheeks as she turned away.

"I'm Pearl."

"So, it's Pearl..."

"So Pearl, can I ask you a question?"

"What is it?"

"Why are you confessing your love to the air?"

Confused, she looked at me.

"What do you mean?"

"I personally love your confession, I was moved. But you're confessing to the wrong person. You're confessing to the air... Simply because the Sed you're talking about is nowhere to be found.

“Earlier you said Sed, right?" I continued.

"Because I was talking about you, why can't you understand that?"

"I honestly don't have any idea what you're talking about. The Sed you're talking about is someone who doesn't exist. The Sed you're talking about is a complete lie, that Sed only exists in your memories and in your imagination."

"Stop saying that..."

One more push.

"Don't you think you're just dreaming? I'm not the Sed you are talking about; you probably got the wrong person."

"But Sed..." Once again she looks down.

"Sed..." She started crying again.

"Sed... I miss you." She covered her eyes with both of her hands.

Who is this Sed she is talking about anyway? I don't remember meeting her, and she doesn't look like she is lying. It looks genuine to be a lie, but I don’t remember any of this.

I'm confused, but well, let’s just wrap this up.

"Hey Pearl!"

"W-what?"

"Do you want to make a new Sed?"

"Uh?"

"Can you stop crying over and over again? I can't talk to you properly."

"O-okay..."

"But first, do you want this place to be yours?"

"I don’t want to, that’s not my plan."

"Okay good. So-"

"But I don’t mind sharing it with you."

"O-oh, I see..."

"So, as I said earlier, I will help you create a new Sed, as an apology for making you cry many times," I continued.

"Meaning?"

"Meaning, I'm willing to be your friend."

"Really?"

"In one condition."

"What is it?"

"Never tell anyone about this place."

"Got it."

"Glad to hear that. I guess I'm done here, you are free to visit here again."

I stood up from the chair.

"Huh?"

…

She hugs me from behind.

"Hey... What do you think you're doing? Do you want me to punch you?"

"Thank you, Sed. I love you," she said while hugging me.

"Stop hugging me from behind!" I can’t get away, such a monstrous hug.

"I'm glad you are the person I fell in love with. You're such a cool guy."

"What makes you say I'm cool? I’m nowhere near to be that kind of guy."

"Your very existence makes you cool. Even then and now, you've always been the same Sed."

Then and now?

"What is that supposed to mean?"

She releases her arms from me and steps in front of me.

"Sed, please be my pet."

"I refuse." I respond immediately.

"In percentage?"

"99.99%"

"What about the 0.01% you've left out?"

"It would be rude to make it a hundred percent; the remaining percentage is what you call respect." she chuckled. "Then..."

"Then what?"

"Please accept my love."

"I can’t accept that."

"Let's leave it at that... Thanks, Sed."

She smiles at me, and my face begins to heat up.

She walks away slowly until she's out of sight.

The bell chimes.

What just happened…

In disbelief over the entire situation, I found myself sitting again.

----------------------------------------

Thursday

The time had come for me to take a seat in the same place once again.

As usual, it was still too early for morning classes, so there shouldn't have been any reason for anyone to arrive earlier than necessary.

The atmosphere was quiet and peaceful, making it a serene moment.

I closed my eyes.

. . .

. . .

. . .

>>>

"Huh?"

My head was resting on something soft. And it smelled good.

. . .

Pearl...

Pearl? Wait... What? What's happening?

"Why..."

"Why?"

". . . is my head on top of something?”

"It’s not like you to act dumb.”

“I’m not acting dumb. You can’t expect me to know everything.”

"How is it that a guy like you has never heard of a lap?"

"I don't know, better ask my past self."

"That's what I've been wanting to do."

"You know that's impossible."

"I know... Setting that aside, I'm glad you're enjoying resting on my something." she chuckled.

"My mistake, it's so sticky that I can't seem to get away from it."

"You call that a reason?"

“Yeah?”

That was embarrassing… I immediately raised my head.

"You're not very honest."

"Am I?"

"You are… Although it kind of hurts how you responded.”

"I fail to understand why it hurts."

. . .

. . .

. . .

For a few minutes, silence lingered without anyone attempting to break it.

"Do you hate it?" she suddenly asked.

"Hate what exactly?" I replied, caught off guard.

"Having your head on my lap."

"Not really, it's not that bad," I admitted, feeling slightly awkward.

"I'm glad. It would be bad if I couldn't please you with my lap," she said.

I couldn't help but wonder why she felt the need to say that.

"You know, Pearl, I never said I was uncomfortable with your lap. It was a new experience for me."

“I didn’t have the chance to do this in the past, or rather, I never did."

"I don't know what past you're referring to, and I don’t understand why you're doing this."

"You can't understand because it's in the past."

"I absolutely have no idea what past you're talking about. It seems like you forgot that I'm not the Sed you're talking about."

"That's why I'm frustrated. Just when... Just when will you start loving me?"

"I'm surprised you can even say that to me; we recently just became friends and you already love me?"

"I'm....."

"Don't ask me questions like that. If I could give you an answer other than 'I don't know,' I would. You can't expect me to give an answer that will please you; I'm not a God."

"Sorry."

"Don't worry about it."

"I will go home now," she said suddenly.

"Hey, wait, what about class?"

"You're 3 hours late."

"Wait, I am? Why didn't you tell me anything? You could have woken me up."

"It's my first time seeing your sleeping face, it was funny. Plus, you're defenseless right? It would be bad to leave you here."

"Can you please sit again, just for-" I paused, realizing how odd my request sounded.

"I don't feel good right now. Can I go home?"

"I see, that’s too bad. What about classes?"

"We're both late anyway, and I have a valid reason to go home because I'm not feeling well."

"Then would you like me to come home with you?" I asked, feeling concerned.

"No thanks, that would be really unpleasant."

"Unpleasant? Oh really... Then, see you tomorrow. I will wait for you."

. . .

"Please don't do that."

Eh?

"What do you mean? Hey, Pearl! Wait for me."

"Please don't say that, and don't follow me."

"I'm sor-"

Before I could finish, she ran away from me, leaving me with a regret. That must have hurt her a lot.

This is so pathetic, I can’t believe myself.

I hate this, I don't like this. I need to apologize tomorrow.

Tell me Pearl, how could you say something you love me so clearly and easily?

Feeling a bit disheartened, I decided it was best to head home for now.

As I started walking towards the gate, I noticed the guard sitting not far away, but his attention was elsewhere, focused on something front of him.

"Excuse me, can I get through? I need to leave, I've got a toothache and a slight headache." I explained.

There was no response, just silence.

"Excuse me?" I tried again, a bit louder this time.

Still, no response.

Perhaps he couldn't hear me over whatever he was doing.

. . .

Wait, is he... playing a game? That's unexpected. A guard playing games while on duty? It's definitely a new sight for me.

I decided not to disturb him further, after all, the gate was open anyway. I could just leave without officially asking for permission.

And so, I slipped out without encountering any issues.

Why was the gate open, though? Could it be because of Pearl? She had left not too long ago, maybe she had something to do with it.

Regardless, seeing a guard engrossed in a game while on duty was quite amusing, to say the least.

----------------------------------------

Friday

She's not here.

I can't apologize.

It's lunch time, and there's no sign of her being here.

I can't relax at all, I've been waiting for her this whole time, to talk to her one more time. But it doesn't look like it will happen anytime now.

"What to do..."

Nothing to do but to wait.

Such a problematic situation.

. . .

. . .

. . .

>>>

"W-WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE!?" a girl shouted.

Huh???

"So noisy... Why is someone shouting?"

"WHO ARE YOU!?"

*yawn*

"You mean, who are you?" I asked back.

"That's the same thing." she responded.

"Why were you even shouting in the middle of the day? Can’t even sleep properly." *sigh*

"You were sleeping?"

"Isn't it obvious that I was sleeping here?" annoyed, I glared at her.

"It's not. I didn't even notice you; you weren't even here a few seconds ago."

"What a bad lie."

"What is?"

"About me not being here."

"You're lying, right?"

"Now you're asking me the same thing."

"I never saw anyone."

"Huh?" I looked at her with a confused look.

"I never saw you, you just suddenly appeared."

“Now, you’re being nonsensical here.”

“I’m not, I’m telling you that I didn’t noticed you.”

"You're telling me... Out of thin air, I appeared?"

"Not sure, that would be creepy if that's the case."

"I don't remember acquiring a skill like teleportation."

"Is that so..." she responded, sounding disappointed.

"Absolutely."

"Now... Jokes aside."

"Jokes aside?”

"What are you?"

"A human."

"I see... This is not funny.”

“Huh? What are you talking about?”

"You look confused..."

"And you're the reason."

"Hahaha, can't blame you," she chuckled awkwardly. "I forgot, I still have a class to attend. See you later, Sed. Do your best sleeping."

"You don't need to tell me that."

Waving her hand, she walks away.

*sigh*

For some reason, there's another person who knows my name, and the worst part is I don’t know who they are.

Looking around, still there’s no sight of Pearl at the moment. I don’t know anything about her, making it impossible to know what class she is currently.

“Ah… If only I could apologize…”

>>>

Hoping I could catch a glimpse of Pearl before the week ended, I found myself still sitting in the same spot for hours.

"Aghhh," I scratched my head, feeling regretful that I couldn't do anything.

"You okay?" a familiar voice asked. "Here, drink some water," she handed me a water bottle.

"Thanks, are you sure this is free?"

"What do you think? Is it or not?" she laughed.

"Well, thanks anyway."

Without thinking much further, I drank the whole bottle of water.

"I guess you're able to get thirsty."

"Well, I've been waiting for someone for hours now."

"Oh, is it a girl?" she asked curiously.

"Maybe?"

"I guess someone important,” she responded.

Fidgeting with her fingers, she looked at me.

“If you don't mind, can I ask you a few questions?" she asked.

"Questions about what?”

I also found it odd that she was here. I thought no one would find this spot.

"Just something... Oh, I forgot, my name is Dia."

Dia, huh...

"So, who are you?"

"I just said I'm Dia."

"Earlier you called me Sed. I don't remember meeting you. Or did I miss something?"

"You're not entirely wrong. We don't know each other at all."

"And yet you know who I am?"

"Because, well... You could say there are a lot of students who know who you are."

Confused, I looked at her with a puzzled expression.

"Is there something wrong with people here? Besides you, I also know someone else who doesn't make any sense either."

"Hahaha, my bad my bad," she chuckled. "It's not my intention, really. It's just that finding you here doesn't make any sense at all."

"Again with that. Earlier, you said I appeared suddenly, which obviously doesn’t make any sense. Now you're saying that me being here doesn't make any sense?"

"Because you're supposed to be dead," she said abruptly.

“You’re definitely messing with me,” I sighed.

“I mean, don’t you find it weird that nothing makes any sense?”

“I can’t deny that, but what does it have to do with me being dead? Just give me something more believable. This is ridiculous.”

“Let me think for a bit.” She turned away as she said that.

She then pulled her smartphone from her pocket, searching and scrolling for something.

She looked back and forth between me and the smartphone, scratching her head.

“Here.” She handed me the phone. “Tell me what you think.”

Hmmm. . .

It looked like someone had died in a hit-and-run.

“So what now? What are you trying to say?”

“Read everything.”

A student died in a crosswalk after being hit by a car on August 20, 2038, at 5:17 PM.

“It’s August 20 today, right?” I asked her.

She shrugged her shoulders.

I looked through the phone notifications and found something unusual.

5:06 PM, September 03, 2038

“What’s this?” I looked at her. “Your date is wrong.”

“It’s actually not,” she chuckled awkwardly.

Slowly, I felt my heartbeat growing painfully heavy as I checked different platforms to verify the time and date.

5:08 PM, September 03, 2038

I reached the conclusion that something was wrong with me.

I handed the smartphone back to Dia and facepalmed.

Probably this explains why I could never understand how Pearl and Dia knew about me beforehand.

“I never thought this kind of thing could happen,” I chuckled.

“Right? Hahaha, I never expected such a thing was possible either,” she responded.

I’m. . .

What’s happening. . .

What am I supposed to feel at the moment?

“Why are you telling me this?”

“To help you.”

“How?”

“To help you remember on what happened.”

Tell me this is not true.

“I found it hard to believe. I don’t remember dying.”

“We’re both confused here, I honestly don’t have any idea why you’re here.”,she responded.

"Sed? Dia? What are you two doing?"

"Pearl? What are you doing here?" Dia asked.

Pearl. . .

"Just visiting this area," Pearl answered.

"Do you have any reason to?"

"Uh..."

"Oh yeah, how did you know who Sed is? And you can see him?"

"I thought everyone knew who he is after what happened."

"Makes sense, but how can you see him?"

"I don't know."

They both knew each other?

"You're not as shocked as I thought you’d be, Pearl."

That's because we already met each other.

"Uh... I'm just quick to accept these kinds of things... And having you here somehow makes it less scary and shocking."

Scary? Shocking?

"What are you talking about, Pearl? Why would you get scared of me?" Hearing those words, I felt a creeping fear of my own death.

"No, I mean. That’s not what I mean,,,”

"What, Pearl? Are you saying that you're not scared of seeing dead people as ghosts?" Dia asked.

"What... are you talking about?" I asked.

"Dia, what are you talking about? Sed is alive."

"The whole school knew about the news, Sed died. Are you saying that I'm lying?"

"You're not... But..." Pearl responded quietly.

"Hahaha..." I laughed bitterly.

"Sed?"

"Are you okay, Sed?"

What's happening?

What is this...

"Sed!", she said as she runs toward me.

"Hey, why are you crying, Sed?"

Pearl hugged me.

"What are you two doing?" Dia asked, confused by what she was seeing.

"Everything's alright, Sed. Don't worry about what she said." Pearl continued to caress my hair as if she were comforting a child.

"I'm sorry about yesterday, Pearl."

"It's alright, okay?"

Am I really dead?

Then why can I feel Pearl's warmth?

Then why do I feel calm now that she’s hugging me?

Can a dead person... Is it possible for a ghost to feel emotions?

"Uh... You're crying... Sorry about that. I didn't expect you to cry... Sorry." Dia apologizes.

"Pearl..."

"Yes?"

"I'm sorry I died." I didn’t know anything.

"Hm..."

"I'm sorry I forgot." I forgot about everything.

"Hm..."

"I'm sorry I can't return your feelings." Sorry that I’m not the same Sed.

"Hm..."

"For talking and meeting with me this week..." For the short period of time...

. . .

"Thanks."

"Hm..."

"Hey Dia, what's the time?" I asked Dia, who was sitting and watching us.

"What? Oh... Wait, wait, wait... It's already 5:14 PM."

"Okay, you can stop hugging me, Pearl. I'm already fine."

Pearl doesn’t look like she’s stopping anytime soon.

"Hm..."

Responding with the same thing, not letting me escape from her hug.

"Hey, Pearl, stop or I will punch you."

"Hey, Sed!"

"Hey, Pearl!" I said as I tried to shake myself free.

She's crying... *sigh*

I guess this girl really likes crying in front of me.

"There's no point in crying, Pearl. Go look for someone else."

I’m dead. I can’t accept the love of someone who’s alive and well.

But she didn’t respond.

"Now you're not talking."

I hugged Pearl back.

I think I’m starting to understand Pearl, even a little.

"Don't cry, Pearl. It's not worth it."

. . .

Thinking about how she is hugging me, she must be feeling lonely.

"If you don't talk, I will tickle you." I said, trying to make her back down.

"You want to get punched, Sed?"

"Please refrain from doing that." I chuckled.

"Then behave yourself," Dia said, backing down.

"You're not gonna stop me?"

"Maybe later." After she said that, Dia started walking away from us.

And... She's gone...

. . .

This Pearl doesn’t really plan on letting me go.

"Hey, Pearl... An idea just came into my mind..."

She looked at me.

"Do you want to be my pet?"