“No matter what you guys said, I still think that it’s mega creepy…” I half whispered in the girl’s washroom.
“Don’t be such a sexist thingy…” Kayly threw a glare at me.
“I’m not a sexist… I’m just… I’m just…” I frowned to myself in the mirror…
“You are just biased,” Nikki is now glaring at me from sideways.
“Yeah, and can’t you see that he is so badly hurt from his childhood torture?” Natalie said, too. And glared, too… What’s wrong with them?
So I went back to washing my hands while mumbling, quite clearly, to myself, “but he is so gay…” when I looked up again, I felt three rays of scornful glare shooting right at me... Eek…
“How can you be so shallow?” Kayly scowled at me… I’m scared…
“Yeah, you as his only reason to return to this land,” Natalie said forcefully, I think she lost herself though, but she picked it up again, “how dare you disdain that poor kid?!”
“Totally, not to mention he might be fun to play with…” Nikki commented too…
“okay, fine,” I raised both my arms, “I surrender.”
“Hmm, that’s more like it,” Kayly said, as all three of them turned back to the basin to wash their hands.
They are so totally doing this to me just because Kanako… ahem… Katzuo is good looking… hmph, how shallow…
As Ryan is unclear of the situation, he just sneaked behind me while I peeked out, from the side of the wall. That movement reviewed the other part of the endless garden. By the way, this is, I think, the only part of the mansion that has fewer lights on. Have you ever watched the ‘love story’ music video? This is something like it. Then, I saw them, just like Romeo and Juliet in the music video; a pair of lover is standing in the middle of the garden. (Actually I’m not quite sure if they are lovers…)
However, I don’t think Juliet is happy, and she looked sad and frustrated. Then, I realized that she was going to cry, but I think she is the stronger version of Juliet as she is holding it back.
“What are you looking at?” Ryan whispered from behind.
“Nothing…” I mumbled, that idiot is interfering my self-narrating moment.
“Then there must be something,” he slid from behind to my side, his head on top of mine, to steal a little sneak peek.
I groaned as I was annoyed, then he said, “I knew it, there is something.” I felt his smugness from on top.
Aw… he made me miss half the show, now the Romeo dude is hugging Juliet tightly in his arms while Juliet is struggling to escape, but we both… no… the three of us… no… all of us knows that she doesn’t really mean it.
“Where are they going to?” I watched as Nikki and Natalie leaped down the stairs, it frightened me. Actually, Natalie frightened me…
“Weren’t you listening?” she frowned then she rolled her eyes, “ah, dreaming again?”
“Yeah, and it’s getting to the great part!” I winked at her.
“It must be kisses--,” and I cut in, “no--,” she cut in, “or hugs…”
“So what if you guessed it right…” I mumbled miserably.
“Hey Ethan!” she shouted beside me, and I glared up grudgingly, you’d think that I had forgotten about IT… I hadn’t… I didn’t even care to snatch my expression back when he turned to greet us, “Hey Kayly, Haley.”
“It’s ‘hey, kay, hay.’” I looked to my right, sticking out my lower lips.
“Oh… sure, whatever you say,” then he smiled that irritating courteous smile, how irritating.
“So, heading to math class now?” Kayly asked him, not affected by my rudeness towards her boyfriend.
“Yep,” he was staring right at her; he looked like he was searching for something. I have no idea what’s that… “I was waiting for you.”
“*clears throat, I’m still here you know?” I shook my head and led the way to math class.
“Err, Hay?” Kayly called out to me, I looked back as a reply.
“I’m sitting with Ethan today…” again?! But she told me…
“Argh, never mind…” I rolled my eyes and rushed into the classroom, and practically ran to the seat beside Jake.
I totally got his attention as his head shot up immediately, I smiled to him.
“See, I’m such a good friend,” then I elbowed him lightly, “I rushed all the way here to sit with you…”
“Yeah right,” he probably rolled his eyes, I don’t know, because he turned back to his book, “it’s just because that she’s sitting with him, again.” Ooo… I sensed some greenness…
“And no,” he glared up at me, “I’m not jealous.”
I raised my brows and opened my books to lay it in front of me.
Then, I entered the state of dream…
“Aw… that’s so sweet…” I looked at the couples, admiring them…
“Really?” I felt him shaking his head, “I’ll never understand girls…”
“I feel like taking a picture,” my eyes still glued to the scene, now Juliet stopped struggling, I think she is weeping in Romeo’s arms, while Romeo dug his face into her long wavy hair.
“Are you sure?” Ryan slid his right hand into his pocket and took out a phone like figure, “I have a phone…”
“Thanks,” I took over the phone and pressed the camera button, I was smart enough to switch it to night mode, hehehe… Cachak… It snapped a picture, but the flash light awakened the two love birds from their dream… I wonder… oh! It’s the night mode! Shit…
“Opps… My bad…” I wanted to scratch my head, but he already grabbed my wrist and pulled me away from the scene. Within seconds, we have already reached the gate.
“Did you just drag me all the way from there,” I pointed to the direction where the wall was situated, which is far away, “to here?” then I pointed to the very spot we are standing on.
“Yeah,” he cracked his neck, “any cuts?”
I wanted to say something offensive but realized that he had a point, so I went through my limbs and torso then lastly my head, and I had only found some cuts at my ankles, it’s already healing itself.
“It’s all fine,” and I rubbed my left arm, and found out that my bruise had completely healed too, “however, this much healing will need a nap.”
“Then you shall have one,” he gently picked up my left hand and brought me back to the car. There’s nothing much to say about his hands other than its very cold, and marble like. But there’s another thing… there is something, that is messing with my insides when he holds my hand… something that is familiar, but yet, alien, to me.
“Hello, hello anybody home!?” I was pulled back to reality as I heard someone shouting at me and knocking at my table. I suddenly felt the fear of the teacher might have entered the class and saw that I was dreaming so she came all the way to humiliate… err… scold me.
Therefore, instinctively, I stood up, bowed 90 degrees to the front and shouted out, “I’m sorry; I won’t do it again…” with my eyes shut. However, since I stood up and my mind is now slightly cleared, I realized that the voice sounded more like a male, rather than a female… and our teacher is an xx chromosome…
By the time I realized my mistake, the whole class had burst into laughter, even Kayly is laughing. And Jake of course is carrying out the same action, his eyes is barely open.
“Ah!” I exclaimed, “It was YOU!”
“Hah,” still laughing, “took you long enough…”
“Not funny…” I shook my head, and sat down nervously. From the corners of my eyes, I saw the class nerd is also covering his mouth with one hand trying to stop laughing. But he made it look like he is choked by an apple or so… loser…
“Oh, oh,” Jake’s wiping off some tears from the laughing, “I wanted to tell you that the teacher is absent for the day and she wants us to do our test at home…”
“Now you tell me…” I sniffed and looked to the side. Hmm… the nerd is still laughing… odd…
“Ow…” Jake relaxed his back on his chair, “all that laughing hurts…”
I ignored him and turned to the nerd and he is still laughing, but he looks like he is in greater agony now. Just as I was getting worried and decided to take a look at him, M2 paced forward. She whispered something into his ears and he nodded vigorously. Then she nodded swiftly right before she hit him on his chest mercilessly. Then, a seed the size of a small apple flew out of his mouth.
So… he was choked… What a loser…
By the way, judging from its size, I think it is a cashew apple seed… what a loser…
The journey back to the car was quick, and silent. But, when we reached the spot we stopped the car, I realized something is gone, “where’s our car?”
Suddenly, out of nowhere (actually it’s everywhere), guards came raining down…
“I guess we are going with them…” Ryan said, still holding my hand in his. Without a word spoken, the guards did some signaling with their sight and brought us back in, to the mansion… By the way, the only reason we followed their orders so docilely is just because that the trio that was supposed to be sleeping in the car was gone with the car…
“I think maybe Romeo and Juliet don’t like us poking in their little show, huh,” Ryan said, to no one in specific.
“Yeah,” I replied, unsure of what is he doing…
Before I could figure it out we have already reached the hall of the mansion.
“Welcome to my mansion,” I heard a man with a thick voice said, I have a feeling that he might have a thick beard and fat tummy too…
Then, the owner of the voice/ mansion came into view (he walked out from the curtain, probably from the balcony). Btw, he is nothing like what I imagined, he looked young, fit, and no beard… no beard?!
“Did you just shave your beard off?” I blurted out absentmindedly, and I heard Ryan chuckled.
The dude looked a little awkward and replied (by the way, the guards are still emotionless, or so it seemed), “I… err… I just thought that a thick beard and a bod like mine… don’t match…” Huh, his voice changed too…
“Where are our friends?” Ryan asked.
“Oh,” he came to us and signaled the guards to back off, he probably don’t know the strength of the both of us, “they are at the dining room, dining.”
He then beckoned us to follow him.
“So this is not about Romeo and Juliet?” I whispered to Ryan. To my surprise, I saw Mr. No-beard twitched…
Ryan looked down to me and shook his head slightly. I suppose he is telling me that, ‘no, it’s not…’ and ‘no, please shut the fuck up…’
“Oh, shut up!” then I heard giggles, “it’s that fabulous?” more giggles… Whiskers! I must have accidentally entered the bitch zone… they can’t see me… they can’t see me… they can’t see me… they can’t see me… *sob sob, they saw me…
“Hey! Haley,” leader of bitch clan called out to me…
“Hello Phoebe…” I forced out a fake smile.
“What are YOU doing here all alone?” Yeah, why am I all alone?
“Yeah, I have no idea…” I looked around, plotting the fastest route to escape.
“YOU should be more ALERT next time,” she then winked at me with her over colored Smokey-eyes; I shivered slightly without her noticing…
“Yeah, I’ll definitely take that advice…” I nodded at her and walked away as quickly as I can.
“Where’s Kayly? Where’s Jake? Where’s everybody? Sigh… you should be more careful next time, you have to listen to what other people are saying….” I mumbled to myself on my way back to my locker. The other students are NOT, I repeat, are NOT, looking at me weirdly. They got used to it…
“Haley-chan!” that god forsaken voice called out to me…
I turned back 180 degrees and saw Kanako in a whirl of wind rushing towards me, “Hi…” I smiled awkwardly.
“Why were you talking to yourself just now? It’s freaky you know? By the way, I’m walking to my locker now… where’s your locker? I wish it’s close to mine… Is it next to the girl’s washroom? Mine is…” he continued his never ending sentence as he clung onto my right arm with his left arm.
“So, where’s your--,” just as we are descending down the stairs, a geeky shout came radiating into my ears, I looked up and saw the class nerd falling down from the opposite flight of stairs. Kanako immediately slipped his hands away from mine and jumped down from our flight of stairs to reach for the opposite flight. He pushed the class nerd up to the top of the stairs just when class nerd’s face was about to touch down… What a loser.
Mr. No-beard walked us through layers and layers of corridors. I kind of saw Juliet somewhere in those corridors, I’m not sure though… I knew at once that we are at the right place when I heard the loud munching on food of Nathan. I picture him surfing on a long dining table with his mouth wide open and heads down… he used to do that sometimes when we were in heaven, and when lady Fulgora and Master Jupiter is not home.
“Finally you guys are here…” Jasmine shot up from her seat immediately when she saw us.
“Yeah, Nathan’s food surfing is scaring me…” Blake shivered, exaggeratedly.
“Oh dear…” Mr. No-beard rubbed his head and frowned, “I’ll get the maids…” he then paced out of the room, probably asking for the maids.
“They brought, or forced you guys here?” Ryan said as he is walking towards them. I hadn’t realized, but he had already loosened his grip on my hand.
“They lured,” Jasmine shook her head hopelessly, “with food.” The both of them pointed to Nathan that is now sitting on the table, licking the last drop of chocolate from the plate.
I sighed and said, “We should really break the curse…”
“Curse?” Blake asked.
“What curse?” Jasmine asked, too.
“A food eating curse…” Ryan mumbled while rubbing his chin, “conceivable…”
“NO…” Nathan shook his head vigorously while looking up at me with innocent eyes, “NO BREAK CURSE!!!”
“Why not?” Jasmine sat down and supported her head with her hand. Blake sat beside her, preparing to listen to the long forgotten story…
“Because… because… because… it’s the last thing Cerise left for me…” his sorrow is spilling out from his soul.
I walked to his side and patted him on his back, “Cerise, Ceres’ student, best student.”
“She left?” Blake asked, and I sat down on a chair beside Jasmine.
“No…” he bit his lips, “She died.”
On our way to the cafeteria, I reached my locker, which is next to Kayly’s locker, there’s a note stuck to her locker door, it said:
Hay,
All of us went to the cafeteria, w8ing 4 u…
come 2 meet up wif us.
Kay |
And so I went to the cafeteria. I thought I was alone but only on my half way there I realized that Kanako is still following me. He was talking to class nerd, so I ignored them and continued to dream. However, I’ve already reached the location… I saw all of them, Kayly, Nikki, Jake, Natalie, Ethan, and M2… all of them…
“Hey, Hay!” Natalie shouted to me, “Oh, hey Katzuo, and…” she tilted her head to the right.
“She’s asking for your name,” Kanako told class nerd silently.
“Me?” so… he had rabbit teeth… no wonder he never really opened his mouth… “Oh… I-I’m Phuck…”
“Fuck?!” Jake almost shouted out.
“No no…” he narrowed his eyes, “i-it’s Phuck, you kn-know l-l-like ‘puck’.”
“Oh…” I don’t know why, I had a sudden pity to him, “I see… why don’t we have a seat?”
Then I felt M2’s gaze, at Phuck… Oh right, she saved his life today in class…
“What brought you here today?” Ethan asked.
“Er…” he showed his rabbit teeth, “I wa—was going t-to fall d-d-down the stairs w-w-whe-when Mr. Kat-Katzuo saved m-me. He’s m-my hero…” Then he smiled, exposing his large sized front tooth…
“You err…” Nikki frowned, and then grimaced…
“You speak weird you know?” Natalie cut in as she was gawking at him. Nikki looked relief, “saved by Natalie,” she mind spoke to me later.
“T-that’s emba-barassing,” his whole face blushed red.
“It’s ok,” Jake tried to be nice, “let’s go buy us some lunch.”
Kayly is still speechless I think…
“How? I know this sounds rude but,” Blake looked at Nathan, “I thought… You are angels?”
I eyed Jasmine, figured that she might want to answer that. But she looked to her other side, ignoring me. I frowned in confusion while I answered the question, “we are angels, but we are not immortals, the gods are…”
Blake opened his mouth, but I stopped him from saying anything by holding up a finger.
Everyone looked up alertly, and the uninvited guests probably know that they got our attention.
“Sorry, we didn’t mean to eavesdrop,” Mr. No-beard said, “but aren’t your stories interesting…”
“I doubt that you find it entertaining at all,” I sneered, they’d probably heard nothing.
“Oh no… no, I liked your fable,” he grinned grimly, but he changed his mask immediately and put on a suave smile. How dreadful…
Then I noticed a small twitch on his left brow, “I hope you didn’t find my smile dreadful…”
“A mind reader?” Nathan jumped down from the table swiftly, and stood right in front of him. So, he was thinking of the same thing…
He grinned wider now, and his fangs can be more clearly seen, “smart.” He swayed his left hand, and a bunch of ‘guards’, pale ‘guards’ zoomed into view. There were so many of them that we were completely surrounded. I looked at the two people behind him, Romeo and Juliet, there is fear in their eyes; they are not vampires.
“These are your maids?” Blake scoffed.
“Ryan?” Jasmine called, “you knew?”
“I guessed,” Ryan emended, I turned to him, and he continued; “Now I know.”
“I don’t think it’s wise for you to raid us,” Nathan stated out, letting out his majestic aura, “it’ll only turn out to be a bloody massacre,” I saw my brother glaring right into Mr. No-beard’s eye, “not that I mind.” Nate then smiled a sadistic smile.
The day went on boringly, nothing much went on other than we got ourselves a new friend! Phuck…
When school ended, I walked out of the school with my best buds, and my best buds’ best buds… Eventually, I got tired of entertaining people I don’t really know, so I pulled Nikki aside and talked to her. Until everyone was out of sight, I shouted out, “you freaking hit my neck and almost break it?!”
she looked like a total dimwit for the first second and went back to normal in the other, “I told you already, it was Rafael…”
“but you allowed it,” then I looked up, “you’d probably allowed it just because he is your bf…”
“I’m not yet accepted by her,” a male voice joined in, “you know,” he winked at me.
“How dare you to even show up?” I widened my glare, trying to make flames come out from my eye balls.
“I have to since you are blaming my girlfriend for your injuries,” he got some swift but lethal hitting from Nikki after voicing that phrase.
I watched in amazement, and said after the fight, “So how’s your spy job?”
Nikki widened her eyes and shook immediately, pointing a finger to her lips.
“What?” then, pak, someone… Rafael, of course, hit me again. Right before my eyelids closed, I saw Rafael grinning and Nikki is frowning worriedly. “F you…” the words escaped my lips before I fell…
My dream world was blurred and I can’t really dream, I have to sleep…
My sight became clearer as I regained consciousness.
“Ah!” Kanako’s voice? “She’s awake!”
Then I heard footsteps running towards me.
“Oh thank god again,” my mom sat beside my bed and cuddled my tightly as I sat up.
“What happened?” I moaned.
“Nikki called for help just now, she said you fainted out of a sudden,” Kanako explained, “Luckily I was there, phew…”
“Cool, twice a day,” Nathan came into my room, “and you are not dead yet…”
“Yeah amazing…” I rubbed my neck, and mom suddenly rushed out, “what time is it?”
Nate looked down at his watch and said the numbers, “eleven thirty.”
“that’s late…” I’ve been asleep for this long?, wait a minute! “What are you doing here?”
“Me?” Nate asked.
“Not you…” I mumbled.
“Me?” Kanako pointed to himself, “oh, I’m an exchange student right?”
“So?” I asked, afraid of what I might hear.
“I’m staying at your house!” he smiled happily.
“Yes~,” mom came in, she holding a bowl of soup, “Katzuo’ll be sleeping with your brother.”
“Ew…” that is gross, “the both of them? Sleeping?! Ew…”
“No,” she glared at me, “I meant that they are going to share a room…”
TUESDAY ENDED
