136 At Jasper City 2 (2/2)
”Chris, you're here! Gosh, what you took so long? I'm almost wondering if you ride your bike back to Alina City to buy the groceries!” his mother greeted when she saw him entering the place.
He wryly smiled as he placed the bags, even the one containing the blister pack, on the kitchen countertop. ”Sorry.”
His mother raised a brow, then laughingly shook her head,
”My son, Chris. You're already so big yet still so directionally challenged.”
He reasoned with a serious face. ”I'm not. Just not familiar with the place yet.”
”Fine. I'm sure you're going to say, it's not like you grow up here.” His mom replied without not shaking her head and laughing.
Chris merely stayed silent then excused himself from the place. Anyway, it was not like his mom would let him help out in the cooking. He could cook. Anybody could. It just depends on how good or bad the finished product would be. His was on the bad side and everyone in the house was aware of it... even Felicity.
While shaking the thoughts away from his mind, he sauntered back to his new room, planning to spend the free time before dinner there. To what he would do there, what else but surf the internet, play pretend with the system, or nap?
He froze for a moment. And when his mind returned to his body, he almost cursed the system and icily stated that it was really an idiotic, insensitive bastard. Almost.
”Chris! Come here, I think the news is about someone from your former school,” said his father when he passed by the living room.
For a couple of moments, the young man furrowed his brows, staring at his father absorbed in watching the 6 pm news on the TV.
”Someone from Holy Child Academy?” he asked, to confirm.
”Yeah. It's kind of sad. Come here and see if you know the person so that you can send your condolences later.”
He didn't know why his heart suddenly felt heavy after hearing what the older Meyer said. Still, he found his feet heading to where his father was, his eyes narrowing at the modest-sized screen in front.
He suddenly felt as though cold water was splashed all over him when he saw a very familiar face plastered on the left.
As he was now closer to the TV, he could hear the female reporter's voice-over about an incident that took place within Alina City.
And he indeed knew who the subject of the news report was.
Actually, everybody from his school knew her.
'She died... just like that?' he asked himself when he saw the larger right side of the screen showing professionals analyzing the state of a body pixelated on the video. The background was a bit dark. Chris assumed it was because it was a live newscast and the scene was being filmed at the same time as the report. But actually, none of these details mattered to him because his mind was already far away the moment he saw the picture.
”It's so pitiful. This girl is the same age as you, so I'm thinking maybe she used to be your classmate. I heard that she was staying at a music competition venue before she mysteriously vanished, only to reappear later as a corpse mutilated by bullets... somewhere in Alina's dumpsite,” commented his father before clicking his tongue. ”I can't believe how vile those people who did this to her are. When I learned what happened, I just couldn't help but doubt humanity as a whole. What wrong did that girl commit?”
Chris only stood there with a very grim expression on his face. Seated on the arm sofa beside him, his father continued commenting about the poor girl. Her face displayed on the picture was smiling so radiantly like a sunflower. Now, this beautiful smile would be forever gone. Its owner had passed away, and Chris was suspecting that it was only because she unknowingly got caught in the crossfires between two damnable hosts...
With a heavy heart, he took a deep breath, then sadly shook his head. After this, deeming that he needed time for himself, to think everything through, he turned around and started walking to his room's direction.
”Dad, I'm sorry. I'll go back and check on my former classmates,” he said to excuse himself, all without turning his head back. Actually, he simply could not due to the gloomy expression covering his face.
Behind him, the older Meyer still absorbed in the news only replied, ”Oh, then, okay. If you're going to message your condolences to them, include mine too. Also, if you're messaging this poor girl's friends or family, don't insensitively ask if they're okay. Just say that we're sorry to hear what happened to her. Emphatize then ask if there's something we can do even if we're far away here.”
Ten or so seconds before Chris completely disappeared on the hallway leading to the stairs, his father's voice echoed behind him again, this time with a bit of urgency.
”Wait, son! I forgot to ask, do you know who this pretty girl is?”
Chris waved a hand but did not reply to satisfy his old man's curiosity. However, within his mind, a certain foreign entity trailed off,
Chris sighed but did not reply to it too.
Of course, he knew who the girl was. It was not like he lived in a cave before they immigrated here.
Titled HCA's Music Goddess. The one always participating in the music competition hosted regularly at Alina Victory Hall. A pretty gossipmonger queen who befriended, albeit without her knowledge, an immoral host.
He sighed and whispered, 'Rest in peace, Clea Luizon.'
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