"Did you get it?" I asked Clera.
She hummed and arranged the supplies.
A bow and arrows, some swords...
And-
Last but definitely not least, FOOD!
My mouth watered at the thought of it.
Especially good restaurant food.
Slowly, I reached for the food on the table, trying to grab it without Clera noticing me.
If she did-
Memories of the peeled apple flooded my mind.
My body shivered as I remembered her face when she hit me.
It still hurt.
But food was still important.
If I wanted to get the food, I had to be as good as a thief to steal it without her noticing.
Just one bite.
One bite wouldn't do anything, right?
I almost reached for it, but before I could touch it-
SMACK!
"OW! That hurt!" I said as I rubbed the spot she had smacked.
She had smacked my hand before I could touch the food.
"It's for the evening, idiot," she reminded me.
"Yeah, yeah. I know. But they're for those kiddos," I said, dramatically folding my arms and looking towards her.
She took a deep breath and let out a quiet snort.
"Do you think it would work?" she asked as she patiently started rolling up her shirt sleeves.
She wore an oversized maroon checkered shirt with black cargo pants. Her hair was tied in a ponytail, with a few strands dancing in front of her face as the cold breeze passed through.
She was also wearing a scarlet-and-black braided ribbon around her forehead, almost like a headband but it was thinner than a headband.Like, almost as thin as a pen.
She always wore that ribbon.
And, I loved it.
"Of course it would," I said confidently.
"Would he be alright?" she asked.
"Of course." I stared at her...
Her ribbon.
"Stop staring!" she warned. "And are you sure it won't have any side effects?" she asked without looking at me.
Females can really sense when someone is staring at them...
Wait.
Xey can also sense when someone is staring at him.
Wait a minute.
Could it be that he is a woman?
What if, he actually is...?
Just imagine-
A nicely built man, long hair, tall and slender, with a kind of feminine face, dressed in women's clothes.
A tight crop top... wide-leg jeans... a purse in one hand...
And heels.
"Pfft-"
My giggling quickly caught her attention.
She looked at me, her eyes burning like fire.
Instantly-
My giggling stopped.
"Answer my question! Why are you laughing?"
She was angry once again.
Did I piss her off again?
No!
Not again.
I didn't want another beating from her.
It hurt like hell.
I forced a smile.
"What-"
"What if he has side effects?" she cut me off.
"He won't."
"What if he does?"
"No chance. But if he does have any, then obviously we'll have to take care of them."
"Fucking irritating work!" she cursed.
I agreed by nodding.
"Yeah! Fucking work... Now, can I get some-"
"No!"
Before I could finish my sentence, she cut me off with her usual "no."
"You're so cruel." I said dramatically as I wiped beneath my eyes.
As if I were crying and wiping away tears.
"Fuck off."
I didn't move an inch.
I knew I was pissing her off, but it was fun to piss her off until-
"I said, FUCK OFF!"
Not good for me. Nor for my body.
"Okay, okay, I'm going."
Quickly, I dashed upstairs, hopping up the stairs.
Xey, I'm coming.
"Meow."
Zen...?
I was taken aback when I heard Zen.
I stopped at the top of the stairs, right in front of Xey's room.
My gaze began searching for Zen.
Suddenly, I felt something against my leg. Something creeping around it.
I looked down.
White fur.
Big and fluffy.
A cat.
A Persian white cat.
Zen was rubbing her fur against my leg, moving from side to side.
I crouched down and scratched under her chin.
She purred in response.
My face softened.