The warm water cascading from the shower head to Nova's body was soothing. From the head to the lower body, both her body and spirit were being cleansed. She reached for the valve, cutting off the water, then wrapped herself with a towel and walked out of the bathroom.
She stood at the door with a towel on her head, audibly exhaling.
"Step outside."
The mysterious boy was seated beside the bed, his back facing Nova and his eyes fixated on the television. He turned his head back, giving Nova an eerie look from her head to her feet. Following this, he slowly stood up and walked out of the bedroom, shutting the door behind him. "Jeez, is he a zombie?"
He hadn't spoken much since returning Nova's body. Nova butt-dropped on the bed and began applying a vanilla lotion on her arms. Since she didn't use perfume, scented lotions acted as a replacement. As she applied the lotion, she thought about the questions she was itching to ask the mysterious boy. Like, are you really from this world? Why did you steal my body? Can you use magic? She also wanted to know his name, but since she refused to give him her's, she couldn't ask for his. Throughout Nova's pensive thoughts, voices were emanating from the television, prompting her to wheel around. A person was dashing through what looked like a dark forest, being pursued by two grotesque humans with long protruding canines. Nova had seen this movie trending on the internet since last month. Aside from that, she had overheard her classmates talking about it in the classroom. The second season was going to be released after a month. "Is he really into this?" Whispering that, Nova turned forward and picked up the pace of applying lotion. She then moved to the wardrobe and got out a white top and dark blue skirt, before putting them on. Since it wasn't cold, she skipped wearing a stocking. She then opened the door. In the hallway, the mysterious boy had crouched, observing the peace lilies.
"I'm done."
Nova muttered this and walked down the hallway, descending the stairs to the kitchen. She picked a bottled water from the cupboard then went back to her room.
The movie had already ended, and the credits were being showed.
So what she was seeing earlier was the last scene of the movie?
She sat on her studying desk and fished out her books, placing them on top of the desk.
The sky had changed outside, an orange hue signaling sunset. "Um, what's the time? Oh, never mind. Just pass my phone from the bed."
"Five minutes past seven."
Thinking he had confirmed somewhere, Nova turned forward and began writing. Before she could complete the first line, she suddenly stopped, a frown creasing her brow. She held the pen tightly and pressed it on the page with trembling hands. The nib ultimately broke with a 'snap', and the ink began spilling. A sigh escaped her lips. For sure, she wasn't going to get used to this rigorous studying. She tossed the damaged pen in the waste basket, took a swig from the bottled water, and leaned back on the chair, facing the ceiling. Does a parallel universe exist? If it did, she wanted to know the kind of life her parallel self was living.
Five minutes elapsed, and Nova reached out for the water bottle on the floor. It was unexpectedly light, only to realize it was empty. She looked at the mysterious boy, and he turned his head back, their eyes meeting.
"If you wanted water, you could've said so."
"What's wrong with the one I drank?"
With her eyes lowered, Nova replied, "Where the hell are you from?"
"It's complicated."
Biting her teeth together, Nova looked away. She wondered whether anyone who found out she was keeping this kind of person in her room would regard her as normal. Was he looking for a place to hide because of his horns? If this was true, Nova thought that returning to where he came from was the optimal option. She would have kicked him out of the house, but she didn't want him to strangle her for breaking the agreement. While thinking about this, she slowly observed his body, then his face. Physique-wise, he looked slightly more athletic than an average highschool boy, and if it weren't for the horns...
"What?"
Nova flinched, her gaze sliding away.
"N-nothing."
"Seriously, you're really weird."
"Pot calling the kettle black, horn-head."
The mysterious boy faced forward. With the corner of Nova's lips slightly lifting, she stood up. However, as she got out of the studying desk, her left foot tripped on her right leg. The lifted lips immediately formed the letter 'O' as she twisted her face, bracing for the impact. She landed awkwardly, her belly pressed against a somewhat rigid, cylindrical form. Slowly, and while slightly fidgetting, she opened her eyes.
'Leg?'
Since the mysterious boy was seated a bit far, he had used his legs to prevent her from tumbling. Either way, Nova thought it was a rather quick reaction.
"Oh, you think you're a feather?"
Nova looked at him before standing upright while pouting.
"That poker face isn't giving anything away about your straining."
The moment Nova finished this statement, a knock on the door reverberated in the room. With a 'Gah!' escaping from her mouth, she instinctively leapt to the side, tumbling and falling onto to the mysterious boy on her back. Nova looked at the door, then quickly grabbed the mysterious boy's hands, heading over to the closet. She shifted the clothes to one side and pushed him inside before closing it.
With her hand over her chest, she sighed and walked to the door, opening it.
"Are you doing okay, Celeste?"
Nova's mother was her spitting image. They resembled each other practically in every regard. She poked her head through the space in the doorway and scanned her room.
"Are you studying?"
While slightly nodding, Nova's neck muscles tightened. She clenched her fist, a heat rising in her chest, before unlenching it. What in the world was she trying to do? She breath in deeply, then exhaled.
"I've studied a lot today. Should I help you with making dinner?" Since it was a weekend, her mother was the one making dinner because she got home early from work on weekends. Her voluptuous lips curled up as she agreed to Nova's offer. Afterward, she swung her hips down the hallway.
Nova beelined for the closet and opened it.
"Was that your parent?"
The mysterious boy asked, stepping out of the closet.
"Yeah, don't wander the house like you're an insider, get it?"
Following this, Nova walked out of the room and headed to the kitchen. Her mother was preparing a beef curry, so she helped with making the rice. After a while, they finished preparing the meal, so her mother served up and took the plates to the dining table. Nova remained behind. She glanced at the kitchen's entrance, then quickly picked a food dish and served some of the remaining beef curry and rice. Once more, she glanced at the entrance, then opened the microwave and inserted the dish inside. With that, she joined her mother at the dining table.
Today, she felt like eating in her room, but since this would make her look suspicious, she stuck to the routine. The food on her mother's plate was decreasing, contrary to her's which remained practically untouched. After five minutes, her mother left the dining area. Carrying her food, Nova went to the kitchen and retrieved the dish from the microwave before heading back to her room.
"Hey, reduce the volume."
The mysterious boy was watching another movie. Nova handed him the dish before climbing onto the bed with her food. Rather than eating, he stared at the food. Nova frowned, leaning forward.
"Do you think I'm trying to kill you?"
The mysterious boy lifted his shoulders in a noticeable shrug.
"Try it then."
'So that's why he drank my water earlier?' Nova gave him a slow blink as she moved forward with a spoon. She scooped up a portion of both curry and rice and put it in her mouth.
"Satisfied?"
"Yes, Ma'am."
For a moment, the corner of his lips slightly lifted. Nova wondered whether she was being toyed with. She went back and sat on the bed, her eyes on what the mysterious boy was watching. It looked like an action comedy. An infiltrator, probably the protagonist, was sneaking down a hallway lined with flowers when his nostrils came into contact with the pollen, causing him to sneeze and attract attention.
Nova found herself watching the movie to the end. As the credits were being shown, she checked the time on her phone. It was 9:30PM. She yawned while stretching. Even though she slept around midnight, today, she wasn't planning to. Her body was screaming for rest. She looked at the mysterious boy, then at the linen closet. Following this, she picked two pillows from the bed and tossed them onto the floor, then moved to the linen closet and fished out a blanket, throwing it to the mysterious boy.
'Please tell me sleeping on my bed isn't part of the deal.' Nova stared at him for three seconds but didn't see him protesting. She went and switched off the light before changing into her pajamas. As she did that, she kept glancing at the mysterious boy, who was sleeping on the floor at the foot of the bed. He had covered himself with the blanket halfway and was facing the ceiling. Since it was dark, Nova couldn't tell whether he had closed his eyes. If his eyes were open, she wondered what he might be thinking. Anyway, it was so weird living with a person whose name she didn't know, thus she was going to ask for his name tomorrow.