"This is where you'll be sleeping...unfortunately." Shinso let out a tired, almost annoyed sigh as he opened the door to his bedroom. The inside of the room was somewhat spacious—with his bed on the left side, his television above his dresser, and a window on the far side, allowing him a view of the neighborhood.
In the corner was a large, dark green bean bag similar to the ones inside Mr. Ryujin's office. On the floor were loose pieces of clothing, discarded books, and other miscellaneous items.
"You're not sleeping here?" I asked, turning to face Shinso with a puzzled expression.
The indigo-haired boy shook his head. "No, I'll still be here."
Shinso suddenly pointed to the corner of the room, where the bean bag chair was. "My parents will inflate an air mattress in our basement, you can sleep on that. My father also has a suspension cord we'll attach from the ceiling to ensure your arm isn't damaged."
"Sounds...good." I refrained from telling Shinso what I truly thought. The air mattress seemed fine, but the idea of my arm being suspended in the air as I slept gave me the feeling I'd wake up and it would be pretty sore. Shinso moved towards his drawer and tossed me a pair of sweatpants and a sweatshirt.
"Get changed, your uniforms all dirty." He said with a deadpan yet calm voice, as if it were a recommendation rather than an order.
...
I plopped down on the air mattress after I left the bathroom, sinking into the partially stiff, cushiony material. Shinso was sprawled out on his bed, absentmindedly scrolling the television channels in an effort to find something to watch.
"Took you long enough, my parents had time to set up everything in the meantime."
"Oh."
Shinso reached beside his bed and flicked the light switch, shrouding the room in darkness aside from the faint light emanating from out the window. He then turned to look at me. "I'm tired, you?"
"Kinda..." I sank deeper into the bean bag chair, letting out a long sigh.
My father had been arrested, and my mother was most likely taken in for treatment. I left the house and ended up on a bench without knowing why. My mind began to race, and I felt like the bedroom around me was spinning.
Shinso remained silent as he turned off the television, gazing out the open window, his gaze falling across his neighborhood. He suddenly opened his mouth. "I didn't find you because I wanted to. I was taking a walk in the park when I stumbled across your unconscious body."
"So you just watched me and didn't bother to help? I could have gotten kidnapped or something."
The boy on the bed let out a low, half-hearted chuckle—his lips curling into a small smile. "That would have been a little funny to watch, I admit."
"You're unbearable, y'know that?" I rolled over on the air mattress, facing the wall away from Shinso. The room was engulfed in a thick silence, one which was partially permeated by Shinso's soft breathing, and the soft swishing sounds of him drinking the half-empty water bottle on his nightstand.
"Now that we're...y'know, together." The boy's voice grew an inscrutable sense of hesitancy as he tossed the empty bottle into a trash can in the corner.
"Why'd you walk away?"
I remained gazing at the wall, and I felt my body turn cold. A small amount of sweat began to accumulate on my palms as I refrained from facing the boy. He had asked the question that had been tormenting me since I walked away from him the other day.
I could either fabricate an elaborate lie, or I could face him and tell him the truth, whether harsh or not. If I were to tell him I had to leave because I got a text, or I could tell him the truth, and he'd most likely perceive me as an adversary or someone who looks at him like a villain simply because he partially lost his cool.
My lips parted slightly, and I swallowed a large amount of spit in anticipation to speak. "I..."
Shinso raised an eyebrow, leaning back in his bed. "Go on."
I rolled over on the mattress, looking at Shinso as my body tensed. "I...freaked out."
At that moment, Shinso fell silent. After a short while, he cocked his head slightly. "You...freaked out? Why? I was just overwhelmed by what you asked me..."
"I just...you snapped, and I felt like...you would have done something if I kept talking to you..."
"...but at the same time I wanted to learn more about you...so me and my friend went to the cat cafe together...hoping you'd show up."
"So..." Shinso's lips curled into a small smile as he chuckled. "In a sense you were following me."
"Kinda..." I felt my cheeks heat a little from the realization. Shinso leaned up in his bed, posting his elbow on the edge of his nightstand.
"I said I'm not one to make friends...mostly because...nobody has ever wanted to be mine."
"I'll...be yours." I sat up on the air mattress, looking towards the boy as a smile crept up the corners of my mouth. "Maybe Ayumi will, too."
"Ayumi?" Shinso's brows creased. "The girl who was with me in the cafe."
Shinso nodded his head. "Right, right." He quietly scrutinized himself for his inability to recall those details.
"I'm sorry about what happened to you..."
At that moment the door opened, and Shinso's father peered in, wearing a nonchalant expression. "Ya' boys doing alright?"
Shinso looked towards his father and nodded. "Yeah."
The gruff-looking man nodded as he closed the door behind him, his footsteps could be heard as he receded down the hallway.
"As I was saying..." Shinso scratched the back of his neck. "I'm sorry about what happened...I could never fathom that."
He leaned back against the headboard of his bed as his eyes fell to the sheets below, his hands clenching the fabric of his sheets. "You'll be staying with us in the meantime until we find out about your family...from what I heard about my mother, your father will most likely lose custody over you."
"Good. I'd love that man to leave me alone." I grumbled, laying back down on the mattress below me. My eyes were fixated on Shinso, who looked back at me with uncharacteristically sympathetic eyes.
"Although...there are a few ground rules here."
Shinso raised his hand, sticking out three fingers. "One..." he put his index finger on right index finger as he began to count down the rules.
"You can have snacks, but our monthly budget says only one per day."
Shinso continued. "Two...my father doesn't like me having people over, not like that's ever been a problem...but still...you were an exception considering your situation."
"Three..."
Shinso's eyes narrowed. "Make sure to pet Moshi whenever you walk by him, he loves head scratches."
"Moshi?..."
Shinso smiled slightly as he stood up from his bed, approaching the door. "I'll be right back."
A few moments later he came back into the room carrying a large and fluffy black cat with large green eyes. "This is Moshi."
He put the cat down on the bed. Moshi's nose switched as he sniffed the air and rubbed his head against the sheets. His gaze then turned to me. The cat's large and eccentric green eyes dilated and his tail receded between his legs. His ears lowered and his back arched, as if forming a bridge.
Moshi let out a hiss as he scrambled backwards, almost falling off the bed. Shinso, who was watching from the sidelines, felt a pang of curiosity and concern as he approached the black cat, scooping it up into his arms as he gazed at me with a sympathetic expression.
"Moshi's usually accustomed to strangers; my father sometimes has guests over...but I don't know why he's acting like this around you."
Moshi hissed at me again as he buried his head into Shinso's chest, the animal's furry, black body trembling.
My forehead began to burn just like when I was confronting my father. My breathing quickened as I fell back against the pillows, putting a hand on my forehead as I let out a quiet groan through clenched teeth.
"Are you ok there?" Shinso asked, putting Moshi down, letting the cat scurry from the room. I didn't respond. Illusory red flashes crossed my vision, and I could hear distant, inscrutable screams from somewhere. They sounded both real and fake, but I couldn't tell which possibility was true.
"I...I have to use the bathroom..." I slowly stood up, clenching my forehead as I approached the door of Shinso's bedroom. My vision was filled to the brim with spots and stars, and the room around me felt like it was spinning and flipping upside down. With a herculean effort, I reached out and clutched the doorknob with all my might, trying desperately not to let go.
The indigo-haired boy continued to watch me, his body ready to lunge out and catch me if I fell back. I slowly opened the door of Shinso's bedroom, stepping out into the dark hallway. Aside from the convenient night light in the hallway to allow partial visibility, I couldn't perceive most of my surroundings.
The bathroom was only a few doors down, nestled at the end of the hallway. My body slowly made its way forward, each step feeling like I had walked a mile as the hallway rotated and spun around me. Eventually, my hand coiled around the doorknob and I pushed the bathroom door open.
My body darted to the toilet bowl as I began to puke violently, the obscene splashing sounds of my vomit, accompanied with the fact that I hadn't eaten since this morning, made my body feel even weaker. My skin turned pale, and I felt a layer of goosebumps quickly permeate my skin. My head remained hovering over the toilet bowl.
The door opened behind me, and I heard Shinso walking and kneeling down next to me. "Damn..."
"I...I feel like shit." A humorless chuckle left my lips. My limbs felt like jelly, but I managed to push myself upwards off the toilet bowl. I waddled over to the sink and let the cold water run. My hand grabbed the hand towel beside the sink, and I ran it under the frigid water, before applying it to my face.
Shinso remained beside me, placing a hand on my back like a supportive friend as I concluded my business. I wrung out the towel, letting the water wash down the drain. After putting the towel back I looked at my reflection, loathing my appearance or how pale and zombified I looked. All of the sudden, I saw something in the hallway.
A pair of crimson eyes bore into me, shrouded behind a large, tattered black cloak. The figure remained still, its invisible arms remained rooted at its side. The darkness of the hallway seemed to encompass the figures being.
This entity stood about six feet tall. It suddenly extended its left hand, pointing it directly at me as two illusory words left its mouth. "Hello, Isaiek."
I blinked and rubbed my eyes, and the figure had vanished. Shinso looked back in the hallway, gazing at the small white light plugged into an outlet. "You look like you just saw a ghost..."
I didn't reply to him, remaining silent as I contemplated what I had just seen and heard. My mind wasn't one to play tricks on me, but seeing things was a titanic symptom of sleep loss or fatigue. Maybe I was having a hallucination?
"It was nothing, Shinso." I looked at Shinso and smiled softly. My teeth clenched as I suddenly clutched my stomach.
"Would you mind leaving? I have...stuff to do."
Shinso's cheeks immediately flushed as he quickly walked over to the door, closing and locking it. My stomach continued to hurt as I swiftly turned back to the mirror, my eyes widening as I caught sight of my reflection.
On my head were two menacing, black horns. And on my back were two large, black wings resembling those of a raven. And in the spot where my forehead had been burning was a crimson symbol, ebbing gently as it radiated with a malevolent, crimson hue.