Chapter 1: "Welcome home!"

Raven's POV

Just as we went inside a French restaurant, the rain gently fell to the ash-colored ground. It makes the temperature much colder to the point where we have to wear our coats.

It smelled like pollution... It's bad... And it's hurting my head with just the thought of it alone and it hurts more now that I have smelled it.

But it's weird that I still love how it smells.

The aroma of food was going around like people. If only it looked like the white fog thing like in cartoons, all of the people here could probably see it wandering around like people.

We ordered our food then went back to our seats and chatted for a while... I miss her...

She first removed her coat and I did too then I spoke.

"How does it feel living there? In Italy?"

She looked at me with a smile and she looked so excited to tell me.

"It's cold..."

"Really?"

"Yeah... And... I really feel myself being so alone, empty, and confused. You're still lucky, by the way... You can still get to talk with your best friends."

She smiled... I know that my smile... I easily recognized it. It was the same smile that she does every day. She keeps on doing that out of pain.

"Oh, really? How come? I know you have many friends. You can't possibly feel that alone"

"You can say that and also think that I'm okay but the truth is, I'm not. Most of my friends never talked to me since I moved there... I guess they just can't handle the situation of us having a long distance between each other. Our five years of friendship were wasted... At some point, I just can't help but to crumple up like a used paper in my bed and being thrown away in the trash by them."

"Don't be so overdramatic, Maddie. They're not just the people you can find here on Earth."

"Yeah, right. You always say that when I have problems... You always tell me not to be so overdramatic. It's just a shame that you can't understand me..."

I put my left hand on top of the table whilst clenching it.

"But you know what? It's fine... I'm fine... Everything's totally fine."

There was a deafening silence between us.

We can only hear the voices of other people but not ours. This is awkward...

A man dressed in a white polo and black pants with an apron went beside us and carefully put down his tray at our table while talking...

"Ya'll must be hungry, aren't ya? Sorry to keep you waiting..."

We ordered a lot of food. Maddie stood up and helped the man set our table. She really loves to help people even though she can't help herself. Such a dumb*ss

"Merci, mademoiselle! Bon appetite!"

"Merci!"

Madeline's POV

I thanked the man and started to eat.

It's chicken pesto pasta with cashew nuts...

This food is very delicious that's why it became my favorite.

"Maddie?"

I looked at Rae... She probably wants to say sorry...

"Just take a rest after this. You can unpack your things when you're already okay."

or not...

I just sighed. I guess she already knows what that means.

I stood up and went to the bathroom. I need to wash my hands...

I made my way through the people sitting in front of the table until I reached the bathroom door.

I can smell the aroma of food... I noticed that the bathroom was just beside the kitchen.

I went inside the girls' bathroom.

I was the only one there.

I suddenly had a feeling that someone was looking behind me.

Just then...

-bang!

The door behind me closed...

I thought I was alone here... Was I?

We drove slowly through the sea of cars.

It's now traffic because the road is flooded and we'll have to take the other way...

"We're going through a long way, Maddie."

"I know..."

"Yeah, and you may sleep here for a while and I'll just wake you up when we're there."

"I can't sleep well today..."

"Alright... I'll just turn the music on."

"No, don't!"

I quickly removed her hand from the radio.

She looked startled by me. Luckily, we're still not driving because we're still stuck. I'm afraid that if we are, we might get caught in an accident...

"What is with you, Maddie?! You scared me!"

I looked at her nervously... Did she also saw that man?

"Did you also see that man?"

She paused and started to speak again.

"Y-yes. Do you know him?"

"I'm afraid not."

"Then how did you know him?! How did you know I saw him too?!"

"Stop shouting at me! Calm down!"

She got asthma attacks again...

Sh*t! Now what?!

---

I managed to make her calm down again. I can't tell her everything about that while we're here outside.

"I can't tell you anything about that unless we're home."

Surprisingly, the traffic went okay again and we don't have to take the long way...