Chapter 44: Interlude (Part 4)

"Urgh... It's really so so hard to imagine what will make Grunmyt happy! Anything that happens, he always reacts with that same serious face! I can't figure out how he's actually feeling..." Zanphia, scrolling through the catalog on a tablet provided by the shop the three girls were visiting, griped as her body stooped.

They'd already gone through numerous gift shops with various types of goods put on display shelves, ranging from thank-you cards to large-sized TVs, but none of them seemed to fit the bill, that was, "to make Kapel happy". For some reason, some of the other customers nodded in agreement. Whether they were concurring what Zanphia said about Kapel, or the fact that choosing a present is tough, was another story.

Nonetheless, Zanphia and Suzannia had steeled their resolve to not return home until they found the most ideal present for Kapel. Naytia, who had been watching from the side since the beginning, continued to chuckle.

"Hey Mom! If you're just standing there mocking us, why don't you tell us what Grunmyt likes as a present already!" Zanphia pouted at Naytia as she heard the chuckle.

"Hehe, it's a test for you to overcome yourselves. A the examiner, I won't just provide the answer to you." Naytia pulled Zanphia's leg with a broad smile on her face.

"Meanie!" Suzannia, imitating Zanphia, pouted at Naytia as well.

"Even if you attack me at the same time, there won't be any compromise!"

"Suzannia! Mom has become a villain! We must defeat her! And to do that, we will find the best present for Grunmyt!" Accepting Naytia's provocation, Zanphia declared confidently and walked off to scrutinize the products.

"We will win!" Suzannia excitedly followed behind Zanphia.

"They're as feisty as ever." A lady approached Naytia after the two girls dashed off.

"Oh! Ms. Baham! It's good to see you here! Who are you buying gifts for?" Taken aback by an unexpected meeting, Naytia greeted the lady.

"For my girl of course! It's almost her birthday. She's been studying so hard that I can't help but want to reward her!"

"Oh! I almost forgot it's almost Garty's birthday! Kids sure grow up fast..."

"You can say that again. Time sure flies... But it seems you're stuck in time..." Ms. Baham squinted her eyes as she looked at Naytia.

"Huh? What do you mean by that?" Confounded by Ms. Baham's statement, Naytia let out a weird voice.

"I'm talking about your skin. You still look so young! It's like your their sister instead of mother! What's your secret?" Ms. Baham pestered with an anticipating look.

Finding the situation a little awkward, Naytia was at a loss for words and could only chuckle resignedly in response.

"Maybe you just have better genes... Anyway, where's Zenover? Is he not with you?" Ms. Baham abruptly switched the topic of their conversation, which Naytia was actually relieved about.

"You don't know? He's going to meet up with Garty."

"So that's the friend she was going to meet... That sneaky girl..." Ms. Baham became pensive as she recalled what her daughter told her before she left.

"Oops... I feel like I said something that I shouldn't have..." Naytia covered her mouth and muttered.

"No, Ms. Maladin. I'm glad you told me about that... That girl... Keeping it a secret from me... How could she... How could she do that." Ms. Baham seemed to be growing grumpy.

"Um... Ms. Baham...?"

"How could she leave me out of it?! I want to witness the moment those two get together! It's going to be super sweet!"

'Maybe that's why she didn't tell you in the first place...' Naytia yearned to express her thoughts on this matter, but refrained.

"Don't you think so too? They're the perfect match for each other! They like each other, but are too shy to admit it... Maybe we should do something to give them a push..."

"Um, Ms. Baham, forgive my being blunt, but I think we should let them go at their own pace. A relationship is to be developed, not forced. The best we can do as parents, is to give them valid advice... So um, we should probably leave them be for now..." Naytia gave her two cents.

"You're right... Sorry, just my enthusiasm getting the better of me. Ahaha!" Agreeing with Naytia's statement, Ms. Baham nodded and laughed heartily.

"And uh, regarding the gift for Garty, I think you should try and seek Zanphia for advice. She might know what Garty likes since they're similar in age."

"Good idea! Hey Zanphia!" Upon heeding Naytia's suggestion, Ms. Baham rushed to greet Zanphia.

'If anything, she's the one with the energy of a young girl.' Naytia chuckled once again at her thoughts.

...

"Zenover! Over here!" Garty waved at Zenover who just appeared from the corner of a wall and called him over.

"Yo." Zenover greeted her as he approached her.

"What's with that..." Garty cringed a little. "So... how are you?"

"Huh? I'm doing... fine? I just returned from visiting my grandparents at the grave and now I'm meeting you here?"

"Oh, I hope they can rest in peace... Wait, that's not what I'm asking about! I mean, no disrespect to them!" Garty became flustered as she thought she might've offended Zenover's late grandparents.

"Um, I'm sure they wouldn't be offended... but what do you mean?"

"You idiot! I'm talking about your injuries! Let me check them!" Garty forced herself upon Zenover.

"Hey! Stop! Are you gonna strip me here?! Pervert!" Zenover, caught by surprise, attempted to push Garty away. "I'm fine, just st- Ow!!"

"You're not fine at all! Let me see already!"

"Like I said! Stop stripping me! Ow ow!! I'm gonna scream for help!" Zenover made a pained expression as he continued to try to push Garty away.

"Ah... Sorry. I got ahead of myself..." Immediately after Zenover's warning, Garty let go of him and took a step back, blushing.

"I swear... you sometimes act before you think... That's why you're not popular with the boys."

"Hey! Why'd you have to make it personal!"

"Sorry. It was just a joke. Of course you're a male magnet. Pfft."

"Are you trying to pick a fight with me?"

"Ah... sorry, really. I'll stop now." Realizing he might've take the joke too far, Zenover decided to stop. "But I'm really fine. Injuries take time to heal, and it's not like I have a broken bone or anything."

"That doesn't mean you can take it lightly! What if they pick on you again?! I can't let this keep going!" Irked, Garty gripped Zenover's wrists tightly, yearning to make him understand how worried she was.

"Hold on, did you urge me to meet up with you just so you can nag at me like an old hag?" Zenover's tone became flat at such a thought.

"Who's an old hag?! Urgh!!"

"Ow ow! You're not an old hag OK? Let go of my wrists! OW!!"

"You're such a meanie..."

Garty pouted at Zenover who became stunned for a brief moment before he turned away sheepishly. Seeing that, Garty reacted by doing the same. Neither of them spoke another word for a few minutes as they stood next to each other, with their gazes cast on the ground.

"Well uh... I guess, let's stroll around together for a bit, yeah?" Zenover suggested.

"... Sure." Garty, without so much as giving it a second thought, agreed.

"Anywhere you feel like going?"

"Not in particular..."

"Then I guess we'll just follow whatever path is in front of us."

With that, both of them, side by side, strode along the path until they were in the vicinity of the town centre. Albeit not having engaged much in conversations, they still enjoyed each other's company. They'd sometimes glance over at each other and evade their gazes when their eyes met. In the end, they ended up at where the rest of the Maladins were dropped off at. The town centre was bustling like always, especially since it was in a weekend's afternoon. The sea of people and cars could attest to how popular this place was among the townspeople. Nevertheless, there were places that no one would wander into, namely the alleyways where some filthy rodents could be scurrying around in.

Zenover took out his phone to check the time, only to find some terrifying news that the other Maladins were shopping around the area. It was at that moment when it dawned on Zenover that he could run into his family members at any moment. If they saw him with Garty, they'd definitely come up to him and tease him, saying something like "you guys on a date?" Zenover frowned a little as he imagined such a scene. He craved to avoid this situation, whatever the cost.

"Urgh..."

The one who made a cringing voice was surprisingly not Zenover, but Garty as she was staring at a direction. Following her gaze, Zenover instantly found the source of Garty's cringing. It was none other than her mother who was holding some shopping bags in both her hands, while some were also hanging on her shoulders.

Frankly, running into Garty's mother was actually a lot worse than Zanphia and the others for Zenover and Garty alike, since she was too enthusiastic of a person that even her own daughter found it hard to deal with sometimes.

"Looks like we took the wrong path." Zenover spoke with a flat tone again.

Unanimously, both of them turned to the opposite of where Garty's mother was and started brisk walking. Unfortunately for them though...

"You guys on a date?!" They were the exact words that Zenover feared most if he was seen by his family, the differences were the person who said them, and they sounded extremely zealous.

The person they just saw, as if she were a phantom that could shift through space itself, appeared right behind them.

"We're too late..." Garty expressed in annoyance.

"Don't be like that! Your Mama is very excited to see you guys together! Isn't that a good thing? I just got done shopping with Zanphia and Suzannia too! What a coincidence!"

'So they're somewhere around here after all...' Zenover shuddered a little.

"Please stop saying "Mama"... I'm not a little girl anymore! Besides, don't just suddenly interrupt someone else's time without permission!"

"Oh, sorry Garty. I guess I'm interrupting your alone time!"

"Mom!!"

"Um, it's been a while, Ms. Baham. I'm glad to see that you're doing well." Zenover greeted her, albeit belated, courteously.

"It's good to see you too, Zenover. Garty, you should learn a little from him. He's a good guy, don't you think?" Ms. Baham winked at Garty playfully.

Garty glared at her mother, while Zenover was flustered as such a remark about himself.

"Oh well, I won't get in the way anymore, so you guys just enjoy your sweet time together, alright?"

"Mom, I swear.."

"Oh! Before I leave, don't forget about that special day!" She waved them goodbye, leaving the two youngsters in the middle of the crowd, looking clueless.

An abrupt grumble shattered the awkwardness between them, which made Zenover burst into laughter.

"Let's go grab something to eat, shall we?"

Garty glared at Zenover with a blush as he was laughing at her, he suggested to grab a grub together, which Garty meekly nodded in response.

...

On the other side of the town centre where not a lot of people would visit, stood several stalls with canopies of various dull colors, making them blend in the background. In other words, they didn't stand out at all. And just as one would expect, other than the stall owners, there weren't any other person under the canopies. The streets were of no difference. In addition to the fact that there were scanty amount of passerby, there were also some cracks on the concrete ground. Compared to the well maintained streets where a sea of people were walking on, the streets here could just be left until the ground was split into fragments before someone actually came and fix it.

There'd also be some tumbleweeds rolling around, but this isn't the type the setting this story is set in.

Of course, such a sparsely populated place would be a perfect place for Jogrin. For one, he detested crowds. For the other, should he cause a mass panic where people were colliding their shoulders, the outcome would look grim. Although the inhabitants of Zuta seemed to come to accept Jogrin strangely readily, one couldn't dismiss that huge of a risk.

Leading the way was Proxer, followed closely behind by Jogrin. Despite moving in a place with barely anyone else, they still proceeded with caution and acted as inconspicuous as possible, but it was no easy task for Jogrin with his easily noticeable tail. That was why, instead of striding along the dilapidated streets, they chose to remain in a place where no one could see them, as if having a tryst, but this isn't the type of setting this story is set in.

"Wouldn't it be better if we just go back to the house instead of scurrying around like a pair of mice whenever someone appears?" Growing somewhat impatient, Jogrin made such a remark.

"Well, I just don't want you to stay inside for so long. This is an opportunity for you to see more of the outside world, don't you think?" Proxer scratched his head, slightly embarrassed for some reason.

"What's the point if I'm strictly restricted in terms of where I can go? This is just troublesome for both you and me. Besides, I don't care about what the outside has to offer."

Instead of saying "I don't really care" to make himself sound softer, Jogrin directly told of his opinion, which made Proxer a little nonplussed.

"Anyway, what do you have to tell me? Or did you figure out I have something I want to ask?" Quickly changing the topic, Jogrin asked Proxer as his gaze locked on Proxer.

"The latter..."

"You're observant, aren't you?"

"Just a feeling. Like, when you're thinking about something, you go all quiet... So, what do you want to know?"

"Back in the park, you reacted strongly against my perception of my life, my core values, and such. Then, you very briefly mentioned the similarity between my and your parents' way of living. I want to know more about it." Without munching on his words, Jogrin asked.

Proxer looked down and went silent. According to Jogrin's "emotional perception", it seemed he'd hit a nerve in Proxer. However, he didn't do anything about that, and simply waited, although he did find it weird that he could talk to their graves like how he usually talked about anyone else, while something like that regarding his parents would turn him into a completely different person. The damage from the loss of his parents must've hit him so hard that even to this day, he couldn't fully recover from it.

"Forget I asked." Deciding it'd be best to keep it to himself, Jogrin retracted his question, only to be stopped by Proxer himself.

"No, I have to face it one day. I just didn't expect you instead of Father I'd face it with... Let me gather my thoughts for a bit. Sorry, but you'll have to wait a little more." Proxer took deep breaths and prepared himself.

"Sure." And Jogrin replied so.

...

"My Mom..." Abruptly after some time, Proxer opened his mouth while his gaze is still fixed on the ground. "She had supernatural powers like you."

"Huh?"

Flabbergasted, Jogrin questioned whether he heard Proxer right or not. He never anticipated the first thing that came from Proxer would be such a groundbreaking news.

"She could predict major future events that'd take place. What happens, when it happens, but she couldn't tell the before and after. That means the reason it happens, and the long term consequences it brings about."

"Even so, it was still quite a convenient ability." Jogrin added his two-cents.

"A lot of people would've thought so too. That was why she was hiding her premonition ability from others, revealing it to no one else. She wanted to avoid abusing her powers, as well as others doing the same by using her."

"Wise decision."

'If she was able to keep up with that, it'd explain why no books mentioned about her and her premonition.'

"Indeed, but that also meant that she'd have to shoulder all the burden by herself. Even if there were someone else in the know, they couldn't be of much help either."

Jogrin immediately connected the points that'd been provided by Proxer. An ability that allowed you to see the future. Despite being a really useful ability, it could also be used as a weapon if someone with ill intentions were to wield it or use the person who wielded it. It'd be a foolish idea to make it public. Being able to predict any kind of imminent disasters and warn others of it in order to prevent the disasters from befalling them was certainly a blessing, but having to keep it all to herself would undoubtedly put much stress much strain on her mentality. In addition to that, she'd always feel guilty for not being able to save them. Time and time again, she'd have craved to talk to someone else about what she foresaw in hopes of elevating the chance of saving others...

But reality wasn't so nice to Proxer's mother. As her stress and guilt continued to built up, her mental state was just like a timed bomb with an unknown blow-up time.

However, the question was, how did Proxer know if she never revealed it to anyone? And how would he prove the veracity of the existence of the ability?

"I know... I know what you're wondering. How did I know about it? And how do I know if it's actually the real deal?" Proxer grew more melancholic as he asked Jogrin who nodded in response.

"Well, my father... real father and I never knew about it. She was acting so normal for us to even consider that she was suffering so much deep within... Until... that happened..."

"..."

Jogrin somewhat knew what was coming next, but even he could read the mood in this situation and decided to keep silent and not actively pursue for more answers.

"One day... Out of the blue... She committed suicide... She killed herself... and we didn't know why that happened... There was a rope hanging from the ceiling... and... and...!" Proxer couldn't contain himself anymore as tears began streaming down his face. "Then, when we were packing her belongings, we found something in her closet... On the safe that only she had access to, there was a small piece of paper on top of it where some numbers were written... They were the code of the lock of the safe... and when we opened it... there were nothing but another slip of paper, which was the account and password for an online storage..."

It was needless to say what had been stored in it.

"They were all elaborate descriptions of every single disaster that'd befallen on us, starting from when she was just in middle school... The dates that she entered those... were weeks, or even months before all those tragedies took place. What it was, where it happened, when it happened, the names of those who were injured to what extent, who died. Natural disaster, man-made disaster, she missed... none of it..."

From some of the books Jogrin'd read, there were only 2 online storage platforms, neither of which could their users edit entry dates... In other words, Proxer's mother's premonition ability was highly likely legitimate.

"And after all those had been revealed, my father... blamed himself for not being able to notice sooner... It wasn't long after my mother's death that he also..."

Proxer stopped there and went completely silent once again. Without needing any more words, Jogrin understood the fate of the father too.

A superpower, to most, might be a blessing that could warrant envy of others, but in reality, it could be a curse instead. One that would follow the individual for the rest of their lives, tormenting them and slowly draining their lives away. That was the case for Proxer's mother.

Now, Jogrin grasped the reason why Proxer was so against his way of living, as well as how he became today's him.

Mild sobs could be heard from the blonde bloke standing before Jogrin. Droplets reflecting the sun's rays fell and splashed onto the ground, leaving marks on it. The boy with the tail could do nothing but watch on, and let the blonde bloke cry his heart out after recalling the tragic memory that haunted him for so long.