33 The Day She First Looked At Him

"That sucks, you know."

~Third Person's Point of View~

"I know it's you, Zoey."

Nami said before Zoey called her when she arrived behind her. She already knew that it was her.

"Nami... Uh... You noticed me that fast when here I was planning on surprising you ahaha..." Zoey awkwardly excused.

"If I don't know you well, I wouldn't notice at all especially you are too silent person that even your footsteps are too quiet."

Zoey showed a smile as she sat down on the grass, next to her.

"Besides, I knew you'd look for me."

"You expected that?"

"Yeah, now say."

Zoey, at first, didn't understand what she meant but then, she realized it somehow by seeing her overly confident face. Name was confident by the fact that Zoey was the wrong one.

Zoey smirked, "You see, it's still feels hurt." she said as she caressed her left cheek where Nami slapped.

"Heh~ Is that so? Maybe it'll go away if I slap again, hmm?"

Zoey got stunned as she heard that, but then she giggled that made Nami confuse. She didn't change at all---is what was Zoey's thinking about Nami.

"Pfft----"

"What?"

"No, it's just. The Nami I know still there." she said while looking at her. Nami just smiled and so she smiled as well.

They both laid down as they looked at the blue sky.

"Thinking back, we also did this with them, right? All of us together with leader laying in queue on the ground and looking at the sky." Nami said when she remembered the past and felt nostalgic.

"This sure feels surreal." she added when Zoey didn't say anything.

She also remembered those days and felt nostalgia, but in some ways it made her heart aches.

"I understand you that I shouldn't really blaming myself on what happened, but still Nami... I... I just can't help it. Whenever I think about it, I'll blame and blame myself." Zoey said.

"That's sucks, you know."

Then Zoey looked at her face who was still facing the sky.

"To be very honest, I hated you the first days Ash found you. I used to think that we're enough without needing anyone else, we are already a big family, but then you came. Until that day, you protected us despite of being weak."

"Oh, that. It's nothing big, you knew that it's one of my suicidal ways."

"So, you did not really mean of defending us?"

Zoey giggled as she saw Nami's disbelief reaction.

"No, it's nothing like that. I did that because your lives were way more valuable than mine."

But she got shocked when Nami suddenly sat on the ground and glared at her.

"W-What..?"

"You know Zoey, I'm really gonna slap you again. Just when will you think for yourself!? It's just too damn annoying really." Nami scolded.

It took longer for Zoey to respond instantly.

"I told you, I can't help it."

"That again!? Ugh, whatever. You might think yourself bad, but for us (well, except Akane) since that day you proved to us that you're a worthy person. You changed the way I think of you back then because of that day."

Vindicated by Nami and murmured when she mentioned Akane. From what she said, Zoey remembered the past that Nami just said. It's hard to accept on what she said because for her, that day was like an opportunity to end her life. But she wouldn't deny that on that day was also the beginning of building her relationship with them...

With him.

Two years ago after several days of staying at the Mythics's base. It had been two months since Ash found her roaming around the street and was almost ended up a victim of the rapist gang. If he hadn't business with the gang leader he wouldn't be able to meet Zoey and save her life.

On that time, she used to think that destiny is playing with her in a torture way. She didn't want to meet or be in a group again, for the third time. Ever since she left the palace only one person showed her freedom and acceptance, that person was also the reason how she escaped. There was no problem or suffering being with that person, and because of that she hadn't changed on being naive and dependent, having the thoughts that she's free and the danger was only in the palace. That led to another horrible disaster and cost the death of that person.

She met and found herself with a rich family, the heir kept her. Strangely, they didn't treat her like a slaves or maids. She was treated like a family, even though the heir talked to her most of the times.

But what she was facing is a big lie.

Before the man found her, she was already in despair. She was just roaming like a lost girl till the man saw and stalked her. Then when she got in to a trouble that's when he showed up and took the chance to drug her. He drugged her to see illusions, and the truth is he was not rich or even have a big family. He just brought her in an old mansion. She lived there together only with the man and the illusions. Until one night, she woke up and came to her senses seeing the man sleeping beside her. Fortunately, she woke up before anything bad might happen. She tried to escape but the man sensed it and tried to drug her again, but he failed.

The identity of the man wasn't high profile, he was a beggar. Sometimes he sold drugs in order to survive and he had been dreaming of having a family or a partner till he saw Zoey. He wanted her to be the mother of his children and build a family. It was a big mistake that he didn't done that in the first place. Since Zoey already experienced and felt the same danger before, she ran away.

She didn't want to be in that same scenario.

They were doing a hide and seek kind of game, the man was desperately looking for her while the girl was helplessly hiding. Until they played run and catch, but then the man accidentally fell on the stairs that caused death to him. Game over for the man.

But Zoey couldn't forget on what happened and blamed herself. It haunted her. She was again came back of being a lost girl in the street till she met Ash.

So many horrible things that happened and since she was blaming herself, it haunted her. She was drugged out of her will and because she was not in her normal state she kept seeing the dead bodies of the people that was died because of her, which the after effect of the drug.

It was traumatic to her that ever since Ash found her, she locked up herself in one place for two months and didn't talk to anyone.

She wanted to die.

The other Mythics members found her unreliable but they didn't treat her badly, they just let her be. Only Ash talked and cared for her. He never liked seeing a woman suffering and just by looking at Zoey's lifeless eyes, he could tell that she had gone through hell.

One night, Ash went to her room to deliver the food. He didn't left and made sure that she'd eat.

"Aren't you feeling bored?"

Asked by him while he was waiting in front of the slight opened door. No response for him as usual. But he didn't get tired of trying to talk to her, it was as if he had plenty of words to say.

"It's festival today so, later at night there'll be noises. I hope you won't be bothered."

In every phrases he said, he waited for one minute in between so that she wouldn't get annoyed. When in truth, Zoey didn't care at all.

"And there'll be a bonfire so, we kind of having a plan on going there. We will be overjoyed if you can come with us."

And if he was hoping for something from her, he would take a peek on her.

"I've introduced them to you and I'm not sure if you remember them, but Seia and Kano are really worried about you coz you know, you've been here for two months in this dark room. They'll be really happy if they get to talk to you, but they're kinda cautious that you might not like it so they find it hard to approach you. They're really eager to talk to you, you know hahahaha."

And again he waited for one minute before talking again, but even before he was about to say something again, this time, she talked.

"You're lying."

It surprised him that he unknowingly opened the door widely and went inside, even though she told her not to come in ever. He enthusiastically pushed the wheels of his wheelchair towards her and looked at her with wide eyes.

"You talked! You just talked!" he repeatedly said.

"Because I can."

"Uwaah! You responded!"

He was so overwhelmed by the fact that she talked for the first time he met her, and not just talk but he also got a response from her. It was quite unusual for him, but a big accomplishment.

Out of overjoyed feelings, he held her hands unknowingly. But none of his reactions left a dent in her cold heart and emotionless face. She didn't care at all.

"I'm so glad... Really, I'm so glad." he said.

For some reason, Zoey looked in to his face for the first time and felt bit lighter than before.

To be continued...