93 Change

Zel had just woken up on the clinic bed. The unfathomable darkness was gently replaced by a soft light, and the disorientation from switching from an upright position to a lying position made him dizzy.

"Where am I?" He sat up, massaging his temples until he felt more tranquil. The next thing he did was to gently pat down his ample stomach, wanting to find out if what happened was real.

"Sniff. Sniff." Joyful tears were threatening to fall as he caressed it. The tenderness he feels was distinctly different from normal.

'It's real!' The fat he knows was there just this morning were greatly reduced. If he were to promptly remove his inner shirt, then even he would probably be incapable of recognizing himself. But then he discovered something.

'Eek! Why am I almost naked!' Looking down at his body, he was wearing nothing but his inner shirt and boxers. The rest of his clothes were neatly arranged at the desk on the side, but he was embarrassed to know that someone stripped him when he was asleep.

"I see you've woken up. Are you thirsty?" Joy approached Zel who hurriedly made the blanket conceal his lower body. Though she didn't mind, she let out a small giggle at his justified actions. Her instinctive reaction made the boy look more embarrassed.

"I'll leave this here. When you think you feel better, tell me so that we can call your parents. They'll be able to pick up you then." Joy left the boy alone, naturally seeing thar he was uncomfortable with her presence. She earnestly hoped that giving him some time to dress up would positively make it easier for him to talk with her.

"Oh, your friends have taken your things here as well. If you want to check, they're kept in the lockers there." Joy who was just about to leave suddenly remembered about Zel's bag. She pointed in the direction of the locker which was just on the other room.

"Thank you." Zel bowed slightly while looking at the direction she pointed at. His eyes darting around the room in thought as he was not completely certain where he was. At that moment, he examined the back of the person who spoke to him and saw her uniform. A nurse's uniform.

'The clinic, huh?' Fixing his clothes, he hurriedly stood up and naturally wore the rest of his uniform. All this while, he wasn't aware of the eyes that watched from the doorway.

"Ehem. Seems like you're fine. Are you feeling well or is there something else that's hurting?" When she saw that Zel was already dressed properly, Ms. Jessica went in without active thought. Her eyes were curiously inspecting the boy who was still buttoning his polo.

"I'm fine, mam. Actually, I feel great. Whoosh. Whoosh." Zel promptly took on a proper stance. Standing tall and proud, he punched the air in front of him like he was pumping himself up. Though the harsh sounds that he produced had compelled the two people in the room to be silent.

"..." The unexpected sounds stopped instantly when Zel stood at ease in place. Just to make sure, he carefully tried another punch.

"Whoosh." Zel who was absolutely surprised at the newly gained strength was so entranced that he took it to his limits. He punched forwards continuously, making his surroundings sound like it was in a maelstrom.

"Quite the punching power you got there, Zel. Perhaps you should join a club?" Jessica, who was also quite amazed at Zel's powerful punches intruded. He looked quite preoccupied and she didn't want to stay here for long. She dearly needed to report back quickly before another one gets lost.

"Oh, thank you for the compliment Ms. Jessica. Though I'd rather not, those clubs are too tiring for me. So, umm, can I leave?" Zel who was brought back to reality wiped the few sweat he had built up. He took a deep breath while feeling out his unknown body. Having never felt so relaxed before, he couldn't help but yawn. His eyes were glowing crimson when he did so, however, something that Jessica didn't overlook.

"Of course! Your parents have been informed of what happened earlier. I'm sure they would have an easier time when you show them that you're fine. You'll be sent home by the school van, so you can leave whenever you want."

"Really? Just let me get my bag and help me get home please." Zel put on his well-worn shoes before collecting his bag from the locker. He was gratified that his dear friends had picked it up for him, he wondered where they are right now.

[6 new messages - Mom]

[2 missed calls - Mom]

['TotallyNormal' app installed. Tap here to open.]

He took out his mobile phone from the front pocket and saw a few texts and calls from his doting mother. But what he found most perplexing was the time.

'12:30! I only slept for two hours?!'

Having sufficiently taken into account that he genuinely felt like he spent the afternoon waiting passively for something to happen in that red room, it seemed impossible. The extensive talk with the commanding voice, the fierce fight he had, all of it felt like it took him much longer than just two standard hours.

"Zel, when you feel dizzy, take this. If you don't, then just leave it be. Remember to go to a doctor if you experience anything unusual, alright?" Joy who had been told about Jessica appearing here to take the boy home was handing over a few pills to Zel. Ones that he gratefully accepted.

"Thank you, nurse Joy." After keeping the pills inside his bag, Zel directed his attention back to the private messages his lovely family left him.

[Mom - Received 10:38 am

-Are you ok, son? When you wake up, text me right away.]

[Mom - Received 10:55 am

-The school told me that you were just resting. Text me right away when you can. I'll pick you up.]

[Mom - Received 11:30 am

-Your sister told me she visited you. She said the school would send you back, make sure to tell them if you're ok. Don't be shy.]

"Ready to go?" Jessica looked at Zel and thought he was merely looking at the text messages of his family. She saw him already wearing the backpack, so she extended an invitation.

"Yes, sorry for the trouble." Zel placed his mobile phone inside his pocket. Due to the eager haste, he wasn't able to see that a new app was installed on it. He was also unaware of the notebook that was carefully placed in his bag.

"Please, it's no big deal." Jessica offered the boy a pleasant smile. In her mind, she should be thanking him.