What the heck?

Impatiently putting her chopsticks aside hitting the white marble counter table, Valerie sighed. "Are you even listening? Look, Irene, you don't have to act like you are strong all the time. Your fears and anxieties are valid, woman. We grew up together, how can you not tell me about what happened earlier? If it weren't because of the security guards, I wouldn't have known."

Irene continued eating deliciously, unperturbed with her cousin's nagging.

"The shadowy figure I've seen earlier was like the one I saw in Rosemoor. The one they called 'Void'" Irene thought while chewing her food.

Valerie waved her hands on Irene's face, "Look, I understand that you may not want to talk about it but it is your safety we are talking about here. Let me know so that we can impose necessary measures." She nagged in her strong Latina accent.

Irene could tell her cousin is indeed worried about her and is very much stressed of her silence.

The two of them grew up together. Being maternal cousins, the two share physical resemblances as well as with their attitudes. Valerie is outspoken and impulsive while Irene is a subtle version of her. Valerie's father is European and Irene's is Asian.

"I'm alright, okay? You sound like your Mom trapped in the female version of your Dad's body," Irene teased while pouring each of their glasses with cola.

Valerie could no longer speak and just decided to drop the topic off. What would she expect with her equally stubborn cousin?

"My date was the worst. He wanted to go to 'my house' instantly. Huh- who does he think he is?!" Valerie's almost popped out even by just thinking about her date's audacity.

Laughing, Irene put the plates on the sink and began to thoroughly wash each.

The next day, Irene is relaxing in her condo after a long day of work. For years already, she is used to her day ending the earliest at eight in the evening.

Her hair tied into a messy bun, she lays down on her couch while binge watching FRIENDS, the only light illuminating the entire living room is her television.

Realizing she ran out of cola, in her pajamas, Irene rushed to her kitchen to get some drinks from the fridge when the doorbell rang. Valerie is inside her room so Irene had to go and open the door herself.

"Weird," Irene narrowed her eyes and slightly tilted her head. There is no one by the door when she opened it.

When she returned back inside, Valerie just got out of her room, yawning.

Valerie scratched her messy and bright cyan blue hair, "Who was that?" She yawned one more time leaving her eyes teary.

"I don't know. Maybe someone rang the wrong doorbell, I guess?" Irene slumped herself back on the couch and pressed the play button on the remote control.

Later that night, Irene is sleeping soundly in her room when a strong flurry of wind barge into her room making the winds blow the curtains forcefully thus creating a barging noise.

Irene half-asleep checked where the noise is coming from, her eyes barely opening her eyes.

"What the heck!" Irene instantly stood up on her bed and grabbed whatever she can use as a weapon to fight against a man standing behind her curtains. She could not see his face due to the bright light of the moon from behind.

"VALERIE! HELP!" Irene screamed with all of her might until the veins on her throat pop out.

Irene darted her sight from the man to make sure he is not moving towards her and to the door calculating how much time it would take her to reach it and go outside to trap the man inside her room but the thought was futile as she stood frozen in a fighting stance on her bed.

Gathering crumbs of her broken courage, Irene threw a pillow towards the man and ran to the door but just as she was about to twist the door knob, the man is already standing in front of her. Irene passed out.

-

"Really? How long were you two already together then?" Valerie is talking to someone when Irene slowly opened her eyes.

The moment Irene saw Valerie and Amiel in her room, she screamed. "Waaaah!" Her guts lurked and her head is painful like it is being split into two.

Valerie slapped Irene's arms, "Don't scream. I already get it, okay? You have a boyfriend. Don't worry, Amiel already explained the situation." She gave Amiel a polite smile.

Irene shifted her stare from Valerie to Amiel and then Amiel to Valerie.

"Come on, drop it! I already know you have a boyfriend okay so you have to drop the act!" Valerie scowled at Irene and faked a laugh.

"Wha-… What are you doing here?!" Irene stood up and pointed her fingers to Amiel and gave him an accusing look.

Valerie does not even have an idea why Irene is acting this way, "Smells like lover's quarrel. I gotta go," She then sprinted out of the room and closed the door shut.

"Look, it is a long story." Amiel explained and stood up to face Irene who is still trying to figure out if this is real by pinching and slapping herself.

Amiel growled, "Why are you hurting yourself?!" And then grabbed Irene's arms to stop her from slapping herself for the nth time.

Irene glared at him, "Explain! How did a supernatural being like you here in our world?! Did you become a human? How? Why?!" Endless questions popped up like mushrooms inside her head.

"Calm the fuck down!" Amiel motioned his hand to stop her from screaming.

With both of her hands on her hips, "Oh, so you now know how to curse 'the mortal way'?!" Irene rubbed her throbbing temples and narrowed her eyes, "And what was that? You are my boyfriend?! Huh, I can't believe this is happening to me!" She scoffed.

"What do you expect me to tell her why I am in your room?! That I am someone you knew in a magical world? That I am a burglar?!" Amiel retorted, raising his voice.

Irene raised her eyebrows and answered with fire in her eyes, "That would have been so much better! You better answer me or else!" She knows she has been too rude to someone who saved her but she was just too fazed as to why Amiel is here.