Episode 7: The Boy That Played A Hero

Middle of Who-Knows-Where

Ten Years Ago

In A City

At the age of six, two children of the same age met for the first time. A boy and a girl, at their first meeting, stared at the other, curious about the other person.

Their families both owned big companies, their meeting was one set up so that their companies could have a connection. In other words, they were used by their families to improve their businesses.

3:00pm, the boy was getting changed.

“Where are we going?” He asked his father.

“We’re going to meet and introduce you to a girl.” His father replied, looking at his phone.

“I don’t wanna!” He complained.

“Why?”

“Because I already have a girlfriend! I don’t want to meet other girls!” He stated, crossing his arms.

“A girlfriend?” His father raised an eyebrow. “At such an age, you really are like your father.”

The boy had his head rubbed by his father before his father leaned close, whispering, “You don’t need to get into a relationship with her, just know her.”

“Okay...”

2:30pm, the girl was getting ready.

“Who’s this boy you’re making me meet?” The girl asked.

“He’s the son of a company.” Her father replied. “You don’t have to be his significant other, just get to know him.”

“Is he any good looking?” She asked.

“How am I supposed to know?” Her father sighed.

4:28pm, both parties met up at a specially fully rented building to party and meet up.

The two adults conversed while the children looked at each other. For the girl, she kept staring at his eyes, a shocking green, her favourite colour. His face was sharp, almost handsome. For the boy, he was mesmerised by the girl’s beauty, although they were only six, they could appreciate those facts about each other.

“This is my daughter, Evelyn.” Her father introduced.

“And this is my son, Isaac-Green.”

Evelyn Ether, Isaac-Green Clint. It was their first interaction with each other, developing first impressions of the other. Evelyn saw Isaac-Green as an idiot, He saw her as spoiled. Those feelings were further enhanced when they enrolled into the same middle school when they were twelve.

They hardly talked, only seeing each other occasionally during parties or visits. Evelyn walked into school not knowing that fact since their parents had refused to tell them. She saw a familiar face walking beside a girl. Similarly, Isaac-Green also saw a familiar face, looking to the side slightly before deciding to ignore it.

“Is something wrong?” The girl beside him asked.

She was his girlfriend, shorter than him, petite with black hair tied into a ponytail and wore glasses. They had been in a relationship for six years and counting.

“Nothing at all.” He replied, pumping his chest.

His girlfriend laughed lightly.

“So, we’re finally in middle school, huh? Don’t you think it’s weird, Sal?” He asked.

“Not at all.” She replied, shaking her head.

Isaac rubbed his chin and shrugged, he had the feeling that things would not go that smoothly, and that something was bound to happen. He continued on unfazed by any potential challenges, thus was Isaac-Green Clint.

That day, he was introduced to the students in his class, basic introduction stuff. After class, he left, searching the area for the class Sal was in. He was walking around, not bothering to read the signs, instead, going by feel. In a matter of minutes, he was already lost, finding himself on the ground floor. He looked around worriedly, Sal was waiting for him, he needed to get to her class quickly.

The area he was walking around was isolated, almost hidden when he saw a few older kids crouched in a corner, talking to each other. Before he could approach them for directions, his arm was grabbed and he was pulled away from them.

Isaac stumbled and almost fell, he asked, “Who is it?”

He looked up, seeing a girl. Her face was twisted into a half scowl as she aggressively tapped her phone. It took a moment for her to do what she wanted to do. She then kept her phone, pointing at him. Her eyes were clear and sharp, almost mesmerising. She told him, “You should stay away from people like that.”

“Why?” He asked.

“Because my dad said so.” She answered, walking away.

Not long later, Isaac and Sal managed to somehow coincidentally meet. Isaac’s mind was drifting, he wondered who the girl was and what she had been doing there. She was pretty, but to him, she did not hold a candle to Sal.

“Something’s in your mind again.” Sal pouted.

“You’re not wrong, it’s just that I felt like I met someone familiar...” He thought out loud.

Somewhere else, Evelyn was walking away, feeling slightly mad. She had gone there, following the boy she thought was familiar, it ended with her confirming her suspicion. The boy was the same one she was forced to meet, his hair was the same pattern, his eyes the same shocking colour. She stomped home, having texted her father that she wanted to talk to him.

At her home, Evelyn sat on the couch, crossing her arms. It was not long before her father entered the room.

“What seems to be the issue, dear?” He asked, smiling gently.

“Why did you enrol me into the same school as that guy?” She shouted.

“Now, now.” Her father tried to calm her down. “It was a pure coincidence, I promise. I only heard about this recently, so I was unable to inform you instantly.”

Evelyn sighed and dropped her phone onto the table in front of her. “Then is it possible for me to be transferred out?”

“Unfortunately, no.” He replied.

She sighed more and threw her hands over her head. She grabbed a pillow and covered her face with it, shouting, “I don’t want to be in the same school as him! People will think I’m weird!”

“No such thing.” Her father assured her.

The next day,

1:00pm, school ended.

Isaac walked along with Sal along the streets, walking her home. She kept quiet as her boyfriend kept keeping his head in the clouds. She was unable to say that she disliked that about him. He was straightforward, honest and overall an idiot. Over the years, she basically grew up with him, so she felt that she knew him better than anyone else.

On the way home, he saw someone by the ice-cream store. He stopped in his tracks, making Sal stop along with him. Isaac approached the girl, raising Sal’s interest. Had the six years of being together made him bored of her?

“Hey, you’re the one who dragged me yesterday, right?” He asked.

The girl turned around with a spin, tossing her black hair aside. She looked at Isaac and walked away without a care in the world. Somehow, even though it meant that Sal and Isaac’s relationship would be secured, Sal felt angered by her actions. Isaac was genuinely kind, he would even help a villain if he was in need.

“Who’s she?” Sal found herself asking.

“She rescued me yesterday, saving me from some trouble.” He replied.

“Eh...” Sal said, looking as the girl turned a corner and disappeared.

From that day, whenever Isaac saw her, he would try to talk to her, slowly, the distance between him and Sal started to grow. Sal was the first to notice and wanted to do something about it.

So one day, she walked straight up to Evelyn while Isaac was trying to strike up a conversation. Sal put a smile on her face and asked her, “A cafe opened up nearby, would you like to join us?”

“Cafe?” Evelyn reacted. “What kind?”

“I think they sell cakes,” Sal replied.

“I’m alright with going then,” Evelyn told them, putting her phone down. “When will it be?”

“Right now?” Isaac recommended to the girls.

“That can work.”

That was their first time hanging out together, their first time conversing with each other, all of them with different motives by doing so. Evelyn had temporarily forgotten about Isaac and was there to enjoy the cakes. Isaac wanted to thank her for her actions, also find out who exactly she was from the source. Sal wanted to bring her closer to keep Isaac even closer to her. Despite the different intentions, they managed to have a conversations

When it started to get late, they left. Evelyn walked one direction and the couple the other way. Isaac walked some distance before complaining, “I still don’t know her name!”

“I think her name is Ether,” Sal told him. “I saw the embroidery on her bag.

“Ether...” He muttered, feeling like it was a familiar name.

Alas, being the idiot he was, he was unable to connect the dots. For the next year, they hung out together, becoming good friends. Isaac found out Evelyn’s name, but did not think it was the same girl as back then. The times where they hung out and had fun were thought to never end, but nothing could prepare them for the tragedy that was to occur.

They once had a conversation at the start of their second year of middle school.

“Where do you plan to go after middle school?” Sal asked.

“Never thought about it.” Evelyn replied.

“Probably to high school.” Isaac replied.

“I want to go somewhere, but it’s going to be hard... I might need to go overseas to study.” Sal told them.

“I never heard about this.” Isaac said.

Evelyn stayed out of their problem, thinking it had nothing to do with her. As time passed, the couple grew more distant. Their relationship grew sour, and they began to talk to each other less. Sal had thought Isaac was being too controlling, stopping her from achieving her dream. Isaac thought that Sal was being too selfish, wanting to leave him.

Changes began to show in the two. Sal became ignorant of her surroundings while Isaac started skipping school. He began to laugh less, started to eat less, he also started to just accept that he was an idiot that could do nothing.

The final blow came when Sal transferred overseas at the start of their last year. In response, Isaac completely stopped going to school.

Evelyn, not wanting to be alone, visited his house, entering his room with a basket of fruits. She placed it near him and asked, “What are you doing?”

“Go away.” He whispered, his voice raspy.

He laid on his bed, pillow over his face. His arms were thinner than usual, raising some concern for his health. Evelyn continued, “Eh... I don’t want to. I’m here to visit an idiotic friend of mine.”

“Shut up.”

Evelyn sighed and pulled out a piece of paper. “You see, Sal told me which high school she will be going to.”

“What about it?” Isaac demanded.

“What do you say? I want my friends back, you want your girlfriend back. Sal is on a scholarship to study, but our families have more than enough money to send us there.” Evelyn suggested.

Isaac, as slow as he was, could understand what Evelyn was saying. He got up, asking, “We can do that?”

He was pale and thin, his eyes bloodshot. Something about how weak he looked made Evelyn feel something. She played it off as feeling pity. Isaac sat down on his bed, attentive, his eyes bearing into hers with maximum concentration. Evelyn felt a tinge of jealousy, she was thinking about why Sal could get the attention of such an idiot.

“Well, if I tried, I can easily make it, but you seem to be disadvantaged in this area.” Evelyn explained.

“I know I’m dumb, no need to sugarcoat.” He confirmed.

“Then do something about it.” Evelyn retorted.

He scratched his head, his curly black hair was slightly overgrown. He muttered, “But studying is boring...”

“I’m leaving then.”

“Wait!” He exclaimed.

Evelyn stopped in her track, Isaac holding her arm. He was out of his bed, wearing his pyjamas. She could feel his thin fingers, so weak and fragile, she felt like she could easily snap him.

“Could you please help me study? I promise to do well!” He said.

“Fine, whatever.” Evelyn sighed. “Get ready, after school, we’re going to start lessons, otherwise, you aren’t going to catch up in time for graduation.”

He let go of her, saluting with a cheeky smile, “Yes ma’am!”

As they promised, Evelyn was patient, teaching him what he did not know and what he needed to know. Isaac put full concentration into studying, finally having a goal to work towards. He regained some weight, some colour returned to his skin over time as he focused. Evelyn, at the front seat of seeing him, was interested in how far he could go, she started looking at him more.

“Done!” He had exclaimed when they finished the final paper.

“How was it?” Evelyn asked.

“I don’t think I failed!”

Evelyn kicked him lightly, saying, “You should at least be aiming for a distinction.”

He laughed and ran away from her, followed by Evelyn chasing after him, a small smile on her face. The results were out, Evelyn, as expected, got distinctions for everything, however, Isaac was not as lucky.

He managed to pass enough to move onto high school, but did not achieve the number of distinctions needed to transfer overseas. With his result sheet in hand, he sat at a corner of a park, staring at it blankly. Evelyn, who had followed him, approached him, standing nearby instead of next to him.

“You already know, right?” Isaac asked, his voice unstable.

“Yeah.” She replied to him.

“I tried...” He said, tears rolling down his cheeks, his hands clenching the sides of his result slip. “I really tried...”

“Yeah.”

“I’m really an idiot, aren’t I? I wasted so much of your time, yet I can’t even do it. You must be laughing at me right now.”

“...” Evelyn paused, not sure how to reply.

“What do I do now?” Isaac asked. “You can go ahead to where Sal is, be her friend again, I’m not needed in your friendship.”

Evelyn stepped closer to him. She had decided on what to do. She held two sets of registration forms for the overseas high school in her hand. She had expected to happily apply for it with Isaac, but things had gone differently.

She ripped the forms and threw them into the nearest bin, Isaac watching, confused. Evelyn said, “I’m not going to transfer without you. I’ve already spent so much time and effort, how can I leave you here now?”

“Wh-” Isaac started before stopping himself.

“What do you say?” Evelyn asked, extending a hand. “We may have been delayed, but all is still the same, we’re going to meet Sal together. Let’s do our best in high school together.”

“Yeah...” Isaac replied, rubbing his tears.

He reached out and accepted her outstretched hand. He was pulled up and on his feet. Evelyn let go and walked in a direction, saying over her shoulder, “So, as a celebration of graduating middle school, anywhere you wanna go?”

“Not really.” He replied, scratching the back of his head.

“What? Want to go back to studying?” She asked.

“Of course not, it’s a break for once.” He laughed.

“So?”

“Isn’t there a graduation party today?”

“Forget about that. All that happens is the principal talking for an hour.”

She led Isaac towards a cinema, saying, “What do you think? To cheer you up, why don’t we watch a movie?”

“I’m alright with it.” He replied.

They bought tickets and laughed at the movie. Isaac felt like he had truly found a friend he could rely on. Evelyn felt different, she felt something she had never felt before towards him, a strong emotion that did not allow her to be away from him. She was determined that at the end of the day, she would try to confess her love towards him, though he might still have strong feelings for Sal.

Near the end of the movie, all hell broke loose. Something had gone wrong with the wiring of the big screen, creating a spark that caused a fire to break out. Upon getting the announcement, the people, including Evelyn, were all panicking. Isaac stood up and tried his best to direct people out the exit, the fire growing bigger by the second, smoke filling the room. Evelyn was swept up in a wave, Isaac following soon after.

“My child! He’s still in there!” Someone shouted.

Evelyn watched as Isaac immediately turned around, running towards the cinema again, entering the smoke-filled room. Evelyn rushed after him, not wanting him to do anything reckless. The heat was unbearable, the smoke stinging her eyes and choking her. She tried to look past the smoke, seeing a silhouette.

“Isaac!” She shouted.

“Take him and go!” He shouted, pushing an unconscious child into her arms.

“What about you?” She shouted back.

“Just go!”

Evelyn ran out as fast as she could before running back in, covering her nose with her sleeve. The fire was getting out of hand, her clothes burning, her skin already having several different burns.

“Isaac!” She screamed.

There was no reply as she ran around as much as possible until she saw it. Isaac had been caught in something damaged by the fire to save the child. He laid on the ground, trying to breathe.

Evelyn took a deep breath of somewhat fresh air and went up to him, lifting his chin and giving him mouth to mouth, helping him breathe somewhat. She kept doing it, not wanting to give up, ignoring the pain.

Eventually, she collapsed in the fire, holding Isaac’s hand, her vision was blurry, she passed out from the heat.

When she woke up, she was in a hospital, the doctors and nurses treating her. She was bandaged from the chin down, her face somehow unaffected by the fire. She tried speaking but failed. Everything hurt, she could not even feel some of her limbs.

That day, caught in a fire, Isaac was unable to escape. When the fire department arrived, they pulled out the two of them, dragging their burnt bodies out of the fire. Evelyn was fatally injured, requiring immediate treatment, Isaac was different. Having spent more time in the fire, he not only died from the burns, but he also had a lack of oxygen, Evelyn’s efforts in vain.

After finding it out, the news broke Evelyn. She could not accept it, she pretended Isaac-Green Clint was still alive and well, still her good friend. She did not want reality to be real, her imagination overlapping with what she actually saw and thought, her imagination reigning superior.

She let herself go in her dreams, her delusions. After all, nothing could heal her heart, nothing filled the hole left by Isaac.