Chapter 16
Cerys stared, shocked at where Nia had stood a few moments before. Cerys jumped off her chair and stood up. Heir of what? What had Nia meant to say before she was pulled back to Aranosia? Cerys smacked her hand down on the wooden surface and growled in anger. Why were her questions left unanswered? Why did people leave her before they got to answer? Why? Why? Why?! Cerys wandered into the living room and slumped onto the couch. Just as she decided to settle down to an evening of ice cream and films, the phone rang. She went to the kitchen to answer because the one by the couch had gone missing. "Hello?" she answered. "Hi Cezza, its Alex. How are you?" Cerys rolled her eyes. "I'm ok, Alex. Yourself?" "Cez, where were you today? I called by but you weren't there. We were supposed to spend some time together" Cerys sighed and waited a couple of seconds before deciding her answer. "I was out." She replied shortly. "Oh, well, I just wanted to know if you've done the Biology coursework that Callaghan gave to us. Its for tomorrow and Nicholas hasn't done it, neither has Adele. So I figured you might have." "No, Alex, I haven't done it. I've been too busy this week to do anything." She answered dully. "Cez, what's going on with you? You've barely been home and now you've not done your work? Tell me!" Cerys gasped, not because of what Alex had said, but because Craig had materialised in front of her. "Um, Alex, I gotta go!" she said before hanging up. Craig watched as Cerys put the phone back onto the wall. "Why are you here, Craig?" she whispered. Craig stepped towards her so they were inches apart. He didn't answer and her knees buckled. Craig caught her before she hit the floor and he sank down the cabinet, with her crying into his jumper. By instinct, he wrapped his arms around her and began telling her everything would be ok. After a few moments, Cerys had calmed down and sat up to face him. "Sorry," she said, wiping her eyes on her sleeve. "I don't know what came over me. Its just," she sniffed heartily, "Everything is so mushed together and I can't make sense of it all." Craig kissed Cerys' forehead. "Don't worry, I'm here if you need me. You can tell me anything and don't worry; it won't go back to my dad." Cerys screwed up her face in concentration, but nothing happened. She sighed impatiently and tried again. A glass of water appeared and she plucked it out of the air. She drank deeply and set the glass in the air again, where it disappeared. Craig pulled her up so she stood next to him. He helped her to sit at the table opposite him and watched her intently. Cerys swayed on her chair slightly but she managed to stay upright. She snuffled deeply and pushed away fresh tears. "Cezzy? You ok? Look, I know how you feel, better than anyone, I know how you feel." Cerys looked up and creased her eyebrows. "H-how do you know how I f-feel?!" Cerys hiccoughed. Craig laughed slightly and unnecessarily brushed crumbs from the scrubbed table. "I have been in your position before, about my dad. Well, I know how you feel about that and it's not a nice feeling at all. You're not alone in this, your mother - " Cerys' head snapped up at mention at her mother and she suddenly felt a surge of anger in her chest. "Don't you talk to me about that woman! She is the last person I want to talk about right now and I don't need you to remind me of her." Cerys got up from the table and opened a few cabinets absent-mindedly. Craig shifted in his seat so he was sitting on one of his legs. "So, why are you not living with your dad then?" Cerys asked. "Well, there was a slight mishap and that sort of ruined my dads 'highly thought of' reputation." Cerys looked around, confused, to see Craig sitting there with a smile on his face. "What do you mean?" Cerys asked, now smiling. "I, er, kind of rebelled when I was brought here. I took out my anger on more material things and I kind of lobbed a red statue through the Blue-Fly Bank on WhiteCat Square." Craig looked down sheepishly yet still smiling. "You WHAT?! Oh my gosh! I cannot believe you did that! And what is Blue-Fly Bank?" "Blue-Fly Bank is the resident bank. They have money there." Cerys rolled her eyes and Craig continued. "Anyway, I was annoyed and I nearly fell into the Wishing Pool, so I picked up the nearest thing to me, which happened to be a red statue and I threw it through the window." Cerys doubled over laughing and had to grab onto the tabletop to stop herself falling forwards. Craig was taken aback by this sudden change in mood and started laughing nervously. "Are you feeling quite ok?" he asked her, shaking with suppressed mirth. Cerys straightened up, wiping the tears from her eyes. Sighing, she leant against the counter and calmed down. She glanced up at Craig and back down again. He caught her look and she turned away to wash up the dishes in the sink. "So what are you doing with the rest of your day?" she asked him. "Ah, I don't know yet." he answered. Cerys was so busy at the sink she didn't notice Craig get up and stand behind her. She didn't even notice he was there until she felt his breath on the back of her neck, until he spoke, that is. "Unless I can spend it with you," he whispered. Cerys jumped and turned with a start. Craig was barely an inch away and Cerys looked up at him and leaned in to kiss her. The telephone rang on the wall and Cerys ducked under his arm and ran to answer it. Craig ran a hand through his hair and sighed. Cerys glanced back as she answered the phone and saw Craig wander into the living room. "Hello?" she answered. "Cerys? It's Alex again. Can you come out?" Cerys closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "No Alex, I cannot come out. I am busy. Can we reschedule some other time?" She heard Alex groan angrily on the other end. "I'm tired of this. What is going on? Do you even want to be with me Cerys because I'm getting the feeling you don't." "Actually Alex, I am getting kind of tired of your babyish whining. I would just like to be left alone for a while. Is that possible for you to do that one thing for me?!" "Cerys, I don't even feel like I have a girlfriend anymore." Cerys stamped her foot impatiently and just as she was about to lose her temper when the phone was snatched out of her fist. "I am sorry, Cerys cannot speak with you right now, she is er, indisposed!" Craig hung up the phone and Cerys stared at him with her mouth hanging open. Caig lightly shut I with the tip of his finger. "You shouldn't stare, it isn't a very attractive quality!" Craig laughed. "Who was that anyway?" he asked, pointing to the phone. Cerys shook her head and waved a hand dismissively and they walked into the living room.
*
Two streets away, Alex hung up the phone sadly. The house was quiet and although he had never said it, he was in love with Cerys. Unfortunately she didn't seem to feel the same. Alex wandered downstairs and sat down on the couch, staring at the wall opposite. He had never felt the same about any girl before, and now she had stomped on his heart without even realising it. He stood up furiously and went over to the mantelpiece. Alex grabbed the blue china bowl that was on it and scooped some of the silver dust out of it. Throwing it up in the air, he yelled the words:
"Lende Kuila Mi Omay Indo JESTA!"
(Come into my heart,Jesta!) The silver dust exploded into black smog and a short, red-caped man appeared in the centre of the living room.
Cerys stared, shocked at where Nia had stood a few moments before. Cerys jumped off her chair and stood up. Heir of what? What had Nia meant to say before she was pulled back to Aranosia? Cerys smacked her hand down on the wooden surface and growled in anger. Why were her questions left unanswered? Why did people leave her before they got to answer? Why? Why? Why?! Cerys wandered into the living room and slumped onto the couch. Just as she decided to settle down to an evening of ice cream and films, the phone rang. She went to the kitchen to answer because the one by the couch had gone missing. "Hello?" she answered. "Hi Cezza, its Alex. How are you?" Cerys rolled her eyes. "I'm ok, Alex. Yourself?" "Cez, where were you today? I called by but you weren't there. We were supposed to spend some time together" Cerys sighed and waited a couple of seconds before deciding her answer. "I was out." She replied shortly. "Oh, well, I just wanted to know if you've done the Biology coursework that Callaghan gave to us. Its for tomorrow and Nicholas hasn't done it, neither has Adele. So I figured you might have." "No, Alex, I haven't done it. I've been too busy this week to do anything." She answered dully. "Cez, what's going on with you? You've barely been home and now you've not done your work? Tell me!" Cerys gasped, not because of what Alex had said, but because Craig had materialised in front of her. "Um, Alex, I gotta go!" she said before hanging up. Craig watched as Cerys put the phone back onto the wall. "Why are you here, Craig?" she whispered. Craig stepped towards her so they were inches apart. He didn't answer and her knees buckled. Craig caught her before she hit the floor and he sank down the cabinet, with her crying into his jumper. By instinct, he wrapped his arms around her and began telling her everything would be ok. After a few moments, Cerys had calmed down and sat up to face him. "Sorry," she said, wiping her eyes on her sleeve. "I don't know what came over me. Its just," she sniffed heartily, "Everything is so mushed together and I can't make sense of it all." Craig kissed Cerys' forehead. "Don't worry, I'm here if you need me. You can tell me anything and don't worry; it won't go back to my dad." Cerys screwed up her face in concentration, but nothing happened. She sighed impatiently and tried again. A glass of water appeared and she plucked it out of the air. She drank deeply and set the glass in the air again, where it disappeared. Craig pulled her up so she stood next to him. He helped her to sit at the table opposite him and watched her intently. Cerys swayed on her chair slightly but she managed to stay upright. She snuffled deeply and pushed away fresh tears. "Cezzy? You ok? Look, I know how you feel, better than anyone, I know how you feel." Cerys looked up and creased her eyebrows. "H-how do you know how I f-feel?!" Cerys hiccoughed. Craig laughed slightly and unnecessarily brushed crumbs from the scrubbed table. "I have been in your position before, about my dad. Well, I know how you feel about that and it's not a nice feeling at all. You're not alone in this, your mother - " Cerys' head snapped up at mention at her mother and she suddenly felt a surge of anger in her chest. "Don't you talk to me about that woman! She is the last person I want to talk about right now and I don't need you to remind me of her." Cerys got up from the table and opened a few cabinets absent-mindedly. Craig shifted in his seat so he was sitting on one of his legs. "So, why are you not living with your dad then?" Cerys asked. "Well, there was a slight mishap and that sort of ruined my dads 'highly thought of' reputation." Cerys looked around, confused, to see Craig sitting there with a smile on his face. "What do you mean?" Cerys asked, now smiling. "I, er, kind of rebelled when I was brought here. I took out my anger on more material things and I kind of lobbed a red statue through the Blue-Fly Bank on WhiteCat Square." Craig looked down sheepishly yet still smiling. "You WHAT?! Oh my gosh! I cannot believe you did that! And what is Blue-Fly Bank?" "Blue-Fly Bank is the resident bank. They have money there." Cerys rolled her eyes and Craig continued. "Anyway, I was annoyed and I nearly fell into the Wishing Pool, so I picked up the nearest thing to me, which happened to be a red statue and I threw it through the window." Cerys doubled over laughing and had to grab onto the tabletop to stop herself falling forwards. Craig was taken aback by this sudden change in mood and started laughing nervously. "Are you feeling quite ok?" he asked her, shaking with suppressed mirth. Cerys straightened up, wiping the tears from her eyes. Sighing, she leant against the counter and calmed down. She glanced up at Craig and back down again. He caught her look and she turned away to wash up the dishes in the sink. "So what are you doing with the rest of your day?" she asked him. "Ah, I don't know yet." he answered. Cerys was so busy at the sink she didn't notice Craig get up and stand behind her. She didn't even notice he was there until she felt his breath on the back of her neck, until he spoke, that is. "Unless I can spend it with you," he whispered. Cerys jumped and turned with a start. Craig was barely an inch away and Cerys looked up at him and leaned in to kiss her. The telephone rang on the wall and Cerys ducked under his arm and ran to answer it. Craig ran a hand through his hair and sighed. Cerys glanced back as she answered the phone and saw Craig wander into the living room. "Hello?" she answered. "Cerys? It's Alex again. Can you come out?" Cerys closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "No Alex, I cannot come out. I am busy. Can we reschedule some other time?" She heard Alex groan angrily on the other end. "I'm tired of this. What is going on? Do you even want to be with me Cerys because I'm getting the feeling you don't." "Actually Alex, I am getting kind of tired of your babyish whining. I would just like to be left alone for a while. Is that possible for you to do that one thing for me?!" "Cerys, I don't even feel like I have a girlfriend anymore." Cerys stamped her foot impatiently and just as she was about to lose her temper when the phone was snatched out of her fist. "I am sorry, Cerys cannot speak with you right now, she is er, indisposed!" Craig hung up the phone and Cerys stared at him with her mouth hanging open. Caig lightly shut I with the tip of his finger. "You shouldn't stare, it isn't a very attractive quality!" Craig laughed. "Who was that anyway?" he asked, pointing to the phone. Cerys shook her head and waved a hand dismissively and they walked into the living room.
*
Two streets away, Alex hung up the phone sadly. The house was quiet and although he had never said it, he was in love with Cerys. Unfortunately she didn't seem to feel the same. Alex wandered downstairs and sat down on the couch, staring at the wall opposite. He had never felt the same about any girl before, and now she had stomped on his heart without even realising it. He stood up furiously and went over to the mantelpiece. Alex grabbed the blue china bowl that was on it and scooped some of the silver dust out of it. Throwing it up in the air, he yelled the words:
"Lende Kuila Mi Omay Indo JESTA!"
(Come into my heart,Jesta!) The silver dust exploded into black smog and a short, red-caped man appeared in the centre of the living room.