No, I'm still here. I've just been busy with a lot of college work these past years. I'm always trying to get this story updated, but it's not easy trying to balance your life when you have other priorities. I can't believe it's been five years since I first posted this story.
I kept rewriting this fifteenth chapter because all the previous drafts just weren't satisfying, which further delayed its release. In addition, I was rewriting chapter 8 like I promised myself (it's still more of a filler chapter, but I think it's better than the original) and planning on a possible Pokemon story.
Anyways, enough talk, here's the chapter.
15. Scar
Cream - March 27, 2036, 5:00 P.M.
"I guess that's everything that needs to be take care of. I don't think there's anything else that needs to be moved or replaced." Blaze sighed.
"That sure took a while. This place looks much better than it was before!" I nodded tiredly.
"Agreed. I'm grateful for your help today, Cream. It would've taken forever if I did it alone."
"No problem! I'm always happy to help whenever I can."
Blaze nodded. "I'll keep that in mind, then. Say, do you wanna stay here for a while? You must be feeling weary."
"Sure, I'd love to!" I answered gleefully. "It has been a while since we've last seen each other."
"I was about to say that myself. Now you just wait here while I fix something up in my kitchen." Blaze left the room and I sat down on the sofa, observing the new living room. It looked phenomenal now that it had been furnished and decorated (she sure knows how to furnish places).
Blaze came back with a small tea set and sat down beside me. "Here you go. It's Darjeeling tea. I hope you don't mind."
"Not at all. Thank you!" I took a cup and sipped. "So why'd you decide to move here? I never would've expected you to choose a town like this as your new home."
"It was more like Silver's decision rather than mine," She began. "We're finally going to move in together, but he needs to move somewhere he can find a new job. Believe me, I would've chosen a much quieter city to live in otherwise."
"Really? That sounds great!" I felt enthralled upon hearing that, only to immediately realize that her significant other was nowhere around. "But where is Silver then? Shouldn't he be here already?"
Blaze sighed disappointedly. "Silver was supposed to come with me this afternoon but at the last minute he told me that he had stay back because of some issue with the moving company. He didn't elaborate over the phone."
"What? I'm sorry to hear that, Blaze. That's unfortunate."
"It is, but there's nothing I can do or say," She sipped her tea in disappointment. "Still, I was hoping to be together with him. After last month, today should have been a special day for the two of us."
"Did something happen last month?" I asked curiously.
"I reckon you still haven't noticed," She extended her left hand towards me. "He finally proposed to me, and now we're engaged."
I looked at her ring finger and saw that she was wearing a silver diamond ring. "Wow! That's wonderful! Congratulations, Blaze!" I exclaimed.
"Thank you, Cream. Gosh, you don't know how long I had been waiting for him to ask." Blaze smiled brightly.
"Well, the only thing you'll have to wait now is the day you two get married! You're lucky to have someone like Silver by your side, you know?" I told her.
"Oh, don't give me such flattery! It isn't necessary. If anything, he should be the lucky one," Blaze gestured her hand to tell me to stop. "Anyway, enough about Silver and me. How about you? Don't you have a boyfriend?"
"No… I don't have one." I shook my head. "I'm not sure if there's anyone I can consider as a love interest."
She put her cup down on the table. "What? No one? What about Tails?" She asked.
I perked up. "Tails?"
"Yes. You two always seem very close to each other. I thought maybe had a thing for him."
"Um… I wouldn't put it like that." I fidgeted, blushing slightly.
Blaze just tittered at my reaction, "Of course you do. The way you're acting right now is a dead giveaway."
I sighed. "Okay, I do like Tails. He seems to like me, too, but I'm not entirely sure if he feels the same way I do. I mean, there are times when we've sorta flirted with each other, but most of the time being with him just feels platonic right now."
"I see. Maybe you should be just upfront towards him. If he does have a crush on you as well then perhaps getting into a relationship with him won't be as difficult as you think."
"You make it sound easy, Blaze…"
"I know I am, but it might be your best option. If you wait too long for him to make the first move, he'll eventually lose interest in you. Heck, I never would've thought that I would be with Silver had he not confessed his feelings to me a few years ago."
I eyed her with doubt. "Then what should I say to Tails? How do I make it clear to him?"
She answered, "Just tell him how you feel. But stay calm and don't talk hastily or it'll sound forced and awkward. That's all you need to do."
"Is it really that simple? I don't know if-"
"Cream, don't be so doubtful. If you keep that up, you'll never get together with him." Blaze took more assertive stance. "Otherwise, what's the point of this conversation?"
"I know, but… what if it turns out he's not interested and turns me down?"
"You won't know that until talk to him. If you aren't going to do that, you might as well as forget about him. I know you're afraid of being rejected, Cream - everyone is - but if you truly want to be with Tails, then you need to build up the courage to ask him out or something."
Though I was still uneasy, I realized she had a point. I replied, "Okay, I'll give it a shot."
Blaze grinned, "That's the spirit."
I felt a swift, sharp breeze on my nape. "Did you open a window earlier? I just felt some wind blow on me." I asked, glancing over my shoulder.
"No, I didn't. They should all be closed. It's still too cool to have any windows open this season." She answered.
"Okay… I guess it was nothing, then," I shrugged it off and then finished my tea. "Anyway, I think I should get going now. Thanks for inviting me over, Blaze!"
"Sure thing! If you ever want to visit again, you're always welcome. Good luck with Tails!" I got up from the sofa and picked my backpack, waving goodbye as a made my exit.
The clouds had dispersed, giving the sky a late-sunny appearance. Yet, as I walked my to the bus station, the air felt unusually crisp even for evening March weather - colder than it was a couple hours ago. The sun was still shining a fair amount, but strangely it seemed like I was getting no heat from it. I surely wasn't numb or anything.
Maybe I'm suffering from some sort of ailment. I wondered.
An excruciating and icy sensation instantly occurred on the back of my left hand, making me jolt and shudder, "Ah! What was that?" I stopped walking and took my glove off, hoping that whatever caused that didn't harm me too much. But upon examination I was met with a more gruesome sight: the backside of my hand had somehow been lacerated and scarred. The incision was shaped like an uppercase "R" matching the one imprinted on my glove.
"Oh gosh… how?!" My heart ached at the mere sight of the wound, and I immediately put my glove back on before beginning to run. I was shaking more than ever. It was already creepy enough that these things were still occurring to me, but what baffled and disturbed me most was that they were transpiring out of nowhere.
Why is this happening?
I reached the bus stop and took a seat on the bench, trying to calm myself down. I was growing increasingly paranoid as I waited for the bus to arrive, not knowing what to expect next. My left hand was no longer stinging as much as it was earlier but it remained cold. I briefly took my glove off again to make sure I wasn't hallucinating and, sure enough, the scar was still there. I initially thought about contacting the police again but decided against it since there was no explanation for the situation. So I dialed on my phone number for Empire Clinic, the health center I frequented at Station Square to have my hand checked out. The phone menu picked up and I dialed the option to make an appointment. "Please hold while we redirect to our main office."
Eventually, a woman picked up and greeted, "Thank you for calling Empire Clinic, how may I help you?"
I said to the receptionist, "Hello, I want to make an appointment. I need to see a doctor as soon as possible."
"Are you a new or returning patient?"
"I am a returning patient. My name is Cream the Rabbit."
"I see. This must be about your scarred hand, correct?"
My heart skipped a beat. A couple seconds of silence ensued before I heard someone with a much higher voice giggle in a maliciously unnerving manner. Now more paranoid than ever, I glanced around my surroundings, suspecting that someone was watching me. No one was in sight, but that did little to quell my mind. How did this person know about my hand when I didn't mention it yet?
I tried rationalizing the situation, but nothing made sense. This person obviously could not be the real receptionist, but I was absolutely sure I dialed in the right number for Empire Clinic - she even confirmed it! But even if I did call the wrong number, why was she acting like she worked there? Who was this really?
"E-excuse me? How did you know about the scar on my hand?" I quivered.
"Because I was the one that gave it one." She sneered before hanging up.
Adrenaline rushed through my entire body. I stood still and looked at my phone, paralyzed and dumbfounded.
"I hope you like it." Another voice from behind startled me, and I immediately spun around to see a pink hedgehog with pale skin. Her eyes - completely white and colorless - locked into my own, giving me a look of total nihilism. We stared at each other for what felt like an eternity with neither of us uttering a sound.
I couldn't believe what I was seeing.
Finally, she lunged forward at high speed, puncturing my body with her arm like it was a blade. She whispered, "This is what you get for being so naive..."
