Hey everyone... It's me again...
For now, there is nothing I want to say, so... happy reading.
"Hah, hah..."
The sighs of our breath, and our talon-steps echoed in the deserted hallway of the hospital. I never thought that I would come back here again, after my deceased mother...
"Room 201, right?" Gracie asked, running in a hurry, while I was behind her with Roberto.
"Yes!" Roberto replied.
After we got to the front of room 201, and made sure the name of the patient inside, without a second thought, we opened the door, and saw Jewel with her cheerful face staring at the three of us, sitting on her patient-bed, with an infusion piercing her left wing...
"Hi..." she said, smiling, "Sorry to make you all worried."
Then...
"Haaa..." Gracie took a deep breath, sat down on a chair next to Jewel's patient bed, "What a relief... you suddenly fainted in the crowd, until get rushed to the hospital."
"Haha... that's because my dad overreacted..." Jewel replied, chuckling.
"Are you okay? Do you often faint like this?" Roberto asked with a little worried.
Jewel paused for a moment, she thought of something, "It's the first time..." Jewel replied, smiling, "I fainted because this morning I didn't have breakfast, and in the crowd had made me lack of oxygen, then suddenly my eyes became blurry, and feel very sleepy."
The three of us just fell silent to hear her words...
"Don't worry, I'm here just for a regular check-up. Tomorrow morning I can go home."
"Geez... you should pay more attention to your condition. You should always have breakfast every morning." I said sarcastically.
"It's your fault, you know!" she looked at me with her grotesque face again, "Who's too late to submit the review, and made me leave early in the morning, until forgetfulness for breakfast?!"
She's still a ferocious girl, even though she's in a hospital...
"That's right...!"
"It's your fault, Blu...!"
Roberto and Gracie... they also looked at me with their scary faces. It's true this is my fault.
"All right, All right... it's my bad. I'm sorry." I apologize.
"Haha... don't think too much... I was just kidding." Jewel replied, smiling at me.
But, is that true that smile shows a sense of happiness? Though a week ago she was very excited and wanted her books published, even begged me to write a review of her books.
She's really a weird writer, but strangely enough that's what makes her look strong against reality... because she can still smile...
"Okay then, we'll go home..." Gracie said, standing up from her seat,"You just take a rest."
"Wha-? We're going home? But, I want to stay here..." Roberto complained.
"Shut up...! she needs enough rest. Come on! We need to go home..." Gracie pushed him by force, then looked at Jewel once again,"See you tomorrow, Jewel..." and get out of Jewel's room immediately.
I picked up my sling bag, and walked after them both. One step before leaving this room, Jewel suddenly asked me something...
"Hey... are you going to write again?"
I just shook my head...
"Why?" she asked again,
"I... I don't know..." I replied, briefly
She paused for a moment, and let out a short breath, as if chuckling,"You really are a weird writer, Tyler Blu Gunderson."
I just fell silent... waiting for her to continue her words...
"Will you be able to forget?"
I was stunned, and turned to face her face that was staring out the window... looked at the gray skies. Then she turned, and looked at me...
Her face looked sad...
"Okay then, see you tomorrow..." I tried to ignore her question for now, and immediately stepped out of her room, then closed the door behind me.
3rd person POV
Moments after Blu came out of Jewel's room, after the door was shut tight, she's now completely alone in her room... a hospital-smelling room. While sitting on her patient bed, with an intravenous infusion poking through her skin, she stared at the gray sky from behind the window... a grim-looking sky, completely different from the sky this morning...
"So..." she murmured, staring blankly at the sky, "I fainted again... eh?"
.
The next day, during lunch break at school...
Blu's POV
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"So... today Jewel has gone back to school, yes..." I mumble in my mind, carrying two sandwich packs, intending to give one to her. Well, It's like 'Thank goodness you've felt better', or maybe, 'congratulations on your healing', or maybe, 'welcome back.'
I'm not sure, though. However, the most important thing now I just need to greet her first...
School hallway is crowded by the students. This is the first time for me to walk between them, usually after I buy some food in the cafeteria I immediately returned to my class, but from the beginning I did intend to meet her.
Apparently, it's true... today she goes back to school. I saw her from a distance, leaning against the wall, staring out the window. Just a few more steps, and I can say hello... or maybe...
I can't...
My step stopped when I saw Roberto who had greeted her first. Roberto greeted her with a cheerful smile, and Jewel responded with a cheerful laugh...
I just stared at them both, stood still in the darkness of the hallway...
"Haaaa... don't misunderstand, stupid Blu..." I muttered to myself, turned and walked back toward my classroom.
In the afternoon... after school...
("Will you be able to forget?")
Her words always echo in my mind incessantly while moving my talons on a quiet street, next to a lake that looks dingy and dark because it reflects the grey skies... my eyes just focus on a book I'm reading.
This afternoon I also went home alone again, because Roberto and Gracie' tournaments are getting closer, therefore everyday they always practice harder each day, even after school...
Me...? I'm everyday just keeping silent in my room, doing nothing, and somehow... I start to feel my life looks monotonous...
I think she's just as hard-fought as they're both. A weird, naive, and coercive writer... selfish and tough. Nevertheless, thanks to her... I might be able to write again...
Everything I see, everything I hear, everything I feel turns into color... I never thought a story could give rise to any color.
I've no idea why I've been thinking about her lately, and all of a sudden...
"One... two..."
She always appear before me...
I looked at a pair of talons playing hopscotch, a pair of talons that very familiar to me...
"Oh... hi..." right, Jewel. She looked at me with her cheerful smile, lifting her wings as she waved to me. She's with two little kids that were playing hopscotch.
"What are you doing here?" I asked.
"You can see for yourself, right? I'm playing hopscotch." Jewel replied, in a casual tone.
"Isn't she waiting for someone?"
"Right..."
The two little kids behind her whispered to each other...
It seems that made Jewel panic, and turned to look at them, "Shhss... sshss..." then she immediately turned to look at me, cleared her throat and raised her wing, "Ahem... quickly... give it to me..."
"What?" I asked, not understanding what she meant.
"A gift... because I just got out of the hospital." she continued.
"I've nothing..." I replied, in a casual tone.
But her reaction is unusual, she suddenly hit my face, and shouting, "You cruel!" and then crying prostrate on the sidewalk, "Even though Roberto gave me flowers, Gracie gave me chocolate, but why don't you give me anything? In fact because of you, my books aren't published, though I really want my books published!" she whined on the sidewalk like a child.
"Li-liar!" I shouted. I know if it's just a fake cry, but...
"Bad bird!"
"All men do make women cry!"
These two little kids made things worse, and got me cornered...
"Okay, okay... I will do anything for you... please, calm down." I tried to calm Jewel who was still prostrate.
"Really?" she muttered.
"Yes... yes..."
"Anything?" she continued.
"Anything..." I'm getting cornered ...
"Yay...!" she immediately stood up, and jumped with joy.
(Author's note : If you pay attention to Jewel's mood swings above. Looks a little weird, yes? Well, what's really happening is that Jewel was just teasing Blu with her fake whining,so that... you can read the rest, and deduce it yourself. I mean, hey... that was just a silly moment.)
"I knew it..." I muttered to myself, knowing this would happen.
"What should I ask for, yes...?" she looked at me, smiling cheerfully.
I just stare at her, resigned while waiting for her decision...
"Oh, I know..."
But I think her request is beyond my expectations...
"Write a new story..."
"Eh?" I was startled in silence.
"Summer there will be a cultural festival in this city. Paintings, works of art, to literature will be displayed there. It drew the attention of other publishers to find an interesting and good story." she continued, smiling cheerfully,"And now it's your turn..."
I lowered my face, paused for a moment before answering, "I... can't..."
"Why?" she asked in a curious tone.
"Because I'm a writer who has thrown his chapters away, you know!" I shouted, lifted my face, looking at her reaction.
"I see..." but, she still smiles, "You've thrown away your chapters, haven't you? But that means you're making a new one, aren't you?"
I completely lost my words after hearing it...
"'I can't write, because I've dumped all my chapters, why don't you do it?' Well, that's just a rough parable. But even though you've dumped all your chapters... you can not really throw away all the ideas from a writer. That's the way to make a most beautiful lies..."
The orange light slowly emerged from the cracks of dark clouds above us. A light shining on her smile... so dazzling, that I had to close my eyes from the luster.
"We are only sixteen years old... there are still many ideas that can be written into a beautiful chapter." she continued, still smiling at me, "So keep running... like this...!"
She dropped her bag, and suddenly ran right past me, toward the lake behind me. A lake that now looks more sparkling, either from the sunshine of twilight... or maybe because of her. Without thinking twice... she immediately jumped, and plunged herself into the lake.
"Wha...!" she was completely unexpected.
"Wow...!"
"Awesome...!"
Even these two little kids who were next to me were amazed...
"Fuah..." she came to the surface, with her wet clothes and feathers, then looked at us with her cheerful face, "It's very cold here...!"
All her words and her behavior, made my heart tremble... everything she did made my heart moved...
("Will you be able to forget?")
"How I will be able to forget!" I yelled, put my bag and ran to her. Run as fast as I can, and jump as high as I can, and fall into a cold lake in spring...
That's right, I'm a writer like you...
Cold water of the lake enveloped my wet feathers. This lake turned out to be deeper than I thought, because after I plunged into it, I needed a little effort to swim to the surface.
"Eh? Impossible?" Jewel sounded a little panicked when I didn't show up.
After bothering to swim to the surface, I immediately took a deep breath through my beak, "Fuaah..." then I looked at her, "Hahaha... it's really cold..." I laughed freely, staring at her with a laugh cheerful.
With a big smile we laugh together, "Hahaha... Hahaha..." on the waves we created... flower petals floating around us...
My most beautiful chapter... I'll blow it in my book...
Chapter 9 : Grey Skies
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"Hey! What are you two doing there?! Because of you I lost my dinner! "
"Ah... we're really sorry..."
And done...
Alright guys... thank you for taking the time to read this chapter. I hope you guys enjoy it...
I'll see you in my next CoL...
