Luna: So, it's been a while.
Garry: You haven't updated in how long.
Ib: I thought you said you were going to try to update twice every month.
Luna: Key word. "Try."
Garry: But at least you still updated right?
Luna: Right, this is kind of a long chapter, so maybe it makes up for it?
Ib: You just decided to update since there have been more people following, favoriting, and reviewing.
Luna: That is part of why I updated, yes. But I'll have you know I tried last week. Anyways, lets just let the reader~enjoy!
Chapter 7: Lilac
"Garry?"
"Yes, Aunt Jole?"
"Please be a dear and run to the market for me. We need groceries for tonight's dinner."
"Yes, ma'am!"
Aunt Jole handed him the folded, crumpled list. She gave him a big bear hug, well the biggest she could manage for her size, before watching him leave.
Garry skimmed through the list as he walked the streets to the fresh market.
When he got to it, he noticed the generous prices. "Oh, there are some good deals today. Aunt Jole will be happy."
"What can I help you with today, my boy?" A jolly middle-aged man gleefully stood on the other side of the stand.
"Ah. Hello, Rob. I'm just making a quick run for Aunt Jole."
"How is she?" Rob asked stroking his mustache.
"She's doing well, oh can you get me 1 kg of those." Garry pointed at some vegetables in one of the wooden bins.
"Sure thing. Do you need anything else?"
Garry bought a few more things from the man, then moved on to the next.
"Garry! You running errands for Jole?" A hearty woman asked.
"Yes, I am. Would you mind giving me 2 1/2 kg of the fresh cut meat there?"
"Yup, sure will. Anything else today?"
"Some ground beef is also on the list." Garry said checking the piece of paper in one hand.
"How much?" The woman started to grab some.
"The same amount."
"Alright! Here you go." She handed him the meats and he paid for the items.
They exchanged goodbyes before he went on.
"Alright, that's everything, I'd better get home." Garry, bags in hand, started to make his way back.
"Say hello for me to Jole."
"Okay, will do." Garry was waved off by the last grocer.
.
"Aunt Jole! I'm home!" He slipped his shoes off.
"Welcome home sweetheart." She rounded the corner and grabbed some of the bags from his hands.
"So what are you making today?" He asked as they made their way to the kitchen.
Lightly bumping into his side as she set the groceries down, she said, "It's a surprise."
She gave him a wink and he pouted at the vague response.
"Now, why don't you go get some homework done Mr. Second Year."
"Okayy~" He continued to pout and dragged his feet to his room while she only chuckled.
.
.
"I can recal that once dinner was done, I rushed out of my room to find one of my favorites sitting at the table."
Ib listened intently and fervently to his story.
"Me and my dear Aunt talked and talked and talked throughout dinner. Truthfully speaking though, I did most of the talking and she just listened contently and nodded." Garry glanced at Ib, who didn't lift her eyes from him, then went back to staring at the wall in front of him.
"I lost my parents when I was very young, I can't even manage to remember their faces. But, my Aunt took me in and raised me as her own."
.
.
The TV mumbled in the background. Garry lay his head on her lap as she stroked his soft brown locks.
"I only have one year left." Her voice echoed softly in his ear.
"For what?"
"To be with you. Until you leave the nest and go out on your own."
"My dear Aunt Jole. Do you really think I'll leave as soon as I get the chance, that's a bit harsh now isn't it? Or are you planning on kicking me out and making a whole other room for yourself?" He added jokingly.
She giggled, her lap slightly moving to shake his head.
"No, no. I'd never even dream of kicking you out. Speaking of dreaming, that's what you should be doing right now, mister. Get to bed, you have school in the morning."
He sighed heavily then got up from his comfortable place. "Yes, ma'am."
.
.
"I had went to sleep without a care in the world."
Garry paused for a moment to see how Ib was responding, and again he found her unwilling to look away from him. Well I suppose that means I have her interest.
He continued on.
"I won't ever be able to forget that night. After a few hours, I was woken up by a big crash out in the living room." Just then, bangs on the walls started sounding in the room. Ib and Garry both jumped. Well isn't that impeccable timing.
"What was that?" Garry stood up quickly and lent a hand to Ib.
After a moment of hesitation, she took his hand. The startled pair looked around the room.
It was silent for a little while, but the banging started up soon after. From all directions, on each wall, the loud thumps rang in the small room. With Ib's small hand enclosed in his he tried at the door. "It's locked!" This is like that one time, when me and Ib were trapped. Crap! That means–
The wall on the other side broke down and another half bodied lady in green crawled forward.
'Not this again...? Again?' Ib tightened her grip as it came closer.
Garry felt her reaction and tried to open the door again. Come on! Please! Open you freaking door! There was click from the door. Alright!
He pushed it open and pulled Ib out with him before slamming the door behind her.
"We better get moving. She wont be alone, so they could break down another wall to get to us."
"Wait!" Ib clung onto him, grasping the front of his shirt in tight fists.
"Please don't go that way."
"That way?" Garry caught a glance at something red on the ground, but couldn't make it out since Ib grabbed his face with both hands and turned his attention to her.
"Please don't look." Her eyes glistened over, her brows furrowed, her cheeks turned pink, and the corners of her mouth turned down. The expression caught him entirely of guard.
She's genuinely making that face!
"It's dead." Ib's words repeated themselves in his mind. So, that's why...But even with that, he still couldn't quite concentrate on those words, only at the unexpected face before him.
God, heart, would you stop beating so fast. What's wrong with me. It must be the adrenaline, right? Right.
Slightly blushing, he lightly knocked the back of his hand against her forehead.
"Okay, I wont..." Then he added in a mumble, "...Just don't make that face again."
Garry quickly looked away. Ib realized that she was clinging onto him and pushed herself off as fast as she could. "S-sorry." 'I didn't even think, I just threw myself on him. But what's wrong with my face?' She felt a remote sadness, but ignored it.
"Don't worry about it. Come on." He walked the opposite way that the body lay.
He felt a tug on his coat and turned to look at the one who did it. Ib looked him dead in the eyes and asked, "My face?" Her heart was beating loudly in her chest, nervous to hear the answer. But his was still confused.
"Huh? Oh well–?" Garry started blushing again. "Forget what I said."
Ib bore through his eyes with her red ones. Garry pivoted around.
He started to walk again, but there was another tug at his coat, and again a determined Ib. Dang it. Stop being so unfair.
"N-nothing's wrong with your face or anything it's just..." Ib only continued to peer into him, expecting a full answer. "It's still as cute as ever. Okay?" He returned her determined look with a smile. After all, it is your face.
"..." Ib slowly let go with a dark red covering her cheeks. God.
Garry closed his eyes. "Let's just keep going."
Ib didn't say another word as she walked right behind him and tried to catch up with his long strides. 'His shoulders are broad. Even if he's thin, from the back he seems so big.'
Arriving at another door, Garry asked Ib if they should go in, which to his response she just nodded.
"Garry?" Ib suddenly asked.
"Y-yeah, Ib?" He said putting his hand in the door knob.
"You never finished."
"Finished wha–Ah, the story." He pushed the door open to reveal a grand opening with what seemed like black goo on the floor.
"Gugh. What is this stuff?" His face grew paler and he stared at the floor with disgust. Ib stepped past him onto the goo.
"Wait, Ib! Don't step, on it?" He saw that she walked with ease.
"It doesn't actually stick..." 'How did I know it wouldn't be sticky?' She turned around on her heels. "Story?" 'Am I really that interested in what he has to say?'
"Well, then." He took some conscious steps towards her, paying much attention to the black swirls on the tiles. "I was woken up in the middle of the night. I heard a crash and ran out to see what had happened...Someone broke into our house."
He stopped in front of her and scanned the big area. "My Aunt had used a vase in the living room to hit the man over the head."
.
.
Garry ran out to see the broken vase scattered over the floor, and his Aunt in front of a figure sprawled on the floor. "Aunt Jole! What happened?"
"I'm sorry Garry, sweetheart, to wake you up." Aunt Jole stood in the living room in her night gown, pushing her wavy, shoulder length hair out of her face. The wind swayed the curtain to the open sliding door. "Please be a dear and call the police."
"Okay."
Garry ran to the hallway to grab the phone. He dialed the number while speed walking back to the door way that lead into the living room. He saw his Aunt picking up broken shards, and the figure getting up.
"Aunt Jole! Look out!" Garry dropped the phone trying to reach for her as she stared at him in confusion.
A gun shot rang through the house and out the door, waking neighbors up.
Aunt Jole's forehead was covered with blood. It ran down the middle of her face, making a stream over her nose, cheeks, and mouth. Parts of her skull, painted red with blood, splattered to the ground. Something pink and squishy like intestines were tossed out in front of her. Her eyes went dead like a fish. And she dropped to the ground, with no intention of ever getting back up.
He didn't make it. He screamed in horror as the person on the other side of the phone tracked the line and said their would be cops and an ambulance arriving soon. Neighbors knocked heavily at the door, yelling. But he couldn't hear any of it.
Garry, swallowed into his own mind, was overwhelmed by emotions. He couldn't make sense of anything, his stomach tossed and turned, gurgling with unease. He started processing what happened, and looked up at the killer, who was frantically running about.
Sirens could be heard from the door and the man made a run for it.
.
.
Ib studied the ground as Garry continued to tell his story.
"I'm sorry." Her voice cut into Garry's toneless one.
"Hmm..what for?"
"By asking a selfish request, you remembered unpleasant things."
"..." He sighed, putting a hand on her head. "I was the one who started it. You don't have to apologize."
Garry patted her head gently. "Why did you tell me?"
"Well..." He pulled his hand away from her head, putting one on his hip and the other behind his head. "That's quite a difficult one to answer...I'm honestly not so sure myself."
"What..." Ib trailed off. 'Maybe, I should just drop it.'
"Go on, what is it? You can ask me anything you want, I promise I don't mind."
"...What, happened to the man?" She hesitantly looked at him.
"He tried running away, but they caught him, and he was sentenced to life in prison. But I didn't think that was enough. At that moment, I was filled with so much anger. I had an uncontrollable blood lust, like nothing I've ever felt in my life. The police had to stop me and even knock me out. After that, though, I became a different person. I didn't care about school, friends, sports, going out. I went from an A student to a possible high school drop out. I started smoking, and died my hair purple.
"But, one day, on my Aunt's death anniversary, I came to my senses. A teacher punched me and yelled about my incompetence. I had been really close to that teacher the first two years of high school and I'm glad he did what he did. Without his lecture, I probably wouldn't have figured out that my Aunt would be incredibly sad to see me in such a state. It was as if she had given me everything, and I was only throwing it all away. So I started trying again. I graduated at the top of my class with the best grades and scores, and got a full-ride scholarship. But I still smoked every once in a while, and I continued to die my hair this lilac color, it was my Aunt's favorite plant. And it had become a habit, it was normal to me."
Ib saw so much sadness in his expression, her heart ached at the sight. 'Even if I feel sad, what can I, a stranger, do?'
.
"Garry?"
"Yes?"
"Can you get on your knees?"
"Uh...Okay?" He complied. What would she want me to do on my knees? Is she going to slap me, again?
Garry then felt a hand on the top of his head. He looked up at her with wide eyes. Her face was a bright red as she pet his lilac hair.
His lips stretched into a big smile and his eyes started to tear. 'At least I can do this, I feel so childish though.'
"Thank you. Ib." Telling you was most definitely the right choice.
He wrapped his long arms around her and buried his head in her stomach.
'My shirt is getting wet...from his tears.'
Ib in turn wrapped her arms around his head and ran a hand through his fluffy locks.
A small smile spread across her face. 'He said thank you.'
Luna: Awwwww! I honestly liked this chapter.
Garry: Wow, I had a pretty crazy experience.
Ib: Yeah...
Luna: Is that your only comment, Ib? Hmmm, hmmm?
Ib: *Blush* Shut it please.
Luna: Well anyways, this was sort of a filler, (Ib: It's rude to ignore me!)but I hope you guys liked it. Let me know what you think. Please continue to show your support, even if it is a few people, thank you very much!
Garry: Review, favorite, &/or follow?
Luna: 'Till next time!