(A/N: Yay! I finally get to post this chapter! Sorry that I took so long to do so, I was lazy. This chapter may get a little angst-y 'cause I wanted to explore possible feelings of the different characters since the end of the comic series. Slight spoiler for those who haven't read the end, you've been warned! Enjoy!)

Disclaimer: I really do not own Monster Allergy because if I did I would have made the entire comic series longer and end it on a better note…

Chapter 2

Elena

Elena hurriedly packed her things into her school bag and then dashed out of her classroom ignoring her best friend's cries of asking her to stay.

"Elena! Elena, wait up!"

She paused briefly but ran off almost as soon as she stopped.

"Sorry," she muttered under her breath as she ran out of the school compound. She had no time to waste and she could not stop for anything or anyone. She chose a shortcut that she had recently discovered after her fight with Zick which cut travelling distance by almost three times even via bicycle.

As she sped past the trees, she could not help but ask herself how Zick was feeling now that she wasn't talking to him. The voice inside her quickly answered her question, 'Probably doesn't even miss you at all, which gives you all the more reason to carry out your idea!' It definitely wasn't a pleasant answer but nevertheless it helped to strengthen her resolve.

The moment she reached home, she set about her plan locking the door of her bedroom and drawing the curtains. She already knew by heart that if Zick was walking home, it would take him approximately 25 minutes which meant that she had to get ready in 15 minutes.

She was wearing a soft pink-coloured tube top with a black, rhinestone-adorned mini skirt (the shortest that she allowed herself to wear). Her long wavy honey-red locks were now straightened and flowed down her back. A light touch of makeup was applied on her face and even her hazel eyes were now jade green, courtesy of colour contacts. In short, one would not believe that she was Elena Potato, tomboy of Oldmill.

She checked her watch, looked herself in the mirror then gently tiptoed out of the house. She prayed that neither parent nor younger sibling would notice her otherwise she would have to endure an eternity of being fussed over.

As she stood from her spot – at the corner of the intersection – she wringed her hands in nervousness and chewed on her lip. She quickly glanced up and down the streets of Oldmill as she looked up from her watch and realised that 25 minutes were almost up. Zick would reach home soon.

'Elena Potato, what exactly do you think you are doing?' Came a snide voice in her head as she paced around.

"Being stupid obviously…" She replied under her breath, irritated with herself, irritated with Zick, anxious to see him but also afraid that he would find out and then laugh at her… The more she thought about things, the sicker she felt and the more convinced she was that she should rush home and hide herself in her room before anyone she knew spotted her. She turned around, ready to run home, not caring if she tripped and fell while wearing her heels.

"Hi!"

She looked up to see the one person she dreaded yet longed to see the most, the root of all her problems grinning brightly at her.

"You look a little lost…" Zick's sentence began but after that she could hardly hear what he said. Truthfully, she had missed her best friend dearly and now that he was standing so close to her in ages, she just wanted to hug him and apologise for her idiocy and aloofness.

It was only after a while did she realise that she had not given him a reply and that he was still patiently waiting for her response.

"Umm… y-yeah! I am a little lost since this is my first time visiting Oldmill you see…" She finished lamely certain that no one would believe the pathetic lie she just gave. Yet, Zick just nodded sympathetically to her 'woes' and gave her another smile.

"Well… if you don't mind, I stay around her and I would be happy to show you around."

'There you go Elena! Here's your chance!' Screamed a voice inside her but before she could say anything to Zick, yet another voice said, 'you can't seem to eager after all, you're supposed to be "new" isn't?' As the two voices raged inside of her and she sought to figure out what was the most satisfactory reply she could give Zick, he had already begun to speak.

"Oh, don't worry. This neighbourhood is really safe."

She looked at him and seeing him with such an earnest look on his face made it really difficult to reject his offer.

"O-okay…" She stammered unable to believe her stroke of good luck. 'He actually believed my story and he couldn't recognise me!'

As they walked through the streets of Oldmill, Elena could feel the tension that had knotted itself in the pit of her stomach slowly begin to ease away. There were no annoying classmates mocking them, no family members fussing over how cute they looked as a "pair" (to quote her mother) and finally, and she felt guilty for even feeling that way, there were no monsters surrounding them. To the whole world they looked as if they should, a boy and a girl walking together enjoying each other's company.

If one had to ask what exactly caused Elena to feel that way about monsters then their answer would lie in the events that had unfolded that very day. The day which made Elena cringe and hate herself more. Ever since she knew that Zick gave up his powers for her, she blamed herself for it.

'It's all your fault Elena," the voices in her head said constantly reminding her, giving her no rest from the guilt and embarrassment she felt. Although he had assured her that it was not her fault and ultimately it was his decision, she always felt responsible for it.

For three whole days after the hated incident, she locked herself in her room and refused to visit him despite constant pleas from her parents and calls from him. In her mind she only wanted to avoid looking at or be reminded of the existence of monsters which was hard considering that Bombolo was lying beside her asking for food for most of that three day period. In the end, she gave up on her childish and ignorant plan.

Though the plan to avoid monsters was abandoned, it didn't mean now, five years later, she had learnt to cope with things. In fact, she was finding it increasingly harder to do so. With the gift of Sight, she could not pretend that she couldn't see monsters neither could she ignore the monsters she saw which made her all the more guilty when Zick could not see them himself and she had to describe them to him.

The worse of all was that she could feel herself slowly losing Zick, losing him to the one thing she hated being associated with, the ordinary.

"Don't be shy, eat up!"

With that simple statement, he had broke through her chain of thoughts and she remembered that after being introduced to the Oldmill Library, he had brought her to a sweets shop for drinks. She felt her cheeks burn, how could she have been so selfish and consumed by her own thoughts that she forgot that she was with him?

As he ate his sundae, he gestured to her to eat the desert in front of her. Her embarrassment increased twofold, he had actually very sweetly ordered a chocolate sundae for her.

"Oh man…" she said in a voice that mixed with emotion, "I don't know what to say."

To that he automatically replied, "then don't waste the food and eat," after giving her a bright and encouraging smile, he resumed eating his sundae.

'Elena, just eat your sundae and don't worry so much." She told herself as she scooped up a spoonful of chocolate.

They stayed at the shop for an hour hardly talking but still enjoying the other's company albeit in silence. When the time came to go home, one could sense the reluctance to part ways from both parties. Elena tried to hide hers by looking away and up into the sky to watch the setting sun. She opened her mouth to bid him farewell but was stopped short by him.

"Umm… this sounds weird but although we've been talking for the whole afternoon… I still don't know your name… Mine's Ezekiel Zick by the way, but everyone calls me Zick."

Elena smiled deeply touched that Zick cared to know her "name" so much but also very amused at seeing him so flustered for the first time in her life. At that point, she realised that she had not given her new persona a name.

'Name! I knew I had forgotten something! What's my name?' She thought frantically, discreetly looking around hoping for a stroke of good luck. Across the street from where they stood was a CD store with a poster that read "Michael Jackson CDs in stores now!" Her brain quickly processed this and the letters 'M' and 'J' appeared in her mind's eye.

She gave what she hoped was a cute smile but just before she gave her "name", other words like "revenge" and "payback" also appeared in her mind's eye.

"My name's Myra Johnson. Thanks for everything Zick. You're really sweet." She leaned forward and just as she gave him a small peck on his left cheek, an evil laugh rang in her ears. 'That's for the kiss you gave during Snyakutz Rumble!' She smiled at him, then after a moment's hesitation sent a wink flying across her shoulder.

Yup, it had been a good day for Elena Potato.

(A/N: 2nd chapter completed! =) Please review!)