Author's Note:
Interaction with characters, developments of personality, establishing a focal point. Man, there is a lot of things needed for a good character. At times I wonder if people look at my characters the way I wanted them to be...
Chapter 31: An Unexpectedly Good Time
The street, the district, was calm and quiet. Few footsteps can be heard, but it was still more than I expected. The four of us walked down the street, looking around as we make our way to various locales of the particular district. I, myself, walked with my two palms placed over the back of my neck, curious at what we're gonna do, and even more so, what my reactions will be. Kiera went on with a bounce to her steps, looking as cheerful as ever. For some strange reason, Johann had that bulky item, wrapped in grey cloth, on his back today as well. Sera walked a good few steps behind us, constantly looking down at the ground as we walked.
The day felt slow, relaxed. The only voice I heard was Johann and Gina's. From the words, they must have chatted up a storm. I wasn't listening, though. My eyes were constantly shifting to Sera. She has the same calm look in her eyes, but somehow, it felt like something was bothering her.
Does she felt out of place? Does she feel left out as we walked? She is technically still a stranger to Gina and Johann. The questions kept popping up in my mind, but I do my best to follow what was happening.
Still, it's a bit too painful to see her like this. Well, it's up to me to fix it. "Zanna! Zanna, you listening?" Suddenly, Johann's voice cut into my thoughts. Oops.
"Uh.. yeah. Something about.. things to do, right?" I mumbled out my words. I think my tone made it obvious that I didn't actually hear any of the things he said. I put on an apologetic look, scratching the back of my head with my right hand. "Hold on." I stopped Johann as I walked towards Sera and brought her to the front. "Eh?" I heard Sera's voiced squeak out as I pulled her by the shoulders. "Something's been bugging me, I.. haven't introduce my friend yet." I told the Johann and Gina.
By this time, our steps stopped beside a hotdog cart, the piping hot smell of delicious hotdogs drifted around us. As she stood, I saw Sera shift her eyes away everytime she takes a look at Johann or Gina. I never knew she was so shy before. "Her name is Serafina Walter.." I began speaking after realizing Sera's probably not gonna say anything. "She's a close friend." I gave out with a smile, still surpised over Sera's actions. After I spoke, there was, strangely, a few seconds of silence, as Gina and Johann said nothing to reply. Johann looked intrigued while Gina furrowed her brow for a second, her smile going away with it.
"I was just asking, any suggestion on what to do today?" Johann's voice came in-between his bites, as he sinked his teeth into a hotdog. Fortunately, the wind isn't blowing much today, so it isn't as cold as I imagined.
"You invited me to celebrate, and you have no idea where to go?" This time it was my turn to ask, taking my first bite into my plain, sauceless hotdog. Hey, I prefer it this way. Johann only gave me a blank look as I chewed. Gina? After what I said, she dragged Sera off somewhere before coming back with the smile on her face. Surprisingly, they hit it off and is now inside one of these shops nearby. Sera looked... relieved, as she was pulled along by Gina.
"We're back!" Gina bounces into our sights, her voice suggesting she's back in her cheerful mood. As soon as my eyes saw her, they were instantly drawn to the three bags she was holding in her hands, which blew my eyes wide open. She bought all those stuff in just that small span of time? "Uh, is there something wrong?" I hear Gina asking, as she walked up to me, staring at my face with her own curious look.
"Oh, it's nothing..." I replied, forcing my eyes to look away. Note to self, always bring more money than initially planned, when hanging out with girls. "Oh right, we got them for you guys too!" I say so with a smile, handing Gina and Sera a box of hotdog each.
"Thanks!" They both gave out with a smile, accepting the hotdog without a second delay, which was surprising. I always thought girls wouldn't enjoy a hotdog like a guy would, biting down with sauce all over. Or maybe I was just being a bit too stereotypical.
As a gale of wind blew through my hair, I realized that we have been standing around for quite a while now. At this rate, it'll be the end of the day before we know it. "All right guys, we need to go..." I called out, pushing them forward with my arms on their backs. The sudden action must have been quite the surprise, as they moved with a confused look on their face. "Don't worry, I got a pretty good idea where to go..." I told them assuredly, my eyes looking towards the gentle sky.
The scene opens as the girl walked into the room. She looked tired, restless. Bags are formed under her eyes. The room filled with a splash of grey. The door creaked as she closed it, slowly crying out. As she did, the light in the room dimmed. It was as if light itself wanted nothing to do with the room. She dragged her feet as she make her way to the windows, looking listless, troubled. The mirror seemed to reflect her bad complexion, a shadow staring back at her. Pushing the curtains aside, the girl was shocked to find it smudged in a layer of dark, disturbing substance. Slips of newspaper blocks what clean areas it had.
Suddenly, the image in the mirror turned, spite in its eyes, towards the girl.
I sat there in my seat, my head tilted, eyes looking bored as I watched the movie. That's right, the first thing on my mind was for us to go watch a movie. I thought it was a great way to relax, to put the idea of reality behind and just enjoy a story that was written. The dark cinema room would serve as a doorway into another world as the light on the movie starts flashing. Wow, I feel old.
Unfortunately, though. It seems I was wrong. In fact, I felt more in touch with reality than ever.
"Uh..." I could hear soft voices murmuring from my two sides. Gina clutched my right arm with both her hands, shivering, whether it was in anticipation or fear, with her eyes wide open as she watched the movie. On my left, Sera pressed her head against my shoulders, pulling my left arm to cover her eyes and only turning to look once in a while, shivering in her seat as well. I feel like they're using me as a meatshield, their hands tugging me from side to side.
And, even as everything was happening, I felt really annoyed as I was pelted by a rain of popcorn. For whatever reason, Johann got the seat right behind me. He too, was shivering. I knew when I heard his teetch chattering. The extra-large bucket of popcorn he got in his hands only served to propel the many pieces of popcorn onto my head as he trembled.
"Hey, keep the popcorn in the bucket!" I tried to reprimand Johann with a soft, whispering tone. I didn't want to ruin the movie for everyone, you know? Of course, that never helped anything. As I watched, I wasn't afraid, at all. After seeing those things during Halloween, whatever creatures they put on the screen feels hollow and fake.
As I sat in the holy triangle of trouble, I feel like a baby-sitter looking after children. At least it wouldn't get any worse, I thought.
That was when the girls screamed.
We were pretty hungry after the movie, so we decided to have lunch. This time I led them to a restuarant that I heard is a hotspot for teens because of it's design and location. It's one of the few restuarant that's very close to our school. As we took a seat, I find myself picking off the pieces of popcorn from my hair. Still, I guess it wasn't that bad. Which guy can say they didn't like being hugged by two girls? None I knew, at least. Johann's presence wasn't that bad either, though I can probably say I was surprised to see him afraid. I gave out a sigh but said nothing otherwise.
For some reason, the three of them enjoyed the movie a lot, Sera and Gina chatted up about it as soon as we left the cinema. The words flew by so fast I couldn't keep up.
"I wonder how hot this is...?"Johann asks out, bringing his face close to the grill. You see, the restuarant I brought us to is a special one. I think it's Korean barbecue. A unique experience eating there because the barbecue is done all by ourselves. We sat by each side around a square table, and in the middle is a silver, sizzling surface. Go close enough, and I can even feel the heatwave as it floated and brushed my face.
"Siz.." A soft sound gave out, similar to that of meat cooking on the grill.
"Ouch!" Johann roars out, as he jumps to his feet before collapsing back on his seat. He has one of his fingers in his mouth, sucking it as if it was the most delicious thing in the world. You see, curious as he was, Johann stuck out his right index finger to test how hot the grill was.
"You okay?" I heard cries of concern from Gina and Sera as they saw what happened. As I saw how he assures them that it was nothing, only one thing was going through my mind. What is he, ten? Of course, I didn't say anything but, it just looks really stupid if you saw the whole thing happen like I did. As we waited for our order, I find my eyes looking around the place, as well as out the window. The restuarant was one of soft, dark colors with a hint of brightness here and there, the style was cool and chic. Looking out the window, I could see the sea, the waves crashing to the stone ledges. You know, it's strange, despite the constant sound of water, the currents and the waves, sometimes I can forget that I'm living in a canal city.
"All right, kids, here's your order!" A cheerful waitress came up to us with her two hands carrying a tray full of meat and vegetables. It was, alarming, to see the mountain of food, and even more surprising to find out it was ours. "You guys must be really growing up!" The waitress exclaimed with a smile. The food as well as the comment made the two girls with us fluster.
"There must be some mistake..." I gave out almost automatically, my eyes still wide at the sight. Well, I'm actually more concerned for another reason. By reflex, I find myself taking out my wallet, and checking the contents inside. It's because of something I said when we entered the restuarant.
... I said it'll be my treat today.
"Nope. Everything's good. Enjoy!" The waitress walked away after her cheerful words, disappearing behind a door to the kitchen. I sat there, paralysed from what just happened. I just kept on staring at the waitress as she went through the door. I think Gina must have noticed, as she started looking annoyed.
"Amato, you okay?" She tried to sound concerned but I could hear the hissing in between her words, like she was upset or something.
A few moments later, the three of us just sat there surprised, food only slowly coming to our mouths as we watched what was happening. Johann grills the food about as fast as he chomps them down. His chopsticks moved so quickly it looked like the food teleported from the plate and onto the grill, then to his mouth. "Oh, this is good!" He pointed out in-between his bites. I can't believe he could still talk while eating that fast. He almost seems desperate.
Oh darn, the food's finishing already! "C'mon, it'll be gone before we know it!" I kinda shout out to the girls before quickening my pace as I ate.
Right at another table, another incident was also happening, though I was a bit distracted to see what was exactly going on. A few table away away, all I could see was a rather tall fellow with spiky, blond hair. His movements seems erratic, or maybe it just looked strange from my angle. I could hear the tapping of his chopsticks all the way from my seat. And I could've sworn I saw a piece of meat flew from his grasp. Correction, make that pieces. I must admit it made me curious, but I brushed it off as nothing. It's none of my business.
The sights of the city scrolled by like a screen of moving pictures, slow with a gentle touch. The yellow glow of the afternoon sun pushed it's way through the crevices in-between each of the tall buildings, refracting as it touched the waters. As I watched on, I could feel the wading motion of the gondola as I admired the scenery of Venice, the city in its grand beauty. The waves that was once crashing against the canals were now calm and peaceful, almost welcoming us for the ride.
"Ugh..." A voice came out, and with it I felt myself pulled back, like waking from a dream. Johann sat there, curled up like an armidillo. He cried out when I gave the suggestion for the ride, this must be what he was referring to.
"You all right? Seasick?" I asked, taking a seat beside him and trying my best to support him from falling. Sera and Gina looked just as worried in their seats. Johann only nodded his reply.
"I'm fine, don't worry..." Clearly he looked sick, but he was still trying his best to take the worry off of us. I.. can't help but feel respect for the guy. Suddenly, his eyes went wide and glowed with admiration. "Wow, that is one awesome looking mansion!" He cried out, his fingers pointing at the crystal white palace his eyes were glued to. As soon as I looked to the direction, I went quiet. Sera and Gina did the same.
As we went under a bridge in the canal, I got a very strange compulsion to look up. Maybe it was instinct? As I did, I saw the same guy from the restuarant, leaning over us, his eyes calm and staring at me. He had a smile on his face. Maybe I was wrong, maybe he was just looking at something else, but something I was feeling tells me otherwise. That thought however, was rectified as soon as he tried to take a step to his left, trying to get a closer look. As soon as he did, I saw him slipped backwards, in an almost comical fashion, with a banana peel flying soon after.
"Why'd you all gone quiet?" Johann's voice turned my attention back.
"That's Amato's mansion..." Gina gave out her reply before I could do anything. I would've prefered him not knowing. The less people, the better.
"Really?" Johann cried out once more, the tone almost a yell. He was looking really excited. As the ride slowly took us to a stop, we got off the boat feeling satisfied, or at least I did. "We need to have a sleepover at your mansion sometime, Zanna!" Johann suddenly burst out, the words coming out of nowhere.
"Uh... I guess.." I gave a strangely vague response. I don't know, sleepover sounds strange, I mean, for a guy. And it feels awkwards when another guy asks for it. With strange emotion and smiles on our faces, we left the canals with footsteps tapping.
Whoa! This ended late. I'm sorry! On another note, it was so long since I wrote something normal, so this took a really long time to think up. I hope you guys enjoy the story and find out new things about Amato and the others! On yet another note, did you guys catch the cameo?