𝐌𝐎𝐍𝐒𝐓𝐄𝐑, j.mori

𝐄𝐈𝐆𝐇𝐓

—— CHAPTER EIGHT / for free food

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SOMEONE'S SCREAMING, WHO'S SCREAMING?

She saw nothing but black with her eyes closed, her mind unwilling to create a solid projection of the things she was hearing. Someone was screaming in her mind, a girl was screaming. But who was she? She heard but never saw, her fingers twitching in frustration. Her body felt hot, maybe she had a fever. She was on a bed, she could tell that much. A blanket was on her, the material of the said object itchy, but the girl didn't have enough willpower to itch her arms, her legs, her thighs.

She gritted her teeth in frustration, it was too much frustration. Her head ached, her eye ached, everything ached. But the pain was also numbing if she thought too much about it and tricked her mind into numbing the pain. "Aella?" a voice mumbled, calling her name. Aella. Aella was her name, wasn't it? It was also the name of that girl, that girl who's friend died, Jimin, was it? "Jimin." she said, unaware of what she was saying, unaware that she sent a pang of pain in someone's chest. Nonetheless, he ignored what she had said and asked another question, "Aella, are you okay? Can you get up?" Worry was what enveloped his voice.

"I'm fine," she said as if on habit, telling every single person she met she was fine. Her head ached and she clutched and rubbed the top of it, ruffling her hair in the process. "What happened?"

"You collapsed," answered Daewi who stood behind Mori who sat on a stool next to her bed. "Your neighbour heard screams from your apartment, she called the ambulance."

"You've been asleep for a long time, Aella." cut in Mira. "How long?"

"Two days." Mori told her and then after a long pause, he continued, "the doctors said you collapsed because of fatigue but we don't think that's the case." The three exchanged looks and then Mira said, "Aella, we think your borrowed power might have attacked you." The voice in Aella's mind cackled, the laugh mad and crazed, nipping and hurting the corners of her mind. Borrowed power? it howled, what atriocity is this? Do they not sense our great power? Do they not sense that we could kill them with a snap of our fingers, that we could wipe them and the rest of South Korea out without a blink of our eye?

Aella stayed quiet, letting the demon in her mind rampage around, destroying all the precious rooms in her head. "Aella, what borrowed power do you have?"

"Demon," she lied without hesitation. "Well, that demon did that," Daewi pointed at her left eye, "to you. You've become blind from one eye." Blind? But she could see properly from both eyes. She didn't say anything, more concentrated over pondering as to why this was happening to her.

"Look on the bright side!" chirped in Mori, "You look as cool as Daewi now!"

'SMACK!'

"Thanks, Mira."

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The trio left with prolonged goodbyes, with Mori ending up hugging her. Her heart fluttered at the kind gesture but she didn't hug back out of hesitation. A few hours later, when she was reading a book she had borrowed from the door opened. "Park Aella," he addressed, taking a step inside and sitting down on the stool by her bed. "Or should I say Mawang?"

"Park Mubong," she said, not looking up, eyes fixated on the pages of her book. He smirked, his hands in his pockets, "I changed my name ten years ago, by the way. It's Park Mujin now."

"Why're you here, Mubong?" she asked, taking pleasure upon seeing his face scrunch up in irritation. He never answered but started with his own topic, "I see your brain malfunctioned."

"It did not... and don't beat around the bush. Get to the point."

"Join us," he abruptly said. She looked at him fully, her eyebrows raised slightly in amusement. "Jecheondeoseong won't join us, he and his two troublesome friends don't trust me."

"They are right not to." Mujin stayed silent, but not because he didn't have anything else to say but because he knew things were racing through Aella's mind. "What's in it for me?" she questioned after a short silence. "Money, power, honor, whatever you want."

"I'm not interested in that."

"Then what?"

She lifted a finger and pointed at him. "You," she said, "I'm interested in your blood, in your flesh and in your death." The man got up abruptly, "I don't it's going to happen any time soon," he snikered, leaving before she could blast him to bits. "You made her sick, didn't you?" The man froze at her words, and slowly turned around, leaning against the frame of the door. "You made my grandmother sick," repeated the girl, the book in her hand now closed and her eyes holding a fiery look in them. He didn't respond, and so she continued, "You made her sick, and that's why I need your blood, your death."

"You killed millions of innocent people," he shot back, "and one of them was a friend, so I guess the odds'll be even when your old hag dies." Her eyes followed him as he disappeared behind the doors and she kept her ears open till his footsteps faded away. You must kill him, Park Aella.

I concur.

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Mori fiddled with the straw dipped in the empty glass that was once filled with a chocolate milkshake that was drained by the boy bearing a flamboyant personality. "Is she gonna be okay?" he asked for the nth time, earning a groan from his two friends. "Mori," started Mira through gritted teeth, a tick mark appearing on her forehead, "she is going to be okay, you literally just saw her wake up. Don't be a worry wart." Daewi leaned against the table, his lips pressed together suggestively. "Maybe, Mori just has a problem we call a crush,"

Mira and Mori stayed silent, processing what their lazy friend had said. "Come to think of it," mused Mira, scratching her scalp with a finger, "it does seem that way."

"No way, there's no way I'm crushing on Aella!" defended Mori, rather baselessly if I might add, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms, closing his eyes in disapproval. After much persuassion, telling him he really was crushing on the intimidating girl, his stubborn walls started to crack down. "You can fight her!" supplied Mira, trying to get him to ask the girl out. It couldn't be that bad, right? "And, she can give you free food at her bar," added Daewi. At this point, his friends were making up stories which were least likely to happen to pursuade him. "Free food?"

Mira nodded furiously, "Yeah,"

"Alright then," he pumped a fist in the air, gaining the unwanted attention of the occupants of the café they usually gathered at. "I'll ask Aella out... for free food!"

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This isn't the best chapter, I know. I was feeling kinda lazy today. (I just recovered from a slight fever).