Ashes of Fire (#1)

Chapter 19: Kiwi Perth

I run my hands on my damp hair; ruffling it until the mess looks obvious. I crumple my face and think about it, my dad’s alive? I remember him—well; at least I remember looking at his portrait on the fairy tale book. I can’t believe I will face him head-to-head later on.

            “He’s alive?” That’s my first response to the fact.

            “Apparently,” Gemini nods. “We—I don’t think we should kill him,” He assures. I give him a small smile in return as I relax my body on the bed. Gemini then does the same on the bed besides mine.

            “I want to see him.”

            “Well, later we will,” he reassures.

            ***

            I eat the bad-looking soup while forcing myself to sip it. I need to eat, or else I’ll get sick. I choke the first two gulps. It taste like soil and it has that smell of mud. I stir the soup and see some of the vegetables which I try to eat as well. After chewing it, a realization comes into my mind, these vegetables are all rotten.

            “Ew! This tastes like shit! Literally,” Gemini argues before I do.

            “Like you ever tasted shit,” I chuckles.

            “Oh what if I did?”

            “Okay, that’s gross.”

            “I’ll just wait for lunch,” he shrugs. I agree.

            I spend the few hours sleeping after our short chat. Gemini does the same too. We don’t have that much of a choice rather than sit and observe the empty hallway or just lay on the creaking bed. Before I know it, the speaker shouts ‘lunch’.  Gemini wakes up from his bed a little bit too rushed. We are eager to eat the lunch to be honest. I just hope that it’ll be better than the breakfast. We go out of our cell and approach the canteen stand eagerly.

            “Hey Laser Girl,” Ruby pokes my back. “The breakfast…”

            “I know,” I crumple my face for an effect. “By the way, who’s in your cell?”

            “Uh… her name’s Kiwi,” Ruby explains. Kiwi? Geez.

            “That girl wasn’t very nice to me back then.” Without realizing it, I gossips with Ruby.

            “Well, she doesn’t say much to me thanks to my normal stare that looks like a blood-shot,” Ruby says in a serious face. Her jaw tightens. She’s right she does looks scary despite her beautiful face. But she doesn’t look that much of a brute anymore since we become closer.

            We finish queuing and finally get a better food: fish and chips and a coke. We sit in a row; Ruby, Gemini and I.

            “Hey.” A voice suddenly interrupts our chat and sniggers. It’s Kiwi.

            “Hey,” I repeat as a reply. My face says it all that I don’t like her that much.

            “I’m really sorry for what happened this morning,” she realizes. Of course, she’s smart after all.

            I gulp my chips and stare at her for a moment. Her eyes sparkle. Her pitiful face gets me. “I’m sorry too.” It’s my turn to apologize. Gemini chokes on his coke, half spitting it on the tray. I bet he doesn’t expect that coming out of my mouth. That is pretty offensive.

            “No worries,” she smiles. My lips stretch for a smile as well. “Let’s start it all over again then. My name is Kiwi Perth, nice to meet you.”

            “Essie L’etoille. It’s nice to meet you too.” This time, I don’t sugarcoat it.

            “Friends?” She stretches out a hand.

            “No problem to me,” I collide my hand with hers.

            I just made a new friend.

        A/N: I haven't update for forever :'D