Riley's Box

Part 58

I really didn't feel like going to school the next morning, especially with everything that was going on, but I had to console myself with the fact that the Sins were certain that there was only one more shadow spirit left to go. Once we had found that final shadow spirit and sent it back where it came from, then the Sins would be able to return home or, well, to Hell. Some people had the strangest homes! However, I was fairly sure nobody could compete with the Sins as far as places of residence were concerned. 

Susie greeted me with a warm smile, when I walked in through the front entrance of the high school. I really was glad that the two of us were better on terms now, especially when it came to Jason. He was my best friend, I was glad that he was happy, but I was also glad that the thing that was his recent source of happiness hadn't caused Susie to be upset. She respected our relationship and that made me realise that I had been a little harsh on her, but it was alright. The two of us could now be better friends than we had been before, and that meant a lot to me. 

"Hey! I had a feeling you would be arriving..." she glanced down towards her watch for a second, "Well, any second now, literally. Did you want to go and get some breakfast?" she asked me. 

I nodded and the two of us set off towards the cafeteria. 

"That storm was crazy yesterday, don't you think? I'm glad it's over now. My parents were worried it was going to cause the whole house to collapse in on itself," she said. 

"I'm glad it's over, too," I said. That was an understatement. 

"It's only understandable that you're still worried about it, though," she went on to say. "I am, too," she continued. "But I think we'll be alright soon. I don't know...things have been-" 

"Strange?" I interrupted. 

"I was going to say unusual," she said. 

Well, that was certainly one way of putting it. 

"I've been trying to make sense of the storms and the attacks but...I don't know," she said. "I guess I'll have to think on it some more."

As long as she didn't find out that Seven Deadly Sins and literal creatures from Hell were behind everything that had been going on recently, then that was fine by me. 

"I think a lot, huh?" she asked, with a small smile. 

"I think it's a good thing," I replied. 

Susie tilted her head upwards slightly, to meet my gaze. Her eyes warmed a little. "Thanks, Riley," she said. "You're a good friend." 

"You too," I replied with a genuine smile. 

~*~**~*~

A few moments after my talk with Susie, it was time for me to get to classes, so I went on my merry way. 

They went by pretty quickly, but that was due to the fact that I was writing at an almost comical pace, in order to catch up on all the notes that I had missed. 

I would be so thankful for the day when I could study without worrying that the world was possibly going to explode at any moment. 

As soon as all of my classes for the day were done, I walked out of the school to find that my grandmother was waiting to give me a drive home again. 

I approached her with open arms and wrapped them around her. 

"Hi, abuela," I said. 

"Hey sweetie! Let's get you home," she said. 

The two of us made our way over to her car and I took the journey as an opportunity to explain to my grandmother, in some detail, everything that had happened so far. I told her about the fight with the shadow spirit on the beach, and the fact that we now only had one more to find. At least, I really hoped there was only one more. I could have lived a lifetime, when I took into account how much had happened over the course of the past few months. It was almost June! We had almost reached summer and my life had changed completely. 

When my grandmother pulled up outside my house and cut the engine, she turned to me with a warm expression. She reached out to take my hand in hers and gave it a small, reassuring, shake. 

"I'm so proud of you, Riley," she said to me. 

I felt a small smile appear on my face. 

It meant a lot to me for people to give me praise, but it meant even more when that praise was coming from my grandmother. 

She meant the world to me, really. 

"Now, go in there and come up with a plan as to how you're going to find this last one. I know you can do this," she said. 

She was also very practical, when it came to finding solutions for my problems. 

A plan was just what we needed, if we were going to find the last shadow spirit. 

"And I have to be realistic here, Riley, you're the only one who can truly help the Sins. I'm too old to do it anymore. My strength isn't what it once was. You, on the other hand, are strong, brave and independent. You are a fighter, whether you know that yourself already or not, I want you to know that you are capable of doing amazing things. Don't let anybody tell you any differently," she said. 

As soon as my grandmother had finished her speech, I quickly hugged her again. 

It was then time for me to head up to my room and simply think. I needed to come up with an idea as to where the final shadow spirit could be, after all. A lot of people were counting on me, whether they knew it or not. 

At last, I had an idea. It was a weird idea, but nothing much in my life had been normal lately.