Be Careful What You Wish For

Ratatouille

It took a long time to convince Caesar that what was in front of his eyes was real: his best friend, Wang He Di, had shrunk.
Shen Yue told him the whole story as he listened silently with wide eyes.
"Damn, what a situation... What now?"
"We don't know... We'll keep trying, I guess," sighed He Di.
"You know... We could try to ask for help to the fortune teller of my mother and her friends..." Caesar suggested.
"Are you joking?" snorted Yue.
"Why? Well... I don't believe in certain things... But it could be a small step towards the solution of the problem. She says she is a seer... Maybe she knows some magic or, I don't know, some sorcerer who could help us."
"Caesar, that woman is an impostor!"
"But she guessed some things in the past! How can you know?"
"Tsk. I think it's too risky to talk about Wang He Di to a stranger... What do you think?" Yue turned to He Di.
"Um... I need to think about it."
Both Yue and Caesar nodded.
"Okay, now out of the way. I have to study," Shen Yue said suddenly.
"But tomorrow is Saturday!" Caesar exclaimed.
"So?"
"Forget it, man. The nerd here doesn't know any other ways to have fun," He Di teased her.
"You should study too!"
"Me?! Hey! I'm a poor guy who just got tiny and lost everything! How can I study in such a situation?!"
Shen Yue shook her head.
"You should be an actor," she commented.
"And you should..."
"Ok, ok! Time-out, you two! Yue, could you give me a glass of water before I leave?" Caesar interrupted them.
The girl nodded and left the room, leaving them alone.
"Bro, come and stay with me..."
"No. I've settled here now... It's ok. I'll be back to the way I used to be soon, I'm sure" replied He Di.
He didn't really want to bother Caesar. The situation at his friend's house was rather complicated. His parents often quarreled and his father had a bad habit of leaving when this happened. Sometimes Caesar was forced to work in their electronics store so as not to let his mother do it all by herself.
It had always been like that... At some times the Wu family seemed the happiest in the world, but at others a few clouds would come and temporarily sweep away every little glimmer of light.
"Mmh... But don't be too hard on Yue, ok? Don't let her appearances fool you. There are so many things you don't know about her and..."
"Here you go." Shen Yue returned to the room and Caesar immediately stopped talking.
This intrigued He Di.
Was the Know-It-All hiding something?
After drinking the water Yue had brought him, Caesar left.
Shen Yue sat down at her desk and began studying.
"What subject is it?" Wang He Di asked, sitting down on the book the girl was reading.
"History. And move away from my book."
He obeyed and stood looking at her for a few moments.
"You're funny when you put your glasses on," he grinned at her.
Yue blushed.
"I can't read without them," she muttered.
"I know," whispered He Di.
"Could you leave me alone? Rule number 3: don't disturb me while I study."
"But I'm bored!"
"None of my business."
"And I'm hungry!"
"Are you always hungry?!"
"You are really mean, nerd!"
Suddenly the two heard noises coming from downstairs.
"Hide, quick," Yue immediately said to He Di.
He ran after a large encyclopedia on the desk.
After a few seconds there was a knock on the door.
"Honey, are you studying?"
It was Ms. Shen.
"Come in, mom."
The woman, who Wang He Di noted to be the adult copy of Yue, strode up to her daughter and hugged her tightly.
"What happens?" Yue asked, confused.
Her mother had never been very affectionate...
"I heard about that missing boy in your class! The teachers called all the parents to warn them... They also talked about it on the news! Are you okay? From tomorrow our driver will take you to school, I won't let you go to school alone again!"
"Mom, I'm fine... And no, I don't want Charles to accompany me!"
"Don't be unreasonable! Even the teachers are worried! You always come back alone, without any friends! The house of that missing boy is not that far from here, you know?!" Ms. Shen retorted.
"It's not true that I always come back alone! There is... Well... Caesar is accompanying me! He said that from now on he will always make the journey with me" Yue hated lying to her mother and to her laser eyes.
She felt the woman's gaze penetrate her soul.
But in the end it wasn't a lie... With the excuse of being with Wang He Di for a while, Caesar could really have accompanied her sometimes.
"Caesar? Didn't you fight years ago?" Ms. Shen asked, surprised.
She had always liked that boy... He and Yue practically grew up together.
He had kind manners and excellent grades.
Shen Yue had never explained to her why Caesar had stopped going to their house... She had just told her that there had been a fight, but nothing more.
"Well... We're ok now."
"Fine, I'm happy! Ok then, but if it happens that Caesar or anyone else can't accompany you, please tell me. Understood?"
Yue nodded and her mother stroked her face fondly.
"If anything happens to you, I couldn't stand it," Ms. Shen whispered.
Shen Yue smiled at her and after a last caress, the woman left the room.
Wang He Di came out of his hiding place with a grin.
"Charles, huh? You even have a driver!" he commented.
"Shut up," she snorted.
The girl went back to studying, but something was bothering her and it wasn't just He Di playing with the pages of her notes...
"You should write your parents a letter," she said suddenly.
"What?!"
"You should write to them that you are fine, that everything is ok! Have you seen my mother? She... She is never like this! She does not hug me, she does not caress me, she does not speak to me in that tone! It's evident that she's very worried and nothing happened to me! I dare not imagine your mother's anguish... We have to reassure her in some way. You could write to her that you just ran away from home to take a vacation... I don't know..."
Wang He Di thought about it for a moment. Indeed, the thought of his parents never ceased to haunt him.
"Do you think this is a good idea?" he asked Yue, uncertain.
"I think so. Your parents right now think someone attacked and kidnapped you. It's... Horrible," the girl replied.
"Ok then. Can you write it for me?"
"Of course".