Aeon Nether & Idol Effigy

Chapter 77- Exposed

At this point I realised that I was getting the most attention in the entire venue. And this time it was more than a statement made out of my own paranoid thoughts. This time it was real and true. Everyone was staring at me and with my mouth that still had the handprints of various people that kept it shut that were practically imprinted on my face, I started thinking again.

Before, I wasn't sure about Emma's emotions or my own. If Emma hadn't been so out of it whenever we met or whenever I glanced over to her I would have thought she was trying to possess me and that I was becoming her dead ghostly self. Some kind of relationship of exchange. It only seemed logical in my mind for some supernatural happenstance to take place.

However, I knew better than to assume that was what she was doing, especially when both herself and I felt emotions on meeting Harvey. It was something she delivered to me in a way and it was also something that I felt myself delivering to her. One of the only moments that I felt such a clear line of communication to help to explain something to me, namely that the to was to me and the from was addressed from Emma in our unconventional relationship. Harvey helped us two without his knowledge in this way. Funnily enough I wondered if he'd be pleased that he helped me retain some of my sanity instead of negating it in his usual way. At least now I knew Emma wasn't trying to possess me and never really had the chance to get to that point to think about Emma like that. I, like always, was too busy with my thoughts,

In fact, from Emma and I's encounter just now, where she sobbed better than Trina's fake sob acting, I was done with thinking about her as anything more than a child. In a way, she was a child, but in another way I acknowledged her as a more intelligent adult that was closer to me than my 'original' siblings from my previous world. Emma didn't deserve my suspicion on whether or not she manipulated a version of reality to show me her 'past memories'. Afterall, I'm the person who is replacing her forevermore and have met a few similar or same situations that made me realise that her life was more than pretty bad as I grew in this world.

Back to the present my attention was on Rain and the people around me other than Emma.

Rain seemed pretty hated by my group of friends near me. All but the administrator's were angry at Rain for revealing my life bits and pieces. Although, every now and then Aster, Florent and Petra said some pretty strange things like, "She'd have told us by herself.", or "she needs some time". All that was missing is them describing me as an open book and calling me stupid in the common sense way. I felt like a child whose watchers were giving room to grow 'healthily' by talking to them when I felt more comfortable to do so.

I sighed.

My sighing seemed invisible to those who mattered. The administrators were preoccupied by their own thoughts or ... hobbies. The hunchman henchman was embossing different kinds of six packs onto the paintings and drawings of Rain's avatar he was doing. I didn't mind it. Perhaps that's why Felixe's judgy expression seemed to evolve down the judging route into a Mother-in-law's condemnation of my entire existence. And I was single for every second of that existence. Mother-in-law... why don't you just get a son or daughter for me to marry yet? That way I'd be sure to wonder if I'm getting something out of your condemnation.

...

On the stage the nineteenth performance was finishing off the comparisons when Rain and Emma came back.

I swear, things had taken the route of a high school talent show this time around. Not surprising, as we were technically doing covers of other artists on the show.

The judges and celebrities tried their best to be fair this time. Yet they still managed to be somewhat meaner than constructive. The same feeling of the teachers who'd state your performance was great by complimenting your on stage partner as part of your compliments and giving you constructive criticism while insulting to the point you wonder if they aren't trained internet trolls.