ᴀᴜᴛʜᴏʀ'ꜱ ɴᴏᴛᴇ: decided to upload another chapter today to make up for the small hiatus i took from this book! besides, this also helps advance the story more to where you will finally meet the other wybie.
it's the least i could do. :)
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by the time y/n climbs the stairs up to ground level, she doesn't know what to make of her fortune as the conversation about the tea leaves replayed in her mind. danger and a tall, handsome beast. what could it all mean? she felt a knot of anxiety tightening in her chest, the earlier comfort slipping away. "danger...?" she repeated to herself, but the other world and her other parents seemed so genuine, kind, and understanding—a stark contrast from her real ones, so how on earth could they be considered minacious?
as she reached the top of the stairs, lost in thought, she blinked and looked up, only to be greeted by an unexpected sight. a waist-deep fog had rolled in, blanketing the land as far as the eye could see. the thick mist swirled around her feet, it all looked so eerie but at the same time, beautiful.
"geez...just how long was i in there?" y/n muttered to herself, pinching the bridge of her nose in an attempt to shake off the unsettling feeling. she stepped cautiously away, the fog making everything seem unfamiliar and slightly surreal. the idea of a walk to clear her mind suddenly seemed both necessary and daunting, but she pressed on, hoping the fresh air would help her make sense of everything.
and so, she wandered away from the pink palace. the fog was dense, muffling the sounds around her and giving her a sense of isolation. as she walked, she couldn't shake the feeling of being watched, the fine hairs on the back of her neck standing on end. suddenly, something caught her eye in her peripheral vision—a glint of metal. she turned her head slightly, spotting a periscope protruding from the fog. instantly, she knew who it belonged to. wybie. he must have been spying on her, as he often did, y/n frowned but pretended not to notice.
she continued walking ahead nonchalantly, letting the periscope follow her for a few more paces. her heart pounded with a mix of annoyance and mischief as she formulated a plan. y/n smiled to herself before spinning around and grabbing the periscope, yanking it up with a firm tug. the sudden action caused a yelp of a surprise to echo through the fog, and she pulled up a shocked wybie, who stumbled out of his hiding place, nearly tripping over his own feet.
"wybie!" y/n exclaimed, unable to hide her frustration. "what are you doing?"
shyly, the boy took off his mask and offered the h/c-haired girl an awkward smile. his eyes were wide, his mouth opening and closing like a fish out of water. "i—uh, i was just...you know, checking things out," he stammered, his voice shaky. "didn't mean to scare you or anything." he added.
y/n crossed her arms, raising an eyebrow. "so, you're stalking me again, huh? what's the deal this time?"
"i wasn't stalking you," wybie said, defiantly as his nose scrunched. "we're hunting banana slugs," he said, matter-of-factly before moving over to his bike where he fetched salad tongs from a tool belt on the ground beside it.
