Rejected Secrets

Volume 1: The Escape. 018

We happened to find Jacob in the room which was right next to mine. I decided to be carrying Jacob's heavy body which seemed to be...of course, hard to carry. One of Makkura's humongous arms manifested from my shadow and helped carry Jacob. No sooner did we find one of the exit doors as well. The hospital was quite deserted, I did not sense the presence nor did I catch sight of any other nurses or doctors from this place. Sorry, I better correct that to pseudo-nurses and pseudo-doctors of this pseudo-hospital.

"Keiko, I need thou to give all ears to my words."

"Hm? What is it?" I whispered as we finally got outside of the hospital. I dug through my mom's pockets and searched for her phone.

"Those ice picks. They were not only used to shatter thy necklace but also used to perform lobotomy on thou."

"Isn't that banned???" I held onto my mom's phone in my unusually sweaty hands and quickly dialed Denis' number.

"According to these humans, nay."

"Wait...if that woman managed to make some cracks on my neckla-" I held the gem of my necklace and felt the previously rough surface to be miraculously smooth and clean now...

"We can fix our gems..."

"But weren't these ice picks designed to shatter our gems...?"

"Technically speaking, aye. But these ice picks are made up of weak sources. The ones which that boy Denis holds are made up of a much stronger source...thou better be careful."

"In case we haven't made it in time, what would've happened?"

"Either Burnsmith or I would've wiped the place down and made sure that thou and thy guardian returned home safely in one piece."

"So, either way, we would've escaped."

"Of course. Those puny humans would've never stood a chance against us."

"Shall I burn the place down, Makkura?"

"Bet."

".........." I called Denis and decided to play dumb saying that this building suddenly caught fire and I had no idea how. He picked up the call,

"Hey Keiko, what's up?"

"Um, I'm outside the hospital which you told me about. The, uh, place where those pseudo-doctors and nurses worked at."

"Ooh, what happened? Hold on, I'll be right there."

"Wait wait."

"Hmm?"

"The building... it caught fire."

"What exactly happened? I need the full picture here."

"I'm oblivious. I do not have the full picture with me but I could give you some of the fragments I picked up."

"Fine. Tell me."

"I suffered a snake bite. I was admitted to this hospital. My mom was by my side next to my hospital bed. The building abruptly caught fire. My mom fainted and I managed to carry her unconscious body out the nearby exit. But before making it out, I found Jacob unanticipatedly."

"Something feels off here... I'll be right there, give me a few."

"W-Wait, don't hang up already-" and he hung up on me.

"Perhaps I could drop your mother at home."

"Make it quick, alright?"

"Grahah, we entities can teleport. Thou need not worry."

"Good. In that case, couldn't Burnsmith have teleported us outside earlier?"

"Hoho, well thou see... I um... didn't think about that one..."

"Classic Burnsmith."
"Hold on. You both can communicate with me at the same time too?"

"It depends on the situation."

"Well, thou see, my dear... hardly a quarter of Makkura's body is now outside, visible to thy eyes. I on the other hand am right in front of thou. It is only possible for any one of us to be there at the moment."

"That sounds about right." I turned my head to all sides and couldn't catch sight of my mom anywhere. I guess Makkura did its work.

"It is alright if I place her on the living room's couch, aye?"

"Yes yes, that's fine. Makkura, you learned the terms of furniture, it seems."

"Thou must know that I share some of thy knowledge on things..."

"Oh right, you stalk my thoughts! I forgot about that." That reminds me, what if my mom regains consciousness again? What if she starts searching for me?? I better get back home... but Denis...

"Thou better tell that boy that thou had to go home to take care of thy mother and tell that boy to meet thou at home."

"Yes, you read my mind." I dialed his number. He didn't seem to pick up... yet. I called him back, two more times. He picked up at last.

"I'll be there in about ten minutes, just wait."

"No no... could you please... meet me at my house...?"

"Why?"

"Because I can't stay here outside with an unconscious mom next to me amidst bushes under... sky which appears to be darkening, where thick, black clouds seem to be coming around... I guess it is about to rain now, too?"

"Okay, you know what."

"Yes?"

"No one will be on school grounds now. Meet me at school after getting back home safely, dropping off your mom, and assure her that everything's going to be okay."

"Hmm, fine..." I hung up before he could say anything. Makkura helped me teleport back home. I had to lie to Denis saying that my mom was lying unconscious next to me.

I placed a wet cloth over my mom's forehead, hoping that it could help lower her body temperature. I felt her body temperature to be high.

"Mmm... where am I...?"

"You're at home, mom."

"O-Oh! Dear, are you alright?! W-W-What happened?! What happened to that nurse a-and are you doing okay, dear???"

"Mom, so what happened was... I was discharged from the hospital and you um, fell unconscious all of a sudden. The staff dropped us here and wrote me the meds to get and give you. They advised me to place a wet cloth over your forehead..."

"Oh, b-but I saw the nurse's body burnt to a cris-"

"What? That must be your imagination. Nothing like that took place."

"Is that so?"

"Yes yes, you better get some rest. It is raining outside too, better if you don't head out. I'll go out to get the meds, alright? I'll go after preparing your bed upstairs."

"Oh... thank you dear..."

"No worries." Phew, she seemed to believe that. I prepared the bed for her, called her upstairs, and let her know that I was going to be heading out with the umbrella in hand. Yes, it had already started raining outside.
My mom allowed me. Makkura and Burnsmith vanished and I felt alone but I could communicate with them whenever I felt like it, however.

I was on my way to Jarret View in this weather to meet Denis.