The Shadows Within Children's Footsteps (Hiatus/exams)

3- Eat Me

"Is he that bad?" Theo asked, looking around. "Where is he anyway?"

"Who knows?" Hugo answered in an indifferent tone. "Almost never at the cabin day and night, that guy. Venturing in the forest where no one else dares to go. Does everything in his pace. Never really there in school either, most of the time. He aint a Scabbard, Lillin. Only trained as one. But, there ain't more Scabbards out there so maybe the klank count as one now? Know not,  I."

Theo blinked, getting the gist of what a Scabbard is. From the sound of it, it seems likely that a Scabbard is like a partner or a guide. From what he knew about Scabbard, it is a sheath where people put their swords, dagger or bayonets in. If he were to think about it using the logical approach, a Scabbard may be a person taking the role of a bodyguard.

Then again, in this new world he just plunged into, does this logic even apply?

"But..." Hugo trailed off, breaking Theo's train of thoughts. Those golden eyes stared at one point of distance, as if he was having second thoughts. "Good kid, he is, maybe. Does what he's told. Probably heavily misunderstood coz the bastard is a bastard."

Now, Theo was more than bewildered. Just a while ago, the elf was listing out all the bad qualities about his Scabbard, but now, he was saying something good about him? Whoever this Psyche person was, he must be quite a character to make him indecisive like that.

"Anyway, don't get the bad side of him, it'd be best." Hugo said before letting out a huge yawn. Just seeing him do that, Theo remembered how tired he was and yawned as well.

"Welp, off to bed. Nighty night. Big Day tomorrow Lillin. Best be prepared."

Before Theo had the chance to reply, the lights were already out and there were some shuffling sounds above him. Frowning, he waited for a few seconds and sure enough, he heard soft snores of his roommate drifting out to the air. This made him chuckle in amusement.

That poor elf must had been told to expect a new roommate and greet him, but Theo had been a complete douchebag by sleeping the whole day at the office, causing Hugo to lose precious amounts of sleep.

After a while, Theo realized that he too, was drifting in and out of consciousness. The world was a blur, and random images seemed to float around in the pool of his thoughts, as though they were blowing about like a vicious hurricane.

He then slumped on the bed without a care in the world. He stroked his fingers along the silken, white mattress, pressed his cheek onto the cool, velvet pillows. The comforter was thick and soft, as if he was on a billowing cloud. Before long, warmth and darkness enveloped him and Theo wanted no more than to succumb to the call of sleep.

That is, when he heard something.

It was soft, faint, like a baby's whisper, but it was due to this sound, Theo jerked awake. To say that he was startled would be an understatement. He did not know why, but something about that sound spooked him. It reminded him of something, but he could not bring himself to recall what.

A picture comes to mind, but it was hazy, like a swarm of bees filling his vision. Pushing himself out of the bed, Theo waited, straining his ear to see if he could hear it again. For several seconds, nothing but the snores of his elfin roommate greeted him and it made Theo wonder whether he hallucinated the sound after all.

Just when he was about to melt into his bed again, he heard that noise which sent him jerking up again. To his misfortune however, this action caused him to hit his head on the platform on the bed above him. He hissed in pain, clutching the back of his throbbing head with both hands as he stifled his groans with the pillow lest the noise would wake the other roommate up.