Mari: Year One [Completed]

Chapter Three: Shadow of the Day

Mari walked home, enjoying the slow death of the day, Jessamine separated herself at the gate, as they went in two different directions. Jessamine had at least an hour's worth of commutes to do in order to get home, while Mari simply had to walk.

"It feels wrong." Mari told herself as she walked, oblivious now to the stares of the people around her, it seems like for the moment; memories of the day that passed shielded her from the cyclical bombardment of emotions and desires from strangers.

"Is she genuinely attracted to me or is she simply enthralled by my own sick existence?" she pondered, she felt a genuine connection to Jessamine earlier. Yet she held her ground, as firmly and as playfully as she could. When she was around Jessamine, she could feel like all of these idiotic and droll feelings from strangers were dampened.

"It's not like I can have a normal relationship..." Mari continued, the pull of Jessamine, coupled with the feeling of attraction that she emanated towards Mari. "It's going to take all of my will to pursue anything... and at the end of it all, I am afraid I might lose myself and..." she stopped the thought from fully manifesting.

She clicked her tongue in annoyance, "Love... for this barren wasteland of a monster?"

Mari clenched her fist angrily, her nails digging into her palms, making it bleed. There was no physical pain in the act and she looked at it angrily, cursing her existence.

"How dull. I cannot feel pain, yet I yearn for something that will inevitably lead me to it." she mumbled, she arrived at the apartment complex where Miss Matulin was sweeping the front street.

"Got home safely ah?" she greeted Mari warmly, who waved at her, "Good, good. Don't go out much at night, Marinelle, two holdapers were brutally killed last night!"

"Oh?" Mari asked, "What happened, Miss Matulin?"

"The news said they were attacked by a rabid animal, maybe an oso." she said, "But what would an oso be doing here in Malate?"

Mari shrugged, "Maybe some politician's pet got loose?"

"Maybe, ay, ewan, these politicians talaga with their sick hobbies!" Miss Maliksi concluded, agreeing with Mari.

"Well, it's good that they were muggers, isn't it?" Mari asked, realizing that the bear was probably someone she knows, and closely so.

"Yes, but what if it were someone else, like you, or my son, or my husband?" Miss Matulin droned on, "Speaking of, do you have someone in your life, Mari?"

Mari chuckled, "Miss Matulin, you know better than to ask me that, I'm a student, I don't need any other distractions." It was a lie of course.

"Well, if you change your mind, my son is single. Maybe you can go out with him and he can learn to be a man or something."

"I'll keep it in mind, but no promises." Mari said with a smile as she entered the apartment building.

Her apartment was bare, as bare as its walls. She managed to scrounge up enough money, well, it's more than enough money to keep a small country afloat for a year or so, due to her own antics a few months back.

Mari grinned as she laid on her bed, she preferred this type of setting. She had enough money to move to a luxurious apartment, a condominium even, but she found solace in the silence of the place. If it were only possible, she would stay here for as long as she wanted.

"Now then..." Mari muttered to herself, focusing her thoughts trying to find a hint of hunger. There was no response other than the usual ebb and flow of said hunger, it wasn't roaring, it wasn't yearning for flesh or death.