The Cursed Gift

Part 20: Reality

A wave of nervousness washed over Clausia almost immediately, but she forced herself to push that anxiety aside. She can't just stand there and panic.

She wandered around the huge school, finding it weird that that were no students here despite the fact that is was lunch break. That meant that Clausia had nobody to ask for directions, and her pulse quickened.

She was surrounded by blocks of buildings, the tall structures look like it was going to loom over her, mock her, crush her. Her heart constricted.

Standing in the daylight,the sun blocked by the buildings of classrooms, she noticed something at the far end of the block.

A shadow of a person.

Clausia was so relieved she could hardly breathe. She hurried towards the shadow, thinking that she can finally not get lost.

"What?!"

Clausia stopped in her tracks. There was another person? She silently peered over, seeing two familiar faces in the dark shadows of the building.

Kize and Yosei.

"You lost Clausia?" Kize hissed, looking disappointed and enraged at the same time.

"What can I do?" Yosei shrugged. "She ran away because of you."

"You were supposed to accompany her!" Kize was raising his voice now. Clausia decided to step in before it could get any worse.

"Kize... Do you love her?" Clausia stopped. All she thought now was, I shouldnt be hearing this.

Clausia wanted to run away.

Yet why wont my body move? Her body trembled. Why do I want to hear the answer?

Yosei and Kize locked eyes for a moment.

"I want to protect her. She saved me but I want able to. I regret all that I've done. She's been through the same torture and pain that I did, yet she still smiles. For everyone. Unlike me."

Kize sighed, his gaze lowered and faraway. Yosei remained quiet.

"We should go." Kize said, and slapped Yosei on the back. Clausia let out a small gasp, and hid behind a pillar. She felt lightheaded, but she pushed herself to snap to attention.

"If I follow them, I will be able to get back," Clausia muttered, and silently trailed them.

~♢~

If anything, Clausia felt uncomfortable.

Kize was still smiling at her, beside her, in class, as if nothing happened. A pang of guilt throttled Clausia deep in the chest, and now she felt like she was nothing but an eavesdropper.

"Cherry!" The teacher's voice boomed. Clausia was pulled back to reality.

"Well? Do you know the answer?" She snarled. Clausia stared at her, wondering what answer she was talking about. She bit her lip.

Well, I'm in deep shit, aren't I.

It was then Kize wrote a huge "d" on his paper and circled it.

"The answer is (d)." Misa said loud and clear, not wanting to repeat it, or she might break down from the huge burden of guilt. The teacher arched her eyebrow, but nodded and motioned for her to sit down.

Clausia felt nothing but an emptiness in her heart, inside is just a space of stale, pure guilt that swarmed around it, making her hearf ache so much she wanted to cry. Kize helped her. Kize made her smile. He did everything in his power to make sure she had the best day in school.

But this wasn't just repaying his debts. He thought that it was him who was the one pulling her down. But he was wrong. Time and time again Clausia was nothing but a burden. Kize had to help her. Yosei had to guide her. Misa had to protect her.

It was all it took to make Clausia's eyes sting.

She buried her face into her textbook.

Reality sure hurts.

Kize stared at her for a moment, before resting his hand on her head, rubbing it.

So many happened all at once. It couldn't have been worse.

Or at least that was what Clausia thought would happen.

~♢~

When Clausia walked out of the school gate, all she saw was Misa and her two friends waiting for her.

"We have a doctor appointment to do."

So now Clausia is at the clinic, waiting outside the doctor's room, wondering what Misa is talking about with the doctor inside. Her body is swarmed with mixed feelings.

Then the door opened and Misa stepped outside. Her face was grim.

Clausia's heart squeezed.

"Clausia, lemme talk to you for a while," Misa said and she nodded.

"Alone."

That day, in a rush of unexpected events, this one could probably be the most expected.

But it seems that reality just had to make the most expected one hurt the most.