Core: The First Step

Chapter 10: Cruising Down The Sea, With Mickey Mouse ( Tia, Stella )

( Tia )

When we entered the bus, I saw my mom discussing with the driver, " ...then, you must take this route, okay? It'll throw our scent of you." The driver simply nodded as he closed the door behind me with gears groaning. 

At first, I thought of sitting next to Stella, but apparently Violet took the only seat next to her, grinning at me like she stole my best friend away from me. I found that very disturbing because she looked more like a kidnapper than a bully with her grin. So I looked for another seat where I wouldn't feel lonely or awkward.

Then, my thoughts went to Ethan ( for some funny reason ).

Ethan was looking out of the window, maybe thinking about his siblings or his breakfast. The seat next to him was empty and his backpack was under his legs.

I was about to consider seating somewhere else, but with everyone siting by each others side, and the seats in the back looks empty and lonely, I sat next to Ethan. 

" You know, I can keep you company," Emia told me in my head. " Which will be weird, because it means I'm talking to myself. You're me, or whatever I made. Do you find that weird as well?" I questioned her. " No, I don't think so. It's not like you're saying it out loud, we're just taking telepathically," she affirmed. Well, she had a point, but it felt strange. Like someone talking to you through your head. " But there are times when I said it out loud. You do remember that, right?" I reminded her. Emia sighed, " That's because you got annoyed by my statements, such as 'You can't go there!' or 'Just go and kick that guys ass' or 'Take soy milk and and vitamins to increase your breast-"

" Oh, shut up," I muttered. Unfortunately, I remembered how much Emia bothers me, even though she didn't mean it. Probably because she's very observant and informative and tends to simply throw out facts in the right situations, but on the wrong times.

Probably because I'm the same, always observing my surroundings and informing unusual activities to someone, if not myself.

Before she said anything, Ethan coughed, " What's up?" I looked at him, dumbfounded for a moment before I realised my silence was a little strange. 

" H-Hey, I'm just wondering how we're going to pull this one off," I lied.

Ethan frowned. " Pull what off?"

" Well, my mom said we're going on a cruise ship and ride a smaller boat to Koldamton. Hopefully, some trackers will chase the wrong boat," I explained to him.

" But how did you manage to afford a cruise ship? I mean, is your leader that wealthy? And he's spending a lot just so we can go to this 'headquarters'?" he asked, amazed by our budget.

" Well, we don't exactly know how much he earns or HOW he earns, but he's that willing to spend millions to get a Level 5 to the headquarters, especially if he is a Dragon Core user," I told him. Then, I recalled what he said on the train. ' Sick of hearing him as a Level 5 or a Dragon Core user'. As I slowly turned to face him, Ethan made a sour face, although he did his best to hide it.

" S-Sorry, I forgot about that you hate being classified as...those," I apologised with a soft voice. " That's okay. I get it. But I can't imagine taking part of this...huge thing," he admitted.

I understand how he felt. My mom told me that people who sees less of themselves have a hard time believing himself playing a major or main role in something huge. As Ethan lives as a lower middle class family, a resident of Zone 26 of Kriton, he can't imagine himself being a part of saving our world, much less being a Dragon Core user.

" Well, the headquarters will teach you everything, from our REAL history and the basic ways of fighting. Someone will also teach you about Dragon Core users and their origins," I said to him. He looked surprised, as he exclaimed, " Wait! There's an origin with Dragon users? Like there's a beginning to it?"