The Hundred First Generation: The Ancient Power Returns

Chapter Twenty Five

I took a step forward and gently rapped my knuckles against the wood of the door before me. I didn't understand how I was possibly so calm after the conversation that I had just shared with Finley. I was normally the type to panic in situations like this one, but instead, I was standing here like nothing had happened. Maybe it was sort of like those times when something so wild and crazy happened that the people involved were left somewhat numb to anything else that the world had to throw at them for a select period of time. Truth be told, that made a lot more sense to me than thinking that this didn't bug me, as that straight up made no sense. 

I was snapped out of my thoughts when the door opened to show a girl standing before me. Her hair was an extremely pale color that was cut short to bob just above her shoulders in small curls. Her eyes were a pastel blue color. She wore a pink kimono with a gold sash tied around the waist. 

"Hey," I said awkwardly. 

I had seen this girl more times than I could count before this point in time. Li, or Elina as she went by around me, was a rather shy yet kind girl I had known for years upon years. I had grown somewhat close to her over the years, though I wouldn't go so far as to consider her anything more than that. I highly doubted that she thought of me as a best friend, and I thus didn't want to think of her as such. 

"H-hello..." Elina stammered nervously. She wasn't exactly the most bold person on the face of the Earth, and that was becoming pretty obvious as we stood there, staring at each other with halfway blank expressions. "W-what are you doing here?"

"I need to talk to you about something," I told her. "It's really important. Do you think that we'd be able to come in?"

"Who are these people?" asked Elina with a deep frown. She ignored my question and instead gestured to Corrine, Arianna, and Viveca, who were standing nearby. Arianna and Viveca shot her a small wave while Corrine merely nodded her head in reply. 

"I've made a few new friends," I said awkwardly. I gestured to each one of the girls as I said their names so Elina could take note mentally of who they all were. "This is Corrine, Viveca, and Arianna."

"Do they live around here?" asked Elina. 

I shook my head. "No, but that's a bit of a long story... They don't exactly speak the language either," I told her. "You'll have to trust me on this, but-"

"I-I don't know..." Elina murmured. "My parents always told me not to talk to strangers..."

"I'm not a stranger, El," I assured her. "You've known me as long as you can remember. That has to mean something, right? Can you trust me on this for a few minutes while we explain what's going on?"

Elina looked over the three girls for a moment, a frown on her lips, before letting out a sigh. She opened the door so that it was wide enough for us all to pass through. "It's just us here. My parents are out for the time being. I'm sure that they'll be back soon, and they aren't fans of me having people over without their knowing first, so it would probably be best if you all tried to be gone before they returned," she told us. I got the feeling that she still wasn't entirely convinced that letting us inside, and truth be told, I didn't blame her. I know that I would be a bit hesitant if a girl I didn't know completely showed up on my doorstep with a few others, begging that I trust her. I'd be a bit confused and unsure at best, and at worst, I'd probably not allow them entry into my house at all. I was probably lucky that she was giving us even a little bit of time to talk things out with her. 

Elina led us into the main room of the house after shutting the door behind us. She took a seat on the couch and gestured for us to do the same. Arianna, Viveca, and I all did so, squeezing together to fit without making Elina uncomfortable. Corrine responded with a shake of her head, instead choosing to stand off to the side and watch everything play out. 

"We need your help," I began to say. "I know that this is going to sound really weird, but-"

"I would like to know where these three came from first," Elina said firmly with a frown. 

"I will, but you have to promise me that you won't tell anyone. It's meant to be secret, so if you say anything... Bad things might happen. I'm not entirely sure what those bad things would be in specific detail, but I know that they would be pretty bad," I told her. 

"All of this is sounding rather flaky to me," said Elina. "I'm not sure if going along with this is truly in my best interest."

"I know that this sounds bad. Going into this conversation, I was sure that you'd be a tad bit confused and unhappy with how things were going to play out. Honestly, you're taking it better than I suspected that you would, but... You're going to have to trust me for a little while longer, okay?" I asked. 

Elina shook her head and let out a sigh. "I suppose that I have nothing to lose from listening to whatever it is that you have to say," she said. She met my eyes, her sapphire orbs piercing my soul in the quiet yet somewhat threatening way that you'd expect her to. "What exactly is going on? What is it that you need to talk to me about so desperately? I expect answers, Renee, and I'd like them as soon as you can give them."

----------------------------------------------------

my current mood is low key screeching bc that's my constant mood

-Digital