Sinister (COMPLETED / TO BE REWRITTEN)

2 👣 The Kick

Today's the second day after Ece's disappearance. Also a day after the officials barged into his house, declaring its confiscated state.

And the first day Raiden's found red petals scattered near his residence.

Raiden's florist-eyes disagree with their roselike impressions. He crouches on the unswept brick path, picks a petal and caresses its surface.

"Anemone." He says, scrunching his nose, where the debt collector's fist landed yesterday. He unclasps the orange-cornered petal as its toxical behavior's reacting.

His missing parents used to hate red. Having them in their garden was a taboo. And Raiden's never found a single red petal ever since.

Even the infamously rebellious Ece hasn't dared to oppose that unwritten law.

Raiden's eyes water as he hunts the rest of the petals. Both from the longing tears and the anemone's toxical side effects.

How many flowers were wasted just to form this trail, which is now misshapen, leads nowhere, and tails itself in a haphazard loop?

Ece's giving him a necessary hardship indeed.

What has Ece gotten herself into, that she had to leave without everything but her outfit and purse? She should've been here with him, not adding the burden on his hunched shoulders.

Is having a confiscated house not enough for a week's torture?

Not to mention their parents' piling debts to the local banks and these streetwalk gangsters. His weekly jobs as a florist, truck driver, and a caretaker at daycare aren't enough to mend the problems they had caused.

The chewing wind of April embraces his makeshift shirt, forcing him to huddle behind the sprawling blackberry bushes circling the fountain at the center of the garden. Their decorations prick his arms, yet he prefers them over his emptied house.

Those men took his possessions, revealing the hidden spider webs and dens. The barren situation has officially plunged him into reality—a hellish competition called 'world'.

Where should he live after this? Should he ask for Grandma Quartz's permission to stay in the shop's storage temporarily? Or Mr. Nakai to assign him with a certain truck, so he can also stay within? Is living in a daycare considered plausible? Will his traveler of a neighbor, Eugene, be kindhearted enough to sympathize over his miseries?

Shucks. Cut it off. Why is he speaking like an ill-fated person? It should've been only a dark week for him.

But there's Ece to worry about. And these petals, which no doubt sourced from her. Reporting her disappearance to the officials may result in another thunderstorm in their relationship. Like last month.

"Never interact with the officials, do you get me?" She glowers, her fists clenching on the disconnected telephone. "Even if I'm gone, déng yī xià—wait."

Now, does she still expect him waiting after two news-less days?

Neither the cloth-shredding pricks or the scorching afternoon can alert Raiden of a new neighbor's arrival with her pickup, minutes later.

How he'll tear up at her transformations the moment she comes to his sight.

👣

A/N: Thanks for have gotten this far. If you enjoy it, please let me know what you think. Or if you're still dissatisfied or dislike something, just point it out. I'll do everything (straight) when it comes to fix my stories. Your supports are much appreciated! If only I can find the perfect word to describe my gratitude to y'all.