The Chronicle

Chapter 8

I woke up with a loud ‘BANG!’ right beside my left ear. I shot open my eyes and sat up. I look around and saw Luffy was waking up too and sat up but fell asleep again. I turned my head and my nose got bumped with a staff like pipe. I rub my nose as I looking at the pipe, processed the sight.

Pipe staff.. bo staff.. ASL.. Ace..?

I look up and saw Ace looking at me with a blank look. We stare at each other for a moment before I fell down and went to sleep again, ignoring Ace completely. But I think Ace was got pissed and hit me with his bo staff. I groaned and sat up, rubbing at the bump in my head. I glared at him.

“The hell, that hurt you stupid 10-year-old kid!” I shout at him, “Shut up you brat! Wake up now or I hit you again!” he shouted back. I scowled but didn’t say anything. This time, I hit Luffy and shout, “Luffy, wake up! We need to do chores!” he groaned and sat up, rubbing his bump I make.

“..do we have to?” he asked as he rubbing his eyes. “Well if you don’t want to eat, that’s fine. But I’m not going to join you,” I said and stand up. Ace already left as I punch Luffy moments ago. Luffy whined and stood up, stretching himself. I yawned and walk around. I found my clothes here. I changed my clothes (from about a week ago Luffy and I got lost in the woods. Eww, it smelled reeks…) with bluish-green tanktop and grayish-blue shorts.

I just realized that I never use any footwear as I got thrown here. So I located a pair of sandals at the corner of the room, took them and put them on. I tied my hair into a high ponytail style and turned to saw at Luffy, who was already changed his clothes also. We went out from the room but suddenly Luffy grab me and ran outside the house and into the woods. I can hear Dadan was shouting at us as we ran outside.

“Hey you brats! Come back here and do chores!” that’s what she said before we were out of range. Luffy laughed and I sighed, “We’re after Ace again?” I ask as we ran, stumbling a little because of my wounded calf, but it’s bearable. “Yep!” he replied. I just stare at him and sighed.

We searched for Ace, everyday. But we kept being left behind. And thanks to Luffy, we got new wounds after us coming back. I sighed and observed the boy, who was huddled with me in a barrel-like bathtub. We’re taking a bath together. I closed my eyes and submerged, thinking.

After a few seconds, I rose up and hug Luffy from behind (he’s backing me by the way), before I pinched his cheek and stretch it. I dunno why, but I feel mad all of a sudden. “E-Eri’! What are you doing, it hurts!” Luffy complained. I turned and say, “Shut up! I got a feeling that tomorrow you’re gonna chasing Ace again and we’re gonna get new wounds again! And I’m really mad now because today we almost got eaten by crocodiles again!”

Every day. Every week. And months, we keep chasing after Ace. Today too, we almost died because of things. And we’ve been left behind. Repeatedly.

I banged my head on a tree for a few times really hard. I stopped and turned to see Luffy, who still had a big bump in the head from my punch from earlier because he refused to do his chores. And now he was doing it. He pursed his lips as he did his chores. I was doing the same.

I walk slowly toward Luffy as I rubbed my sore forehead. I sighed heavily and glared at nothing in particular. For some reason, I was really mad, and I really wanted to punch something. “Hey Eri’, you got huge eye bags there,” Luffy comment. I glared at him as I walk towards a wall.

That shuts him up and he paled. I stood in front the wall and start punching it. Everyone gasped as I kept punching. As I felt something flowing out from my knuckles, I struck for the last time and stopped, leaving a cracked wall behind almost a hole. I panted hard, fell on my knees and examined my bleeding knuckles.