The Corpse of South Tserron

Chapter 8: Evelyn in their eyes part 4c Piatrice

The situation on the bus is heavy and without Raizen to comfort Piatrice and Evelyn feigning sleep, I decided to stop at a local coffee shop to defuse the situation. Justin and Anne followed as my green beach buggy, which was trailing behind us, parked along the white lines. Piatrice was calming herself down and with the sudden stop of the bus, she asked me curiously.

"Jun, why are we stopping?"

"This is a tourist attraction in South Tserron. I think you'll enjoy the view and besides, we need to stretch our legs out once in a while. Don't you feel caged in this van?"

"I guess, Do we wake up Raizen and Ashley?"

"We won't be here for long so I don't think we should wake them up."

"Okay, give me a second to calm down and I'll meet you guys inside."

I could see both Justin and Anne outside the bus and waiting for me to step out of the vehicle. As soon as I did, Anne asked me a question.

"Why did we stop?"

"You have to try the coffee here, it's a staple in South Tserron."

Anne asked curiously.

"Do they have coffee jelly?"

"The best in all of Tserron."

Anne's eyes widened and excitedly entered the semi-filled coffee shop as Justin and I followed her. We gave Anne our orders as she queued up in line while Justin and I found a table in their balcony. The view of the ocean was mesmerizing and the scent of the salty sea air wafted towards us, carried by the fresh winds. Justin looked nervous as he held the railings of the balcony. I approached him slowly an asked.

"You okay there Justin?"

With a stutter, he replied.

"Y-yeah...."

Justin's face was uneasy and I could see drops of sweat pouring at the side of his face. I quickly took his hand and went inside before Anne could even finish her order. I then said in a blissfully.

"I'm sorry Justin, your fear of heights completely slipped my mind."

Justin breathed a sigh of relief while sitting down in a table by the edge of the cafe. The line was decently long and while we waited for Anne, I asked Justin about Anne.

"So, how's the 'moment' going for you?"

Justin chuckled before replying.

"Oddly enough, we talked a lot about college and how it would change us. The final few days of our High school lives and how much school work we would be doing."

"Anything else?"

"Well, she did mention her likes in a person."

"What is that?"

"Well, she likes someone mature, dependent, and patient. I'm just glad that I fit those categories."

The truth is, Justin is far from patient but he is a dependable person. If he is mature or not is up for debate but I wouldn't get his hopes up just yet. The delightful smell of brewed coffee blows over towards our direction as Raizen carried the tray while Evelyn and Piatrice trailed behind him. Piatrice looked at fine even though she burst out in tears while Evelyn didn't hide the fact that she was hurt. Her tired eyes gave a message and her uneasy smile was painful to look at and the moment she looked at me, I knew that I had to talk to her. I stood up and said.

"Do you guys mind if I and Ashley talk by the balcony?"

They gave each other worried looks before agreeing. Evelyn took her cup and went straight to a table by the balcony. As I took mine, I gave them a comforting look and told them.

"It's nothing serious, She just remembers something."

Piatrice stood up and whispered in my ear with a worried tone.

"Jun, update me on Ashley. I heard her crying in the van but I didn't want to make her cry even more so I pretended not to notice."

I gave her a reassuring look and nodded my head as I took my drink and headed straight to the balcony. We were lucky that there were only a few people in the balcony and as I sat down, I asked her.

"Is she the reason why you wanted to come out?"

Tears came dropping down as the words entered her ears. She sipped her black coffee to lessen the tears but they started to pour down. She screamed in pain as she gripped the mug firmly while bursting into tears. I looked back at the group and saw them all having cheerful discussions except for Piatrice who looked at us with a worried gaze. I gave her a thumbs up and a reassuring smile and made sure that she looked away before I gently pat Evelyn's back as I pulled her closer for an embrace. 

The bond these two had was very close and even if Evelyn is in another body, their friendship is still seen.It makes sense when I think about it, Evelyn has always been there whenever Piatrice felt sad and she would often find Piatrice whenever I converse with the group. It's been more than 10 days since she came back to life and I want her to live as Evelyn instead of Ashley.