The Enemy Beside Me + The Liar Beside Me (Book 1 and 2)

Chapter 8

'WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?'

Eien shuffles forward and then kneels, sitting on his ankles. I inwardly cringe. Zone 1 citizens have weird traditions.

'You didn't die,' Eien says matter-of-factly. His back is too upright. I wonder if he can still see me. 'I thought I would not make it in time.'

'What the hell are you saying?' I say, my voice ringing sharply. Then it dawns on me that the ringing is in my ear. I try to ignore this. 'And how did you convince my uncle to trust you?' Ally might be friendly, but he would never leave his family in a stranger's care. Because this is so out of character for him, the kid must have done something big.

'You are befuddled and, I truly understand why. I will try my best to clarify everything.' He bows slightly. 'Firstly, you were not food poisoned.'

My eyes grow big. 'I knew it! I'm a healthy person. Sure, I did some stupid stuff, but there's no way I would get food poisoning that easily!'

'Mister, forgive me for asking, but do you love talking that much?' My mouth automatically shuts out of shame.

He blinks, then proceeds with his clarifications. 'I was about to go home when I witnessed bright lights coming from your unit. I could've and should've ignored it, for it was the right thing to do. However, a part of me knew I would never be able to sleep again if I left you in agony. So I knocked, quite loudly, I'm sorry.

'Your kind uncle and his kind wife were horrified, but fortunately, they had managed to open the door despite seeing your situation. As soon as I brought down the temperature, they knew what I was, and so they let me in and let me attend to you,' he says it all without pausing.

After shooting him a hard look, I push myself off the futon. 'Are you making fun of me? Do you absolutely think I'll believe you?' I knew this kid was up to no good. He seemed dodgy the first time we met.

'Kindly ask your uncle,' he replies casually. 'Also, kindly let me be done first before you try dismissing me.'

'Fine. Talk. You better give me clear answers.' Because you're making me think like I'm too numpty to understand you, I almost add.

And talk he does...

* * * * *

'The light that I saw from your window...That was from you,' he begins. 'You, I believe, have finally awakened your ability. I did not even know you had it.'

I am stuck in a strange sort of limbo. Surely, the Lord is punishing me for not praying to Him for years. He's forcing me to listen to this tosh. I could have pushed this kid out of our drum if I had my full strength, but with exhaustion still pinning me down, I have no choice but to give him the delusion that I'm willing to listen to his fantasies.

'Ah, yeah, it's food poisoning,' I say, shushing him. If this kid isn't going to help me in any way, he'd better leave right now.

'When was the last time you've withstood such agony?' he presses on.

'The pain came out of nowhere,' I almost spill out. With careful consideration, I form my following words, 'Never,' I lie. There was one time when I was a small child.

The pond.

The houses.

It was all the same.

'You're lying. I can feel you're in pain.' The way he talks reminds me of Mum. For the first time, his English sounds natural. 'According to every piece of information I have gathered so far, there's a huge possibility that you are pyrokinetic. I once had a boon companion who had undergone parallel symptoms like you've had before discovering their pyrokinesis. Of course, as for my case, I had undergone dissimilar symptoms. I have no idea which one of us has suffered more.'

'So what you're saying is...that each of us experiences different kinds of "symptoms" before discovering our "abilities" because wow, correct me if I'm wrong, but wow.'

'To be honest, I am not quite so sure myself,' Eien says.

If I were not in such a sad condition, I woulda laughed out loud at everything he's told me. I watch his unmoving expression. Something is unsettling about him, and yet I can't quite put my finger on it.

'OK, lemme get this straight: You're saying that I am like you, that I've got a strange power or somethin'? We're some sort of X-Men? Kid, I know people still read them because they're blinding, but you can't compare comics to real-life.' It surprises me how calm I am as I lecture him. I have every right to kick him out, and yet Ally might come back soon and ask me whatever happened to my "friend".

He shakes his head, looking quite sorry for me. 'I am not familiar with the X-Men,' he says. 'If you mean men who used to be women, then I respect that.'

My mouth hangs open. 'Seriously? You know what, I don't care how ignorant you are of the real world, but please, leave me alone.'

'Have I ever lied to you?' he says so suddenly, my saliva catches in my throat. I cough, causing my chest to ache a bit. 'Have I?' he urges on. He's challenging me. I want to drop it, but he's right. He's never lied to me so far. Well, except for this extraordinary thing about me, I'm sure it's not real.

It was Mum and Ally who've been lying to me. Uncle explained that it was to teach me a lesson because I'm the type who "doesn't believe a thing until I experience it."That's a sound reason, but I can't bring myself to fully believe it. Wait...

'So you say...' I trail off, clenching and unclenching my fists as I start to feel that strange sensation again. Sweat coats my palms. When I close my eyes, I see the frozen pond I used to play in when I was a child.

Nothing is wrong with it. Except that it's on fire. It was on fire. My mother said it was a dream, so I soon forgot about it. Now, though, it's as clear as it was before.

The skin on my arms is scalding; not at all-consuming fire, but slow and steady. 'No...no. It's happening again.' My mouth twitches in pain. So this, whatever this is, comes off and on like a switch? I can't live like this. It's all too much.

Eien's hands land on my arms, I fidget, telling him to remove them, but he doesn't listen. Instead, he hums and closes his eyes. I'm about to push him away when the heat slowly leaves my body. Until there isn't any more.

My eyes drift to his fingers, then to his face. With his eyes open, I witness how his turquoise eyes have turned into pure white. I expect myself to scream, to run, and stay away from him. I know I should be panicking, but I feel calm. No, that's not the right word. My mind is still functioning. It's my body's way of assuring me that this child means no harm. Is it the sheer desire to know more now that I have the evidence right before my eyes, or is it shock? Is it this familiarity, or is it something else?

No, I know that me and Eien's first meeting was on the airport shuttle. This sensation of calmness is like sinking in a pond filled with melted ice. It's supposed to hurt, but all I can think about is its coolness.

Something is trying to snap in me, urging me to remember the last time I was in agony. It pushes me to recall how my mum came rushing towards me, holding me with her gloved hands, as she said, 'Turn it off, honey. Try to turn it off.'

Eien's hands are back on his lap; his eyes are blue-green again. 'How did you do that?' is the first thing I ask him after making sure there is no pain blooming in any part of my body.

'I control the air,' he says, his tone softening. Now he has my full attention. 'I've decreased the heat inside your body. Honestly, it was risky, but I had no choice. I couldn't leave you suffering. You and I may not appreciate each other's company, but we have to unite.'

'Why? Are we in danger?'

Eien shakes his head. 'I'm not sure.' There's a slight change in his expression, but it's gone before I could determine what it was. 'But people, more often than not, fear the unknown.'

'My uncle said you knew what to do. Does that mean he...' I sit up, rubbing my temples as a headache threatens to come. This wouldn't be the first time he's lied to me. 'He knows, right?'

His silence confirms it. My shoulders slump. It hasn't been a day yet, and I've already found out that my uncle, whom I secretly admire, has been lying to me all this time. And if that's the case, then my mum...No. Anyone can lie to my face, but not my mum.

'I don't get it,' I mutter, slowly losing consciousness again.