It wasn’t all too long until Risk contacted me again. It was after I had finished work for the night and I was on my way home. He leapt off one of the two-story hotel buildings and landed on the footpath in front of me. He walked up to me and patted me on the back with a smile on his face.
“What do you want? Shouldn’t you be in hiding or something? I think Sinclair might be out to kill you.”
“Hmm na, who cares about that. I came out to ask if you want to have a race.”
“Huh? Why would I want to have a race? I want to go home; it’s been a long day,” I whined as he was getting himself pumped up.
“Well, when I was running from you, I noticed you were pretty fast. I thought it could be kind of fun.”
“Dude, you kidnapped my girlfriend, of course I was going to be fast. That being said, why would I want to have any sort of fun with you?”
“Hey, it wasn’t my idea to kidnap her. Stop being such a stick in the mud and race me already.”
“Sigh. Fine, if it will get you off my case. Let’s do this then.”
We set ourselves and said we’d run to the café down the road, about a kilometre. We bolted as soon as the next car passed, which was our start. I only just kept up with him as I sprinted so fast that my legs felt like they would give out at any second. I looked to his face which had a cheeky grin; everything else besides us was a blur. When we stopped at the front of the café, I pulled out my phone to see not even a minute had passed. My eyes widened at the thought that we might have just broken some sort of record. I struggled to catch my breath while Risk walked around with his hands behind his head, only breathing a tiny bit heavier than before.
“See, that was fun, right? Ha-ha-ha.”
“Yeah, I guess so. Huff.” I replied in between breaths.
I was only beginning to realise how much of a carefree guy Risk was. We sat down on a bench to rest a bit and I spoke with him. I felt like I was in less danger with every passing second I spent conversing with him.
“You know I’m sure you could have guessed, but I haven’t always been like this.”
“Yeah, I figured. Johnson said you were once friends?”
“Yeah, we were, but then…I guess you could say that I died. We were waiting to fight some gangsters, the fight never happened and instead we were chased through Fellbroke by one of those monsters. As we ran, Johnny jumped a fence and I went to follow. Johnny got away, but I was hit with a car that was thrown by the monster. I died two days later from my injuries in hospital and life went on for everyone else.”
“This hospital, it wasn’t the one out on the outskirts was it?” I asked already knowing the answer.
“Yeah, it was. So, you’ve been there? Then you should know exactly what kind of stuff went on there. Next thing I knew I woke up covered in blood on a hospital bed and Sinclair was explaining what happened to me.”
“He brought you back…I doubt it was out of the kindness of his heart. What did he do to make you want to kill him?”
He softly laughed and looked up to the moon with his bright red eyes.
“He trained me to use my body how it is now. So, I’m both really fast and strong. Chuckle. I could even be a superhero if I wanted to be, but instead he made me kill people I had never even heard of…more than anything I just missed my parents.”
“Why don’t you be one?” I asked half seriously.
“What? The whole superhero thing? Get out of here, you think I could? Na, I see my parents every so often and they’re always happy to see me, that’s good enough for me,” he answered his own question before I said anything.
“And what are you planning on doing after you kill Sinclair?”
“Well, I guess I’ll do the same thing you’re trying to do. Find some nice girl, find my own place for the both of us and settle down. I’m getting the vibe you don’t think I can pull off killing him.”
“You don’t really seem like a killer and the whole revenge thing doesn’t really suit you.”
“Chuckle. I wish I could agree with you, but I’ve bloodied my hands a few times too many. Well, I should get going. The others are probably shaking in their boots waiting around for me in the open. See ya around, Wade.” Just like that he took to the rooftops and disappeared from sight. I walked the rest of the way home and when I entered through the front door into the lounge room, I noticed the house was quiet. Celia was sitting on the couch with Kitten; they were laughing with one another. I found it odd that they weren’t in their room.
“Hey, what’s up? Where is everyone? The house is pretty quiet,” I asked, and they told me not to worry and to go try to relax. I didn’t question it too much and after changing out of my clothes drenched in sweat, I rested in my bed. I was flicking through my phone, trying to find any articles related to all the incidents involving Sinclair, both past and present. No matter where I looked, I found no solid connections or he seemed unrelated. I gave up looking into it for the time being and listened to some music and shut my eyes. I was feeling hungry, so I didn’t relax for too long and instead I went to make myself a sandwich in the kitchen. As I walked through the hallway, I passed Nami, Sophia, Anne and Angel; they were all in towels after getting out of the bath. Angel nervously waved at me and I did the same, only to keep walking. I got my sandwich and the house became loud again as the girls fooled around in the lounge room after they were dressed. I went to my room and Angel was lying on the bed in one of my shirts. Her hair was still wet from the bath and dampened the bed.
“Have you been running again lately? You look more tired than usual,” she asked me as she climbed on top of me.
“Yeah, I was. On my way home tonight, but I wasn’t in any sort of danger or anything.”
She hugged me and rested her head beside mine. I could have fallen asleep right then and there if it wasn’t for a loud abrupt scream from Sophia coming from down the hall. “Oh Jason!” We were used to hearing this by now, but it never got any less uncomfortable to hear. I stepped out of my room as I opened the door and yelled down the hall, telling them to shut up. As I did, I turned around to see Celia who had done the same. We couldn’t help but laugh as we faced each other.
“Hey, give me a sec, okay?” she said to me in a friendlier tone than what I was used to.
“Um okay, sure.”
Celia brought Kitten out of her room and went inside mine for a little while, until things eventually quieted down. Celia was wearing some blue denim shorts and a black t-shirt while Kitten basically wore the same, but with black and blue stockings.
“That was some scary stuff you two got yourself into last week.”
“Yeah, it was…I saw there was an article about us in the newspaper after the incident. It’s kind of scary to think that eventually all of Fellbroke’s gonna know our names if we keep getting caught up in this stuff,” Angel trembled as she spoke, and we were able to see just how uncomfortable she was with the tension in the air that lingered after the incident. I wasn’t sure what to say to her. I was confident that I was capable of stopping anything too bad from happening to us, but at the same I felt I wasn’t strong enough as a person to promise her anything. I became lost in thought until I noticed the girls were staring at me, including Angel who was leaning against me.
“Wade, are you alright?” Kitten asked me after I came back to my senses.
“I’m sorry I zoned out for a bit, what were you saying?”
“I asked if you two are feeling any better since that night?”
I didn’t really know how to answer for the both of us. I didn’t have to though as Angel spoke up about her thoughts on the past week.
“The past week has been scary. Every time I go to work, I think about how I could be kidnapped again or more of my Dad’s monsters could up and appear to hurt those I love…it’s terrifying, but I’m trying not to think about any of that, so I keep on smiling,” she said softly.
“Sorry Angel, we didn’t mean to open up old wounds.”
“It’s okay, Celia, you’re just checking up on us the same way we would for you.”
“Giggle. Angel you’re so humble and honest, beautiful to top all of it off, but here you are in nothing but a plain old t-shirt. I wonder how you do it sometimes, that’s all.”
“Thank you very much Cat…” She laughed anxiously while pulling down on the edge of her shirt with a rosy blush in her pale face. It was at that moment Anne walked by and saw her like this. She barged into the room from after peeking through the door and tackled Angel against the bed.
“You? When are you going to be leaving already, freeloader?” Celia yelled at her.
“That’s not very nice blondie, come to think of it you’re the only blonde in this house.”
“Ms Anne, that’s a sensitive topic for her,” Cat tried to simmer them down.
“Why? Because Amy’s not around anymore? I’m just surprised she was the only one to inherit her features.”
“You knew my mother?” Celia asked in utter disbelief; she wasn’t aware of everything I knew.
“Yup, only for a short time though, and I never really talked to her all that much, but she always smiled at me. You look a lot like her, those big yellow eyes and that beautiful long blonde hair. The only difference is I haven’t seen you smile yet,” Anne was stern with her. I wasn’t really sure why. Celia looked to the floor, trying not to let her get to her, although it was far too late for that. Anne kissed her on the forehead and everyone in the room couldn’t hide the panic in their expressions.
“M-Ms Anne what are you doing?” Cat stuttered with nervous sweat running down her face. Angel and I went dead silent as we watched things play out. Celia stayed quiet and she stared Anne in the eyes. Her face was red, and she was very upset.
“I hate you almost as much as the old bitch that has my dad on a leash.”
“I’m sorry, it was meant to be a joke. I acted without thinking.”
Slap. Celia smacked Anne’s hand away as she tried to pet her on the head. Celia looked to the bandages on her hand as it trembled, and a single tear fell from her eye as she walked out of the room. Next thing that could be heard was the door being slammed behind her as she walked into her room and locked the door.
“Celia! Open the door! I can’t get back inside my house without the key! Sigh. Is it alright if I stay here tonight?” Cat asked us after being locked out of Celia’s room. We both nodded hastily.
“She hates me now, doesn’t she? Can’t say it feels good,” Anne said softly to herself.
“I warned you. I’m sorry, she’s not usually like this,” Cat tried apologising for her.
“No, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t just do whatever I want with whoever I want. I’m such an idiot…why am I like this?” Anne continued to put herself from down from the guilt.
“Anne, are you okay?” She hushed me as I asked.
“I’m fine! – I’m fine I mean. I’m just sick of screwing everything up.”
We all noticed the noise from down the hall had been quiet for a little while now. We looked to the doorway to see Sophia in nothing but her bra and panties.
“S-Sophy? Why are you here?” Anne panicked as she saw Sophia’s eyes burning bright red.
“Anne!” she screamed slowly and furiously; she knew what happened and was less than impressed. Anne was then dragged away by the back of her shirt into the bathroom and a splash could be heard a few moments later along with some muffled yelling.
“Mama?” Angel said as she watched her walk off.
“I see where Angel gets her looks from now…does she do that often?” Kitten was covered in sweat at this point.
“Simmer down Kitten, a woman like her would eat you alive,” I scolded her.
“Right, sorry,” she apologised as she ran her hand through her blue hair.
My bed was cramped with three people that night after Angel insisted that Kitten should sleep with us. I had a lot on my mind as I tried to sleep, how I could make Celia feel better, but also my meeting with Risk earlier that night. Three became four when I woke up that morning. To my left was Angel fast asleep and to my right was the bedroom wall. On top of me was Anne, out like a light. I went to get up, but she squeezed me tight as I moved myself. I saw Dad walk by my room and I got his attention by knocking on the wall.
“Eh son, do I need to ask about this?” He pointed to me as Angel and Anne smothered me.
“This is not harem, just pull me out already,” I said in a frustrated tone and he yanked me out of bed with one arm while holding his coffee in the other.
“That’s a relief then, I was afraid I was going to have to lecture about this kind of stuff, it’s pretty awkward ha-ha-ha,” he laughed as upbeat and moronically as ever.
“Sigh. Thanks, you know what happened last night, right?”
“Huh? What happened? Wait, Wade did you really have a foursome…?”
“No! Get it out of your head, old man!” I went on to explain why Celia was upset and he finally managed to get up to speed of the conversation. Dad had a set of keys to every room in the house, so he unlocked Celia’s door to see her asleep on her bed. When she slept, she looked like a whole other person entirely and it was the longest we could stare at her without being yelled at. I grabbed Kitten’s things and placed them next to my bed and I started getting ready for work. I made coffee for both Dad and I. After I was finished, I washed my mug in the sink and I went to turn around to talk to Dad.
“Hey Dad, what time do you think you’ll be home today?” As I said that I saw Celia; she hugged me without saying anything. “Celia, what’s wrong?” I said to her as I tried to look to her eyes hidden beneath her hair.
“Hug me back or I’ll split that stupid lip of yours.”
I didn’t say another word and did as she asked. She hugged me for about a minute or so and then walked away. She passed the girls that were just waking up as they were walking through the hallway. She smiled warmly at Angel, and Kitten was ecstatic.
“Celia, I’m so proud of you! You’re being cute and nice to others!” she yelled in an excited tone.
“Go home Kitten, I’m taking a day to have some me time,” she said as she closed her door behind her.
“What’s with her?” Anne asked as she filled a glass of water at the sink.
“No idea,” Dad and I answered simultaneously.
I went to work that day like usual and I met up with Johnson in the main lobby of the building and we used the elevator together. I didn’t tell him about my meeting with Risk last night and instead talked about what happened with Celia, both the good and the bad. He didn’t say anything, but he was worried about her as he shook his head. We went to our offices and we noticed Mr Smith touring someone around the office block.
“Hmm a new employee I suppose?” Johnson said after a quick glance over his office wall.
“Yeah, I guess you’re right,” I said casually.
“And here’s the finance section where our employees, Johnson and Wade, handle and keep track of the company’s spending,” Rex introduced us to a young woman in a navy-blue suit and skirt with dark brown hair tied up in a ponytail. I looked to Johnson and he did the same to me and then we stared at the girl.
“It’s nice to meet you…” She froze up as she recognised us; it was the woman among the freaks from last week.
“Uh Cindy, are you alright? Wait what’s that look for, guys?” Rex asked us, and we tried to play our shock off.
“Oh, it’s nothing, sir. We just weren’t expecting a new employee today that’s all,” Johnson tried to cover for us.
“I see. Wait, ‘sir?’ I thought I told you guys to call me Rex.”
“Sorry Rex, it’s a habit of his, remember?”
“Oh well, I’m putting Cindy in the finance sector with you guys okay? Try to get along.”
He walked away and three of us took an exhausted breath out before we confronted each other.
“What are you doing here?” I asked her.
“I’m getting a job like everyone else, got a problem with that?”
“Ma’am. You eat people. So, yes I have a problem with it,” Johnson said sternly.
“I’m done with that. I just want to be normal like everyone else.”
“You say that, yet I find that hard to believe,” I said sceptically.
We soon noticed that she would be sharing the office with us after we were done arguing with each other. Johnson showed her the ropes while I tried to get as much done as possible since our sector had been a bit lacking lately from all the time I took off because of the incident. We spent nearly the entire day teaching her everything and it was after work we spoke to her about what she really wanted. We waited out the front of the building and everyone else had gone home for the night. The three of us of us leant against the concrete wall of the building.
“So, Cindy. How’d you become involved with those people?”
“Just call me Cin and as for how I got involved with those psychopaths and monsters, well it was after I met Risk. I’ve kind of been with him ever since.”
“But you’re not his girlfriend?” I asked curiously, but by doing that I had said too much.
“How’d you know that? I never said I wasn’t.”
“Lucky guess, but you want to be, don’t you?”
Johnson stared at me; he was surprised with how forward I was, a lot more than usual anyway.
“Wait, have you been talking to him? Has he said anything about me behind my back?” Her tone slowly shifted to a more malicious one as she said that.
“Yeah, I talked to him once. He didn’t say anything about you though. Why? What do you think he could be saying about you?”
“Just forget it. I don’t have to talk to you about this kind of stuff. I guess I do have to be a little grateful though. You two really made me feel like I belonged here today, like for a day I was perfectly normal. Thank you for that.”
She told us we could head off without her. Johnson offered her a lift home, but she said the drive was too far for such an offer.
“Hmm do you live out of the city? All the trains are finished for the night.”
She shook her head and explained she lived in the centre of Fellbroke inside a grand hotel, the same one as Anne lived in. It was hours away from our work by foot so, we were baffled.
“Risk is running me home every night after work, he said he doesn’t mind.”
“West sounds as if he’s matured a lot since I last spoke with him.”
“Oh yeah, he’s really something now,” Cin said nervously and it was seconds later that we saw him come sprinting down the street. He stopped in his tracks when he saw us and quickly leapt back behind a tiled roof of one of the neighbouring buildings. “It’s okay; we’re not in any sort of trouble,” she called out into the open street. He came crashing down in front of us, smiling somewhat boastfully.
“Long time no see, Johnny.”
“You look well compared to the last time I actually had a good look at you.”
“Well yeah, it’s kind of hard not to since y’know, I bit the dust and all.”
He looked to me and waved. I did the same, but we stayed silent as Cin got his attention by tugging on the back of his shirt.
“Hey Risk, do you mind if you stay the night after you drop me home?”
“Sure, I don’t mind. Guess it’d feel strange if I wasn’t sharing a den with you.”
Cin’s face lit up like a candle while Johnson and I stood there with forced smiles on our faces as Risk cluelessly played along. He casually picked her up in his arms and said his goodbyes. Cin waved goodbye with an accomplished smile on her face. They pretty much vanished and Johnson gave me a lift home.
“What a bunch of strange people we’ve met over these past few months,” Johnson said to me as we pulled up at the front of my house.
“No kidding. The Natsuki’s and everyone involved with them, they’re wild to be around.”
“Take care of yourself, Wade; things were simpler when it was just the two of us.”
I thanked him and went inside. I walked past everyone and went straight up to my room where I dropped my stuff and fell on the carpet. No one was in my room for once, so it felt good to just lie there. It wasn’t long though until I saw my phone light up with an incoming call, I almost didn’t want to answer it until I saw it was only from Dan.
“Hey what’s up?” I said with my face against the carpet.
“I’m working in the café tomorrow and I was wondering if you want to come by for a bit?”
“Yeah, sure I guess. It’s better than being stuck at home all day. Is Em gonna be there?”
“Yep, so be sure to bring Angel along, alright.”
I agreed, and we made plans to meet up for tomorrow. I got changed and went to go to bed when I bumped into Angel while she was in the bath as I went to go brush my teeth. It wasn’t awkward for the both of us to be around each other like this anymore. I sat on the edge of the bath while she floated with arms crossed over the bath with her head resting against them. She asked me how my day was, and I told her all about the new recruit. Angel happily listened to me while she played with her long black hair. I tried to ask her the same, but that’s when she wrapped her arms around my neck and rubbed her wet cold face against mine. Her soft dripping body pressed against my back, drenching my shirt and her long dark hair fell heavy against the right side of my body.
“How my day was? Let’s just say it could do with some love.” She kissed me and time I really came back to my senses was when I woke up late into the next morning, lying in only a pair of shorts beside a half-asleep giddy Angel covered by only the sheets.
“Hey Angel, wake up. We’re going out soon,” I poked her on the cheek to try and get her moving; she smiled and held me tighter.
“Stop, that tickles,” she said softly.
“Huh? But I didn’t…”
“Wade!” she shrieked while still asleep. I could only imagine what she was dreaming of.
About an hour after we fully woke up, we went to the café. It was a quiet day, there were only a few customers sitting down reading newspapers or happily chatting between themselves. Em was sitting against the counter with baby Chloe next to her in a highchair. Dan was cheerfully washing the dishes in the sink while he hummed away to himself.
“Hey Wade, thanks for coming to keep us company for a bit today,” Dan greeted me.
“No problem bro, I’ll buy everyone a round of coffee.”
“You seem upbeat today; sleep well by any chance last night?” He looked to Angel who was completely smitten by Chloe, holding her in her arms.
“Yeah, you could say that…what about you?” I asked without really thinking.
“Yeah, I sleep well every night ha-ha-ha,” Dan said with a flustered face and Em hugged him over the counter to the point of where he could hardly breathe.
“Danny! You’re making me blush! I love you so much!” She was loud and making a scene, but I could tell the customers were regulars as they all looked over their shoulders for only about a minute before turning around and going back to what they were doing.
“You two are what I imagined being a couple would be like. When I was in that house, I didn’t really know anything. I thought I was going to be alone forever, but when I escaped and started my new life. I pictured so many different ways of living. I wasn’t sure which one was considered normal or at least the right way to live,” Angel opened up to us as she rested Chloe on her lap.
“Angel, there’s no right way to live and what we have is far from normal. All you need to do that it’s in here feels like it’s burning, that everything you experience makes it throb,” Em lectured her while resting her hand on Angel’s heart. She nodded and grabbed at her chest.
“Yeah, I do feel that way every day.”
The door chimed as we looked back to see both my Dad and Celia walk inside. Dan welcomed them inside and they sat down beside us. Angel hugged up to Celia after handing Chloe back to Em. I sat and drank my coffee keeping my face down at my cup.
“Thought you’d drag Celia out of her room, did you?” I asked him.
“Actually, she dragged me out; she’s been really clingy lately now that I think about it.”
I looked over to Celia and her face went red once she heard him say that. She pushed Angel away from her face and her golden eyes began to water.
“Dad!” she yelled. Dan and Em burst into laughter and she swung her head around to face them.
“You’re a cute little thing, Celia.”
“Wade, I think I just might be jealous. I wish I had a little sister,” Dan teased us.
“Sigh. No, you really don’t. Are you feeling okay, Celia? You didn’t wrap your bandages too tight or something, did you?”
“Hmmph.” She turned away from me with her arms crossed and her eyes closed. I ignored her and went back to drinking my coffee. Dad fidgeted around with a thick piece of paper in his pocket with a troubled look on his face. Dan handed him a freshly brewed cup of coffee and went back to drying up dishes.
“Is that your way of saying have a think about it, Dan?” I asked him as he smiled carelessly as always.
“Thank you for the coffee, young man, but I think I made up my mind a while ago about this,” Dad handed everyone a sheet of paper each. My eyes widened as I recognised what it was. Angel looked to me with a mixed expression, both of excitement and anticipation. I was surprised how soon it was away, only a bit more than a week away.
“Ooh a wedding. I was wandering when you were finally going to start handing out invitations.”
“So, you’re holding it at the nightclub, makes sense. You think Ashlyn would probably help out best she can since the bride is one of the head chefs there.”
“Dad, when did you actually book the reservation for the club?” Celia asked in a frustrated tone.
“Probably about just over two weeks ago. Why?” he asked cluelessly.
“How am I meant to get a nice dress in under a week? I don’t have that kind of money right now! You could have at least told me it was going to be soon!” It may have been a quiet day as far as business for the café, but with us there it was rowdy as ever.
“I could lend you a dress; I do own a clothes store after all.” Em tried to calm her down.
“Sorry, I guess I was just nervous about all of it, especially with how you two are and all,” Dad said as he pointed to Angel and me, still watching for our reaction. Everyone then looked to us except baby Chloe in her highchair, laughing happily while playing with her toys.
“I hope it will be fun,” I said quietly in between a sip of my coffee. Angel’s face lit up as I said that, and she threw herself against me. Everyone laughed and cheered, excited for the upcoming wedding. I could picture it right then and there, Sophia in an extravagant white dress with a shiny new ring on her finger and my Dad in a suit with that stupid happy look he always has on his face. I didn’t mind it and I tried not to think about the negative aspects of it, although it made a part of my head ache deep inside. It was around two in the afternoon when everyone decided they would head home. Angel and I handed Dad our invitations and told him we would be home a little later. We left Dan to the rest of his shift and we went to a bookstore on the corner across from the café.
The store had an old refurbished look about it; the door was made of wood with a glossy coat over it and inside was somewhat dimly lit with chandeliers with glass bulbs fixed to them. The shelves were well dusted, and the books were all in good condition. We walked inside to be noticed by the owner; it was hard not to notice him. He was large, so large that he was still taller than us even when he was sitting behind the counter at the back of the store. The little traces of skin he left exposed were tough and veiny. The hulking muscles that lined his shoulder and arms as well as his broad monstrous skull were a dead giveaway. Angel’s eyes went violent and cold as she stared him down. I grabbed her hand and pulled her behind me to calm her down.
“So, you’re Raul I’m guessing. Didn’t expect someone like you to be working in a bookstore though; got any recommendations while we’re poking around?” I said casually, trying to mellow out the atmosphere of the room. He pointed us to some shelves in the left side of the store. Angel was tense, and she gave off a really scary vibe while she was in the store.
“Look, I realise using you to get back at your father was wrong. I’m sorry. Getting back at him at all was never the wisest move to begin with…I think Risk is still the only one who’s serious about it.”
I kept silent and pretended not to know what he was talking about, but Raul could see right through me. He could see why I was feigning ignorance from the way Angel was acting.
“I know my father’s done a lot of terrible things, but I was never a part of any of them so, just leave me alone.”
“Right, sorry,” he said in a somewhat stunned tone before going back to reading one of his books behind the counter. A humble little visit to a plain old bookstore became an uncomfortable one. Angel flicked through the romantic comedies section, giggling to herself every so often while I found a continuation of one of my old books back home, but I couldn’t really find myself enjoying it because of the tension in the air. I grabbed Angel and we bought our books at the counter.
“Thank you,” she said painfully to him as she grabbed her book and some change from him.
“You’re quite welcome, please come again,” he said politely. We walked outside of the store and Angel bit me on the cheek impulsively. I looked to her as she held her book decorated by a pink cover.
“I think I hate that man,” she said softly. I brought my hand around her shoulder and pulled her close to me, smiling cheerfully.
“Cute.” After I said that she tried to hide her blushing face by burying it against my shoulder.
We got home about half an hour later and were back to feeling the same as usual. Sophia had just arrived home from work.
“Mama!” Angel yelled as she ran up to her asking a bunch of questions about the wedding. Sophia answered them all without fail, from everyone who would be attending to what food would be catered. I was impressed with how organised it sounded for something that Dad had basically sprung on us at the last minute. I looked to my phone to see a few messages from Johnson; he and Sabrina had also received their invitations. Johnson was concerned with how I felt about it all. I messaged him back, reassuring him that I was fine with it and not even two minutes later I had Johnson poking his head through the kitchen window.
“You’re really fine with it?”
“Yes, I’m fine with it, Johnny. There’s no need to worry about me.”
“That’s good to hear then. I suppose we speak later about it then.”
“Laters, Johnny.” He went home, but his visit brought the attention on me from Sophia.
“Is that so?” she asked while grabbing the back of my neck. She wasn’t squeezing but I felt so nervous that I almost forgot to breathe.
“Sophy, you might want to give him some space,” Dad tried to help me out a little.
“Well I’m glad. I was starting to feel horrible planning the whole thing behind your back.”
“As long you and Dad are happy, I’m fine with it.”
The one I was really worried about was Celia who had been practically carefree at this point. She hated Sophia more than anything else, but she hadn’t so much as flinched at the idea of all of it. I looked to her from across the kitchen and she averted her gaze from mine. She had been acting strange at the time and I felt the need to find out why. So, first thing I did was I called Catherine over the phone.
“I’m guessing you heard the news?”
“Yup, I got my invitation sitting beside me now. Why are you really calling, Wade?”
“I wanted to know what’s up with Celia. She’s been acting weird.”
“She feels bad for always being so uptight, that talk with Anne really got to her, I think.”
I went to respond when instinctively like she knew we were talking about her; Anne snatched the phone from me.
“Uh Wade, are you there?”
“Oh hi there cutie, Wade can’t come to the phone right now. I’ll have him call you back later, ’kay bye.” She hung up my phone and threw it back to me without the battery. She stuffed the battery inside her bra and prompted me to come get it. I walked away and went to my room. Anne childishly chased me down the hallway only to be thrown back all the way down it by Angel and we locked the door. I gave up on the idea of prying and tried to relax. That idea didn’t follow through either as Celia came knocking on my door, asking to go on a walk with her. I went along while Angel stayed behind under the assumption that Celia had something to say that she didn’t want anyone else to hear. We didn’t go far, just a brief walk through the neighbourhood. It was a quiet night with not many cars on the road. I let Celia say whatever she had to say before asking her anything.
“You don’t have to worry about me y’know? I’m not a little girl anymore. I can take care of myself.”
“I don’t doubt that. I’m surprised you weren’t frustrated with the news though. You hate Sophia, don’t you? So, wouldn’t it piss you off to call her mum?”
She drew her eyes away from me and moved her long blonde hair from her face as she stared towards the ground.
“Of course it does…she makes him happy though and even if she’s a little crazy I think she’s serious about spending the rest of her life with him.”
“So you feel guilty like me?”
“Yes! I feel like such a bitch for being selfish and not wanting them to be together.”
“You don’t have to smile and be ecstatic about all of it. Your support’s probably more than enough for them.”
“Yeah but…” Then without warning Risk appeared from the rooftops and landed down on the road in front of us. He explained he saw us on his way to pick up Cin from work and his curiosity got the better of him. I went to introduce him to Celia, but to my surprise I discovered that they already were familiar with one another. The expression on Celia’s face was weak and pale as she stared at Risk.
“West? You were – How are you here right now?” she asked him, and he turned his back to her while he scratched the back of his head.
“My bad, I keep forgetting there’s a lot of people I haven’t caught up with over the years. Celia, you really did grow up pretty, didn’t you?”
Without warning she slapped him across the face.
“Three years since I last saw you and that’s all you have to say? Wade, what is this? He died so how…?”
“Celia, it’s kind of hard to explain if you don’t already know what’s going on.”
She looked us dead in the eyes and refused to let it go until she had an answer. The wind was blowing gently around us and brought about a sense of eeriness as we tried to decide whether to let her know about what had happened. Risk came clean and because of that, so did I. He told her all about Sinclair Natsuki, his plot to seek vengeance against him after having his life stolen from him and I came forward about my ventures through the hospital and my encounters with the horrid things up until that point. With this information everything began to make sense to her, from Dad’s relationship with Sophia, who Anne really was rather than a freeloader staying at our home and the significance of my relationship with Angel. Celia took a moment to think at first, everything we told her must have sounded like some twisted soap opera. She then asked a question I hoped she wouldn’t.
“Where do I fit into all of this?”
“You don’t. The reason why I kept everything a secret from you is, so you wouldn’t get hurt. All I’ve been through, well I got lucky or I had Johnny to pull through and help me. If you got hurt because of me, I would never be able to forgive myself.”
“If you’re serious about all of that then stop worrying about me and take care of yourself so you can protect Angel. By the sounds of it, she has it the hardest…if you don’t step up and sort things out, I will,” she turned her back and her long blonde hair to me.
“Celia, I.”
“I’ll be waiting for when you actually get a grip of your situation, then you can walk me home,” she said hastily as she walked across the street. I tuned to Risk and I let out an exhausted sigh. He smiled at me and after a minute of silence between the both of us, it turned out he had something important to say.
“She’s right you know, about everything pretty much.”
“Sigh. I know, sounds like you have something to add on to what she said.”
“I couldn’t help but notice you’re a strange kind of person, Wade. You act like everything is nothing more than tiring and whenever you go out of your way for people, it’s out of obligation. From what she was saying, you’ve really been pushing yourself lately, haven’t you?”
“I’m just doing what I think is right.”
“You say that but last night when I picked up Em, the expression in your eyes said it all; you were thinking of ways to help her steal my heart, weren’t you?”
“You know about her feelings for you?” I asked compulsively
“Of course, the time’s just not right is all, but you did just prove my point. Stop playing hero, Wade; it’s not as rewarding as you think…oh shit Cin! She’s waiting for me! Laters, Wade!” Just like that he disappeared but what he said stuck like a needle in my skin. I rested my palm against my face and took a deep breath. I brought myself from the doubt welling in my mind and went over to Celia.
“I get what you mean, let’s just got home, alright.”
“You had better; I’m counting on you from now on, okay? No more secrets either.”
“Sigh. No more secrets, I promise.”
When we got back home, Dad and Sophia had already started drinking and were giddily flirting with each other. To my surprise Sabrina and Johnson were in lounge room also sipping away at some drinks while Nami was trying to show off in front of them in an outfit that was a bit too mature for her and really showed off her legs. Catherine was in the kitchen wearing an apron cooking food for all of us.
“Kitten, why are you the one cooking dinner? What’s going on?” Celia asked her as we walked through the door.
“Well I came over to check on you after that phone call, but you two weren’t here. Your Dad insisted I stay the night so thought I’d at least cook for everyone since they’re letting me in on the fun.”
“He did? Wait what fun? It’s Monday night, don’t tell me we’re getting drunk tonight.”
She pointed to Dad and Sophia who were taking shots in between making out and had already managed to find themselves in only their underwear.
“Hmm where’s Angel?” I asked as my disappointment in the so-called adults faded.
“Where’s Anne for that matter?” Celia asked paranoidly looking around the room. I went up to my room to find them trying on some of Anne’s cosplay outfits.
“Anne, this is really pretty, but it’s a little tight around the chest.”
“Develop less then. Honestly for someone who grew up in a house filled with nothing other than flesh and monsters, you really blossomed. Strip down. I think I got one that won’t be so tight on you,” Anne said loudly as I walked towards my room through the hallway.
“Hey Angel, they’re drinking in the other room, want to join in?” I asked her as I entered the room. She threw me a bottle of spirits and threw on a plain black t-shirt and hugged up to my arm with a smile on her face. “Underwear Angel, sometimes a shirt is not enough.”
“Oh yeah, oopsies, Giggle.” The smell on her breath said volumes about her behaviour.
We sat down next to Johnson and Sabrina. Nami was sitting on Sabrina’s lap and was noticeably staring at Angel who was paying no attention, enjoying herself. I mixed everyone a drink and then hid the rest of the spirits behind the couch.
“Something on your mind, Wade?” Johnson asked me as he had a sip of the drink I made him.
“Johnny, would you say I’ve been playing the hero ever since I met Angel?”
“I would hardly say that. You have just been doing what you think was right, although you seem to obsess over some things that you encounter or must deal with. I think that’s just your way of going about having a strong resolve. If anything, I’d say it’s one of your better traits.” It was the kind of answer I expected from him, but from his perspective he may have not seen my actions in a negative light since he had always acted in a similar way.
“Wade, I wouldn’t worry about what anyone else thinks of you. Everyone here tonight is thankful to have you in their lives because you’re a good person and you always try your hardest to help us when we’re dealing with something,” Sabrina said as she petted Nami on the head.
“Thanks guys, that means a lot. Things have just been a little wild lately I guess.” It was only seconds later after I said that, Dad and Sophia leaned over us from behind the couch. Dad grabbed Johnson and me in a headlock while Sophia leapt onto the couch and lied across all of us, resting her head on Sabrina’s lap beside Nami. Dad was rowdy as ever while Sophia’s pale skin left goose bumps on ours, except for Angel’s.
“What’s all this serious talk for? Let’s go wild, boys! Johnny, take your shirt off!” Dad egged us on, but we were already starting to feel worn out.
“Gasp. His shirt!” Nami yelled only to be flicked on the forehead by Sabrina.
“Go on, Johnny, get the gun show out before he tears your nice shirt,” I laughed only to be squeezed tighter by the headlock.
“That means you too, my boy!” At that moment, I dreaded the thought of how hung-over I was going to be the next morning. Left with little choice we took off our shirts and started downing drinks one after the other. Angel sat beside me the entire time, drinking whatever I didn’t finish. Sabrina didn’t pass up the chance to enjoy herself either and was the most drunk out of all of us; she passed out against Johnny around midnight. Kitten and Celia only stuck around for a few more drinks before going up to their room. Nami tried to sneak herself drinks like usual. Sophia and Dad took their excitement back to their room also, so it was just the four of us still awake in the lounge room. Johnson grabbed Nami by the back of her outfit and dragged her to the other side of him. She was completely flustered as she sipped from a can she took from the fridge. It wasn’t long before she was tipsy and had the confidence to try and flirt with him.
“Johnny!” she addressed him loudly.
“What is it?” he answered with his speech slightly slurred. She shot her hand up in the air as if she were asking a question at school and looked to him with determination in her eyes. Angel giggled to herself while she hugged my arm as we watched.
“Can I touch your muscles?” she asked shamelessly only to start running her finger down his abs anyway. Out of panic and not really knowing how to react to the situation, Johnson threw her with one hand at me. I caught her but the force he put behind his throw sent me and Nami backwards over the couch onto the carpet. Nami was covered in sweat and I felt soaked just from catching her.
“Johnny, could you try and refrain from throwing my little sister any more than you have to? Why’d you even let her get close to you like that?” I asked as I brought myself and Nami from the floor. He went quiet as he tried to remember as to why he did such a thing in the first place and then he suddenly grabbed Nami’s drink from the side of the couch, downing it in one big gulp.
“My drink!” Nami yelled as she tried to sprint up to him, but was yanked back as I grabbed her by the back of her outfit.
“You shouldn’t be drinking, little one, that’s what I wanted to say.”
“Oh, try and not to be so down, child. I’m sure you’ll be plenty popular in high school. There will be lots of chances for you to have the same kind of fun they’re having in the future.” We all turned around to see Anne step into the room, still sober.
“Anne, what have you been doing this entire time? It’s unlike you to miss out on this kind of stuff,” I asked curiously.
“Would getting naked in your bed be an acceptable answer?”
“Please tell me you’re joking, and no it wouldn’t be.”
“Then I haven’t been doing that…hey since I’m awake now, why don’t we have a little fun? Giggle.”
“No,” both Johnson and I replied in sync with each other. However, Angel was curious and that was that.
“Fun? I like fun. What do you have in mind Anne?” she asked optimistically. Anne pulled out some clothes from behind her back and threw them to Angel. She then poured us a glass of something each.
“Nami, this game’s for grownups and if your mother asks, you didn’t learn it from me, ’kay? Johnny, if you would be so kind as to put your shirt back on, you too, Wade?”
We sent Nami to bed and Anne explained that we would be playing ‘I’ve never’. The drink she poured us was apparently extremely strong and I felt like if I held a lighter over it, it would ignite. We would have the choice of the drink or to strip. Naturally, Anne was really excited and with the four of us playing, I thought not too much trouble would come of it, so we accepted this bit of ‘fun’.
“Now now, who should start first? Hmm, Johnson you go first.” Anne said while licking her lips.
“Well I’ve never killed anyone,” he said cautiously and thankfully nobody felt the need to react to that. Angel said she would go next and hummed happily to herself as she thought of something.
“Oh, I know. I’ve never been naked in a public place.” Everyone except for her took their socks off.
“Huh? Why do I feel like the odd one out?”
“Our teenage years were pretty wild, Angel, ha-ha-ha,” I explained nervously on behalf of Johnny and me.
“Well it doesn’t matter, Angel’s winning right now. I’ll go next, I guess I never had sex for more than two hours at one time.” That said Angel took off her socks and I took off my shirt. Anne and Johnson stared at us in shock and awe.
“Um…what can I say? Well I’m the only one who hasn’t gone yet. So, I’ve never stared at my own reflection in the mirror for more than ten minutes.” Both the girls took off their shorts and Anne smiled as she laughed under her breath.
“Are you intentionally trying to get us naked, Wade? We’re both models after all, so staring at the mirror for that long is pretty much a part of the job,” she said with a blushed face.
“Hmm it’s my turn again. I’ve never eaten a lot of spicy food,” Johnson said innocently enough. Anne took off her shirt and now only had her bra and panties on.
“My turn! I’ve never stolen anything that didn’t belong to me.” Anne took off her bra and Johnson took off his shirt. Anne went next as she sat on the couch nearly fully naked.
“I’ve never been with any of my friend’s siblings.”
“Sigh…screw you,” Johnson said as he took off his shorts.
“Oh yeah, you were with Celia…” Angel blurted out until I kissed her to shut her up.
“…My turn, huh. I’ve never been big on romantic comedies.”
“Wade. Giggle. I love those,” Angel said casually but I felt like I had crossed a boundary of hers. She was the only one to remove a piece of clothing. Johnson went next and was relentless with his turn, showing no mercy to Anne.
“I’ve never made out with someone else’s partner.”
“You’re clever now, aren’t you? If you had worded it differently, I wouldn’t be the only one stripping.”
“Strip? There’s a drink right there you could use to save yourself some modesty.”
Anne took one sniff of the drink and her head shot back from the smell.
“It’s probably safer that I strip.” She took off her panties and was out of the game, but she sat shamelessly stark naked on the couch. It was a draw between the three of us, two items of clothing each. Angel with both pieces of underwear, Johnson with his tie and underwear and myself in both my shorts and underwear. Two good questions could have ended the game and it was Angel’s turn next.
“I’ve never seen any of those really cheesy monster movies on TV.” Both Johnson and I were down to our underwear now.
“I’ve never lied to get my way,” Angel leant against me after taking off her bra and I felt like my heart was going to jump out of my chest. When we were alone like this, it didn’t bother me but with Anne staring at me and my best friend sitting on the couch in only his underwear. Well, this game had taken an awkward turn.
“What’s wrong, Wade? Can’t take the heat or are you getting nervous?” Anne asked as she crossed her legs while sitting down.
“That’s enough Miss Frey, because it’s my turn. I’ve never been dancing with my partner.”
Just like that Johnson ended the game, but I tried to take one last gamble. I grabbed my drink and I went to force it down my throat. A single drop hit my tongue and I immediately put the drink back down. The fumes were enough for me to want to gag and I think I sculled about two or three glasses of water to get rid of the bitter taste it left in my mouth. I conceded defeat and Johnson won the game with only his underwear on. I remember that we all fell asleep on the couch under one big blanket that night, but it was around six in the morning when I woke up from the screaming I heard.
“Huh? What did you guys do last night?” It was Sabrina who had been beside us but completely out of it the entire time and the disappointment in her eyes after seeing all of us naked, hugged up to each other; she couldn’t really be blamed for making assumptions from it. She pulled the blanket away from us and yelled at us to put on our clothes that were scattered across the floor. We all turned around to see Celia in the doorway rubbing her eyes.
“Shut up – What the fuck?” she screamed the moment she saw us. She then sprinted back to her room; we heard the door slam shut behind her and the lock click into place.
“A fine mess this has turned into,” I said as I put my shorts on.
“It was fun though, wasn’t it?” Anne asked as she hugged up to Sabrina as she freaked out, being overwhelmed by her naked body. Johnson took her home while Angel and I went to our room. I probably only slept another hour before I started getting ready for work. I was hung-over, but after a shower and some coffee I felt a little better.
I walked to work and when I got there, I went straight to my office. Cin was there and already set her mind on her work for the day.
“Looks like you’re really getting into your job. I guess you were serious about trying to be normal.”
“Of course I’m serious! I told you I’m done being a monster, besides life’s not bad right now. I got a good paying job, a nice apartment and someone special to me who comes home every night.”
“Pfft.” I couldn’t help but to burst into laughter.
“What? What did I say that’s so funny?”
“Nothing, it’s just really cute hearing you say all that. Y’know since the first time I saw you, you had human flesh dangling from your mouth.”
“Keep it up and it will be yours I’m chewing on next. It’s not half bad; after all, once you get a taste you can’t help but crave more.” She began to eye me down like a piece of meat, but I called her out on her bluff and shoved my arm in her face.
“Chow down then.” She pushed it away and I could tell I made her nervous.
“I couldn’t possibly indulge myself on someone who helped me settle here so comfortably.”
“Chicken,” I teased her after a short sigh. Cin waved a piece of paper in my face before turning back to her desk to crunch numbers.
“Hmm? Why the hell were you invited to Dad’s wedding? He doesn’t even know you, does he?”
“I thought Johnson might have put in a word for me, but Risk got one too so I’m not sure on that idea anymore.”
“What’s my old man thinking? The wedding’s less than a week away, but it sounds like it’s already a mess if people he doesn’t even know are tagging along.”
“Last time I went to a wedding was when I was only a little girl. I’m actually pretty excited for it. Oh, I’ll make sure Risk is on his best behaviour; we won’t cause any trouble. I promise.”
“Don’t worry. I believe you. You know what? I’m probably just overthinking it. I’m sure it’ll be fine. Let’s enjoy ourselves and get super drunk at the reception.”
“Ah you’re right…I’m looking forward to it, ha-ha-ha.”
From then on, I tried to relax until the wedding and all throughout the next week everyone spent their time getting prepared for the big day ahead of us.