MOONLIGHT: The Curse Breaker

Chapter 5 : Exhausted

-Najara-

More than shock is what I am feeling right now, because after two weeks of not seeing my friend, I have lost hope that our friendship could ever return to what it once was. But I never expected that she would suddenly appear in front of our house.

"J-Jara..." Ada called out to me weakly. She's leaning against the wall for support.

"What happened to you? Why do you look like that, Ada?" I asked in confusion as I helped her inside the house, seating her in one of the chairs in the living room and kneeling in front of her.

"I don't know, I just woke up outside the forest of Lendor this morning" she answered emotionlessly, staring straight at the floor.

She was still wearing the clothes she had on the last time we saw each other, which was when we were still in the forest. Her entire body was covered in dirt, she also had a lot of wounds, some of which were too deep and needed immediate attention. Her hands were trembling as I held them, and so was her entire body.

"Just a moment, Ada, I'll call a healer." I was about to stand up when she grabbed my arm.

"There's no need, Jara, just let me rest here," she replied weakly, giving me a forced smile.

I was about to respond when the door to my room suddenly opened, and Louise was there leaning against the doorframe, her arms crossed over her chest.

'She's still beautiful'

I said in my head at the sudden thought that entered my mind.

'Stop your foolishness, Jara.'

When I looked at her again, she was already grinning at me, and I felt my cheeks heat up, so I just faced Ada, who had been staring at me for a while.

"I'll call a healer, Ada. Wait here." She was about to say something, but I quickly stood up and left the house.

I took a deep breath to calm myself. What is happening to me? And why did Ada only come home now from the forest of Lendor? As far as I know, she supposedly came home the same day I returned to Heraum.

Somethings wrong with with her, and why do I feel like she's not the Ada that I know? I just shook my head and quickly headed to the nearby clinic in town.

'Louise wouldn't hurt Ada, right? '

______________________________

Both the healer and I stood in front of my house, staring at the front door, where Louise is currently sitting while eating an apple. I had no idea where she got it from, and I don't care. She can do whatever she wants. What I couldn't understand was why she wouldn't let us into my house.

"Dear, who is this woman?" Doctor Wood asked, curious.

"Ada has already left, she went home," Louise suddenly replied. I frowned at her answer. Why would Ada go home when she couldn't even walk properly? "I was the one who took her home," she added, as if reading my mind.

"Is that true, dear?" the healer asked me abruptly.

"I don't know, we came here together," I replied with a hint of sarcasm, which made Louise stifle a laugh before she went inside the house.

Feeling embarrassed, I lowered my head in front of Doctor Wood and apologized. He seemed kind because he just smiled and said he needed to leave.

I suddenly felt a pang of guilt, seeing him rush over after hearing about Ada's condition. I watched him until he was out of sight, I heave a sighed, and went inside the house.

I found Louise sitting in the same chair Ada had been in earlier, reading a newspaper. I quickly approached and hit her on the back of the neck.

"Ow! What the hell?" she asked, scratching her neck.

"Seriously, what happened to Ada after I left earlier?" I asked her sharply. She stood up, irritated, and faced me, making me look up slightly because she was taller.

"She said, 'Can you take me home? I want to rest' " she said, imitating Ada's sad voice, and I tried not to laugh. She just raised an eyebrow at me, so I shook my head and pushed her away from me. "Are we good? Come on, let's sleep" she invited me with a smile.

"Why would you sleep here? Are you crazy?" I asked irritably before going into my room.

She followed me while I was tidying up. If I went to the living room to fix the disarranged chairs, she followed behind me. She did that until I finished cleaning, and she seemed even more exhausted than I was, she was panting heavily, even though all she did was follow me around.

"Are you done with your work?" I asked, laughing. She was now sitting on the floor, while her back was leaning against the living room wall.

"Huh?" she asked, tilting her head to the side.

'Cute.'

"Why are you more tired than I am when I'm the one who’s been working in the house since earlier?" I asked, still laughing, as I walked to the kitchen to prepare dinner.

"My own body is taking the exhaustion from yours. " she answered softly, but loud enough for me to hear from the kitchen. I stopped what I was doing and faced the door leading to the living room.

"What do you mean?" A few minutes of silence passed before she answered again.

"I don't want you to get tired," she began, "so I'm taking your exhaustion while you work, that's why you still have energy until now." Her response made my heart feel warm. I didn't know why she was helping me, even though we didn't really know each other. I couldn't help but smile as I continued what I was doing.

"Thank you," I replied shortly.

"You're welcome, honey," she said. I knew she was smiling now, so I just shook my head, unable to wipe the smile off my face.

We ate in silence, but it was a peaceful kind of silence with no awkwardness. I decided to let her stay here tonight as a way of thanking her for what she did. It was also obvious that she had no intention of leaving, even if I tried to push her out of the house.

She also helped me clear the table after we ate and insisted on doing the dishes herself, urging me to take a quick shower because she could smell my sweat from a distance.

Now, I was contemplating whether to kick her out or not. She seemed determined not to let me stay in a better mood when she was around.

I wore a white nightgown that reached my ankles, with the top part being an off-shoulder, exposing my entire collarbone and shoulders. I layered it with a green shawl and am currently brushing my long hair. I placed the hair accessories in the box containing my other hair ornaments.

Louise was still in the living room, so I decided to bring her the things she would need for sleeping: a pillow, a blanket, and a thick mat.

As I stepped out, Louise met me in the hallway. The exhaustion was evident in her eyes, so I handed her the items, and she just frowned at them.

"What is that?" she asked, still staring at them.

"A pillow, a blanket—" She didn't let me finish and took them from me.

"I know that, but what am I supposed to do with these?" she asked, puzzled.

"Surely you don't plan to sleep on the living room floor, do you?" She seemed skeptical, forming her mouth into an "O" shape when she finally understand what I'm talking about.

"Am I not sleeping in your bed?" she asked, making me frown.

"Why would you sleep here? Go ahead, set that up so you can rest," I said, closing the door behind me.

I could still hear her calling from outside the room, but I ignored her. Did she really think I would let her sleep in my bed? Where would I sleep, then?

After a few minutes, Louise finally stopped making noise outside, so I lay down to sleep. Probably due to the events of the day, I quickly felt the need to sleep. Holding the blanket wrapped around me, I let the darkness envelop me until I fell asleep.