Beyond a Reflection

Chapter 14: Their Hidden Side

I haven't regretted any of my decisions in my life before but sleeping in this mushroom house makes me rethink all of the choices I had made so far. I could say that my sleep is not that peaceful since there are these small blue people crawling on me. I just flicked each one of them but they just won't stop coming, bugging me. Vaughn and Mave were disturbed last night too by those tiny creatures that's why the three of us remained awake until sunrise.

"Holy crickets..." Wish muttered the moment he opened the door of our room when she saw the three of us, sitting in the corner wide awake.

Her lips parted while looking at us with widened eyes.

"Good morning," Mave greeted and yawned.

He is leaning against the wall while crossing his legs to rest his head. Wish stared at him weirdly as she pout and nodded once.

She is probably thinking that we are now a bunch of weirdos.

"One thousand sheep," Vaughn whispered while staring in nothingness.

He almost looks like he is barely living. He got bags under his eyes and he even got paler than before. Since last night, he was counting sheep in his head and I didn't bother him anymore.

"What happened?" Wish asked and finally entered our room, stepping over the peacefully sleeping Roe and Drake, not minding the small people last night.

"We are robbed," I dumbly said and buried my head on my knees while hugging them.

"Huh?" Wish tilted her head as if she is waiting for me to clarify what I had said but I am too sleepy to respond.

"There are small people barged in here last night! They stepped over our body! They... they touched us!" As Mave's sleepiness suddenly disappeared, his eyes were widened while explaining and hugging himself and shook a bit as if he's disgusting what happened last night.

Not gonna lie, the reason why the three of us are cowarding here in the corner is that we are just too spooked that maybe those people will come back and hunt us down while holding their weapons and they will make us their feast, and I don't want that!

Let's say that they are just really small but the whole Encantum is still a mystery for us and we cannot let our guard down.

"Small people?" Wish think for a bit and snaps her fingers while having an amusing smile when it seems like it rang a bell.

"You mean the smurfs?!" she asked, unbelievably while preventing herself from laughing.

"We don't know what you mean but they are really creepy," Vaughn commented and it seems like his job with the sheep is finally done and he's back in the reality.

Wish didn't restrain herself and blurted one laugh but she immediately prevented it when she suddenly turned her back against us and looked at us again when a minute passed, and this time she looks serious.

Talk about the rapid change of mood.

"Those what you have seen are smurfs. As you all know, the smurfs are the owner of this house and we are just trespassers. What you have witnessed last night is that they are familiarizing the smell and face of those who live here," she explained and smiled sweetly but neither of us looked interested making her awkwardly laugh and scratch the back of her head.

"You don't care, huh?" she sounded it as a joke but none of us laughed either making her totally awkward.

She almost jumped when the door in our room suddenly opened. We looked at the doorway and we saw Venice, looking down.

"Breakfast is ready," she mumbled while not lifting her head and immediately left the room, leaving the four of us dumbfounded.

"Who is she inviting for breakfast?" Mave asked while scratching his cheek.

"Maybe the ants," Vaughn sarcastically answered, and at that moment, they exchanged sharp looks and started conducting their imaginary fight.

I guess Vaughn grew a backbone ever since he started hanging with Mave.

I sighed and got myself up from cowering here in the corner. What's the deal with those smurfs anyway? I could just easily kick or flinch them one by one if they kept bothering me.

The two of them stopped fighting as soon as they saw me get up. Wish seems to notice that we are ready to go outside when she took the lead while skipping while heading towards the dining area.

The three of us didn't waste any second and followed her. For me, being in this world has the possibility of the impossible becoming possible. Like magic— No, scratch that. It is really magic. As soon as we head to the dining area, we saw the other four in front of their plates and the small table from yesterday became a long one, consisting of ten seats.

"Good morning, darlings!" Des energetically greeted and she was about to stand up from her seat to give as a hug when Venice hold the hem of her shirt causing him to sit back with a pouted face.

Shield plastered a fake smile while Dupli just nodded. We all nodded back as a greeting and sat on our respective seats— well, there is really none but we shouldn't cause much trouble. Mave and Vaughn started snatching the seat next to mine— them arguing who's the most worth it to sit on my side.

"Kenny, want to sit on the end?" Des offered as soon as she noticed that I'm already pissed with these two.

Mave and Vaughn froze from snatching the chair from each other. The two of them looked at each other and gently put the chair back on my side and sat on the parallel side of mine, while they both mumbled the words, "I'm not worth it to be with her side."

"That's right! I'm sorry for the smurfs last night, I asked them to fix this table," Des said while smiling and holding out a peace sign.

Those small people fixed this table? And here I am thinking that I could just smash them one by one. Seriously, I really should stop this habit of mine of judging others.

"It's okay, we didn't even feel that there are s-smurfs in our room," Mave stuttered.

I just noticed how black his dark circles are. I caught a glimpse from the corner of my eye of how Wish held her laughter.

"Oh? Is that so?" A bit shocked said Des and hold her chin. "Maybe I should tell them to visit you guys some time," she whispered but it seems like these two heard when their eyes widened.

"N-No!" Vaughn exclaimed while his hands were acting that he was reaching the shocking Des from his reaction.

"Oh, okay," are the only words she has said while blinking, flabbergasted.

A few minutes passed and finally, Roe and Drake woke up. Roe was tying her hair while walking towards us while Drake'shands were in the pocket of his shorts. Roe was about to pull the seat next to mine but the moment she saw me beside it, she rolled her eyes and headed to the chair at the end of the long table and Drake ended up sitting beside me— not minding the world.

"We are now complete!" Des exclaimed and clapped her hands twice, she is sitting parallel to Roe— who was putting her right leg over her left leg while her elbow was resting on the table and curling the tip of her hair.

Venice snapped her fingers and in the blink of an eye, different kinds of food were placed on top of the table. The steam of each dish is entering my nostrils freely, reaching my starving stomach. There are chickens, mushrooms, and even a Lechon piglet! The long table was now filled with main courses as if there was a feast!

"Help yourselves," Venice said and started putting dishes on her plate, so as did her other friends.

"I hope this doesn't contain any poison," I heard Drake mumble but the moment I looked at him, he is already attacking the steak.

I looked at the food once more and sighed.

Poison won't kill me, but hunger can.

As soon as we finished eating, we are all leaning against our chairs while letting our stomachs breathe a bit. All of us are looked like that except Roe who is still eating a leaf of lettuce.

"Are you a goat?!" Mave unbelievably exclaimed while looking at her who is slowly biting the leaf of lettuce skewered in her fork.

Roe looked at him while raising her eyebrows and put the fork back on her clean plate as if she didn't eat at all.

"No, I'm gorgeous," she proudly answered making Des whistle.

"That's the spirit!" Des said with full spirits.

"By the way, we really want to discuss something— taking this opportunity that we are complete," Wish said and placed both of her elbows on the table and placed her chin above her intertwined fingers as she looked at us one by one.

"We know that you five were not ordinary teenagers. Each one of you possesses what we call 'magic' but I could see that some of you were part of the chosens," Clandestine said while having a smile plastered on her face— gone her goofy side and it seems like a super-serious matter. Her pearly white teeth were showing as she eyed each one of us. 

The five of us looked at each other and pointed someone as someone pointed someone too— gone our bloated feeling earlier after that feast.

"You are supernaturals?!" we both exclaimed in unison while looking at each other.

Who would've thought that these guys bugging me at school were part of the world where I am supposed to belong?! Are they really...

"O-Of course, I'm not! Only ridiculous people would only believe about that absurd things!" Roe hissed as she stomped her feet and crossed her legs and arms.

I saw how the other five smirked at what she said but they remained silent as if they were interested in the things that would come next. The bond of this five is really something, and somehow, they piqued my interest.

"I don't know what they are talking about but having magic is cool, isn't it?!" Mave's eyes sparkled while smiling as he exclaimed those words and slightly elbowed Vaughn who's looking down all this time. "Right, Vaughn?"

I could see sweats forming from his forehead before answering, "I-I suppose." It was almost a whisper but we were still able to hear it.

I already know Vaughn's secret that's why it's not really a surprise for me anymore.

"Fantasy has nothing to do with reality. Thanks for the meal," Drake coldly said and stood up, squeaking the chair on the stone floor as he walked away.

They are all looking at me as if they were waiting for the words that I'm going to say. I sighed and put my elbow on my knees as I lower my back.

"I'm not going to deny all of the things you'll going to say, but I'm not going to confirm it either." The same exact line that I have said the moment Vaughn asked me if I'm a supernatural.

An amusing smile appeared from Clandestine's face and in a snap, the empty bowls and serving dishes of the foods earlier disappeared, turning back the table into a plain one. Des placed her feet above the table. She's wearing pink stilettos but it doesn't seem to bother her.

"I can see the secret behind your eyes, darlings," Clandestine said in a daring tone, and in a blink of an eye— I'm already holding my wooden wand.

My eyes widened as I looked at Mave, it seems like he is normal but no— the tip of his fingers are glowing. When he noticed I'm looking at his hands, he hid them immediately inside the pocket of his shorts. Seconds passed when black feathers rained in the dining area and there I saw Vaughn, his eyes widened while his black wings are spread. For some reason, I immediately looked at the seat of Roe but my eyebrows furrowed when I didn't see her.

Is her ability was like Venice too?

My gut says that I should come closer to see the bigger picture so I did. I slowly walked towards her seat. My eyes widened when I saw a familiar dog, grumpily sitting on the chair.

That's the dog I saw at school!

If I remember it right, I saw Drake caressing it. I looked in the direction where Drake walked through earlier.

He's mysterious.

"Whoa! You are a witch, Kens?!" Mave blurted out excitedly and faced the depressed Vaughn whose wings were still spread.

"Look at these firm feathers! Amazing!" he amazingly said and stared caressing Vaughn's wings that made him flinch a bit.

"S-Stop! It tickles," Vaughn exclaimed while holding himself to laugh.

"Huh?" Mave continued what he is doing and Vaughn wasn't able to restrain anymore and he ended up laughing loudly.

While the two of them have their own quality time, I looked at Roe whose face was so grumpy and I could see how thunderstorms started to form above her head.

"A weredog, huh?" I scoffed.

She hissed and show her small fangs but I just twitched my lips as I spun my wand through my fingers. From the three of them, Roe's identity interests me the most. Aside from the fact that she was able to hide it from me for how many years that she chased me and proclaimed herself to be my rival, her condition is really something. She is much smaller than any weredogs that I have seen before.

She just looked like a puppy.

"See? There's no point lying." I looked at Des who is smiling sweetly.

Is her power...

Seems like Wish read my face when she answered the question that I have in my mind. "Dessy has the ability to reveal ones' secret. It is worthless magic but it is handy when it comes to this situation," Wish said and winked at me.

It's almost like invading someone's privacy.

Clandestine's face became gloomy as soon as she heard the word "worthless." Wish noticed that but she just let out an innocent smile that made the corner of her eyes wrinkle that made Des' face become more pissed. Venice sighed as if she was saying that she is done with these two, she explained everything.

"My ability is invisibility. I can make everything I touch invisible," she said and touched the table. My eyebrows raised when it became invisible and the two who are having their own world suddenly stopped from moving.

"Dupli's ability is duplication. He can duplicate anything, even his limbs," Venice continued.

I looked at Dupli when he raised his arms. I almost fell from my seat when another arm branched from his biceps.

"Pretty handy," Shield commented and looked at us.

"Like my name 'Shield', I have an ability to create a force field," he said in a monotone voice but no one gave a side comment making him drift his gaze as he mumbles, "I should have known that you are not interested."

"Huh? What are you talking about, bro? Show us your force shield!" Mave encouraged him while looking like a kid who is excited to see something new.

"It's 'force field'" I corrected him. He looked at me while smiling widely.

"Yeah, I said force shield." I sighed and clapped my hand to my forehead.

"Whatever," is the only word that I have said.

"You want to see my magic? It's nothing interesting," Shield said while looking down as if he was so embarrassed.

I don't know if "embarrassed" is exactly the right term.

"Yes, of course!" Mave said in a hyper voice.

Shield took a deep breath and looked at him while plastering a small smile, making one of my eyebrows raised. This is the first time he smiled.

"Throw at me anything," he said confidently making Mave's face a bit worried.

Shield noticed it and he looked down again. "I guess—" He stopped talking when I throw at him a knife that I saw near the kitchen sink. My eyebrows raised even more when I saw the knife fall from the ground without even reaching him.

"Whoa! Cool!" Maves's eyes were now sparkling making Shield scratch the back of his head while preventing himself to smile.

"T-Thanks," he said.

I guess he is not that "salty."

I slightly winced and took the knife on the floor and placed it again back in the kitchen sink. But when thrill overcome my body, I took the knife again and threw it directly into Wish's direction without any notice. My eyes widened when the knife turned into an apple and fell above the table and she looked at me proudly.

"That's a sneaky move, Kenny!" Wish chuckled and took a bit from the knife that she turned into an apple.

"Just like my name, I can grant very very slight wishes but if you will wish for a big one, expect drawbacks," she explained and winked.

"Then, can I wish that you could ask Des to turn her spell off? My back's so heavy, you know," Vaughn drowsy said while his head was placed above the table.

That's right, we don't have control over our ability if Des' ability is still on.

Des' eyes widened and put her legs down and suddenly, everything went back to normal, but Roe remained as she is.

Something's really weird about her.

"Well, sorry about that," Des apologized with a smile.

"In normal circumstances, we don't do any charity works. We just find you guys..." It seems like Wish can't find her word again that's why she looked at her friends with a questioning look— hoping for their help.

Dupli raised his arm and Wish nodded as a response, seems like she found what she was finding. "That's right! We took you guys in because we find you interesting."

Wow, she can really understand Dupli, huh?

"For example, Miss Weredog right there," Des pointed to the seat of Roe where she is sitting as a dog.

"She bit me the time I saw her. I almost lost my leg," Shield unenthusiastically and that explains why he's traumatized with her.

In my deduction, Roe freaked out and turned herself unconsciously into a dog.

"What about Roe?" I interestingly asked.

"She has Cellosine Disease. It is the kind of disease that prevents your cells from developing that's why she's stuck being a dog instead of a were one," she explains that made me nod.

Is her being moody part of that disease? Just wondering.

"She can be treated, right?" Mave worriedly asked.

Des nodded but she's having an uncomfortable face. "Yes, she can but we will have a long journey, I suppose," she said while her hand is on her chin.

"I love journeys!" Mave exclaimed like a child. "Right, Vaughn?" he jolly asked his friend but the moment we looked at Vaughn, he is already snoring while his head is already drooping.

"Poor, Vaughn. Traumatized with the smurfs last night," Mave said while tapping the shoulder of Vaughn and looked back at us with widened smiles. "Anyway, how can we treat her?"

"Uh, before that," Venice said and looked at me with uneasiness.

Now, what's with me this time?

"Kenny experiences fatigue, vomiting, and other drawbacks where she uses her magic and I'm quite responsible for why those things happened," Venice said with a bit of guiltiness while looking down.

Now they are telling me that they are the reason why I can't use my magic properly? No, metas! It's my choice. My own dumb choice— hoping that I could bring my father back to life.

Mave looked at me worriedly. "Why didn't you tell us, Kens?"

I drifted my gaze and put my chin on my hand. "This is nothing to do with you, dummy," I muttered and he didn't seem to heart it. Thankfully.

"That's why we have decided that," Des forced a smile and looked at us.

"We are going to Wysteria. The land of the wizards and witches."