Beyond a Reflection

Chapter 13: The Introductions

While the five members who took us in were busy talking to each other, we are just looking at one another as if we are strangers or something. While me, questions in my head started to pile up. I haven't answered the very first question I have ever since I got into this world when another question has already been added.

Why are they here?

I thought I will have a peaceful adventure with myself but unfortunately, no. I'm stuck with the people whom I always see at school every day and their presence kinda irritates me.

"You know each other?" Venice asked the moment she caught me and Roe exchanging dagger looks.

I looked at her and placed an innocent smile and was pleased to shake my head as an answer. From the corner of my eye, I saw how Roe dramatically held her chest as her mouth formed an 'o' as if she was hurt by what I have answered.

"Oh, I see. The other two might have known you," she said and pointed Mave and Vaughn who are looking directly at me, but I didn't even respond to their waving hands.

How enthusiastic Mave is, how shy Vaughn can get.

"No. I don't know them," I simply said, leaving the two dumbfounded as their hands fall back on their side.

Venice just nodded. Clandestine cleared her throat to gain the attention of everyone. I looked at her, she is smiling confidently. "Hello, everyone! I'm really pleased to welcome you here, but first, I will introduce to you your upperclassmen," she announced while having a sweet smile.

"This is Venice," Des said and pointed her hand at Venice who's beside me.

She just looked down and covered her face using her hair.

"She's a bit shy at first, you know," she added and chuckled. "Next is Wish," she pointed at the lady who acts like a grade-schooler. She let out a peace sign and stuck her tongue out.

"Dupli," she pointed at the man who looks like a ninja. "And next is Shield," she said and pointed to the normal guy. He slightly bowed his head while his arms are at the back.

"And lastly, the most gorgeous in the group. Clandestine!" she energetically introduced herself and posed right in front but she only receive stares from us.

She cleared her throat to recover her embarrassment but a slight giggle coming from Wish didn't escape the ear of Des, and she immediately shot her with a look.

"Mind introducing yourselves, young ladies and gentlemen?" Wish requested while having an innocent smile, not minding the sharp gazes of Des.

Amazing is that even though Clandestine is mad, she still looks gorgeous in every angle. I really need to ask her what's the secret behind her astonishing beauty.

"Drake," Drake coldly said while not even looking at them.

There are seconds of silence before Wish awkwardly chuckled and Mave proceeded with the next intro.

"I'm Maverick but you can call me Mave, and I love Kens!" he proudly said making me choke by my own saliva as their attention focuses on me.

How can he say that so casually?

"Vaughn is my name and... I could say that I'm kind of interested in K-K-Kenny," Vaughn stammered and drifted his gaze but I caught how his cheeks reddened the moment he mentioned my name.

I clapped my hand on my forehead after realizing what on Earth they are doing.

Why me? Of all people... why me?

"Well, my name is Roe and I hate frogs," Roe annoyingly said while crossing her arms and started curling the tip of her hair at the same time.

"Frogs are precious," the normal guy said and if my memory is right, his name is Shield.

"What?!" Roe snapped with her eyebrows furrowed as she stopped motioning her finger in circles through the tip of her hair.

Shield's eyes widened and immediately shook his head, denying what he had said. Certainly, Roe did something that she made this poor man traumatized by her.

"And you, cutie pie?" I pointed at myself to be sure that I'm the one that Wish is referring to.

"Yes, you!" she energetically said and leaped.

Since when I've become a cutie pie?

I sighed. "Kenny," I shortly said.

Wish's eyebrows raised as if she is doubting my name. "That's not your name, right?"

My eyebrows raised also and squinted. "Yeah, and I think there's no problem with that."

Wish chuckled. "Of course, there's none! It's just that... it's too..." She can't find the right words that could fit into her sentence that's why she looked at Des who's busy looking at her nails.

"Gorgeous?" Des suggested and Wish was about to say it when she suddenly stopped and looked at Des furiously.

"No!" she said and looked at the two boys beside her but Dupli just shrugged his shoulders.

"Plain," Shield said gloomily that made Wish snap her fingers as if Shield hit the bullseye.

"That's right! 'Kenny' is too plain for a pretty lady like you," she looks at me as if I'm her newly bought dog.

Is that a backhanded compliment?

From the corner of my eye, I saw how Roe prevented herself from laughing as if she's really pleased that I'm being hot seat here. I sighed and ran my fingers through my hair backward before answering.

"Keindra Izziera," I answered shortly and it seems like all of the people here turned their eyes sparkling just by hearing my name.

"What?!" I hissed when it was about seconds but none of them said a single word as if they were too stunned to speak.

"What a pretty name you have," Wish said, leaving her mouth open.

"Maybe we should call you 'Kei'?" Clandestine suggested and Mave and Vaughn immediately agreed.

"Kenny's fine," I said, unmotivated.

"How about 'Izzy'?" Pertaining to my second name.

"Kenny," I insisted.

"Kein?" Venice suggested too that's why I looked at her weirdly.

She too, huh?

"Kenny," I insisted once again making them sigh, finally giving up.

"Kenny's a great name too! Right, Vaughn?" Mave exclaimed and glanced at Vaughn and he immediately nodded twice, startled.

"Yeah, Kenny is good. It's good enough to not outshine my name," Roe said while still curling the tips of her hair.

"If you're going to ask my opinion, 'Miss Grueli' is the finest," Drake butt in the conversation.

He doesn't really like my name, huh? Or we are not just close enough for a first-name basis?

"Okay! Enough with the names! To celebrate our new members, let's head inside!" Des announced while punching her right hand into the air.

***

The atmosphere between me and these guys from the mortal realm is still awkward. They don't speak to each other and I don't have any guts to lead a conversation too. In the end, we ate lunch together. No one is dropping a single word while the five of us were eating our meals. Even the goofy Maverick doesn't dare to speak. He is just enjoying eating his meal. I glanced at Roe who is separating the vegetables from the meats. Obviously, she is disgusted. It was plastered on her sophisticated face but she doesn't have any choice. It's either we eat these unusual foods or we will die from hunger.

Vaughn was just eating silently too, not minding other's business but he was more like counting the rice rather than eating it since his food hasn't that any reduction. Drake on the other hand has an emotionless face as if what's happening right now doesn't bother him. Like, he was expecting all of this to happen. The five of us here in Encantum.

The biggest mystery right now is how on Earth they are teleported here when the only portal is my great-grandmother's mirror?

"Do you feel better, Kenny?" Venice asked as she placed a weird-looking blue barbeque on the table.

This barbeque doesn't seem to be from pigs. The meat in this barbeque is moving like worms being skewered together!

The five of them said that they will eat their lunch if we are finished already since they have something to talk about. Given my trust issues are overpowering me, I can't help but think that maybe they poisoned these foods despite how heartwarming their welcome to us.

Everybody's gazes lifted except for Roe who is busy separating her food. I thought they smelled the barbeque that Venice just served but no, they were looking seriously at Venice as if they were asking for more clarifications of what she said. Venice started to sweat while having a face that was about to deal with constipation since she was shocked by how these three reacted.

Seriously, what's with them?

"Why?! What happened to, Kens?" Mave urgently asked.

"Is she sick?" Vaughn asked calmly.

"Is Miss Grueli have some health complications?" the uninterested Drake finally spoke.

Venice awkwardly smiled while placing both of her hands right in front of her as if she was saying that they should calm down because everything is under control. She slightly scratched her cheek with a bit of sweating.

"Shut it down. It's not a big deal," I broke the ice while not giving them any glance but I could feel that they drifted their gazes to me.

"What happened earlier?" Vaughn asked. I lifted my gaze and I was greeted by three pairs of eyes.

"Nothing. I just tripped," I made up a story.

Roe— sitting beside me, trying to convince herself not to laugh by putting the back of her hand against her mouth. I just mentally rolled my eyes and continued eating, not minding what are they going to say. Weirdly, the three of them didn't ask any more questions and just continued eating but I know that in the back of their minds, they are planning something.

We've finished eating and the time passed by like a wind. It's already dawn and Des said that we should call it a day and sleep because tomorrow, we will have a long discussion with them— including the main goal of this group. They ensured that all of the entrances and holes of this house is secured and closed. The five of us ended up sleeping in the same room. Obviously, Roe is the first to complain but she didn't have any choice because we are the 'strangers' in this house that's why we need to bear with it.

And the sunrise came. The day that we discovered everyone's secret.