Chapter 6: Tassa's Friend
1334 Words
Nia'le lay on his bed, covered by a blanket.
His arms were folded behind his head as he stared at the ceiling.
Whenever the blanket brushed against his face, he would blow it away, only for it to fall back again.
He was thinking about what Tassa had told him before.
The strange magical tulips she mentioned when they first met.
He wondered what those flowers could do, why she had them, and who had given them to her.
Nia'le tapped his fingers against his lips as he thought.
But before long, his thoughts drifted away from the flowers.
Instead, they focused on Tassa.
Her eyes.
Her nose.
Her ears.
Her skin.
Her smile.
Her lips.
Everything about her flashed through his mind.
In his imagination, she stood smiling sweetly at him. The background was filled with soft pink colors and sparkling lights.
"Tassa... Tassa... Tassa..."
He repeatedly muttered her name.
"Why? Do you need something?"
Nia'le nearly jumped out of bed.
He immediately sat up and stared at the girl standing in his doorway.
For a moment, he looked around nervously, wondering if Ayamani was with her.
But after a few seconds, he remembered that he couldn't see the Grim Reaper even if he tried.
His expression quickly returned to normal.
Resting his head on one hand, he lazily asked,
"What are you doing in my room?"
Tassa pressed her lips together.
Her fingers nervously played with her dark blue dress.
"I want to visit someone. Can you come with me?"
Nia'le raised an eyebrow.
"What happened to your ghost chaperone?"
Tassa frowned.
"He's not my chaperone."
She crossed her arms.
"And if you say that in front of him, he might actually kill you."
Nia'le shrugged.
"Sounds pleasant."
Tassa rolled her eyes.
"Ayamani has a short temper. If you tell him to leave, he'll leave. And he might never come back."
"Like I care."
Nia'le got off the bed.
"Besides, I can't just wander around freely. I'm famous."
Tassa looked unimpressed.
"You mean infamous."
"Same thing."
"We won't be going far."
Her voice softened.
"It's been a while since I've visited her."
Nia'le noticed the sadness in her eyes.
He wondered if she was talking about her mother or some other relative.
After all, this used to be her home.
Without another word, he agreed to go.
---
A short while later, the two of them walked through the forest.
Tassa held onto Nia'le's arm while her free hand brushed against the bark of every tree they passed.
"I got lost here once."
Nia'le glanced at her.
"Someone was chasing me. I thought I was going to die."
She smiled faintly.
"But he saved me."
Nia'le wanted to ask more questions, but he stopped himself.
There were still many things he didn't understand about her.
He also wondered how this mansion had become his father's property.
Maybe her family had sold it years ago.
Maybe there was another story behind it.
Before he could ask, Tassa suddenly stopped.
"We're here."
Nia'le looked around.
There was nobody waiting for them.
No house.
No person.
Nothing.
Then he looked down.
Tassa was kneeling in front of a gravestone.
She gently brushed her hand across the stone.
After a moment, she stopped and smiled.
She felt tears threatening to form, but she forced them back.
Tassa hated crying in front of other people.
No matter how difficult life became, she always wanted others to see her as strong.
Nia'le crouched beside the grave and read the name engraved on it.
Then he looked at her.
"Who was she?"
Tassa's smile softened.
"My sister."
Nia'le remained silent.
"She's also my friend's girlfriend."
She tilted her head slightly.
"He probably visits her every day."
Tassa pointed toward the gravestone.
"It's clean, isn't it? No dust. No dirt."
Nia'le looked carefully.
"You're right."
He noticed something else.
"There are flowers beside it."
Tassa's expression brightened.
"What kind?"
"White daisies."
For a moment, her smile grew warmer.
Then she quietly whispered,
"Suman is here."
Tassa was not wrong about it. Behind the big tree, someone was standing calmly, listening to her and Nia'le’s conversation.
He was wearing a dark blue velvet coat that looked very expensive. It wasn’t worn properly on his arms; instead, it was resting on his wide shoulders. He had light brown hair and calm, sleepy eyes. He closed his eyes and looked up while listening to Tassa talk about his girlfriend.
“I miss her so much. And it’s not just her. I also miss Xart and Suman,” Tassa said.
Suman opened his eyes and gulped as he listened to her mention them.
“Where are they?”
Tassa’s tears began to fall.
“They left me. They left me in the hospital, and that hospital mistreated me,” she clenched her fist and bowed her head. She couldn’t stop crying; her tears kept falling and wetting her dress. “They didn’t care whether I lived or died in that horrible hospital. I thought they were my friends, but I was wrong.”
Suman grabbed the upper left side of his coat and clenched his fist as he continued listening.
“I hate them. I hate them. I hate them. What liars, what frauds…”
Tassa and Suman both gritted their teeth and looked down at the ground.
“I can’t forgive them,” she said softly.
Then the rain started pouring. Tassa began crying harder.
But Suman gently moved his hand, and the wind pushed the dark clouds away, stopping the rain.
He moved his hand in the air and pretended to touch Tassa’s chin, as if telling her to look up. Even though he was hiding behind the big trees, his movement somehow reached her.
Tassa lifted her head. It felt like someone was really touching her chin, telling her to face someone.
Suman whispered into the air, but Tassa heard him clearly.
“Quart, even when it seems like we don’t care about you… we are still eager to meet you again. I’m really sorry, our Quart. Forgive us,” Suman said.
Tassa suddenly stood up after hearing his message and looked around.
“Suman, are you here? Is that you, Suman?”
Suman just smirked behind the tree and disappeared before she could see him.
Ayamani quietly watched Suman vanish, but he didn’t tell Tassa that he had already seen him behind her.
“Who is this Suman, Tassa?” Nia'le asked.
Tassa pressed her lips together and quietly walked away.
The sun started to shine brighter, and the place looked more beautiful, like an enchanting forest instead of a scary one.
Nia'le held Tassa’s shoulder and told her to stop for a moment because he wanted to take a leak.
Tassa looked at him over her shoulder and replied, “Just be quick, understood.”
Nia'le rolled his eyes and said, “I won’t be quick, but I want you to stay here, understood.”
Tassa pressed her lips again and gave a small smile. She sat on the grass, which looked neatly trimmed even though no one had cut it.
Nia'le left for a while.
Tassa waited calmly for him to return. She hugged her knees and rested her chin on them while looking into the distance.
“Do you think we will be able to be together again, Ayamani? The three of us… me, Suman, and Xart, after they abandoned me? And—was that really Suman who was talking to me earlier, or was I just talking to myself?” Tassa asked.
Ayamani stood behind her and replied in a low, shaky voice, almost like a wolf’s growl.
“Who knows, Tassa.”
Tassa smiled softly while looking at the distance.
“Maybe someday, we will all be together again. I don’t know why, but I feel it strongly from the start. I feel like we will never be separated again. The three of us will become inseparable. I feel like we always have been.”
- Writer
