Chapter 16:

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There were five again.

Three days ago, after returning from the beach, in the early morning, Imobach had debated intensely with his pillow whether to cut off the relationship completely or forgive. He tossed and turned in his bed several times, luckily it was summer and he had no blankets or sheets to shuffle. People often make mistakes, it happened to him often, although he never intended to offend, he was often misunderstood, which he hated, and, generally, no one turned to listen to his explanation, no one usually does, they prefer to be absorbed in themselves and console themselves thinking that they have done everything right. For him, the basis of interpersonal problems was the lack of communication, yes, that is exactly what had happened. He just hoped that they would not disappoint him further.

Also, Joel had offered to take his place, but was rejected. They debated the matter, Yuusuke considered the idea of obtaining more possible merchandise for the future, but in Adassa's words he was not strong enough to protect them, Teresa felt sorry to reject someone. Evidently, it ended in another debate.

They were in the living room, on the sofa again. They had been late in meeting up because of Coral's commitments. Picking up rubbish on the beach, helping a friend's brother with his homework, preparations at the youth house for the village festivities, unexpectedly meeting up with more groups of friends...

“Sorry guys, we were supposed to do this days ago." She placed five glasses of soda on the table. She was so agitated that it had lost all its fizzy appeal, though, it didn't bother Yuusuke. "I haven't stopped."

"And you haven't had time to move your bed?" Adassa asked her from the door of her room, to which the girl tilted her head. "The bed in the middle of the room belongs to psychopaths."

“Or rich.” Yuusuke answered.

“Mmh… Wealthy seems more accurate to me… and closer.”said Teresa.

“Of course,” Imobach agreed. “If I were rich, do you think that…” he thought but was unable to finish the sentence; he did not want anything tangible at that moment.

“Yes, yes, I see.” Adassa cut the speech short, she didn't like being corrected.

He brought his device a few inches from his face to read, but he noticed a timid hand, which, not noticing resistance, took the entire screen and began to read.

“Please, a few days ago,” Teresa read verbatim. She was grateful not to read any spelling mistakes, the initiative imposed by Yuusuke on the page was effective, nothing with typos is published, “I was with friends in the abandoned house near the Port. On the ground floor, in the middle of the night, before our eyes, a humanoid figure emerged. Take photos.”

"And that's it? Is there nothing else?" Coral asked, the message was more concise than usual.

“We have already explained the mystery,” Yûusuke made the gesture of putting quotation marks, “of the apparitions, also, if it is a ruin it is easy for fungi to grow, the spores cause hallucinations.”

“Yes, we are going to go,” Coral didn't need a no to understand that the boy was assuming that they weren't going to do it. “Where is it?” she said, approaching her friend.

“Mmh… on the Rambla de Castro walk it says here.” the girl also enlarged the only attached photo.

"That's the Casa de la Gordejuela," said Imobach, who had recently done some research. "It used to be used to house the steam engine, the banana and tomato plants. It was the first one in Tenerife."

“Humidity.” Yuusuke didn't need to say anything else. His face screamed spores .

"Well, we're wearing masks," Coral said, while banging the table softly. "And helmets," he added, "for added safety."

“A plastic sheet will protect us well from a ruined building, yes.” Yuusuke tried to suppress a hint of a smile, but he couldn't.

“Nothing is less… or… less is nothing. Whatever you say,” Coral said.

“Since we are on vacation we can go during the day, it is safer.” if she was honest she was not so worried about staying up late, Teresa was worried about something else, recently a book made her imagination fly and she was quite scared those last few nights.

“No permits are needed,” Adassa said, as if he would listen to them, “it is closed to the public.”

“It's okay, it's a long walk, the police don't go that way, much less a car.” Coral was getting all antsy just thinking about how much repercussions they would have this time. Would it be a good time to tell her parents? Of course, she thought.

“In the park there's still the Conquistador's Mansion and the Fort in front of the pirates…” -Imobach started to tell the history, accustomed to not being paid much attention to, not even when he was with his other friends, even with some hook-ups. It had only been a day, and with the swimming ones, he was left talking to himself, the rest just smiled and continued with another banal conversation. Imobach pressed his lips together, sometimes he thought he should keep his tastes to himself, but they escaped from within him, naming, informing or telling any story helped him understand what was around him. He'd better give up, nobody was interested.

“And do you know the one about the dog's head?” Teresa's eyes were wide open, expectant. Normally her dissonance made people uncomfortable, they didn't know where to look, but he observed both of them, then he spoke. “Do you think it's true?”

“I have a guide in my room about it.” He stood up to look for it.

In a small, adorable leap, Teresa stood up to follow him, but not before asking permission. She knew that the plan would be carried out entirely by the other two girls, she would just join in.

Yuusuke had also been interested, more to know the history of where he was than for distraction or entertainment purposes, he preferred to wait a bit before joining them, it would be indiscreet. Besides, who knows if his presence was altering the past, or the future, or both, it was another type of torture he was not used to.

“When are we going?” Coral asked.

“You tell us, lady i'mverybusy” standing with her arms in her hips, Adassa seemed to be scolding her, but that was just her manner.

"Eh... hehe," Coral scratched the top of her head, the girl with the black, bulging eyes was right. That same afternoon, she had decided to go have tea with Mr. Chinea, and at the same time check that La Chama hadn't overpowered him, and tomorrow, from morning on, go to the youth music school for a concert. "Past?" She offered them a smile in which all her teeth could be seen.

“Why do you ask? As if there were any other option. Thursday” she marked in his digital calendar.

“Wait!” Coral stopped the brunette's wrist, and asked the other way around. “Isn't there a possibility of doing something in less time? Something about your scientific stuff?” The expression seemed contemptuous, and it would have been for someone Yuusuke knew well, but he knew perfectly well that it was just a lack of vocabulary.

“Yes,” she nodded, then crossed her arms over her chest and closed both eyes, then opened only the right one. “Do what you want and stop being the good girl.”

“W-what are you saying?” Coral was taken by surprise by the answer. She didn't really know how to place her hands until she found her hair and started to gather it up, then undo it and redo it three more times.

“Ugh…” Adassa interrupted the moment. “Pass.”

She cut the tension a bit by getting up and grabbing a piece of whiskey cake from the freezer. She was the only one who ate it, in fact she had bought it just to have one in each house. The taste was minimal but Imobach was sure she would be the first of the group to drink alcohol… if her sister hadn't tried it before, she got along with everyone after all.

“Excuse me,” the pie-eating demon heard from the kitchenette.

“You're not sorry. You don't even know why you're asking for it.’ Yuusuke replied to Coral.

“Ha.” Her ankles accidentally crossed, the sound of them colliding was dull. She leaned back, her left hand resting behind her back, the other hand resting comfortably below the crown of her head. "You got me. Why should I feel sorry? I want to see the concert."

Yuusuke's forehead was completely relaxed, making his eyes look more serious and slanted than usual.

“No. I was wrong. Sorry.” two expressions the boy was not used to saying. Not sincerely.

"And my drink…?" As she appeared in the hallway, book in hand, Teresa scanned the entire room. "My spirit guides tell me it was you," or perhaps the vanilla-flavored cocoa in her glass did. She pointed at the almond-eyed brunette.

With a languid movement of all her fingers, the blonde pounced on Coral, crushing her, hugging her tightly and squeezing her cheeks even tighter if possible.

“Now I condemn you to make the drink I desire.”



Before falling asleep, Coral had two things going through her head.

One of them. That it was the first time he saw Teresa drink tea. Bitter, to make matters worse. She had always been known for drinking chocolate, perhaps, sometimes, more than necessary. Was she becoming an adult? Impossible.

The other. That she herself was a hindrance to the investigation, after all, she was only hindering them, if it were up to the others, everything would already be resolved. The idea of moving forward the incursion distressed her, but it would be worse to have made them wait for nothing.

Even when I opened my eyes, all I saw was black. I tried to sleep, but everything, and nothing at the same time, started to spin.

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