Friends

‘I have to explain it for Gray and Julie. Despite it will be hard, but saying goodbye to them is the least I can do.’ This was a form of gratitude for everything they had done for him all these years, otherwise Elyan wouldn’t want to tie his fate to this city anymore.

Moments later inside his mother’s room, he picked up the home telegraph and sent a message requesting attendance from his two friends.

“Knock, knock...” Half an hour later, they had already arrived in front of Elyan’s house.

“Come in.” Elyan opened the door and without wasting any more time, guided them to his room.

The three sat opposite each other, and there was a moment of silence. The two were guessing why they were suddenly summoned by Elyan, especially how he had kicked them out the last time and continued to isolate himself without communicating with them.

“Are you okay?” Gray asked firstly.

“Hah.. ah, yes.” Elyan still hesitated.

“Julie, I’m sorry about last time.” Elyan noticed Julie’s heavy expression and said sincerely.

“I was a little nervous, so please excuse me.”

“It doesn’t matter, I was the one who was in a hurry.” Said Julie, while lowering her head.

After that, she started asking optimistically: “Tomorrow you will come to school, right?”

Elyan was silent, raised his head, then looked at Gray and then at Julie: “I have something to tell you both.”

He gathered his courage before the words came out of his mouth: “After two days, I’m leaving the city. I won’t come back again.”

“This is my final decision.”

“I asked you today so I could say goodbye.” Elyan said, staring at the floor.

‘Huh?!’ As he finished speaking, Gray clearly froze in place, unable to comprehend what he just heard.

Leaving ‘Peace’?! It was not known if he was surprised by the fact that Elyan was leaving or because he found ‘Leaving Peace’ to be meaningless words.

At the same time, Julie, who had just been pleased with Elyan’s return to normal, erupted in anger: “I thought you had come to your senses, and yet here you are talking nonsense again.”

“I will not accept your goodbye, go to hell.” She stood up directly and she said with a face filled with tears.

“Come on, Gray, we’ll talk when this idiot gets back to his senses.”

Both of them did not stop for a moment, they left with expressions of anger and sadness.

Elyan didn’t say anything and he leaned his head on the wall.

Although the farewell was not like what he had hoped, he said what he had to say. Even if his friends went against him, it wasn't as if he would cancel his plans for their sake.

***

The second day, in a little house on the eastern hill,

“knock, knock”

‘Who would be here at this time?’ Elyan was awake as usual eating breakfast, and he found it strange.

It was not Alexander, of course. This gentleman did not have the etiquette of asking permission. He would suddenly appear in front of you if he wanted to.

“Yes?” He approached and pulled the door lock.

He looked at the visitor with the pink hair and was a little surprised: “Julie!.. Why are you here?”

Indeed, it was none other than Julie who did not go to school this morning, instead she came to Elyan’s house.

She pushed Elyan and made him fall backwards before grabbing him forcefully by his black clothes. She was very direct as if she came to fight and not talk: “You have to tell me now and immediately about what is happening? How did it occur to you to left us and the school suddenly.”

“Julie, I have already made up my mind and I won’t change it... Please understand me.” Elyan spoke calmly, and expressed the seriousness of his decision, he didn’t care about Julie’s violent behavior and just hoped that his feelings would reach her.

“Are these the limits of our friendship? Didn’t you, me and Gray make a pact before, that we will share all our problems and we stand together?”

“I won’t let you do that!” At this moment her eyes became moist.

“Julie, you don’t understand it but I’m really doing this for your benefit.”

“My benefit is with you.” Julie said while she burst into tears.

“Why are you so stubborn? Why do not you understand? My life has changed. We will never go back to the way we were.” Elyan spoke with determination, raising his voice.

“Nothing has changed.”

“Ah, your mother died right? Are you talking about this? Is this why you want to ruin your life?” Julie provoked deliberately.

“Then I think you should take Gray with you. He also lost his parents, so he should stop studying and leave with you, don’t you think?”

“Oh yes, there is also that classmate from school whose mother died two months ago. I will contact him and tell him that...”

“Stop!” Elyan couldn’t take it anymore, he shouted at her.

“You don’t know anything.”

“Stop acting like a child and pull yourself together.” Julie also shouted after leaving him alone.

“They killed my mother!”

“!!..”

“What..?!”

Julie stopped with her eyes large, she took a step back and covered her mouth as if she wanted to prevent herself from screaming.

Except for Elyan, and the policemen who assumed that lady Isabella had committed suicide and covered it up by telling everyone that she died from fatigue and illness, no one else knew she was killed, including Julie and Gray. Of course, this is except for the killer himself and Alexander, who was her husband’s friend.

“Lady Isabella did not died naturally!!’ After recovering from her shock, Julie said in a gentle voice.

“Yes”.

“I am sorry for what happened to your mother. I did not think it was like that. And also, like a fool I said all that to you.” Julie felt sad, as she knew she was hasty.

“I wanted to hide it, but since you are so stubborn, I had no other choice.”

“But this is the city of ‘Peace’ we are talking about, and the murders during the entire year were counted on one hand. Who would dare do that?”

What Julie said was true, which is another reason why the police thought it was a suicide rather than a murder.

Then she guessed, as if suddenly enlightened, she added soon: “Wait, you have known the killer! And now you are seeking revenge, right?”

Elyan’s silence for a few moments was evidence that her guess was correct.

She didn’t ask more, she left the house and ran straight away.

***

It was evening, when Julie returned but this time she wasn’t alone. Gray was accompanying her.

She thought a lot before deciding to tell him the truth and they came to face Elyan.

“Hey Elyan, I have Julie told me about what happened to your mother, I’m sorry about that.” Gray’s glasses reflected his serious expression: “We have decided to help you!”

“If you want to avenge lady Isabella, let us join you!”

“We will leave school also. We will go with you to anywhere you want.” Julie declared.

“You won’t, I won’t let…” Elyan was about to reject his two friends, but he stopped. His eyes rose and he saw his two friends, they were smiling!

Those expressions said it all, the will within their eyes that reflected their desire to give up their lives for him.

Confused, he asked in a loud voice: “Do I really deserve it?”

“I have rejected you so many times, why have you still not given up on me?”

“If you need an excuse, I’ll say it is a pay back for helping me in the past.”

“But isn’t this question completely meaningless?... Simply put, we are friends.” The two were smiling, as they said together.

“...” Elyan couldn’t find the right words. It was a feeling he experienced for the first time in his life.

He still doesn’t understand: “But what about your families? Will you also abandon them?”

“Don’t worry, we would be much better if we went with you.” Julie shook her head firmly.

Julie was only an orphan girl in the orphanage before being adopted by her family, however this did not make her life better in any way, on the contrary she was living the life of a slave at her parents. They forced her to do hard house works, and when they get angry, they relieve their irritation by hitting and blaming her. After she matured a little, her drunken father would sometimes try to rape her whenever the opportunity arose, and she was barely able to escape from him. If it weren’t for the fact that she had nowhere else to go and how she wanted to hide it from others, she wouldn't have allowed herself to stay a single minute inside that house.

For Gray, his life was even worse. After his mother died, his father married again and Gray had a half-brother and sister from his father’s wife. It was a normal life until his father died three years later too, due to a car accident, and then Gray’s suffering began. His stepmother became more daring with no one to support Gray, that’s why she was instigating her children to bully and harass him, this was because he was smarter an better than them in everything.

The Unhappy life for both Julie and Gray is what encouraged them to take the risk, there is nothing to lose by going with Elyan anyway.

“Julie is right, you are aware of what we have been going through with our families. In fact, we were sometimes jealous of you for having a mother like Mrs. Isabella.” Gray tapped his glasses on the bridge of his nose and he said with shyness.

“...Haha.” Elyan laughed, He laughed for the first time in a while. He was unable to contain his feelings.

“OK then.”

“I will allow you, I will not be able to convince you anyway.” Despite saying this, Elyan was smiling secretly. He felt stronger while his friends were with him.

“Oh, this is great.” Julie jumped with joy, she couldn’t help herself.

“Boy! What are you doing?” At this time, a strong voice came from behind the three. A man in his forties appeared, with a tall hat in his hand and a pair of gloves.

“Uncle Alexander!” Elyan turned around, he was aware of the reason for the latter's anger.

“I listened to your conversation. What’s wrong with you?” 

‘Who is this?’ Julie and Gray had the same thoughts, but with a nod from Elyan, they did not interfere further.

“Do you even realize the size of things you’re going to be involved in from now on?”

“Did you know that one mistake could cost you your life?” Alexander was unable to keep calm.

“A weakling like you won’t even be able to last a few months, let alone add these two burdens to you.”

“I know, but I also know that without these two, I probably wouldn’t be able to last long.”

“As you said, Uncle Alexander, I am weak. That’s why when I need help, I want them by my side to do it.” Elyan spoke sensibly and without holding back.

“Akhh, this particular character of yours is similar to Isabella...” Alexander sighed.

He turned to Gray and Julie and narrowed his eyes: “You two, what’s your name?”

“My name is Julie.” Julie said lightly.

“I'm...Gray.” As Gray tensed up.

“You two, do you really have the courage to stand with this boy?” Far from being completely convinced by Elyan’s words, Alexander was investigating Julie and Gray one last time.

“Yes.” The two responded quickly.