Aftermath of a Confession

Noel turned her gaze to Azrath. He beamed at her.

“You really are amazing, Noel!” he said, taking flight.

The sound of slow clapping echoed in the warehouse. Her eyes slid from Azrath to Darris, her expression melting into disgust. But Darris did not seem to care as he stood, his face as bright as Azrath’s. “You are indeed amazing, girl. I could not be prouder.”

Noel’s temper flared. “Proud? Who cares what you think?! You gambled with something like that, and you act like everything’s fine? Go ahead and keep living in dreamland. Now take me home. I’m done with you!”

Darris’s expression did not change, but he let his hands fall to his sides as he looked at her silently for a moment. “Are you not glad to have claimed victory?”

“Why the hell would I be glad? I barely escaped with my life! And apparently more than that!”

Azrath also glared at him, “To bargain with a girl’s chastity? You’re worse than Hilqamaar!”

Darris was silent for a moment. “I see.” He looked to the floor at the unconscious Hilqamaar. “Very well,” he said. “I’ll send you home.”

With that, he waved his hand, and the green portal appeared. “That will take you back to your school. Enter and wait ten seconds, then go back the way you came.”

Noel marched toward the portal without a word, Azrath in tow. But before the green light enveloped her, she heard Darris’s voice. “Oh, and Noel…”

Begrudgingly, Noel turned to look at him. His pupils were round as he looked at her. He opened his mouth, “I only….” Then he closed it. His pupils turned to slits once more, “Don’t forget your bag. I believe you dropped it in the portal.”

Noel whipped back around so that her ponytail swiped behind her. “I won’t.”

Then the warehouse was gone as she and Azrath walked into the portal.

***

Darris sat back down on the crate. He was tempted to bury his face in his hands. He refrained and settled on staring at the sleeping Hilqamaar.

He sat there for several seconds, just looking at the boy. I did what I needed to. It had been a decision made in faith, which the girl had answered in spades. But he could not keep the thought of what he would do if she lost from his head.

She was right. He had gambled with something more than life. Something worse than death.

How upset would she be next they met? He could picture her blue eyes staring daggers at him. Her nose scrunched in that particular way that made the freckles disappear as she tossed her fiery hair over her shoulder.

“You can be such a stubborn fool. You know that?”

“I know. I’m sorry.” He slumped forward in shame.

She tilted her head as she looked up at him, “Are you? You can say you’re sorry all you like, but you’ve got to prove it, Darris.”

“How can I make this right?” Darris knelt in front of her to look into her eyes, brown into blue. “Tell me how, and I’ll do it. I’d do anything to see your smile.”

She tapped a finger to her lips as she pondered. Then her face brightened, “To start, how ‘bout you carry me like you used to?”

Darris shook his head, “Not in your condition!” He glanced down at her stomach.

“Oh, we’ll be fine! You’re my gentle giant, aren’t you?”

He stayed where he was for a moment before softly taking her in his arms and standing. Then he placed her on his right shoulder, where she wrapped an arm around his neck. He kept a tight hold on her dangling feet.

“Enough of that,” she whispered in his ear, “Just let me go. I trust you completely.”

At her request, he let his arm fall.

“No!” Darris cried as he stood. His arm reached for the place her legs had once been, but they only found air. Then he blinked. He was in the warehouse with the sleeping Hilaqamaar.

He looked to his hand, which griped at nothing. His clenched fist tightened. He had let her enter his thoughts again! His Ahngreel blood roiled as anger flashed through his veins.

With a bellow, Darris rounded on the crate he had been sitting on and stomped the top of it as hard as he could. The box exploded with the impact. The contents flew everywhere, high enough to ping against the ceiling. Splinters of wood and random trinkets rained down on the warehouse for a few seconds as Darris stood there, trying to quell his rage.

While it was cathartic to imagine he was breaking Hilqamaar’s face as the girl had done, it did not make the pain in his chest lessen. It had not been the boy’s fault, as smarmy as he was. Nor was it Warrick’s who had selected him.

Darris’s tried to lift his foot again but found it was stuck. His boot had embedded itself several inches in the stone floor. It took little effort to pull his boot, but it was stained with dust. His hand reached into his pocket and closed around the spine of the manga.

As he pulled the book from his coat, his eyes fell on the cover. His vision was filled with the image of Haruka and Shun, who smiled as they stood together in happy ignorance.

It’s a lie. It’s all a lie.

Darris took a moment to compose himself. His blood settled back to its usual flow. His thoughts turned back to the manga.

He should really let the bird borrow it. He would probably find comfort in it as well. Maybe more than he was at the moment.

***

Noel did not say a word as they returned through the portal and deactivated her power. Azrath was silent as well. She, at least, was too tired to really say anything. As brief as it was, the fight with Hilqamaar had taken almost everything out of her. She could barely think. The only thing that filled her head was Darris’s final words. Or rather, the words he didn’t say.

“I only…”

He only what? Why did he look so sad?

She shook herself and picked up the bag that she had discarded, making sure to crumble up the letter Hilqamaar had written and throw it as hard as she could away from her.

All she wanted to do was go home and fall into bed. Noel was already dreading tomorrow when her friends would ask how her confession went. She had no idea what to say.

Eh, I’ll worry about it later, she thought as she and Azrath walked through the portal.

Then the next day came, and Noel still had no answer. All throughout classes, her friends kept glancing at her. Noel tried not to make eye contact. Her mind was blank. That was until the other three circled her by the shoe lockers again.

“All right, spill, Haru,” said Ai, “How did it go? Who was it?”

Noel looked at them, and then she shrugged and answered as naturally as if it was the full truth, “It ended up being a boy from a different school who got his friend to deliver the letter. But I turned him down.”

The other girls gaped at her.

“You turned him down?!” asked Ai, “Why?” Then she added, “Was he handsome?”

Noel ignored that last part mostly because she didn’t want to admit the truth. “I figured out pretty quickly that he was super shallow,” she said, “I think I deserve better.” That part wasn’t a lie. At least most of it.

Yui smiled, “Good for you, Haru. I know you’ll find someone better.”

“You definitely will,” said Mugi.

“I hope so,” she said as she opened her locker. Thankfully, there was no letter sitting on her shoes this time. She didn’t know if she could handle another one right now. Or maybe ever.