Mirage (ON HOLD for revision)

Chapter 14: Alliance

Cedric slowed down when he was finally out of sight. He didn't intend to runaway just when Matt finally seemed like he was willing to talk. But he also had questions, and Cedric wasn't prepared to answer. It has been two weeks since his mother came back, and it has been 11 days since he left home. He went to class after settling everything, not knowing she would actually dare to show up at school after being missing in action for ten years.

"Cedric, you jerk! Where the hell have you been?"

They were as carefree as ever, the enthusiastic bunch of assholes who attended university just for the sake of doing something with their life deserving of their parents' approval. They were easy to talk to, so easy. After all, they weren't even looking at him at all.

"What exactly have you been up to that your mother would go so far as go to school like a preschooler's mother to look for you?"

It was Julius. Cedric almost missed him in all the chaos. Everyone was being chummy with everyone because the professor was so motivated that he decided to ditch class.

"Oh, was she looking for me?" Cedric asked innocently.

"Don't play dumb with me. Matt saw her. What else would she come here for?"

Bad, Julius, and I even left Matt to avoid this interrogation, Cedric thought as he tried to come up with a good enough excuse.

"Maybe she was playing hooky?" Cedric asked with a stupid grin on his face, mentally wishing Julius would leave it alone.

Cedric didn't realize it at first given Julius' foul mouth and short temper. Had he known then he wouldn't have pretended to be friends with him. Surprisingly, Julius was actually the kind of friend who really paid attention to the details to a creepy degree.

Just let it go, Cedric chanted in his head as he watched Julius hesitate.

"It's fine if you don't want to talk about it," Julius finally decided.

"More importantly," Cedric picked up before Julius changed his mind, "I didn't know you were such good buddies with Matty."

It was supposed to command disgust and keep people at bay. After all, majority of the people who saw them together always assumed Cedric was playing Matt. It was only natural given the difference in their personality. But Julius was either just too oblivious or stupidly dumb.

"We're not friends," Julius simply replied. "We just ran into him and he looked lost so I talked to him."

"Looked lost?" Cedric asked, suddenly curious.

"He obviously wanted to ask something, but he couldn't even open his mouth to talk. He must really hate talking to people," Julius explained, making another of his monochromes, this time, on a sketch book.

"Yeah, he really hates it. He never talks to anyone unless it is absolutely necessary," Cedric replied, suddenly feeling nostalgic.

"Anyway, that friend of yours must have been really worried. He couldn't talk so he just grabbed my arm," Julius distractedly said.

"He's not really my friend though," Cedric replied, almost in a whisper.

"Right, he's some sort of boredom pet," Julius muttered.

"He's really not," Cedric repeated.

The sudden seriousness in Cedric's voice made Julius stop sketching and look at him. Cedric didn't look away and met his questioning eyes head on. There was something lurking in his eyes-- a darkness that felt surprisingly warm.

"He's my God," Cedric said in a low voice, leaning forward a little as if he was sharing his deepest, darkest secret.

Julius regarded him with a mix of surprise and disbelief. Cedric did not waver, and Julius conceded that it was indeed deep, the darkness, not yet certain whether the darkness was dark indeed.

"Say, Julius," Cedric said with a conspiratorial smile on his lips when Julius kept silent, "do you want to be my first friend?"

The invitation was easy enough to accept, but there was a hint of something more dangerous than being friends in Cedric's eyes.

"Then, I'll be in your care," Julius replied.