This Is My World [High School AU]

Chapter 12

"Why?"

Petir held her hood down. She couldn't even force herself look at Tanah.

Tanah pounded on the barriers. "What do you think you're doing?!" he yelled.

She remained stubbornly silent. Ever since he woke up in this cell, Petir was missing. He'd feared for the worst, blaming himself—but she walks in, wearing that godforsaken uniform and under the command of Bora-ra.

He couldn't comprehend it. He swore to protect her, but he failed.

Again.

She was now in the hands of the enemy, and him at their custody.

"Why did you agree?" he whispered, tears springing in his eyes.

Petir lowered her hood.

"It's my responsibility."

She walked out of the cell, leaving Tanah alone in the chambers.

He punched the wall in anger and yelled in frustration.

* * *

"Do you still miss Tanah and Petir?" Daun asked innocently.

Cahaya looked up from his book. He had been discharged from the hospital and they were now having their lunch in a restaurant.

He closed his book. "Of course. They're my friends, after all."

"I never really met Petir," Daun noticed. "What was she like? I saw her battle and she got hurt. So did Tanah. Does stabbing hurt? How do you escape from the hospital? Why is she so bad?"

"I wouldn't call her a bad person. She's just misunderstood."

"Oh." Daun rested her cheeks on her palms. "Then she must be nice then! I can't wait to meet her when they come back!"

Cahaya stared off into the sky, tuning the young girl out. He knew they wouldn't just ditch everything without a logical explanation. Something had to be wrong.

Still, they were unpredictable. Perhaps their goal was to enjoy a quiet life. In Malaysia, they were eternally famous.

Smiling at his childhood friend, he laid back on his chair and returned to the world of literature.

* * *

Api didn't know what to expect. The moment he stepped into his and Air's shared room, a pair of cooling arms were wrapped around him tight, despite the long sleeves segregating their skin.

"I haven't showered yet," he argued, but he was also perplexed. Air hated when he was sweaty and smelled like gym socks that'd been left in the locker for three years too long, but she seemed to be devoid of it.

It was either the world was ending or her nose was incapacitated.

Still, he felt safe. Hugging was something that posed as a fantasy. Truth be told, he'd never been hugged for years. Sure, there were friendship chest bumps between him and Angin, but that was as close as it could get.

"It's going to be alright," Air assured him, pulling him tighter. "Tanah will return. It only takes time. He wouldn't abandon his friends."

Api fell silent, but he felt himself hugging back. For the first time, he cried for his pain. He cried for all the suffering he's been through. He cried for himself. The pair of siblings sank to their knees, Air being her brother's emotional support.

They couldn't hear Tanah's screams of agony hundreds of miles away.

* * *

"My lord." Petir got on her knee, facing the alien alone. Her hood obscured most of her face, and she remained emotionless and blank. Her eyes were duller than ever, as if she was a walking corpse.