A ray of light peeked through the curtains, warming the tip of his nose. It scrunched at the pleasant sensation, wriggling at the slight ticklish feeling. Despite the nose's squirming its itchiness grew, so a white paw swooped in to relieve the nose from its duty. Unfortunately, this action in turn made the body more self aware, thus awakening it from its slumber.
He huffed, feeling like he hadn't slept enough. Cocooning himself in the sheets only made the uncomfortable feeling worse; his jacket must be getting in the way of him and the perfect position.
His eyes shot open noticing the zipper digging into his stomach. He isn't wearing pajamas! The panda sat up and stared blankly at the wall, eyebrows furrowed. Though he wasn't completely awake, he knew if he wanted to keep resting the jacket had to go.
He unzipped it with minimum effort, about to discard it on the floor when Nova froze.
"Cody?" Nova mumbled on instinct, not believing his eyes.
There he was. His sleeping childhood friend curled in a chair next to him as if to keep watch.
Blood and oxygen rushed all the way to his brain, the drowsiness dissipating and his memory restored. He was fully awake and panicking. After what the panda had done, he didn't want to face his friend .
As he put his jacket on, Nova quietly reached for his phone that currently sat on a shelf beside him. The lack of notifications meant that his parents had thoroughly investigated his messages and logs, which sucked. Additionally, upon looking at the date, it was Sunday. His eyes widened, shocked to learn he's been knocked out for almost two days.
Nova didn't join his group class yet and doing it now would cause an uproar so he limited himself to scrolling on the social media app to update himself on what happened.
Unsurprisingly, people were still talking about it. The event is a hot discussion in most of the threads but they all said things Nova already knew. He must be late to the scene because all that remains available to the public are mostly fragments of scenes and small videos.
Among the forums, one clip had his eyes burning. He hated seeing himself on the same level of a wild beast. It was humiliating. People calling it cool hurt him deeply. They had no idea what succumbing felt like; being swallowed by yourself and drowning in an ocean of raw feelings, instincts and rage.
However, what he hated the most was something else. Nova despised himself for liking it, for feeling refreshed by it. He had so much stuff weighing him down: the people he left behind, his new life, the school, his new friends, Mark... All of it was driving him insane! The moment he activated his power was like being freed from a cage he'd been forced into for years. New chains would form when new things were added to his life, and they would strengthen the more the pressure increased.
Releasing the raw emotions building up instead of having them slowly corrode him from the inside... Nova was happier than he had ever been. This indescribable feeling of freedom, when all the chains disintegrated, resulting in indifference and pure intent. No thoughts or peer pressure to guide you astray. He craved it as much as he loathed the comments.
He shook his head, pushing the thought to the back of his mind. He stood up, quietly snuck around Cody, and left the room.
Sounds of dishes clanking together and running water came from the kitchen. There is no way he could avoid his mother, too. The staircase squeaked whenever he or Marvin would descend. The panda knew at that point he had to accept it and face her, and the consequences, head on.
Nova still tried though. Slow and steady, making the creaks as soft as he possibly could.
"Hmm...Cody?" His mom inquired from the kitchen.
YOU ARE READING
Jungle Madness 2
General FictionNova continues his school life learning more about his true nature and what he's really capable of. He slowly understands how his sad past is very much shared to all the people who just so happened to be born "different" and that no one is truly sa...
