“No!”
I begged Miss Haley.
“I can’t show you right now. Teacher, I’m really sorry. I’ll definitely let you know later, so please.”
I didn’t want Theo, who was already hurt by an adult, to suffer any further.
I liked and believed in Miss Haley, but I didn’t want to risk it – just as a precaution.
Miss Haleynodded slightly as she looked at me.
“Alright. But a kid should not play with medicine. If the wound is severe, I need to check on it after first aid, okay?
“Yes, thank you. Oh, and…”
I hesitated. It was because I wondered if Miss Haley would think the question was strange once she heard it.
“What’s wrong?”
“Where do you think of when you want to hide?”
“…”
Miss Haley looked at me for a long time as if trying to grasp my intentions.
“Well, behind the nursery is a forest where people rarely visit, so I would go there if I want to be alone.”
But she sincerely told me her thoughts and gently touched my cheek.
“Iris. I don’t know what’s going on, but let’s calm down first. Wouldn’t the child in hiding be more anxious when he sees you now?”
“Yes.”
I nodded at her words. Without a doubt, I was nervous.
“It’s going to be dark out soon, so come back as soon as possible. If it’s too late, I’ll go search for you at once.”
“Thank you, teacher.”
With the kindness of the teacher, I was able to calm down.
Having received medicine from Miss Haley, I headed straight to the place behind the nursery.
It was a small hill that was embarrassing to say it was a mountain, but it was a place where a dense forest was located.
‘I’m sure you’re really scared.’
Thinking of Theo hiding all alone in a dark place made my heart ache.
How far did he wander in the forest? After traversing for a while, I finally discovered a rock cave. In front of it, small footprints and bloodstains were connected like a road.
“Theo…”
I tried to get rid of any signs of agitation.
There was a lot of grass on my hair and clothes, but it was inevitable.
As I walked slowly into the cave, the sun completely set and a round moon rose above my head.
“Theo.”
As expected, Theo was crouched down in the small cave.
When he heard my voice, he flinched in surprise.
“I’m here to pick you up”.
Theo slowly looked up at those words.
Theo’s face under the moonlight unmistakably had traces of tears.
My heart was throbbing at the sight, but I smiled as brightly as possible. Holding this smile, I crouched down in front of him to wipe away his tears.
“Hey, how can you believe that standard is wrong?” Theo asked.
“Actually, I didn’t believe in the fact that the standard was wrong. I just trusted you.”
I spoke softly while unfolded the medicines I received from Miss Haley, and I began to treat the wound on Theo’s forehead.
“Me?”
“Yes.”
As I smiled and nodded, I could see tears glistening in Theo’s eyes.
“A devil wouldn’t do anything of this sort, like jumping in to save others, and he wouldn’t try to protect others while speaking harsh words.
The day I approached him, I remembered Theo trying to hide me from the eyes of other children.
“You protected me.”’
“But I… If you’re with me, I’m sure you’ll keep getting hurt.”
“Because you’re ominous?”
“What was above your head suddenly fell…”
That was ridiculous. In the first place, these superstitions could not be thwarted without the premise that Theo having the devil’s blood was false.
“Theo, do you think you’re a devil yourself?””
Theo could not answer immediately. Instead, clear tears flowed from his eyes.
“Are you really a devil?”
When asked again, Theo shook his head. And he softly replied, choking up as he did so.
“No… No…”
Theo’s small voice grew louder and louder. In the end, it was like he was desperately shouting at someone.
“I’m not a devil!”
I smiled at Theo and hugged his shoulder to comfort him.
“Yes. I trust you. I’m going to believe you.”
Even if everyone in the world calls you the devil, I promise to trust you.
“Okay, it’s done.”
Once I finished treating Theo’s wounds with my poor skills, I took a step back from him. But there was something that I forgot.
“Oh, right! There’s still one thing left.”
I blocked Theo’s rising hand and leaned in to gently blow on his wound.
“What did you do?”
“What do you mean? It’s ‘ho’.”
Theo’s face crumpled strangely in response to my answer.
“What? What’s wrong with my face?”
You were able to enjoy the best service! You punk.
Theo tilted his head and said.
“No, I think the wound is all better.”
“That’s all the effect of ‘ho’. I mean, you like it, right?
“Yeah.”
Theo rubbed his forehead with his hands as if embarrassed.
I reached out to him.
“Hurry up. Let’s go back before it’s too late. I have to show Miss Haley the wounds quickly.”
“Didn’t you treat it all?”
“But I have to show it to the teacher properly. What I did was just first aid.”
“Okay.”
Theo and I held hands as we walked along the forest path.
He followed me without a word and then spoke carefully.
“Thank you.”
I stopped at his abrupt words and looked back at Theo. Embarrassment could be seen blooming all over his face.
“Come on, why did you suddenly turn around?”
“Because I like it.”
When I said with a big smile, Theo’s face heated up.
It looked like cherry tomatoes in midsummer.
“What, what…”
“After hearing you say ‘thank you’, we’re really friends now, right?””
“…What friends….”
“What? So you’re saying no?””
I asked as I approached him closer.
I’ve done this much, but we’re still not friends?
How can I get the title of “Theo’s friend”?
“Hey, get away from me!”
“Tell me why!”
“There’s no reason!”
Theo took the lead and walked on the dark path.
I felt like the ground was ringing because I walked huffing and puffing over in anger.
“Wait for me! I’ll go with you.”
But if there’s anything that’s changed…
It was him waiting for me while slowing his pace.
~*~
“…That’s interesting.”
Miss Haley looked at Theo’s wounds for a long time.
“Teacher, is there something wrong?”
I asked Miss Haley, getting close to her.
I hope there was nothing wrong because if that was the case, William, I’ll never let you go!
However, the teacher shook her head with an ambiguous smile.
“No. He’s in good condition. I thought it was a deep tear, but it seemed to have healed in such a short period.”
“It’s healed?”
Miss Haley nodded. However, as the atmosphere became a little heavy, she quickly smiled and said.
“Theo must have a good recovery ability. I don’t think you need to worry.”
“…”
But Theo’s face got dark.
‘You don’t want to be different from others, even just a little.’
I spoke brightly, intervening between the teacher and Theo.
“It’s all because I said ‘ho’! Hurry up and thank me!”
Theo looked pitifully at me, crossing his arms and shrugging.
“Anyways, that’s good. If it goes like this, he won’t get hurt easily.”
“Good for you!”
In the end, Theo nodded reluctantly.
~*~
“What? Why is Iris hanging out with a kid like that?”
“Isn’t he the one who has the devil’s blood?”
“Actually, it’s really creepy.”
The next morning, the cafeteria was noisy.
It was because Theo and I, whose appearance were opposites of each other, , arrived side by side.
“Bon appétit!”
“Do you really have to eat at a time when there are so many people present?”
Theo murmured in dissatisfaction.
But I smiled and nodded firmly.
“What’s wrong with us that we can’t even eat at this hour? We have the right to eat too.”
As I said, pounding on my chest, Theo looked at me with a strange face.
“What’s the matter?”
“You don’t have to.”
“Huh?”
“The word ‘we’.”
Theo turned his head forward, blatantly avoiding my eyes.
“Without me, it doesn’t matter if you eat at the busiest hour.”
“…”
For a moment, my heart was pounding and I couldn’t say a word.
He was clearly a small child, but sometimes, Theo seemed to be too mature for his age.
Theo’s words were so sharp that I occasionally had a hard time figuring out how to respond.
“But we’re friends.”
“…”
“You share everything with your friends. Good and bad. So, your difficulties are also my difficulties.”
“…That doesn’t sound like a friend.”