Chapter 8: Birthday blues
I laid down on the bed. My throat was hurting like hell, and I was feeling feverish. Yes, I was sick on my birthday, and it was probably because of too much screaming the previous night.
"Are you sure you'll be fine alone?" Faey asked, concerned. She placed a wet towel on my forehead.
"Yeah. Levira's here. I won't be alone." I gave her an assuring smile.
Belinda sighed. "Okay then. We'll just leave. Take care, okay? Call us if you need anything."
I nodded my head and lifted my handphone up to show them I would be close to a phone to call for help. I waved to the two of them and the three boys as they left the room. Soon after, I fell asleep.
Before I knew it, someone was holding me by my shoulders, shaking me, telling me to get up. I opened my eyes and blinked a few times to see Ethan standing over me. I sat up, frowning.
"What are you doing here?" I muttered, my voice coming out in a whisper. Oh gosh how my throat hurt so. "Why did you wake me up? I want my sleep."
"Faey told me to come back. She was worried you'll get into trouble without anyone here." He passed me a tablet and a glass of water. "Here, eat your medicine."
I raised an eyebrow. "Hmm." I looked down at the tablet. Was this a trick? Another trick for my birthday? Maybe those tablets weren't real tablets to help me recover... "No, I'm not going to eat those. Don't disturb my sleep. Get out. Tell them that I'll be fine." I got ready to return to the embrace of my blankets, but I was stopped by Dimtri when he placed a hand on my shoulder. "What?"
"Eat it. You'll feel better. Ethan went to buy them just now before he came back at the nearby pharmacy."
"I don't want to, okay?" I said, sounding harsher than I intended. "I want to sleep."
Levira flew to me. "Ayla, I know you're feeling cranky, but you shouldn't be doing something like this. It's not right."
I swiped my hand at her. Ethan grabbed at me. "Ayla, I'm using one of those favours. Swallow this tablet, now." He looked at me seriously, eyes blazing.
"No. I don't care. Why should I follow what you tell me to do? I want to sleep. Go away."
"Either you swallow this now or risk your second kiss."
I pressed my lips together, then sighed. "You're irritating," I croaked and did as I was told. "Now, let me sleep. Shoo." And I was once again deep in slumber.
I woke up at around lunch time. By then I still wasn't feeling any better. Ethan told me to wake up so that I could eat something, but I didn't have any appetite, and before he could do anything else, I was sleeping away again.
At mid-afternoon, I woke up naturally on my own. Sitting up, I found Ethan on the floor, reading a rather thick book. "You're still here? Didn't I tell you to go back to Galvin and the others?"
He looked up at me. "Hey, a thank you would be nice. Where are your manners?"
"Whatever," I snapped.
"Feeling better, are we?" Ethan smiled sardonically.
I nodded and stared at the book on his lap. "What are you reading?"
He lifted it up for me to get a better look. The words 'China History' were written across the hard cover. I snatched it from his grasp. I'd always been interested in that topic and couldn't help myself. I started to read it.
Ethan cleared his throat. "Can I get it back now? You've been reading for an hour."
I glanced at him, then at the clock. "What? No. It's just getting interesting!"
"You know what? Let's go out and have dinner." He stood up.
"Why now?" I whined.
He crossed his arms. "Have you realised that you haven't even eaten your lunch? And if I'm not wrong, you didn't even have your breakfast. Besides, I'm hungry, and that's your fault for not waking up just now -- I didn't have lunch either."
"Hmph. I don't care. I want to read." Suddenly, I was turned upside down as he lifted me up over his shoulder. A sense of deja vu overcomed me. "Okay okay! Put me down! Put me down! I'll go eat dinner with you!"
We then walked down the street passed many shops and restaurants. Something caught my eye then, and I immediately pulled Ethan towards it.
"No." He shook his head at me after looking at the sign saying 'Western Delights'.
"I'm going in." Who cares what he thinks anyway. And I immediately took a seat without a waiter assigning it to me. I was flipping through the menu when Ethan took the seat beside mine. I called the waiter over. "I want Fish and Chips please, with extra servings of fries."
"No," Ethan said again. "She can't take Fish and Chips. Give her Chicken Chop with Spaghetti. And... I'll have the Fish and Chips."
I glared at him. "I want Fish and Chips."
"That would be all, thank you." Ethan packed the two menus together before giving it to the waiter. The waiter looked at me, looking rather confused and was just about to say something when Ethan said fiercely, "She's having a really bad sore throat and had been having a high fever of forty degree celsius. Unless you want your customer to get even more sick after eating your food, you better follow the orders I've given you." The waiter rushed off in a flash, cowering.
I whacked him on the arm. "Hey! I want my Fish and Chips! You have no idea how much I've been craving for it!"
"Then why didn't you buy a plate of it before this?"
"I didn't have sufficient money to buy Western." And it was the truth.
"So you're telling me that I'll be paying for this meal?"
I nodded my head quickly. Ethan sighed. "If I don't, you won't eat, will you?"
"Yep. You know me too well."
"Fine."
The food came, and I gazed at Ethan's plate of Fish and Chips longingly. He cut off a piece of fish and waved it in front of me tentalisingly. My eyes followed it wherever it went, and all Ethan did was laugh at me instead of donating me some of it.
"You'll pay for this, Ethan," I growled.
He shrugged, but then stopped eating. "Oh by the way, " Ethan slipped his hand into his pocket, took out a small box and handed it to me, "- happy seventeenth birthday." He smiled at me.
I looked from him to the thing on his palm. The object was tied around by a ribbon with a colour similar to the pink on the box. It was covered by a kind of wrapping that made it shimmer and even more beautiful.
I took it from him. "May I?" He gave a small nod and I charged in to open it to uncover a pretty necklace with an 'A' as its pendant. The letter was dazzling so brightly with the diamonds embedded on it taking in and reflecting all the light available. I gawked at it.
"Those shiny things aren't real. I'm not that rich."
I flushed deep red and closed my mouth. "Thank you... for this present."
"You're welcome." He grinned.
Should I ask now...? "Hey, Ethan. Can I ask you a question?" He nodded with a fry in his mouth. "What happened to you in the past? How is it that you know that I was feeling lonely at... you know... that time?"
He desisted from chewing, the light in his eyes disappearing. "Interested now in my life?" I knew he was trying to joke around, and I knew he was waiting for me to retaliate, but I remained silent, waiting for him to continue. A thoughtful hum escaped from his throat. "Well, I also haven't been with my family for many years, obviously. My mom died giving birth to me, and because of that, my dad hates me a lot. Even though I was only a baby, I still caused the person he loves to die. So yeah, once I was old enough, he sent me away."
I gulped, a heavy feeling lodged in my heart. "Dimtri appeared during those times?"
"Yeah." I waited for him to say more. "What? Stop staring at me like that. Staring is rude."
"Why?"
"Because it's rude, duh."
I rolled my eyes. "Don't you dare try to avoid the question, dude."
There was a pause. "I was around five and I was just wandering about the places near my house, and yes, I was alone. My dad didn't bother about my location at all. I don't even know whether he even cares I'm alive... So anyway, I found this really huge building and somehow that drawed me towards it. It was the library, see, and I was immediately awed by the silence and the number of books available in just that building itself. Ever since then, I've been heading to the library loads of times just to seek a quiet place for me to... get rid of the loneliness inside me. I was just reading halfway when Dimtri suddenly appeared. I was six at that time. Ain't it wonderful?" He gave a sad smile.
"Then why is it that you don't mind Dimtri going away? Why are you still looking forward to finding your other half?" I asked gravely.
"That's because... Well, obviously I don't want Dimtri to have a life like mine, without being able to be with his family. I'm sure the Ellerwyn families are different from us humans'. Even if they'll also treat Dimtri cruelly... At least he has a chance to meet them."
I looked to Levira. She looked back at me, expressionless. Was she trying to suppress some feelings? I stared down at my hands. His words... Something had clicked in me. I lifted my head, then leaning forward, I placed a hand on Ethan's head, hoping to give him the support that he'd been giving me. "Let's continue with dinner."
"Y-Y-Yeah," he stammered, obviously shocked by what I'd just done.
And we continued digging in.
At one time, someone suddenly said from behind me, "Excuse me?" I turned to look at the waiter. He had brown eyes and hair matching up with those irises of his. He was tall and well-built, but without those bulging muscles. Something about his Ellerwyn told me that we'd met before, but I just couldn't be sure. That Ellerwyn of his had blonde hair and was wearing a really smart suit. He was carrying a violin case and maroon wings were present on his back.
"Yes?"
"Are you... I apologise if I'm mistaken, but are you Ayla Rale?"
"Yes. And you are?"
His lips widened into a smile. "Really? You're Ayla? Don't you remember me? I'm Kenneth."
Kenneth? "Kenneth Taira?" I said hopefully. He nodded. I stood up quickly and hugged him.