【Marika's POV】
It's time to pack. Our one week stay here has ended, we'll be going back to our neighborhood and I can't express how happy I am, if we follow our schedule, we should be able to arrive home a day before christmas, Jeff would be released then.
I've been having sleepless nights ever since the howling of the wolves started, I just can't seem to calm down at night, it's really unnerving, stupid wolves! I think I'll just sleep during the trip to regain my energy.
I was already done packing considering I didn't bring much stuff in the first place. Billy, on the other hand, was having a hard time stuffing his things on the bag. He said he didn't need help so I didn't bother.
I swung my backpack on my shoulder and walked downstairs, I want to thank grandma Rose and grandpa Ben properly for letting me stay here. They're really kind people.
I walked to the kitchen and saw grandma Rose, washing the dishes while grandpa Ben was drinking coffee on the table.
"Hello." I greeted, they turned to me with a smile. "I want to thank you both for letting me stay here and for giving me a good time." I beamed.
"Come visit us again next time, lassie." Grandpa Ben grinned.
"It was good to know that Billy actually had a lady friend." Grandma Rose commented.
"Lady friend?" I questioned.
"Billy hates girls." Grandma Rose replied.
"Hates? Huh! He's afraid of 'em!" Grandpa Ben scoffed as he drank his coffee. Billy is afraid of girls?
"Why?" I asked, they both turned silent, their smiles slowly faded away.
"We're not quite sure . . . Maybe it's because ofー" Grandma Rose started mumbling things I couldn't understand.
"What?" I tilted my head in confusion.
"Oh! Nothing, dear." She smiled.
"Uh huh . . ." I slowly said as I studied her indistinguishable actions, "Well, thank you again." I shrugged and forgot the matter, they gave me a nod as I walked to the living room, I saw Billy sitting on the sofa next to the fireplace.
I debated whether to ask him about it or not. Should I? I'm curious but not that curious, Oh well, might as well give it a shot.
"Hey, Billy . . ." I started, he turned his attention to me. "I heard you're afraid of girls, why?" I bluntly asked.
"W-What? Excuse me?" He seemed offended by my question but at the same time, he's nervous.
"So . . ?" I urged him to answer. He stared at me for a while before replying.
"I'm not afraid of girls and it's none of your business." He averted his gaze.
"Alright, then." I replied, as I've said, I'm not that curious. Mr. and Mrs. Johnson got down right on cue while carrying their bags.
"Okay, are we ready to go?" Mrs. Johnson asked. Grandpa Ben and grandma Rose walked out of the kitchen and into the living room to say their goodbyes.
"We're stopping at the town for a while, maybe buy some souvenirs too." Robert added.
"Let's go, we packed everything." Billy sighed. Mrs. Johnson nodded and we all started to walk out the house.
I was surprised when we got out, the wind was blowing really hard and the falling snow were really thick, I can hardly see a thing!
"Goodbye, dear." Grandma Rose gave Mrs. Johnson a hug while Grandpa Ben hug them both, just like when the first time we got here.
"We'll visit again soon." Mrs. Johnson smiled at her parents before letting go.
"Bring Marika along too." Grandma Rose suggested which made me smile.
"Yer right, Billy finally had some interest in girls, I thought he's becoming homosexual." Grandpa Ben said in a serious tone which made it frickin' hilarious.
"What in the world!?" Billy angrily shouted as he blush, we all laughed at him while grandpa Ben patted his head.
"Get outta here before the snow freeze yer car." Grandpa Ben grinned at us, they nodded before walking through the snowy forest.
"Goodbye!" Robert shouted one last time, The couple waved back at us.
We trudge through the snow, getting colder by the second. It's difficult to walk now, my feet were getting buried in the snow!
After our little death march going on, we reached the car and immediately went it. Our breathing was visible even though we're already in the car. Robert had trouble starting the car, after minutes of trying, it finally started and we hurriedly drove away, not wanting to stay in the freezing spot any longer, I wore my seatbelt because the ride was once again, fierce and violent.
Soon enough, we reached the quaint town, Robert parked the car in front of a run-down shop. We entered the wooden store and looked around while warming ourselves.
The place was no different on the outside, there were broken wood pieces and glass on the floor, cobwebs and dust everywhere. There are a few trinkets hanging around, they're probably for sale. I decided to at least get a keychain or something.
Wow, they were selling a lot of stuff made of animals. Bags made of cow and snake skin, tooth necklaces, seashell necklaces, wooden carvings, even a rabbit's foot turned into a keychain! Gross.
I decided to just get the necklace with a tooth, I wonder what animal it's from . . .
I walked up to the counter with the necklace in hand.
"How much?" I asked a middle-aged girl who's smoking a cigarette.
"Three bucks." She puffed from the cigarette.
"That's a rip-off . . ." I muttered as I handed her the money. "What animal is this from anyway?"
"A wolf." She sneered, I gave her a nod before walking away.
A wolf . . . how ironic. I examined the white tooth, cool. Just then, a thought popped up. I took two more tooth necklaces and paid for it on the counter again, I'll give these to Jeff and Liu. Maybe they'll like it.
Out of the blue, my phone started ringing and I quickly answered the call.
"Finally! I've been trying to get a hold of you for days!" Liu's voice said on the other end.
"Hey, what's up? We're going to travel soon." I replied.
"Yeah, yeah. Just want you to be safe and all, Jeff will be released tomorrow."
"Yup, I can't wait to go home." I grinned.
"Yeah, I ca－Oh! Sir, I'm here to pass my research project and－*Beep*"
"Liu?"
What the? He hung up. Research project? Pfft, he must be in his college, begging for grades. Hilarious.
I noticed they were waiting for me so I fastened my pace, we momentarily walked through the cold snow and got inside the car. Robert drove the car through the thick snow, we're finally on our way. The car was driving awfully slow because of the snow though, I gazed out the window but the view isn't as beautiful as before. The sky was dark even though it's still early, even the tall trees looks menacing as it towers down at us . . . Something's different.
I gave a sigh as I sat down properly, I'm bored. The good thing was the Johnsons aren't the type of family who sings cheery and annoying songs on the whole car trip, Nope, they're just quiet. Maybe I'll just sleep . . .
I pulled my hoodie on while still wearing Billy's coat and closed my eyes, trying to ignore the bumpy car ride. I thought of random things to make me fall asleep like christmas, my home, my family. Shit, I forgot to apologized to mom. I'll just make it up to her once I return then . . .
That was the last thing I thought of until I dozed off.
。。。。。。。。。。。。。。。
"I said wake the hell up!"
I shot up as I heard someone scream right at my ear, what the-
"Get up! Are you going to hibernate or something? Did you freeze to death!?"
Billy shouted furiously beside me, I looked around and realized I'm still on the car but Mr. and Mrs. Johnson are nowhere to be found.
"Where are we?" I asked sleepily as I rubbed my eyes.
"We've been trying to wake you up for half an hour! Mom and dad already gave up and left me here in the car with you!"
"What?" I asked in a daze, don't you hate it when someone keeps on blabbing about something after you've just woken up? I don't understand a thing at all.
"We. Are. Staying. At. A. Hotel." Billy said through gritted teeth.
"What?" I asked again but this time, I'm already wide awake. What the fuck are we doing in front of a hotel?
"A blizzard is coming, we can't drive through that. Look," Billy calmed down and pointed out the window, "You can barely see a thing." He said in an irritated voice.
I nodded in agreement, the thick snow was coming down fast. I only get to make out the words 'motel' outside.
"Who's Marshall?" Billy suddenly asked.
"Marshall?" I repeated his words.
"You keep saying that in your sleep." Billy rolled his eyes, I started laughing at myself.
"That's my doll." I grinned.
"Doll? what the heck?" He gave me a weird look.
"Nevermind, it's just a doll. Where are your parents?" I asked, changing the subject.
"I told you, they got tired of waking you up and they told me to stay here with you until you wake up, and now that you're awake, we're going inside the hotel. Let's go." Billy gave out an exasperated sigh as he explained things again.
"But the snow . . ." I mumbled as I glanced at the window, is it even possible to walk through that?
"Fine, I'll go in the hotel and you stay here in the car. Does that sounds good?" Billy's sarcasm rang through my ears.
I rolled my eyes, "Where's my backpack?"
"They brought it inside." He replied impatiently.
"Dude, how long have we been driving?" I asked, I want to go home soon.
"I don't know but we're almost there."
"Okay . . . Let's go." I sighed.
He nodded, he turned the car engine off and placed the key in his pocket. Billy opened the door, letting the freezing wind in. We both got out and made sure that the doors are locked and ran as fast as we can into the hotel. Whooo... cold, so cold.
We saw Mrs. Johnson on the counter, talking to a young lady while Robert was sitting on a rugged old sofa. Billy and I walked over to them to see what's up.
"Only two rooms are available . . ." Mrs. Johnson mumbled. She then looked at Billy and I in deep thought.
"Well, I guess you two can share a room." she said after a while.
"What!?" Billy shouted angrily. "I don't want to share with her!"
"Please set two beds in the room with the television." Mrs. Johnson ignored Billy and talked to the lady, she gave her a fake smile and rolled her eyes at us.
Hmm, why do I always share rooms with someone? The hell . . . But I really can't protest, I'm much of a timid person to do so and that would be rude, considering they were kind enough to watch over me for a week.
"Billy, come over here for a sec." Robert called from the couch. Billy begrudgingly walked over to him with a scowl on his face.
Robert quietly said a bunch of things which I couldn't hear with a teasing grin while Billy's face slowly formed into something I really couldn't describe, he looks like he's gonna throw up while being embarrassed at the same time.
"What the hell, dad!? I don't even like her!" Billy stopped him from continuing. Robert broke into a fit of laughter as Billy started walking away with a blush. I don't really get it but Robert looks hilarious when he's laughing.
"Let me show you to your rooms . . ." Another middle-aged lady said, distracting me from my thoughts. She has the same black hair as me except it was really messy, Is it me or does this place seems gloomy? Even the staff talks like zombies.
I shrugged and helped with their bags, I took my backpack which is on the floor and Mrs. Johnson's bag, it's the least I could do. The lady lead us into a dark and dreary hallway and stopped in front of a wooden door.
"This is the room with two beds." she sighed. Billy opened the door and went in, I gave Mrs. Johnson her bag back with a tired smile and followed Billy.
Well . . . the room is . . . nice? sorta. It looks very run down, there are two chipped wooden beds facing each other in the middle section of the room, a small cracked window and a very old-looking television on the corner and another door.
We randomly picked our beds which both has a lots of stains on it, I wonder if this place has warm showers? It's freezing.
I sat on my bed and thought of what to do next, I studied the creepy room. Bad things usually happens in motels judging from movies I watched.
My eyes landed on Billy who's staring emotionlessly at me, "What?" I asked, he averted his gaze with sigh as he hugged his knees because of the cold.
"Okay . . ." I mumbled, "Oh, that reminds me, what was your dad saying a while ago?" I curiously asked.
"None of your business!" He shouted with a blush. Whatever, I don't want to talk to him if he's giving me that attitude. I really don't get him, he can be nice but he can really be a pain in the ass.
I watched him as he went in the bathroom that's connected to our room. After a few minutes, he took big steps to his bed and took a towel and clothes out.
"Is the water warm?" I asked as he walked back in the bathroom.
"Oh no, I'm taking a shower in icy cold water." He sarcastically replied, He slammed the door shut and locked it, I stuck my tongue out at him even though we couldn't see each other, annoying idiot . . .
I grabbed my phone to see what time and date it is. December 24 at 11 a.m.
Wait . . . December 24 . . . That's when Jeff can go back home! I immediately called Liu and paced around the room. Luckily, there's a signal in this place.
【Liu's POV】
Mother, father and I are standing around Jeff's hospital room as the doctor talked to us, Jeff is going to have his bandages removed so he can go home with us.
My phone started ringing in my pocket, I hurriedly picked it up when I saw the call was from Marika,
"Hey!" I greeted.
"Liu! How's Jeff!?" She sounded panicked from the other end.
"The doctor is going to remove his bandages now." I replied while looking nervously at the doctor and nurse as they started undoing the bandage on Jeff's face.
"W-What?" Marika wordlessly said.
"Don't hang up, you can talk to Jeff afterwards." I grinned even though she couldn't see me. I can hear her uneasy breathing on the other end.
The doctor and nurse were done removing the tubes on Jeff and was now unwrapping the bandages around Jeff's face. I glance at mom and dad. As expected, mom was hyperventilating, literally while dad tried to calm her down.
I noticed Jeff already grew black hair, I suddenly remembered that he originally has black hair but is always dying it brown.
After a few minutes of suspense, the doctor spoke out,
"Let's hope for the best." And with that, the doctor quickly pulled the last bandages away, revealing Jeff's face . . .
Holy shit.
Mom screamed at the sight as all of us in the room gawked at him, the nurse even started backing away in fear.
"What? What happened to my face?" Jeff asked but neither any of us found the right words to explain it to him, Jeff stood up and tipped over a bit before hurriedly making his way to the bathroom and look at himself.
"Doctor, what happened!?" Mom yelled desperately.
"Now ma'am . . ." He tried to calm her down, "We did the best we could . . . He's lucky to be alive." He added, mom looked like she was gonna cry as dad hugged her, she must've felt bad for Jeff . . .
Jeff . . . Jeff's face was white. Pure white, like snow, actually, his whole body is white and his lips were terribly burned in a deep shade of red.
"Jeff . . ." I started, "It's not that bad." I tried to comfort him but what he said surprised us all.
"Not that bad?" He started chuckling, "It's perfect!" He started twitching and laughing hysterically as he looked at himself in the mirror.
"Liu?" I heard Marika's voice on the phone, I nearly forgot about her.
"Marika . . ." I mumbled, not knowing what to say.
"Did mom just yelled?" she asked.
"Y-Yeah, Um . . . about Jeff一"
"What!? Is he alright!? Did something happened?" I could sense the strong worry in her voice.
"Uh . . . You know what?" I started, "Let me send you Jeff's picture."
I hurriedly ended the call, not waiting for her reply. I wonder how she'll take the news...
"Jeff, are you okay, dear?" Mom's voice quivered.
"Okay? I've never felt more happy!" Jeff said and started laughing again. "This face goes perfectly with me!" He walked out of the bathroom and I took this as a chance to take a picture of him.
After I was done, I sent it to Marika and kept my phone in my pocket.
"Doctor, is my son alright, you know . . . in the head?" Mom nervously asked the question we all wanted to ask.
"Yes, ma'am. This kind of behavior is common for patients that have taken very large amounts of pain killers." The doctor said in a business tone. "If his behavior doesn't change in a few weeks, bring him back here, and we'll give him a psychological test." He added. Okay, that last part wasn't very comforting at all.
"Thank you, doctor." Mom sighed. "Jeff? We're going home now . . . This is your clothes." Mom handed her a pair of pants, a black shirt and his white hoodie.
"Okay, mom!" Jeff replied, still laughing non-stop as he went in the bathroom to change. What's happening to him? He doesn't seem like my calm, serious and mature brother . . .
【Marika's POV】
I anxiously waited for Liu's message to come, I am literally standing on my bed, just to get a stronger signal.
After a few seconds more, I felt my phone vibrate. Finally!
I sat down, grinning from ear to ear. I wonder how Jeff is doing!
I opened the message and was awe-struck by what I saw, It was a boy and his skin was white and he has black hair, it looked like my doll, Marshall. Is Liu pranking me again!? I don't have time for this!
I furiously stood up from my bed and dialed Liu's number, he immediately picked up and started speaking but I didn't bother listening.
"What the hell, Liu!?" I shouted, "I don't have time for games!"
"Whoah, what are you talking about?" He sounded confused.
"Why'd you send me a random pic?" I glared the floor.
"Random? That's Jeff. I'm serious."
I didn't want to believe him but he really did sound serious . . . How did Jeff became like that? It's just impossible . . .
"Marika?" Liu called.
"Oh . . . Um . . . Can I talk to him?" I mumbled, not sure on what to do.
"Yeah, I think . . . Hold on." Liu replied, I hear voices on the other end and... laughing?
"Ha . . . Ha . . ." The laughing was louder, "Hello, Haha . . ."
Then it hit me, The person holding the phone was laughing. That means . . . this is Jeff? His voice is different, it's a little raspy.
"Jeff?" I timidly said his name. The laughter slowly died down.
"Marika?" Jeff asked, he stopped laughing and his voice seems to change a bit, it became . . . His normal voice.
"Hey, how are you?" I worriedly asked.
"I'm great." He started chuckling,
"I'm coming home soon, We'll spend some time then." I smiled, hoping he could see me.
"Good . . . Ha . . . Haha." His laughter become quieter as I heard shuffling, "Hello." Liu's voice said.
"Was that really Jeff?" I questioned.
"Yeah . . . Doctor said he might have had too much painkillers, just talk to him when you get here . . ."
"Oh . . . Well, I'm coming home soon."
"Great, we'll wait for you, bye now. We gotta go." Liu sighed.
"Bye." I ended the call, I sat back down on my bed. I opened the picture of Jeff.
What just happened? Is this really Jeff? His hair is black . . . and It grew long. I couldn't think of explanations why his skin became white, and that's coming from the smartest kid in class . . . Why is he laughing like that though, his voice sounded strange like . . .
I shot upwards as I realized, he sounded just like the time he had beaten Randy up, he sounded menacing like he was possessed. Fuck.
The door opened and Billy walked out in his pants and shirt while wearing his coat, I grabbed my stuff in a daze and headed inside the bathroom, I sense terrible things happening . . . or maybe I'm just overreacting?
I gave a sigh as I took a quick warm shower. I have to go home soon, something is definitely off.
I got dressed and headed out, flicking the lights off in the process. Billy was watching the news but I could hardly understand it due to the poor antenna positioning, I laid on my bed, thinking of various things, mostly about Jeff. I miss him so much. Maybe I should take a nap to get my thinking straight.
Billy got pissed and turned the TV off, I noticed the snowstorm got weaker as I stared at the little window, it's still morning, maybe we'll reach town before christmas after all.
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Late update, I had a project going on but it's done
(◉‿◉)
Long chapter!! Yey! My eyes are burning!
THANK YOU PEOPLE FOR READING AND SHOWING YOUR SUPPORT
Makes me so dang happy, I could cry
♪('ε｀ ) Thanks for the people that followed me <3