Chapter 13
-He got problem issues-
*****
She was losing the game. Eistrid's eyes met Loki's emerald green ones. His eyes seemed to grin at her as well. She can't believe how this guy seemed to be playing the game so well. He seemed to enjoy seeing her losing, as her lives were nearly outnumbered. One wrong move, she'll die. She will lose.
No. She never loses a game like this. How can she live? Loki's were even barely touched, like everything was played by tricks. These maybe are just illusions.
"Your turn." Loki innocently said. He wasn't grinning, but funny how his stunning eyes were. She glared at him.
"Damn you! I never lose in a checker board! Are you using any of your tricks again? Huh?!"
"This is just a nonsense Midgardian game. I could even play with my eyes closed." he boastfully said. Eisy scoffed. She can't believe this guy.
"You're cheating!" she accused angrily. Loki grinned about this time.
"I am not. For a mere thought, you cannot just accept you were losing in this such... mortal game. They're just like puzzles, you see."
"This is ridiculous!"
"Now, I don't know what your rage was tampering about. It is just a game, Eistrid."
Loki's grin only grew wider, still enjoying how Eistrid's face was flushing deep red in pure anger at such a child game.
Eistrid have been very bored at that afternoon, and was so tired of watching Loki reading some random old books from her library that once owned by her foster parents. She suddenly remembered about the Checker board that was always hidden at her room, deciding to teach Loki about the game. Loki was indeed very clever for she only instructed it twice to him. And they were playing for the fifth time and she was still losing. She had never lose this game before.
"You are unbelievable." she grumbled.
"Cookies for treat!" Sylvie appeared just behind her, placing a plate with a pile of chocolate cookies. Sylvie took one and sat beside Eistrid.
"Wow, Eistrid is losing again! Haha! Now you've found your match." she teased, wiggling her eyebrows up and down.
"How I hate this man's wits." glaring at Loki, she grabs a cookie and walks out off the table.
"Now you're giving up?" Loki raised a brow. Eistrid turned to face him.
"I am not. You and your tricks. I'm seeing it, you cheater! You're using your damn tricks, how am I supposed to play on such a dirty game?"
"It's what you call, Manipulation. Have you ever heard about that?"
"That's awful. I almost forgot you were the so-called God of Mischief, Tricks and Lies. Wonderful. There's a word called Sarcasm, ever heard about that?"
A knock on the door had interrupted them both with their argument. Eistrid volunteered, stopping to Sylvie to check the visitor.
"I'll go check it." she sighed.
Walking into the door and didn't even bothered to check at the peep hole, she swings the door open. A pair of flaring brown eyes bore like daggers through her. She smiled sheepishly seeing Cara standing there with her arms crossed over her chest.
"Cara! G-great to see you!" stuttering, she smiled forcefully, quickly taking a step outside as she slammed the door behind her. Though she expected that Cara would come, but she was just too distracted today from her annoyance with Loki. Now, she has to deal with her.
"Tell me everything." Cara demanded.
"Cara, it's... it's a very complicated story and I don't think you'll believe me."
"Try me," Cara said sternly, "after all that alien-like scenes I've seen in front of me. I could take them all at once."
Eistrid could not really win with arguments when it comes with Cara. She heaved a sigh defeated.
"Remember the New York incident last year; that giant wormhole above Stark Tower?"
Cara only nodded once, waiting for her to say more.
"Well... it has something to do with this."
"You're talking about something else entirely, Eisy. I'm asking if where the hell you have been."
"I know! But---"
They both heard an ear-piercing scream from the inside.
"I shouldn't have left those two alone on their own." she whispered, imagining her house getting ruined, can anything get any better than this?
"What was that?" Cara raised a brow.
"Oh, uhm... that was just the television left---"
"I swear I'm going to bring my gun out!!!" they heard Sylvie screamed. Eistrid can almost hear some broken plates that have been thrown. She faked a smile.
"I told you, it was just the television---"
The door suddenly opened as Sylvie peered her head out with dark expression.
Mental note; never leave any deadly things like knife, daggers, guns anywhere around her when she wears this kind of expression. You'll got to deal with a lot of dead bodies around her closet.
"Eisy! I swear I'm going to rip that monster's head out on his bloody-- Oh." Sylvie paused, seeing that Eistrid was not alone.
Eistrid quickly made a turn and grab Sylvie by the arm, dragging her outside the door to join them. Closing it, she faced them both as the two of them watching each other as they raised each other's brow. Returning their look back at Eistrid; trying to ask an explanation from her.
"Cara, meet my cousin, Sylvie. Sylvie, this is my research buddy, Cara Reagan."
Both of them smiled and shook each other's hand.
"Okay. Now that you know each other; Sylvie, hope you'll help me sort this out. And Cara, what I'm trying to explain is---"
She heard the door creaked open behind her, making her groan. Why does anyone try to interrupt her from explaining?
"Now what?!" growing irritated, she turned and faced her poor victim. Her face flushed when she saw Loki standing in front of her.
"Woah, now you got a man inside your house? Who's that?" Cara asked curiously.
"It's her psychopathic boyfriend." Sylvie answered with sarcasm, throwing deathlike dagger-looks at Loki.
You know that feeling that you could sense some electric sparks between two persons who dislike each other so much? Blame Loki and Sylvie for any short circuit cause.
"What?" Cara asks confused. Who wouldn't?
Knowing that your friend was actually hiding a boyfriend. No biggie.
"Oh God, it's not like what you think it is..."
"You had a boyfriend?!"
She puts a palm over her forehead. A spy, a mass-murderer and the most best with deliberate person around me. Now that's a burden; having a mental distress of oppression.
"Remind me to kill you later, Sylvie." Eistrid grunted between gritted teeth.
"Can't you do it after I'm done with Loki?"
*****
*Eistrid's POV*
"Ce type est une merde." Sylvie cursed, silently killing Loki with her flaring hazel eyes.
"How many times do I have to tell you to not ever curse in front of me, especially when speaking in French?"
"How would you know I was cursing?"
"You curse and cuss in French when you're pissed, big time."
"Make sense," she shrugged, but points a finger accusingly at Loki's direction. "But he turned my lovely cookies into dirty cookie-sized brown rodents! Ugh... it just gave me the creeps! I almost ate one of it!" she covered her mouth, acting like she wanted to vomit.
I look at Loki, who was grinning innocently at his seat like he did nothing wrong.
"You told me that you wanted to eat me like a mad monster, tearing me to pieces like how you could do to such creatures on what you call... rodents. So I gave you an example." he shrugged, which ticked Sylvie even more.
The plate on which I remember had all that cookies placed and was now scattered on the floor with its broken pieces. The checker board was folded, while the chips were scattered everywhere too, others pieces were still on the table.
Typically speaking, all was a mess. I don't know if I would freak out, or laugh... Whatever first comes out.
But I try to restrain myself from laughing. Just thinking Sylvie being bullied by someone like Loki, I felt that I had already avenged myself on how bully was Sylvie on me when we were still teenagers.
Yup, she's a prankster on me before. But she's one of my great friends, like Cara was. I could not easily turn my back at them whatever they did wrong. She's a family. They both are my family.
"You. Are. Unbelievable." Sylvie snorted. She wraps her arms around her chest while frowning like a little girl.
Before we could almost forget about her presence, Cara cleared her throat. I turn my head to her.
"So you had a boyfriend."
That was not a question, it was a statement. Gulp.
"Wha- No! That was literally a jest. Well he is, he's... he is Thor's brother." I hesitated. It's quite normal, actually.
"He's NOT my brother." Loki interrupted. I rolled my eyes to him.
"Say it again?"
"You know who Loki was. You're literally are one of those fangirls of The Avengers after that New York alien battle."
"You mean-"
"Yep."
Cara gasped. Her eyes were wide with astonishment. I don't know if what really was running through her mind right now. Should I be bothered?
"Holy brother of Thor! Eisy, you had just kept the world's mass murderer. Do you know what that entails?"
Yeah, I should really be bothered.
"Let me explain it to you clearly, Cara."
"No! He's planning for revenge! He's going to take the mountain and be the king! He'll order us to kneel before him, and when we don't he's going to dispatch us and throw us to space then his loads of alien army would eat us and rot to their stomach-less body. There is no need to explain Eisy, everything is totally clear to me!"
"Gross." Sylvie gave a comical look.
"Humans..." Loki scoffed.
"That's an exaggerated statement, Cara." How many times do I have to tell you to not read Avenger Fan Fictions on the internet a lot?"
"Oh. Sorry. It's been my hobby, 'ya know. And I've been reading a lot since you were out there."
Rolling my eyes here.
So, when will I ever to take her seriously? Cara may be caring and worries over me all the time, but I care a lot, and a lot worried when she's freaking out, then suddenly out came her six-year-old character. Like, having a dinosaur pet inside the house was a cool thing. Isn't it weird?!
"Seriously? Not cool. Back to the serious matters here. Loki was the one who took me to Asgard. Thor followed me back there and we both got into trouble."
"It's not surprising. You were with a criminal; of course you'll get yourself into trouble."
I huffed a sigh. This is way more difficult than I thought.
"Did Thor... come back here to Earth?" I asked, slightly glancing at Loki who was obviously don’t care about our conversation.
"He did when we were at New Mexico. He said he found you but his supposed-to-be-dead BROTHER took you here to Earth. He decided to go back to the heavens to lead his people, and to look after his unwell father who was fallen into a deep sleep. Dr. Jane decided to come with him."
I was taken back.
Their father was under a deep sleep? That is why Loki had the chance to shape-shift himself as the King of Asgard for the real one was hidden... appropriately saying that Loki must have hidden this with everyone, including me.
Cara took one of my hands and clasped it with hers. She looks worriedly at me.
"I'm glad you're fine, Eisy. I was so worried and scared. I barely sleep within a couple of days.”
I smiled at her. "I know. I'm so sorry."
"You don't have to apologize. The one responsible for all of these was him." she accusingly gave a mad look at Loki's direction.
Returning the look, Loki laughed darkly. But he didn't said a word.
Cara gave him a bothered look, and then whispered through me still not taking away her look from Loki.
"He got problem issues, doesn't he?"
I laughed as I whisper back.
"This imp sometimes has a terrible eccentric demeanor. So, beware."