Gabrielle's eyes fluttered open, her eyes meeting the white wall at the end of her bed. Her eyes felt swollen and she realized it really is swollen. She remembered how she cried until she slept last night. She laid on her back and groaned.
She also remembered how she snapped at the boys last night.
She got up from her bed to take a shower. She thought she should apologize to them later. She shouldn't have behaved like that to them. Angels cannot show negative emotions to humans.
As soon as she finished her morning routine, she looked at herself one last time in the mirror. She clicked her tongue at the sight of her swollen eyes. Good thing her bangs could cover it a little. "I don't think they'll notice." She said as she fixed her bangs.
Gabrielle made her way to the door and as soon as she opened it, Ravn dropped to the floor in front of Gabrielle. She looked at him, puzzled, and realized four of the men were outside her room too.
Seoho was leaning on a wall with his arms crossed and Keonhee was crouching at the ground. Leedo was nudging at Hwanwoong who fell asleep on the ground, probably tired from waiting for Gabrielle to come out. Ravn, on the other hand, was supposedly resting his ear on the door, trying to listen on what's going on on the other side, and which in return got him sprawled on the floor the moment Gabrielle opened the door.
When they all saw Gabrielle, they stood up straight. Ravn went back up and stood beside Leedo. Hwanwoong too, was finally wide awake.
Gabrielle looked at them in surprise and wondered how long were they here. She instead smiled at them. "Good morning, guys. What's up?"
As if nothing happened.
The boys looked at each other. Leedo pushed Hwanwoong forward, which earned Leedo a glare from the short man. Ravn, Seoho, Leedo, and Keonhee glared back at him in return, their eyes screaming at him that this was his fault.
Hwanwoong cleared his throat and tried to make eye contact with Gabrielle who is still smiling but her eyebrows raised as a question. His eyes went back from her eyes and to the ground, or at the wall. He scratched the back of his neck. "Um, Gabrielle. I'm sorry for treating you with disrespect. I really didn't understand anything, and I--"
"It's okay. You don't have to apologize." Gabrielle smiled as she patted Hwanwoong's head. The gesture caught Hwanwoong off guard and seeing someone so angelic patting his head and smiling so purely made his heart skip a beat. Before Gabrielle could see the pink tint on his cheeks, Gabrielle already faced the rest of the men.
"I'm the one who should apologize to you, guys. I shouldn't have shown you any negative emotions. I was being unprofessional." Gabrielle apologized and they all looked at her.
"Darling, you can't just hold in what you're feeling. You can show and pour out your emotions. Crying doesn't mean you're weak. It doesn't mean you're being unprofessional. It means that you are capable of feeling anything because you have the right to." Keonhee said, his hands on his pockets. His head tilted to the right as he gave Gabrielle a comforting smile. "Crying means you're not a machine. It means that you're a human that also gets hurt after how many storms."
"Bro, she's not a human though. She's an angel." Seoho elbowed him which made everyone laugh. Keonhee rolled his eyes at him. "I know I made a mistake the moment I said that, okay? You don't have to point it out, Mr. Perfect."
"You definitely ruined the mood, Seoho." Ravn laughed. "But to ruin it even more, I'd like to point out Gabrielle's peanut eyes."
"Seriously?" Gabrielle laughed as she fixed her bangs. When the guys moved forward to look at her eyes, she instantly covered her eyes with her hands. "Guys, what are you doing, get away from me!"
They were all laughing as they teased Gabrielle with her eyes, and started blaming Hwanwoong who protested right away.
"Oh, don't go defend yourself, shorty. It really is your fault to begin with." Keonhee said which made Gabrielle laugh.
"Don't laugh at me, Gabrielle. You're even shorter than me." Hwanwoong said and Gabrielle stopped laughing. "Dude, you're so mean. We're basically the same height."
"And now the minions are fighting once again." Ravn announced which made everyone laugh again.
°°°°°
Gabrielle is currently at a supermarket, following a man around 173cm. He's wearing a black turtle neck top with a silver necklace. His top was covered in a dark blue denim jacket paired with black leather pants and black sneakers. He had brown hair that covered his forehead.
The man was picking up foods along the way, and as Gabrielle glanced at the grocery cart the man was holding, she could see it's so full of various foods. It's stacked with cereals, chips, biscuits, cookies, sodas, banana milks, cup noodles, and many other foods.
"Wow, that's quite a lot," Gabrielle muttered, still trailing behind him.
The man has finished paying for all of his groceries, and now his arms are full of plastics. Five plastics on his right arm and 7 plastics on his left arm, all full of food and drinks. He's already outside the mall, and until now he doesn't look bothered at the weight of the groceries at all.
On his way to the parking lot, an old woman with a child approached him. Their clothes were ragged, they were dirty, and they have no slippers at all. The old lady takes hold of a stick to help her walk properly, while the child about 7 years old just held her by his side.
"Young man, may I have some bread? Even just one piece? My grandson hasn't eaten for days." The old lady said, her voice sounding hoarse and weak. The child beside her just held his stomach with his free hand. He looked at the young man and shook his head. "It's okay if it's not for me, Mister. My grandma needs it more."
And just like a wind hitting the young man's face, he ignored the old lady and the child. He walked through them like they weren't there at all. The old lady looked hurt and heartbroken. She patted her grandson's hair. "It's okay, dear. Let's just find another person to ask for food. I promise you, you'll finally eat today."
Gabrielle's heart ached at the sight of the old lady giving her grandson a promise. She approached them and opened her shoulder bag, fishing out a container of cookies made by Seoho for her. "Hi, grandma! Would you like some cookies? My friend made it."
The old lady looked up to see a beautiful lady smiling at her, a container of cookies in her hands. "Are you sure, young lady? Your friend seemed to make it for you."
Gabrielle shook her head and smiled at her with reassurance. "It's okay, grandma. He'll make more for me when I get home. Please take it. It's really tasty." Gabrielle glanced at the child who is now staring at the cookies. She chuckled and opened the container and took one piece of cookie. "Have a taste, little boy."
The boy hesitantly took the cookie and bit it. His eyes instantly lit up as he ate the piece of cookie completely. "The cookie is really tasty, miss!"
Gabrielle smiled widely. "Please take this, grandma. I'll teach that man over there a lesson." She pointed at the man who's getting nearer to his car.
"Thank you so much, young lady. You are such an angel. May everything go with your way." The old lady's smile melted Gabrielle's heart. She bid them goodbye as she rushed to catch up with the man.
He was busy piling up his groceries at the back of his car. Gabrielle took this opportunity to sneak inside the car. She hid at the back seat, making efforts to remain unseen. When the man finished keeping the groceries, he then entered the car and began driving. Gabrielle was still hidden behind his seat.
After a moment, Gabrielle finally gets out from her hiding place. She sat down on the back seat comfortably. She touched the wide space around her as it's her first time sitting at the back seat. "Wow, it's wider here at the back."
The young man was startled as he heard someone talk from behind, making him press on the breaks. In result of that was an angry driver yelling behind them.
"Hey, do you know how to drive!?" It yelled from behind.
"Who are you and why are you here inside my car!?" The man looked at Gabrielle with shock. She looked at him and smiled instead.
"Hi, Xion! Nice to meet you. I'm Gabrielle."
"How do you know my name? I don't know who you are."
"It's okay, I don't mean any harm. Keep driving. I'll explain things to you later."
"What do you mean keep driving!? Get out of my car!" Xion was starting to get angry and creeped out at how this lady knows him.
"Keep driving. People are getting mad at the back. I won't steal or something. I just want to talk."
He looked at the mirror and saw the drivers about to get out of their cars. He grunted and began to drive. "If you start doing something I don't like, I'll bring you to the police station."
Gabrielle chuckled. "I don't think you'll be going to the police. You might think about going to my place."
"And why would I even want to? For all I know, you might be a serial killer."
"I got many foods there." Gabrielle said. "And they're free if you go there."
Hearing the word 'food' perked Xion's ears up like a dog. It made Gabrielle's lips curl into a smile. "So what if there's free food in your house?"
"I know you love them so much! I saw you buying those groceries. After that, I thought about giving you free foods."
Xion suspiciously eyed Gabrielle from the mirror. He felt something off about the lady, and he couldn't point it out.
"Are you an angel of something? How could you say that and think about giving someone foods because they like it?" He said randomly. "Or perhaps, your the witch like in the story Hansel and Gretel. Where the witch lures the kids to come to her house full of sweets. Was that the story?"
"I don't know who you are talking about but I am not like that. I'm completely honest about having free foods there. I promise. You can report me to the police or kill me if you want if I'm lying."
The look of suspicion never left Xion's eyes, but he thinks the deal Gabrielle made was fair enough. To think that she's okay with calling the police or killing her, makes him think she really doesn't have any bad intentions with him. And the thought of having free foods was stuck in his mind.
"You better not be lying to me." Xion sneered at her through the mirror. "Tell me where you live."
°°°°°
"I knew you were lying!" Xion yelled at Gabrielle, his eyes burning with rage. They were finally at the house, in the dining room to be exact. Ravn, Keonhee, and Hwanwoong were looking at Xion and Gabrielle alternatively, while Seoho and Leedo took Xion's grocery bags to the kitchen. Xion looked at the bags like it was his own children being taken away.
"What did you tell him, Gabrielle?" Ravn asked, curious of what kind of stunt she has done this time. Seoho and Leedo just came back from placing the groceries in their huge fridge. Now they're catching up to what's happening.
"I just told him there's free food here. Nothing more, nothing less. I swear." Gabrielle instantly defended herself as she saw Ravn looking at her with suspicion and accusation.
"So you basically just told him that, and he doesn't know why he's really here." Keonhee tried to conclude what he's observed. It was then confirmed by Gabrielle's nod. "I was planning in explaining it to him in here." She faced the angry man, "So, Xion--"
"Give me my foods." Xion growled, his glare towards Gabrielle gave off a very dark atmospere throughout the dining room.
"Let's talk first--"
"I won't listen if you don't give me foods."
"It's going to be quick--"
Xion covered his ears and started blurting out nonsense. He began singing, "I can't hear anything until I eat, bla bla bla~"
Gabrielle looked at Xion with her lips parted, her eyes filled with distraught. Xion kept on singing loudly, which made all the boys look at Gabrielle with worry, remembering what happened to her last night. They can't afford to see Gabrielle like that again.
In the midst of Xion's loud singing Gabrielle let out a sigh of exasperation. She threw her hands on the air. "Alright, alright. Give him the foods that he bought. I didn't know we'd have a cursed baby here."
Xion's angry mood and loud singing instantly disappeared as soon as the foods he bought were finally in front of him. He was already smiling as he started eating. His feet were swinging back and forth under the chair like a child. A chocolate bar was in his right hand, and a banana milk to his left. A bag of chips were opened in front of him, and soon those other foods in the grocery bags will follow to be eaten.
Gabrielle looked at this unbelievable kid in front of her. Her eyes met the boys and she laughed as she shrugged her shoulders.
"Let him enjoy for now." She whispered at them before looking back at Xion. The boys snickered before Gabrielle added, "This is the last time he's eating that many."