Refresh.

The cold shower lasted almost half an hour, but I felt completely refreshed and ready to start out the day. The awful odor that my hair gave out gradually disappeared, and the muggy sweat that drenched my skin had been washed away. Besides that, the shower also refreshed my brain from thinking too much, especially about some useless shit that should have been forgotten for long.

After drying myself and brushing my teeth,   I randomly took my boxers from the drawer, and put them on rather quickly. Next, I decided to wear a tanktop and shorts, all were black in color. I didn't give much thought about whether they were of matching style or not; at least they looked fine on me and that was it. Seb's not here to judge me, anyway.

Plugging my hairdryer onto the socket, I let the warm, agile wind coming from the machine to blow against my soaked hair.

Yet another day... being at home. I thought, brushing my hair further with my hand as it was being dried. Not that I want to go out, either...

Even when I felt much better to hang out, I could still notice some pale complexions on my face as I looked at the mirror. This included the dark, sagging bag just below my eye that Seb had easily pointed it out. If my family or friends, especially Rena, saw me outside in this condition, they would definitely force me to rest at home. I would also be forced visit the doctor, to which I didn't need to.

Maybe I just need another day of rest, and I will recover by tomorrow. From there, I could go with my friends at any time I wanted. With that, I could push all my thoughts about the past to the back of my head. However, if I were to be better by now, I would definitely ask Rena to go to the mountains together, and obviously, it would be the both of us...

I tensed up at the thought, and immediately shook my head. I sighed loudly, before I resumed drying my hair, but a few seconds after, I got distracted by my sudden, buzzing phone on my table, which simultaneously blasted out a ringtone. At the noise, I powered off the hairdryer, placing it away and turning towards it.

Who could that be...?

I wondered, slowly ambling towards the table to take a peek.

Thump. Even if it wasn't that loud, I could still hear the sound of my speeding heart pounding against my ribs. My eye went wide as I repeatedly read the name engraved on the screen. It was as if I didn't want to believe that it was her.

Rena.

She's calling me...

I gulped hard, swallowing my saliva down as I slowly took the vibrating phone. Butterflies started building up inside my guts, with most of their fluttering wings sweeping against the walls of my stomach. A somewhat overwhelming feeling began to take control of my mind, while I punched the answer button and turned on the speaker mode.

"H-hello." I found myself stuttering while greeting her. To make matters worse, I nearly bit my tongue, but thankfully I managed to slip through that, or else I would definitely fuck everything up.

Be a fucking man, Edward.

"Hey Ed..." As anticipated, Rena's magnetizing voice filled the other side of the phone, which always left me wanting for more. Honestly, I could listen to her the whole day continuously, as she was almost everything my mind wanted. "U-um... sorry for calling early in the m-morning... Are you still sleeping t-though...?"

"It's fine, Rena." I answered, not wanting to make her worried. "I woke up an hour ago, and I just showered."

"Y-you know, I thought a-about calling you without even thinking that you might still be asleep and all... It's dumb, but I guess I got the timing right..." Rena explained, adding a nervous laugh in the end. However, I heard her sighing of relief echoed in the background, which simultaneously lightened me down. "So, first of all, how a-are you feeling now, Ed?"

"I'm all better now." I answered almost instantly, tidying up my hair in the mirror. It was dry for most of the parts. "The sleep yesterday helped me a lot."

"That's great!" Rena exclaimed, seemingly excited about something. "By the way, um... it might be a b-bother but... can I come to your house t-today? I literally don't h-have anything to do, and I'm p-pretty much bored."

I stopped with whatever I was doing. My heart crawled towards my throat, and the butterflies that had been flying inside my stomach not only reproduced, but also grew more aggressive. I couldn't simply refuse her request; it was too difficult, especially battling the feeling that rapidly bloomed inside of me.

"Of course." In the end, I agreed, succumbing to my own desire. Besides, she only came to my house, and probably played with me in my room, and that was it. Nothing too significant. "When are you going, though?"

"Hmm, maybe in 40 m-minutes." I heard some static noises, probably the sounds of Rena shifting around on her bed. Imagining her in that position caused me to tense up. My own face started heating up from the passing image. "I have to eat my breakfast and shower first. Well, I just woke up, anyway, so yeah... hehe..."

Her giggles in the end... It's just so... Realizing about the lewd thought, I shook my head furiously. Ugh, fuck my perverted mind.

"It's fine. I have something to do as well." Such horrible lies. You don't have anything to do besides lying down on your freaking bed and waiting for Rena like a desperate man. A tiny voice that had been messing up with my head spoke again. Surely it bothered the shit out of me, but what it said had been mostly true.

"Well t-then, I'm going now. See you!" Rena's voice was full of happiness and joy, which nearly melted my skin.

"See you too." I replied, and at the same time, I shut off that stupid voice from my head. Anyway, that was the last thing I heard of Rena before the call hung up. I breathed out a faint sigh, before I scanned through my room. The clothes that I had worn earlier strewed all over the floor, and my bed was still a big mess. Now that she would be coming over, I have to clean up everything, including my room and my appearance.

I guess I have something to do...

"LUCY! IT'S TIME FOR YOUR ASS TO RISE AND SHINE!"

While I was picking my filthy hoodie and trousers, a recognizable voice echoed across the hallway while a door slammed open. Apparently, it originated from Lu's room, which was inches away from mine, so every audible noises she made sounded somewhat clear from here. Knowing that it was just Katherine, my older sister, trying to wake up Lu, I placed my hand over my face. Seemed to me that she was coming over to stay today.

Looking up, I decided to listen in to their conversation. as I threw my clothes to the basket.

"ARGH!!!" Another yell broke out. This time it was from Lu, sounding in pain. "DON'T OPEN THE CURTAINS ALL OF THE SUDDEN, YOU FREAKING IDIOT!"

"Aw baby, I'm so sorry about your eyes." Katherine apologized, but out of sarcasm. "Mom said that it's the fastest way to wake you up."

"Can't you just look at the time?!" The redhead chewed out. "It's still 9 am in the morning, for God's sake!"

"Well, it was Mom who asked me to wake you and Eddie up." I was in the middle of folding my blanket and cleaning up the pillow and the mattress when I heard my name being mentioned. "She said that if I fail to wake you both, she's gonna make me pour cold water all over your faces."

"Ugh... okay, okay, I'm up... Jesus Christ..." Lu groaned. "I'm not even coming to school until the next two months... What did Mom want?"

"She's making some grilled chocolate sandwich for breakfast. I'm sure you don't want to miss it, Lu." My ears perked up at the last words Katherine revealed. I had finished making over my bed as my stomach growled, begging me for food. "She said that it's best served hot."

"That's awesome, but as soon as I eat it, I'm going back to sleep." Lu insisted. "I'm still sleepy as fuck."

"What time did you sleep yesterday?"

"3 am."

I lowered my head, recalling about last night. It was all because of me that she slept so late...

Regardless of everything, temptations for the grilled sandwich pierced all over me, and this time, I couldn't hold it down any longer. This was the effect due to the fact that I didn't eat so much yesterday. I immediately headed for the door, and when I opened it, a strong, tantalizing aroma immediately hit my nostrils.

...it smells so good... fuck... I can't resist it...

I finally have the guts to step out of my room, slowly following after the smell that put me under a spell. It came down from downstairs, probably from the dining room.

...but remembering about the conflict I had with my parents yesterday... I have to keep myself quiet and just eat like nothing happened...

"Oh see, even your brother's awake!" Katherine pointed at me, looking at the direction of her room. I stopped at my path when Lu popped out of her room, and her sleepy, brown eye trailed towards me. Her annoyed expression gradually softened, as she cast me a small smile, before turning towards Katherine.

"He probably heard about the grilled sandwich, that's why he woke up early. If they were real people, he would have gotten an autograph from them." Lu snickered while she folded her arms over her chest, causing me to roll my eye. I gave my sisters a bob of my head, before passing by them.

"It's not Eddie when he's not overly obsessed with bread." Katherine laughed along. There were times where I didn't devour pastries like a hungry pig because of my low appetite, so her statement was completely illogical.

As I went down the stairs, my sisters followed me close behind. Katherine was pompous and was humming a song, while Lu was just eyeing at me. She seemed wanting to talk to me, but decided to keep it quiet.

Entering the the dining room, I saw Mother, who was placing the food on the table at the spots we usually sat, except for Lucas's. She wiped her head, before going to the kitchen. Father was there too, unfortunately, and he was focused on his newspaper. That's strange... he usually works at seven... why is he still here...?

His gaze was the most intense of all, no matter what mood he had; my skin will always crawl underneath, giving me goosebumps, sending chills across my spine. When he glanced up from the newspaper to look at us, I quickly broke my gaze away by looking at the floor. I was half-expecting for him to ask whether I am fine or not, but in the end, he remained silent.

He did really keep his words.

I washed my hands in the sink, followed by the sisters, before sitting in my usual spot. Father was still staring at me, and I shit you not, it was more than uncomfortable. I gazed hard at the sandwich, observing every detail. It was perfectly crispy and brown, with fresh, hot chocolate oozing out of it.

My guts kept screaming at me to eat it, but I restrained my desires back, waiting for either Katherine or Lu to do it first. The redhead finally fell into her temptations; she grabbed a knife from the table, and started digging on the food. I decided to do the same as well.

The sweet, tasty chocolate ruled it all; it immediately melted on my tongue, stimulating my taste buds and making me wanting for more. The sandwich was crunchy enough, although there were still some soft, uncooked parts on the loaf. Overall, it was worth it.

"How is it?" Mother came out of the kitchen and onto the table. I was also expecting her to say something about me as well, but she never touched the topic.

"It's delicious! The chocolate rocks!" Lu muffled, swallowing the food before devouring another chunk of sandwich that she had cut. On the corner of my vision, Father's lips slightly twitched into a smile, before he quietly sipped on his tea. I decided not to focus on him further and continued with eating my food.

"Relájate, señorita!" Katherine chuckled, as she used an accent. "You're going to choke on your food!"

"Don't use Spanish on me, Kate." The redhead narrowed her eye. "Even after months of learning that language, I could only understand señorita."

"She's saying for you to relax... and I have to agree with her." Mother translated, sitting beside Father. Both planted their lips on each other's mouths, giving a brief kiss, before they looked after us. I didn't really have much opinion about my parents kissing, nor did I care, as I was used to it already.

"But this is just too good, Mom! I must savor every inch of it!" Hearing her daughter's excitement compliments, Mother heartily laughed with pride. Her green eyes, which were inherited by only Lucas, flashed with delight.

***

The rest of the breakfast thankfully went well, despite some fitful vibes I received from both of my parents.

I was completely silent the entire time, and on the other hand, my sisters were all boisterous and lively. Katherine went on to talk about her college life, while Lu only gave some interesting comments. Father and Mother didn't mind about me being passive and dead silent, but there were times where they would eerily gaze at me for a long time, before their attention travelled to something else.

Okay, not eerie, but it was still enough to give me chills.

I just hope Rena will come early...

When it was all done, Father kissed Mother once more, but now at her forehead. He, at long last, left for work, although before he went out, he gave me a brief glance, but I pretended not to notice.

Later, Katherine and Lu hanged out in the backyard. Clearly it was the opposite of her wish, where she said she would be going back to sleep as soon as she finished her food, but I guessed she changed her mind pretty quickly. My heart was demanding me to go talk with her, but she, herself, was totally busy chatting with my older sister.

In other words, I felt a bit... left out.

...but why should I care, I suppose?

After all, they were probably talking about topics that only girls can understand, so I decided not to interrupt them. I decided to go up the stairs to return to my room, where it was my safe haven. I will just relax and chill there until Rena arrived, which I hoped that it would be right now.

She's literally the only person that I could talk with, anytime...

Arriving in front of my room, I gave out a deep sigh. I was about to turn the knob to open the door, but every of my movements ceased when my ears unexpectedly caught... some rumbling voices. Not only the fact that they all sounded human, but they were all coming from inside my room.

"Oh my gosh, come here, guys! I think this Hoppip is a shiny!" One of them hollered out, in such an energetic fashion.

"Really?!" Another voice joined in. "Let me see, let me see!!!"

"I-it's all g-green..." The stutterings that this voice gave was a dead giveaway.

"How did you know that it's a shiny, though?" A voice doubted.

"The colors are different from the original one!" It explained. "Not to mention, there were some stars on Hoppip the moment I first saw it!"

Without any second thoughts, I pulled on the knob and forcefully swung the door wide open, as its hinges creaked out. It took my eye time to adjust to the lighting, before I could entirely see what was going on. There was my childhood self, Chrissy, who was showing the screen of his DS to young Rena, Alyssa, Raphael and Seb.  They were all huddled on the carpet with their respective DS and a bowl of chips and french fries.

I instinctively took a step back, knowing what was going to happen if I somewhat confronted them, but they didn't seem to see me...

"How did you manage to find a shiny one, Chris?" Raphael seemed to be the most curious of them all. "I managed to catch countless of Hoppips but none of them are shiny..."

"Honestly, I don't know how..." Chrissy scratched his head. "I just found Hoppip on the tall grass, and boom, it's all shiny!"

"Then you have to catch it." Seb suggested.

"I'm about too!" I could only stand there, watching Chrissy trying his best to catch the rare Pokemon while the others witnessed.

I knew this was just another ghostly memory of the past, but I still couldn't dare to move nor make a noise, or even think negatively about them. Based on past experiences, I knew they would recognize me, and I would be in some deep shit... especially when there were more than just Chrissy and Raphael...

I slowly but tightly clenched my chest while hearing the battle music and all kinds of game noises. I tried to erase the flashback by blinking once, twice, thrice, but the kids didn't disappear at all. They were all still there, all of their attention was focused on one thing: Chrissy's DS.

As a few minutes of silence ticked by, the victory music, iconic for Pokemon, ultimately blared out.

"Woohoo!!! I caught it, guys! Oh my gosh!!!"

Chrissy finally cheered, jumping from his spot and punching his fist into the air. Rena's face instantly brightened with joy and excitement, while Alyssa and Seb simply smiled brilliantly. Raphael instantly jumped up and down, congratulating his best friend with excitement.

What the fuck is this... I slowly took a step back. Why the fuck am I seeing this...

Why...

"Ed! Come on down!"

Mother suddenly called me from downstairs, interrupting my thoughts. I instantly drew my attention towards the source of the voice. I was completely overthrown by the scene, because she suddenly acknowledged me as if nothing happened. She was acting a bit out of character as well. Why would she call me down, anyway? She's busy with her work...

"The muffins are ready!"

Chrissy screamed, as all of their expressions, including Rena's, drastically changed into big grins. Next they were laughing and cheering for no reason, but then, they shot out from their spots and came charging right onto me.

NO!!!

I might have a fast reflex, but I never saw this coming at all. Every parts of my brain started panicking, and as a result, I couldn't think straight. Left with no more choice, I quickly held my breath and squeezed my eye shut, biting my lips as hard as possible to prevent a scream from coming out.

However, after a few seconds, I felt nothing but a whoosh of air.

There was no pain nor blood at all.

W... What?

I decided to take a peek to see what the hell was going on, and there, I saw the children passing right through my body as they ran across the hallway. It was as if they were all transparent and non-tangible.

What the... fuck...?

Their laughters continued as they ran across the hallway while I continued to watch in awe. Their ghostly, retreating figures gradually disappeared as they headed down the stairs, along with their haunting giggles.

...What the fuck is going on...?

I looked back at my room, and noticed that the snacks that the children had left was gone as well, leaving no traces of their existence. Stepping inside with caution, I carefully skimmed through the area. The floor remained clean, and the bed was still in the same condition as what I left it to be. Not to mention, there were no signs of their DS as well.

As I sat on the bed, I allowed my composure to seep back, and when I fully gained some sense, I came to a point of realization.

Ugh... I must have been hallucinating about the past again...  I clenched my head. Fucking hell... I should really do something about it, but how...?

That was when I heard the noises of my house's front gate being opened. I immediately strode towards the window, sliding the curtains open.

It was her, the girl I had been waiting for. She had her bike by her side as I saw Mother ushering her inside.

She's here.

I immediately burst out of my room, without even thinking anything. I came striding across the hallway, and took two steps at the time while going down the staircase. As a result, I almost tripped on my toe, but I managed to retain my balance back and landed safely on the bottom floor. I quickly rushed to the front door, where Rena was.

"Ed, I h-have some good news." She threw me one of her spellbinding smiles, which never failed to make my heart dropped. "R-remember the popsicle brand that you and I used to love back then? I just found out that they're s-selling it again, so I-I thought about buying some for the both of us."

***

A/N: The first week of school has been like hell, so sorry for the long delay on the new chapter! Well, from the ending, you can predict that next week, it will be a chapter dedicated to Erena shippers hehehe (:

As always, hope that you enjoy this chapter and don't forget to leave a vote, comments and your thoughts!

Question
1. Most readers shipped Alyssa with Sebastian even though it's obvious they hate each other xD If you are that shipper, why do you ship them?