The Blood Hourglass Volume 1 Chapter 3

Chapter 3 Friend

"Jing, what are you thinking?" Xiaoya nudged me as I was staring into s.p.a.ce.

"It's nothing," I answered. I'd gotten used to being like this, it's when I am most calm. Maybe it doesn't seem typical for girls my age; Xiaoya is the exact opposite.

"Fine. Let's get some fried chicken."

Before I could react, she dragged me off to the nearest KFC as if she was chasing prey.

Xiaoya is a high schooler, my cla.s.smate, and my only friend. She's outgoing and a bit naive. She loves KFC's spicy chicken patties and always insists on going there with me. She also adores movie stars and singers like any typical schoolgirl. She is also very gentle, and her gentleness is the most irresistible.

I grew quiet again as I sat in the dining area, thinking back to what happened during recess earlier. The skies were a steel gray, looking more like night although it was daylight. At the time, I was looking out and leaning against the railing outside the cla.s.sroom.

"Luvian," said a voice behind me.

"Did you come here just to call my name?" I asked without expression.

"You're still the same, so cold and scary!" She chuckled without warmth, like the sound belonging to a thousand-year-old crypt.

"So your smile is warm?" I retorted.

"Fine, you win. I can't believe I always lose to a high school student." Her face looked as obnoxious as ever.

"I have to get back to cla.s.s now. High school is not a time when you can skip cla.s.s. Also, I'm not interested in fake laughter from a thousand-year-old woman." I turned to leave as she spoke again.

"Ugh, why are you always so ?"

"Jing, what's wrong? Why are you looking like that again?" Xiaoya's eyes stayed on my face.

Her question broke me from my thoughts. "I'm fine, I'm eating now." I waved the food in my hand.

"You've been holding the burger for ten minutes and not had one bite." She looked doubtful.

"Really?" I took a bite and chewed.

"See?" She waved her own food as if to say she was almost done eating.

"What's wrong with you today? Why are you all weird? You have to let me know if there's something wrong."

I nodded at her concerned face. Only she can make me act like this. After lunch, we headed to the library. She was still reading her Pride and Prejudice. I grabbed a random book. My mind went back to that scene earlier.

"What are you going to do with that woman?" she had asked with a hint of malice.

"So you were the rat hiding in the corner?" I had marveled.

"Who you are calling a rat?" she had shouted.

"Do cats need to tell mice who is the mouse?" I used an a.n.a.logy she would understand.

"You . . ." After a pause, she continued. "How could you not teach her anything? You're her creator!"

"You don't get to decide what I do," I told her.

"No need to get angry. How would I dare to manage you? I have your best intentions at heart." She laughed again in her particular creepy way, mixed with little anger.

"So you still haven't figured out how to be n.o.ble after one thousand years?" I asked in a nonchalant tone.

"You . . .! I'll be going now." She drifted away as if I was the one who had started trouble. She could be really immature.

I had dusted off the grime on my hands from the railing. The skies seemed to broadcast rain soon. The cla.s.s bell rang as I headed toward my cla.s.sroom.

As my mind came back to the present, I noticed a guy staring at me in the library. I paid him no attention and tried to read, but then realized I was holding a novel in Spanish. How did I find a foreign language book in a high school library? No wonder the guy was puzzled. It was ridiculous. I didn't tell Xiaoya though. Maybe I was afraid she was going to laugh at me, or maybe I was afraid she'd question why I was so out of it.