âWhat is she doing here?! Why is she talking to me?!â
<o>,m Although Sunny was panicking on the inside, none of the emotions reflected on his face. Armed with the extensive experience of deceit, manipulation, and facing terrifying Nightmare Creatures in melee, he kept a straight face, threw a dark look at Rain, and calmly said:</o>
âI am not staring at anything. And who are you calling a brat, you brat? Respect your elders!â
The girl scoffed.
âWhat elders? Youâre obviously younger than me!â
Sunny opened his eyes wide in outrage.
ââŠOuch.â
He knew that he looked younger than his age, but to be mistaken for a middle schooler⊠that was just too much!
It was getting dark, so maybe that was the reason for her mistake.
Rain, meanwhile, was not done speaking:
âAnd you were definitely staring at me, with a very nasty expression. I almost tripped! Didnât your parents teach you not to stare?â
Sunny opened his mouth, then closed it again. Then opened it once more.
âFirst of all, I am eighteen. Second, I was just zoning out and thinking about stuff⊠adult stuff that a youngster like you would not even understand! And lastly, my parents taught me all they needed to teach me, but what do they have to do with any of this? Theyâre not here!â
Rain mockingly raised an eyebrow.
âOh yeah? You live in this big house all alone?â
Sunny furrowed his brow.
âNot only do I live in this house alone, I also own it!â
âŠBut right at that moment, Effie suddenly shouted from inside:
âSunny! Come eat, dinner is getting cold!â
He froze, then felt the tips of his ears growing hot.
âDamn it, Effie!â
âUh⊠thatâs a guest of mine. Sheâs staying over⊠for reasons.â
Rain stared at him for a few moments with a funny expression on her face, then asked:
âYour name is Sunny?â
Sunny shrugged, trying to appear as indifferent as possible.
âSure. Why?â
She suddenly laughed.
âWhatâs so funny?â
âNo, no! Itâs just⊠my mom calls me Rainy. What a coincidence!â
He relaxed.
âOh⊠for a moment, I was afraid that she remembers me. But it doesnât seem that way. Good. That is goodâŠâ
Was he a little bit disappointed?
Sunny took out his communicator, pressed a button on it, and threw an etched chip that slid from the slick device to Rain.
She was in process of asking another question:
âOh, and by the way, I often see you meandering on the porch and skipping school⊠are you a delinquent or whâŠâ
Then, she caught the chip and stared at it in confusion.
âUh⊠whatâs this?â
Sunny smiled with a corner of his mouth.
âCanât you see? Thatâs a government-issued citizenship chip. Now how would I have one if I wasnât of legal age?â
Rain looked at the chip, then grew even paler than usual.
âYou, you really are eighteen?â
She was so mortified that she even used the proper honorifics.
Sunny laughed.
âOf course I am! As a respectable adult, I never lie. I am the most honest person in the world, really.â
The girl seemed like she was currently wishing to sink into the earth.
âOh⊠I am so sâsorry, then. I didnât thinkâŠâ
As a child that grew up in a good family, she was most likely taught to be very polite to elders, so this situation was more or less a nightmare. Sunny himself had never associated with types of people who were particular about etiquette, but from what he had seen in Rainâs school, among her ilk, social hierarchy and proper rituals were all the rage.
Luckily, Effie decided to appear at that very moment to put an end to the awkward situation. Opening the door, she rolled her wheelchair onto the porch while saying angrily:
âListen, doofus, are you going to eat or not? Because if not, Iâll eat your portion too, you knowâŠâ
Then, she stopped and stared at Rain, then at Sunny. After a few moments, she asked:
âWhoâs your friend?â
Sunny rubbed his face.
âEat as much as you want. And this girl lives in the neighborhood. She was just passing by.â
Rain nodded.
âNice to meet you, maâam. I, uh⊠am very sorry. I was just on my way home from school, and made a mistake. You see, what has happenedâŠâ
Effie grinned, then gestured for her to stop talking.
âLet me guess⊠this one right here was zoning out with a nasty expression on his face, and then looked at you and said something wildly inappropriate?â
Rain blinked a couple of times, then said:
âYes! I mean, no⊠he didnât say anything. It was me, I said something inappropriate!â
The former huntress shook her head.
âThen youâre lucky! Sunny here is a bit special. One of a kind! The things that sometimes come out of his mouthâŠâ
Sunny stared at her in outrage and hissed:
âThe things that come out of my mouth?! Youâre the one to talk!â
She sighed, then looked at Rain with a hurt expression on her face:
âYou see how he bullies me? Ah, thatâs no way to treat a guest, Sunny. So ungracious! What will this nice neighborhood kid even thinkâŠâ
Rain energetically shook her head.
âNo, no! I wonât think anything. I⊠have to go home, actually. Itâs been nice meeting you!â
With that, she hurriedly turned around a made a step to walk away.
Effie raised her voice a little:
âBye! Nice meeting you, too! If you feel guilty about the misunderstanding, you can stop by any time! With food! All will be forgiven!â
Sunny stared at her with wide eyes, not quite believing what he was hearing. Finally, when Rainâs figure disappeared behind the green fence, Effie turned to him and smiled.
ââŠItâs almost like thereâs a factory somewhere in the city releasing whole batches of tiny, pale, bony teenagers. That girl is almost as pale as you, Sunny! I canât believe itâŠâ
With that, she shook her head, turned her wheelchair, and went back inside to continue her dinner.
Leaving Sunny alone, flabbergasted and trying to determine if he was currently awake.
ââŠWhat was that? What just happened?â
Of all the countless scenarios he had in his head of how his first meeting with Rain would goâŠ
This was definitely not one of them!
The Novel will be updated first on this website. Come back and continue reading tomorrow, everyone!