War Of Nature 02

THE BOY WITH A BICYCLE 

She jumped on her brother happily. She already had a lot of plans to celebrate her new appointment. She grabbed his hand, pulling him into a hug; she tightly squeezed into him and shaking him. 

Irritatedly, he pulled her away. 

Elizabeth looked at the shocking space. Could the brother whom she clung onto since she remembered herself not want to be jumped on?

It was not possible. 

She forwarded her hand to take his face; Merlin pushed it away. Now her face with shock waited for the explanation behind the behavior. 

"Is it because I ate pizza without you?" 

"This is not about a stupid pizza! You are the only one who has a pizza craze!" 

That was hurtful. Pizza is never stupid! She put her pizza concern aside for a second. 

"What's wrong?" she asked. 

"It's funny, right? A girl with pizza craze and nothing to value is made our chief." 

"No!" 

The realization hit her. She had herself even forgotten that Merlin was supposed to be the commander-in-chief. She suddenly felt too heavy with the emotion of a face slap that shamed her. How could she do that to her own brother?

Merlin growled. His veins stiffened. Elizabeth was very scared to see Merlin in fists, crunging her face.

"Calm down."

"They were right."

"You cannot turn out like them."

He walked out of her. His conscience told him to be far from Elizabeth at that moment. He felt he would do something he would regret later if stayed to see her face.

Water fairy glared at her mistress. She understood her feelings, just that she did not know how to cheer her mood.

"Or I do," water fairy thought with a smile.

"Who else do I have to invite?" Water for asked.

She was standing in front of Elizabeth with the party guests list.

"Canceled!" Elizabeth said.

"What! But we are happy for you. This celebration is a must."

"Not now."

"A commander-in-chief should be punctual with everything."

"Yeah," she consented sadly. "that's why I don't deserve to be the chief. I don't deserve to be anything."

She walked out too. As the water fairy followed her, she begged her, "please." The fairy sadly let her walk away. She tapped the empty air with her wand and disappeared.

Elizabeth kicked a stone. She was walking down the stoned hill alley. It was a bit cold so she had her arms clung onto her body tightly.

A boy was riding up the alley. Normally, he would get off his bicycle and walk-up with it since the hill was steep. That time, his eyes were on Elizabeth that he even forgot to get off the bicycle.

The moment he was getting a grip on the bike, he was already rolling down. That is the moment when Elizabeth noticed, coming out of the gloom. Without a second thought, her instincts told her to save the boy. 

She used her powers to float the bicycle. The boy had almost noticed her using powers so she quickly backed out and decided to save him without using powers.

She ran towards him; he was skidding down. They reached the steep end together, falling on each other with the bike as a barrier.

"Ah," wailed Elizabeth.

She moved aside and removed the bicycle on top of the boy. She was trying to save him but ended on damaging him. She touched his face that's been thrown into disarray.

He closed his eyes, enjoying the touch.

Elizabeth rolled her eyes. She stood then picked up the bicycle. The boy got up, stretching his pained joints and muscles while wailing. Elizabeth was scowling at him.

"Are you okay?" he asked her.

"No my heart is bruised."

"Ah. I am so much sorry."

"It's reciprocal. You are the one bruised. Your bike."

He took it blubbering, "oh yeah, yeah, thank you."

He was staring at her with a smile. He was a bit shy.

"Why do you always stare at me like that?" she asked. 

They went to the same school. Elizabeth always noticed him staring at her from afar. He never had the courage to go close to her. 

"Um. I... I don't stare at you. I mean, I do. I look at you."

"Well then. I gotta go."

"Where are you going?"

Before she could answer, she stopped. She was thinking, where? She did not have a specific place she was going. How long would she have walked? She realized that she was seventeen miles away from her house.

"Oh my god!" she heard herself lamenting.

"I am sorry I should not have asked."

"It's okay. I am just on a walk. I will get home now."

"Can we walk together?"

"Together... Okay, where do you live?"

"We are neighbors."

They started walking up to their homes together.

"We are? My bad. I didn't know you. What's your name?" 

"Merle." 

"That sounds like my brothers'."

"You have brothers? I thought you only have one brother?"

"Oh um. Yeah, I meant brother. You know Merlin?"

"Of course, he's the hero."

Elizabeth frowned. She lied when Merle asked about it.

Knowing Merle was great. She found out that they were in the same grade at school, just that Merle was in class B. She did not even know they were neighbors while his house was the fourth house next to hers.

"Woh, what are you doing here?" she blurted out.

Merle looked at her with surprise. Then he presumed she was talking to him. Instead, she was talking to the five fairies that appeared in front of her suddenly.

"Um. I... think you should hurry back home," explained Elizabeth. "I have bored you a lot already."

"No, at all. I can't tell how happy I am to be talking to you."

"I noticed."

Merle stared blankly and embarrassed.

"Anyways, thank you," she said.

Merle left. Elizabeth faced the fairies smilingly. They were weirdly smiling at her.

"What?" she asked them.

"Who is he?" time fairy asked excitedly.