Chapter 2

"I knew how to have some fun. Why do you always think that I only knew how to stay in my room?"

"Because that's who you are. If we did listen to your excuses, you wouldn't be here."

“You’re talking as if you have no idea that I can easily get tired," he said lazily finishing the last piece of cheesecake in his hand. He even licked his finger to remove the cheese left on it.

"Yeah, yeah. Fine. I’ll stop," Noah gave up talking to him, raising his left hand to stop the words he had not said yet. "What's Vivian taking so long?"

As if on cue, Vivian appeared in front of the family mart, running away from where was the comfort room. Her cerulean dress and long black hair swayed to the wind in her every step. She was holding her wide hat so that it wouldn’t fly away on its own.

Yric had been friends with them since their freshman year in college. They're still friends after three years which Yric didn't believe would happen. Yric was a loner who didn't like talking to anybody. He’s way too different from the two since his friends like to go out a lot to have some fun. But somehow, he ended up being friends with the two when he needed to find members for group study.

The two were already friends when he meet them. As far as he knew, Noah and Vivian have known each other since they were kids. Because of their friendship, sometimes he thought he didn't belong with them and they only befriended him out of pity. He was just a cloud of small dust that had no value. They could easily forget him when they wanted to.

The moment Yric's eyes connected to Vivian's eyes filled with fear, he and Noah both stood up quickly. They skittered going out of the mart with their drinks in their hands. Vivian also ran toward them putting down her shaking hand.

"What's happened to you?" he asked worriedly.

Vivian stood between them racing with her breath. "I can't---"

"Calm down," Noah said cutting off what's Vivian going to say. "Take a deep breath first. Relax."

Noah even raised his hands and put them down afterward. Vivian did follow, taking a deep breath. Now that she was calming down, she could finally speak clearly. Her expression still mimed the intensity of fear. "The man wanted to touch me. I thought he was just looking at me weirdly. But he had something bad going on in his head. He tried hurting me," Vivian told them as her breath was getting even.

Yric looked at his guy friend because of what he heard.

"There's something with that man. Let's go to the bus now," he said to them with his voice shaking a little.

Noah's forehead furrowed. He couldn't believe what he had just heard from Yric.

"What do you mean by that?" Noah asked him full of urgency.

"I was looking at the man earlier not because I wanted to help him. I just thought he was not with himself."

The two friends looked at him with questions written all over their faces. "We both know you can see things others can't. But don't scare us," Noah said bravely. "Maybe he just wanted to ask for help. That's why he tried holding Vivian. He's just sick," he added to convince himself that Yric was wrong.

"I hope so," Yric said silently.

"Let's just go back to the bus!" Vivian blurted out. "Forgetting the man is the best way."

Vivian led the way into the waiting bus. On other hand, Noah let out a deep breath before following. Yric was left alone standing, looking at the side of the family mart where the two doors going to the comfort room were. He didn't move to where he was standing for a couple of minutes while his two friends walked straight without bothering to check if he was on their back.

Noah only turned when they reached the door of the bus. He was surprised when he didn't see Yric. He looked away and found him still standing in front of the family mart.

"Yric! What are you doing?!" Noah shouted so that Yric could hear him. He stopped at the door while Vivian continued walking inside the bus.

Removing his gaze from the comfort room, Yric looked at his friend and walked into the bus in big strides. As he was near the door, he turned his head again toward the comfort room. He knew that the man was taking so long inside. Noah conjured a scowl of displeasure.

"Fine. I'll stop," he said to his friend as he climbed up the door to remove Noah's annoyance.

Noah tapped his shoulder again as he followed on his back. "You're just thinking too much," he assured him.

Yric moved his head as an act of agreement. He moved quickly in between the rows of chairs until he reached his seat on the left side of the bus. Vivian was already sitting in the middle removing her wide hat. She let out the powder from her pink purse and started retouching her face. He slipped through the chair passing his friend. He sat on the farthest seat next to the glass window. He even tried looking at the comfort room. But he couldn’t see it from where he was sitting.

Sighing deeply, he quietly sat and waited for the bus to move. He transferred her attention to his friends because they were starting to bicker again which wasn't new to him. Whenever the two were together they were always fighting. He could only have a peaceful day when the two both chose to stay quiet.

"Why are you putting on your makeup?" Noah commented as Vivian was using a thin brush on her face. Her other hand was holding a rectangular makeup kit.

"I just want to," Vivian replied. "What is it to you?"

"Just you know, we're going to an island for a festival, not a party. You don't have to doll up. It's not needed. People there wouldn't want to see your face. It will be covered in a mask."

Vivian glanced at Noah, miming disbelief. She didn't let him say something more by hitting him hard on his arm. Noah moved back a little brushing his arm, pain was drawn to his face. Vivian closed the rectangular palette and closed her eyes after putting earphones on her ear.

"It's better to get some sleep," she said to the both of them, closing her eyes with long lashes while leaning her head. She even hugged her purse on her lap. "Wake me up when we get there."

Removing his hand on his arm, Noah sat properly on his seat. He also leaned his head as he closed his tired eyes. Noah didn't get a lot of sleep because of playing computer games all night.

Yric just watched the two and let them sleep. Then he gazed outside the bus looking up to the sky stained in red-orange because of the setting sun. He even saw from afar the flock of birds flying toward the east. Though his eyes remained serious, he wasn't admiring the scenery. There was nothing else for him to look to feel alive. For a long moment, he stared at the sky. It made him look back to the years that passed him by. He thought going to school and having friends would put color to his life.

Unfortunately, he got it all wrong. No matter how hard he tried to find a reason to live peacefully, he couldn’t find one. If it stayed like that he had to go back. He couldn't look at things with a smile on his face like his friends do. He could only fake a laugh and a smile when needed. He's still left broken and empty. He knew all along what's his fate ever since he was born. It was the main reason why he run away since he couldn’t accept it. Wondering why didn't help him at al. No one could answer what he was feeling. Even he didn’t know what was needed for him the find the meaning he yearned for all these years.

He only removed his eyes from the sky when he saw the man walking to the green bus. The man's face was wet, he didn't bother drying it using tissue paper.

Yric stared blankly at the man following his every step. He already expected that the man would ride the bus that's why when the man climbed up to the door he wasn’t confused. But he panicked a little since the man didn't just ride the bus. The man walked toward the back even though there were empty seats at the front. As the man passed to where they were sitting, the man couldn't help to glance at him. Their eyes met for a moment. The man's eyes grew big just by looking at him and skittered to the back dodging his stare.

The man sat alone at the back, both hands hugging his arms. Yric couldn't help to stand. He didn't stop himself from checking the man. Luckily, the man was also trying to sleep. The man didn't see him looking as he had closed his eyes. Yric went back to his seat afterward releasing a deep breath to calm his nerve. He’s feeling heavy like something bad was going to happen that would test his patience.

THE SKY grew dark in no time. Fortunately, nothing happened while the bus was on its way to the cable-stayed bridge that would take them to the island. Yric thought everything was at peace that's why he sat comfortably leaning on his head. But he got it all wrong. The bus needed to stop when it arrived in the very middle of the high bridge. A lot of cars were stuck because of an accident near the opposite end. Below the bridge was the wide lake. The water couldn't be seen because of the thick mist covering it. The wheels under the bus squeaked as it stopped waking up his two friends.

"Did we arrive already?" Vivian asked opening up her eyes. She even brushed her eyes to remove the remaining sleep.

Noah, on the other hand, stretched his hand going upward while yawning widely. His uvula was showing.

"No. Not yet," Yric answered simply.

Vivian glanced at him, astonishment was drawn to her face. "Why did we stop then?" she stated.

"I don't know. There might be an accident ahead of us," he guessed standing from his seat. "I'll check if I am right."

He made his way between the seats carefully not to bump his two friend’s knees. Glancing at the back of the bus, he took out his black backpack from the compartment above them. His forehead furrowed because the man was no longer there. He was filled with wonder because he didn't notice when the man went down. No matter how hard he thought for an answer about where the man was, he wouldn’t find any.

Brushing the image of the man inside his head, he went on leaving his friends in their seats. Some of the passengers also moved from their seats to check out what was happening. He had to wait for them before he could walk out of the door. When it was time for him to go down, his two friends followed him running inside the bus. They made a lot of noise. The driver shot his friends with an angry look but the two ignored it. Noah pushed his back lightly and he finally went down the door as the last passenger walked onto the bridge.

Standing on the hard cement, he looked far away together with his friends to the other end of the bridge. But they still couldn't see the accident.

"How long we're going to wait?" Noah complained removing his gaze from the length of the bridge. "We're going to be late. We can't see the parade if we're stuck in here."

"Don't worry. We can," Yric assured him.

Noah looked at him, miming tiredness. "How'd you know?"

"It's still early," he reminded Noah.

Because of what he said, his friend checked the time on his wrist. "You're right," Noah agreed with him. A simple smile appeared on his lips.

Their friend Vivian walked away from them, going toward the high railing. She looked down below the bridge, to the mist covering the water.

"This is so high," she exclaimed. She grasped the cold bar of the railing to hold herself.

While Vivian's attention was glued under the bridge, Noah sneaked on her back and scared her by shouting at her loudly. The girl shrieked out of surprise and punched Noah's arm. To save himself, Noah ran away from her, hiding on Yric's back. Yric ignored the two because he saw someone standing at the tip of the tower. But as he fixed his eyes up there he saw no one.

Vivian noticed him looking up. She stopped chasing Noah and put her attention on him. "What's wrong? What are you looking at?" she stated.

"I just thought someone was standing at the tip." He put down his gaze.

"How can a person stand there?" Vivian mumbled. "Just think of it. It's pretty impossible. You're just imagining things. Or your eyes are playing a trick with you."

"You are right," Yric agreed without any emotion in his voice. It was better not to insist on what he saw to avoid an argument between them. He needed to control himself not to get mad.

"Who wants to go with me?" Noah stated as he moved away from Yric's back. "I am going ahead to check."

"I'll go with you," Vivian stated leading the way.

Yric just looked at his friends. "I will stay here," he told them.

"Are you sure?" Noah asked. "

He answered him by moving his head. "Be careful. You'll never know what's going to happen," he reminded his friend.

"We'll be fine. Don't worry." Noah raised his hand at him as he chased Vivian.

Taking a deep breath, Yric didn't remove his eyes at the back of the two as they walked away. His friends made their way between cars as if they were just taking a stroll. Putting his hand inside the pocket of his sweater, he averted his eyes from his friends and looked up again to the tip of the tower. He still saw nothing that's why he chose to move closer to the railing.

For a moment, he looked down under the bridge and stopped when he felt someone was looking at his back. His face conjured up a scowl of displeasure. He turned his body only to find the man standing at the end of the bus. The man's eyes were fixed at him which made him stop moving. The man mouthed something that he barely understands. Even though his nerve wasn't calming down, he still decided to walk closer to the man. He put several between each other.

"What do you want?" he carefully asked while guarding himself in case the man would try hurting him.