Chapter 4 : The Loner

"Mom's cooking?" I mumbled as I went downstairs and found Mom busy preparing breakfast. When I looked there, Atlas and Harry were already sitting at the table waiting for breakfast.

I tried to stroll and out of sight to get out of there. Such a situation was unimaginable to me. Just as I was about to move on, Mom turned around and looked at me. "Elsie, hurry up and sit down and have breakfast together." Mom gave me a look that signaled me to obey her as she arranged the pancakes she made.

I looked at the table in a huff. If I could choose, it would be better to have my breakfast outside. I'm usually like that, too. But this time, I was forced to sit with them.

I ignored my discomfort. I quickly grabbed some toast that was easier to eat so that I could get out of there quickly before I had problems with my digestion from eating at the same table with them, especially with Atlas.

When I ate the first piece, I had trouble swallowing it. Who would have thought that making even the simplest toast could fail?

I glanced at my mother in annoyance. Her poor cooking skills were outrageous, as she had never tried before. Even for the umpteenth time in my life, it was a foreign experience to see my mother preparing breakfast for her family. Most of the time, I saw her drunk in the morning.

I ignored the taste of Mom's toast and stuffed it into my mouth with force to finish it. But while I was busy trying to finish it, I suddenly jerked in my chair. Something slammed into my chair from underneath, causing me to be pushed back slightly. As I looked down to check what had happened, I saw Atlas's legs stretching towards me, stomping his feet against my chair. What he was doing frustrated and disturbed me greatly. So I forcefully put down the rest of my bread, drink the water in the glass in one gulp and stand up, unable to stand the distraction Atlas is putting me through.

"Elsie, where are you going? Why did you suddenly get up when the others weren't finished?" Mom's question made the other two eyes glance at me indifferently.

I glanced at them hesitantly, then looked straight at my mom. "I have an appointment with my friend today."

I looked at Mom. She didn't react much and just silently looked at me while giving me a slightly glazed look, and I took that as a sign that she allowed me.

So I pushed my chair back and walked away from the dining table, after which I picked up the bag that I had hung near the stairs and walked out of the house, ignoring Atlas' gaze, who was looking at me silently like I was an object that he could observe for research. But I ignored it and walked out of the house. I left the yard after closing the fence tightly and walked from there.

"My stomach feels uncomfortable," I complained while holding my stomach. Even though I said that I had an appointment to meet up with my friend, the fact was that I didn't have anyone who was worthy or could be called a friend, in other words, I had no destination.

But I thought of the only place that could give me peace. That place was quite far from here. It took about 30 minutes on foot.

"It's a bit farther from here, but it wouldn't be this far from home," I muttered as I climbed the steep rocks. The road ahead of me was almost entirely uphill.

Even though the route was a little complicated, I liked it. Because as I climbed, my mind was distracted from the various things that had previously occupied me. When I reached the top, I felt relieved. I took a deep breath of the fresh air on the cliff. Then, I sat down under a shady tree.

"This kind of serenity is what I'm talking about." I smiled at the view of the city from the top of the cliff. Not many people came to this place, that's why I liked it; it was quiet from people, and it was perfect for me.

I opened the can of drink I bought from the shop below, then took a slow sip. "It feels so cozy." For a few moments, I looked at the scenery spread out in front of me.

Then I turned to my bag. I took out the notebook I had brought with me, checked some of the answers on the assignment I had done, and then put it back into my bag after I was sure that the answers I had written down were correct. "Since I don't have any classes scheduled today, I should relax more and enjoy this tranquility," I muttered softly, leaning against the large tree behind me.

Finding something was missing, I reached into the small section of my bag again. Then, taking out a pair of Airpods along with my cell phone, I gagged my right ear with the Airpod, and when it was my turn to gag my left ear, suddenly my hand was pulled back.

Spontaneously, I looked back in shock. The AirPods I held had slipped out of my hand and were now in Atlas' hands.

Atlas? My eyes opened wide. My body jumped in shock when I realized Atlas was standing before me. I was stunned into inaction as my eyes caught the look on his face.

Atlas, with his pair of piercing blue eyes, stared at me. "So, which one is your friend? This tree or that grass?" Atlas looked at me sharply and coldly. He gave off a sinister aura from within himself. His face, which helped make him look good, also helped when he tried to look scary.

I gasped. I unconsciously banged my back against the tree behind me, trying to escape him. Seeing him standing before me made my heart react quickly, pulsing so strongly that it made my stomach uncomfortable. I clenched my hands tightly, staring in fear at him. "Wh-what are you doing in this place, Atlas?" I ventured hesitantly, asking him, worried that if I kept quiet, he would get even more annoyed and push me off the cliff, my body twitching in horror at the thought of what would happen next.

He looked around the cliff with a flat gaze and then looked back at me. I swear the cold look in his eyes hindered my breathing rate every time our eyes met. "What do you think I'm doing in this place?" he raised his eyebrows, signaling me to think of an answer. "In a lonely place with no people around, wouldn't this be a fitting location to perform a challenging act?" he said, grinning wickedly as he moved closer to me. He stared intently at me, so I held my breath and squeezed the bag on my lap.

After looking at me, he shifted his gaze to the can of water I had placed near me, and he squeezed it firmly. "Your current appearance is pathetic." He looked back at me intently. "You said that you met your friends, but in fact, you're isolating yourself in a secluded place like this." He gave me an annoyed look.

Our eyes locked, and he moved closer to me until we were only an inch apart. I tried to avert my gaze from him, but he pushed my body away, cornering me against the tree and placing his hand against my side. I wanted to turn my face away. Not wanting to be in a situation that pressured my heart to beat rapidly, I spontaneously got up from that place, kept my distance from him, and then pointed at my airpod in his hand. "Give me back my airpod," I asked him annoyedly, but still sounded quiet. I was still using my wits to deal with him. I realized my gut wasn't that big to deal with her.

As I tried to snatch it away, Atlas kept his hand holding my airpod behind his waist. But I didn't give up. I tried to snatch it away, but he instead raised his arm high while continuing to watch me with a gaze that was difficult to understand its meaning.

I stopped reaching for it. I looked at him irritably. "Fine, just take it if you want." I grabbed my bag near the tree, and as I was climbing out of it, Atlas quickly pulled my hand, which automatically stopped my steps, and then he stood in front of me.

His eyes and mine met again, but even though it was the umpteenth time our eyes looked at each other, I still felt uncomfortable looking into those dark blue eyes. "Well, you're the loner who has no friends." He mocked me again. "Instead of being here alone, you should come with me."

"Huh?" I looked at him in confusion. And before I could process his invitation and give him a refusal, Atlas had already taken my hand and led me downstairs.

Along the steep path, he kept a tight grip on my hand. I tried several times to remove my hand from his, but my efforts were in vain once we reached the bottom. Atlas went straight to his car, opened the door on the passenger seat, and pushed me into it. Then he moved to the other door.

I again tried to get out of there, but Atlas quickly locked it to thwart my escape. I looked at him with panic and fear. "Where are you taking me, Atlas?" I asked him in a trembling voice, but Atlas ignored me.

I sat stiffly beside him, with all the worries in my mind. What would this madman do? Could it be that he wanted to take me somewhere and kill me? My heart was pounding as my anxiety grew.

Then, not long after, Atlas stopped the car. He glanced at me. "Get out, we're here." He got out of the car afterward.

I followed him hesitantly. Then, when I saw where Atlas was taking me, I felt another panic attack creep up, seeing that the clearing was so filled with people.