The day dawned crisp and clear. The just-risen sun shone softly on the streets, bringing with it a flurry of early-morning activity. The smell of bread, butter, the laughter of children playing at park, the chirps of birds. What a day to start the show..
In a so-called home, all bummers were present in one room where they usually grouped. Ender was bantering with Zack on couch like he forget everything he had yapped about, anyways that doesn't matter now because they promised to act nonchalant around him.
Lisa was painting on easel stand on canvases, abruptly aside of her was a rift as if the dimension itself had opened and the view on the other side.. Was a lake.. The lake was a perfect sheet of glass, holding the entire sunset in its depths. The violet and apricot hues of the sky bled into the water, making it impossible to tell where the air ended and the earth began.
A soft warmth hung over the water, smelling of sun-baked pine needles and clean air. A single dragonfly skimmed the surface, leaving behind a trail of golden rings that expanded slowly.
Dotted through the grass were clusters of 'Queen Anne's Lace' and wild sunflowers. The sunset light caught the fine hairs on their stems, making them glow with a soft, fuzzy aura. A few late-season butterflies drifted lazily between them, looking like burnt-orange leaves caught in an updraft.
The air here was a heavy perfume of sun-baked clover, sweet nectar, and the clean, ozone-sharp scent of the nearby water. This was all on the rift of another dimension which she was painting on her canvases. It seems like she was way professional in it, maybe it was her favorite hobby as some paint was over her cheeks.
Then there was Sara who laying and had occupied an entire only for her to read a book, which looked like a history; mystical one about this world. And finally we got Ruis on carpet who was brainstorming like he never got to do it in his life against Misha in chess.
"Hey!. How do you won two times against her!?."
He said, peeved expression. Glancing at Ender who was watching Lisa's painting with Zack beside him. He turned his head over him and then over the board, before giggling after few seconds.
"There's a difference between playing chess and playing chess well."
He said with a teasing smirked. Ruis thought for a moment and sighed.
"You know the person who plays chess well is called.. Jobless..."
He replied with a straight expression, Misha choked before bursting into laughter. Ender clenched his teeth and let it go away.
"It's pointless to baffle with you."
He turned his around to slap Zack as he was still glaring over Lisa's painting.. As Misha plays her last move.. Check mating Ruis..
"I won."
She mumbled with her last move, Ruis scratches his forehead as he brushes his hair off. His gaze went over Sara who was ignoring everyone today, reading her book. Then he looked at Ender who was acting quite causal with Zack even though he know what he had done.. He was acting like he had forget everything..
So good or was he really acting?. Ruis thought. How can someone be this perfect?.. He sighs before sitting like a hook.
While for her, she placed her hands over the board, ending it up and placing it off. Gracefully.
"You seeing him?.."
Ruis whispered, his words couldn't reach anyone beside her. She got startled as she left the board and sat on her knees, while he sat cross legged. Serious expression, his head down.
"Among all of us. Nobody has talked to Zack until it was urgent this morning.. Yet he."
He turned his head towards her as she herself was listening with both ears, unreadable expression.
"He's acting like nothing had happened. How come someone be like that?. It is as if he has or had accepted him as.. The person.."
His words curled up in mystery, for a moment silence shrouded them, for the whole room. Only Ender and Zack's banter was echoing around it, preventing the room from falling in silence. She pondered then after a half minute..
"They're best friends.. Cousins.. Their bound is the sturdiest. Some words wouldn't affected it."
She said with a sparkle of hope in lake of concerned.
"Those words weren't some words. They were concept of nothingness.. How pathetic.. If everything is meaningless so does their words.. And their acts.."
Ruis sighs, in this moment thoughts flooded in his mind as he remembers something. The moment in the park he had with Ender, he started connecting the dots. In that moment he was so lost in himself that he couldn't recognized what Ender meant and was trying to say... Now.. His eyes widened..
He shoved his head over Ender, jaw dropped. Ender who was laughing like a child glanced at him and nodded what.. Ruis clenched his jaw vigorously.
~ I understand it now..
The reason Ender was so easy with Zack.. Was because..
~ He himself is a nihilist.
CREAK!
The door opens, distracting bummers as they glanced to saw professor coming in, wearing his causal wear with his cheeks curved to a smile as he clapped.
"Ay Ay!. What a party we have here!."
He said in his playful; clumsy tone, Sara gets up from couch to offered him a seat before pasting the book in her eyes. He sat down gracefully, it seems like he had quite lively mood today. His gaze went over the Lisa's painting then the rift beside as he was unfazed about it.
Then he glance over the chess board, startled. He went and sat beside Ruis.
"Want to play.."
Ruis ignores him and goes outside of the room.
"Oh!. He's just a beginner in this and was already irritated after losing 3 rounds by me. You sure will find me a good match. I'm an expert in this.."
Leon chuckled, as Zack was dozing off a little because he wasted his energy in blabbering with his idiot. Ender's gaze went over them as he sat aside Misha.
"Hey!. I'll challenge him first!. You lose to me 2 times."
He said, grinning and overconfident as well.
"No way!. Get off yapper!. Think logically. I'll challenge him then you."
She pinches his cheek very hard that he mumbled, for her to stop.. In this moment, she heard a voice, echoing within her..
~ Misha.. We need to talk.. Come outside..
It was Ruis who had communicate telepathically with her. Her faint smile froze as she sighed. Ender noticed this but didn't say anything. While Leon was whistling, checking his nails.
"Fine.. Let me know when you're done.."
She said with a warm smile, before getting up and departing.
"Should we start?."
Leon asked, his tone quite serious.
"Yeah."
A faint smile appeared over Ender's cheeks, he turned his head upwards which was down. On outside, Ruis was standing leaning to the wall, Misha was perplexed about his behavior.
"What's wrong?. Is this about Ender?."
She asked, arms crossed with composed eyes. He didn't respond, for a moment silence shrouded them as he spoke, shattering it.
"Have you noticed something different about him lately?."
His words made her eyes twitched, she turned her head down. It was quite complicated for her as she began to think, Ruis sharp gaze fixed over her to witness what she will reply..
"Hmm.. Yeah.."
After finally a minute, she murmured, destroying the silence shrouded them.
"He's way more bantering and joking now than usual. He wasn't like that, sometimes he was serious, silent, shy.. But now.. He's behaving freely with others.. Even me.."
She said, Ruis stayed silent turning his head to front because her lips twitches as she wanted to say more..
"But it could be.. He's changing.. He's becoming better after her death.."
She said, turning her head over him, concerned.
"Someone like him can never change.. I have seen end in his ebony eyes.. He may show he's trying to change.. But he's acting, jesting us.. And now he's lost in acting.."
Ruis words curled up in dread, he sighs and looked towards her. Not making eye contact.
"I know about your feelings towards him."
Misha froze, as if she was captured.
"W– What?.."
"I mean it's kinda obvious or I'm just too observant. But it's 50/50 since you know about me and Sara too.. Anyways.."
Ruis shrugged.. Before continuing with a pause.
"We need a plan.. To expose him. His true nature.."
She was still shocked but hearing about him and Sara subconsciously confronted her yet still puzzled..
"His nature.. What his true nature?. And what plan.."
"I don't know his true nature either, that's why we need to expose him.. For the plan, we'll discuss later, if you got one then I'm all ears.."
Ruis slightly turned around, as he had to go somewhere. In this moment, a thought flashed on Misha's mind.
"How about we share with Prof?."
Misha suggested, he turned around, unsure.
"Leon.."
He thought for a moment.. While she eagerly waited for a reply.
"Well I'm not sure either of him.. Yeah he's an elder but.. I don't know him that much to consult him this matter, but yeah.. You can discuss it with our group.. Not Zack.."
He spoke with resolute determination while she nodded off subconsciously. Suddenly...
CREAK!
Leon entered with a smile, his gaze went over Misha who was leaning alone to a wall.
He was surprised to saw her here.
"What are you doing here?. Thinking about career?. Future?."
He asked, nonchalantly.
"Mmmh.. Just changing vibes.."
She mumbled, Leon chuckled, thinking about something.
"I beat him three times.. But it was tough, but his incensed face was memorable.."
He moves away, until no longer visible, she saw him going then. From the floor at the door beside another room, water began to emerged from the closed door's floor.. She glared at it, watching it taking a form of idiot.
"It seems like you're progressing way faster than me."
She said, unfazed. More like acting.
"Nah.. It's just my inner voice is chill."
He stretches his arms, before getting along. Misha sighs..
– So am I bad?..
Her inner voice asked.
~ Not really..
She try to confront herself.
– It means I'm bad..
~ ...
She strolls away, whistling in the hallway.
On the room, Lisa had finished her painting as she took a deep breath of relief, the rift closed itself. Sara had fallen asleep on counch, even Zack was dozing on Ender's shoulder.. While for him.
He had unreadable expression, lost in his thoughts, as if he was thinking something very hard.. He sighs and gently gets up, Zack falls on sofa, still unconscious as he gets out of the room.
Moments later..
It was night now, on idiots room. Everyone had fallen asleep except Ender. He was sitting on his bed, still thinking. Abruptly, he had a yellow potion in his hands.. The one he got from underground mart.
"I have got no choice.."
He murmured to himself, as he shoved the potion, opening the cup and drinking it vigorously. It tasted like cough medicine yet he was unfazed. As he got on bed and.. Sleep...