After coffee, Axel walked Ellie back to her home in the shopping district. He needed to be sure his vision had truly ended, ensure the shadow-people were no longer hunting her, and prevent her from doing anything reckless like she had at the cafe. As they walked along the sidewalk, Axel saw countless shadow people trailing pedestrians, sitting behind drivers on bikes or in cars, and even following stray dogs in the park. But not everyone had a shadow. He noticed that whenever a shadow people passed a cat, it would veer away—the cats watched them with judging eyes, as if plotting something.
"Hmm... weird. Really weird. Why isn't everyone followed? Even a dog gets one, but cats and certain people are left alone. I don't get it. Why did the world turn into this glitch," Axel muttered in his head, scanning his surroundings as he walked beside a seemingly relaxed Ellie.
Axel glanced at Ellie. Occasionally, she would drift so close she pressed against his arm, then quickly look up and smile as if she were afraid he'd be mad about the accidental contact. After watching her stiffen up several times, he realized she was actually maneuvering to avoid the shadow people trailing the people they passed. She was terrified of touching them again.
"Right. She's probably scared of a repeat of what happened at school," Axel thought.
"Hey, over here. Just stay close to me," Axel said shortly.
"Oh... okay. Thanks," Ellie replied.
Ellie didn't hesitate. She clung to Axel's arm, even hooking hers through his until they looked exactly like a couple. Axel looked away as his arm brushed against something soft and supple, then he rubbed his face.
"Man, I said stay close, not glue yourself to my arm. This is a mess. I'm not used to being this close to a girl," Axel grumbled in his head, trying to shove away the intrusive thoughts he knew he'd regret later.
They kept walking. Sometimes Ellie would cling even tighter, nearly hugging his arm when a shadow people ahead walked erratically while following its target. As they passed an alleyway between a restaurant and a boutique, Axel glanced inside. He saw several shadow people who weren't following anyone; they paced back and forth like people who had lost their purpose, wandering aimlessly.
When a restaurant staff member—who didn't have a shadow—stepped out to toss some trash, one of the wandering shadows immediately latched onto them like it had found its prey, following the staffer back inside. Axel stayed silent and looked ahead. Reaching the end of the block, they arrived at Ellie's home: a two-story antique shop where the upper floor served as a residence. Ellie let go of his arm, stood in front of the door, and turned to him.
"This is my place. Want to come in? More coffee?" Ellie asked with a smile.
"No thanks, I'm good," Axel replied, turning down Ellie's offer.
"What if I insist? I'm serious, and this isn't just me being polite," Ellie said, leaning her face in and standing on her tiptoes to get closer to him.
"Uh... no," Axel answered, pulling his head back to keep some distance between them.
Ellie searched his face. Her blue eyes scanned his flat, indifferent expression, looking for any crack in his armor that might make him change his mind. Finally, she smiled and dropped back down to her heels, seemingly giving up.
"Fine then. See you tomorrow," Ellie said.
"Yeah, see you. I'm out," Axel replied. He turned and walked away immediately after saying goodbye, casually shoving both hands into his pockets.
Ellie watched his back as he moved further and further away. He didn't look back once. Finally, she sighed and turned to open her door. "Chime." The bell of the antique shop rang. An elderly woman standing behind a counter filled with ancient coins hurried over to meet her. She locked the door behind Ellie and gripped both of the girl's arms, her face full of worry.
"Who was that boy? Are you alright?" she asked.
"I'm fine, Grandma. He helped me at school today and walked me home," Ellie answered.
The grandmother studied her granddaughter's face for a moment. Once she was satisfied that Ellie was telling the truth, she let go and stepped back. A look of intense curiosity washed over her.
"Helped you? What exactly happened?"
Ellie explained everything. She told her about what Axel had done to stop Mason from practicing on the field and the reason why he had intervened. The grandmother listened intently, her expression darkening as the story went on. When Ellie finished, the old woman just nodded slowly, lost in thought.
"You accidentally touched one of those things and they couldn't get near him? And he stopped your classmate from practicing because he saw the boy die? Is that it?" the grandmother asked.
"Yes, Grandma. I was surprised too. Those horrific shadow people didn't dare get close when I bumped into him in the hallway. And... he can actually kill them. I saw it myself at the cafe," Ellie explained.
"Do not ever go near him again, and do not touch those shadow creatures. Do you understand?" the grandmother said, her voice turning stern.
"Wait, why, Grandma? He's not a bad guy. Don't just judge him by his looks. He might look like a thug, but he's brilliant—ranked first in the school—and he's kind," Ellie said, confused and jumping to Axel's defense.
"I am not judging him by his appearance. I am forbidding you because there is something inside him. Something horrific that devours the shadow creatures he approaches. Understand?" the grandmother said, her voice rising slightly.
"Something horrific?" Ellie asked, bewildered.
"Yes. Something ancient is sharing space with his soul inside that body," the grandmother replied. She was draped in jewelry like a shaman, wearing unique necklaces inscribed with symbols that no one could understand.
"But Grandma, I want to be friends with him. To me, he's a good person," Ellie argued stubbornly.
"No. Do not ever approach him again. I'm telling you this for your own good. Now, go upstairs and eat. We aren't discussing this anymore," the grandmother snapped back even more firmly.
Annoyed, Ellie turned and stomped inside without looking back at her grandmother, like a child throwing a tantrum because her mother wouldn't give her candy.
***
Meanwhile, Axel was walking toward his home, strolling casually into his neighborhood.
"Yo."
Axel turned to see three thugs approaching him, calling out from behind. Axel sighed and rubbed the back of his head. A thug with a mohawk and a mean face stood in front of him, staring with a gaze meant to kill.
"You're the one who thrashed Ray yesterday, right? I'm Jack. Now you deal with me," Jack said.
"Yeah, yeah... make it quick. I'm tired," Axel replied dismissively.
Without a word, Jack stepped back to wind up, but before he could even plant his foot, Axel lunged forward. He brought his smiling face inches from a shocked Jack. "Blam." Axel's elbow slammed into Jack's face. Jack went down instantly, his nose crooked in the wrong direction, out cold. He likely wouldn't even know what hit him when he woke up. Axel turned to the other two thugs. they flinched and backed away as their eyes met Axel's—which were different now, filled with a promise of violence.
"You guys coming? Hurry up. But if you're not, move this guy. He's blocking the way. Pick one, I'm sleepy," Axel said casually, pulling out a cigarette and lighting it.
"Fuuuh." Axel blew a cloud of smoke into the faces of the two confused thugs. After a moment, they picked Jack up and scurried away without a word.
"Hah... trash," Axel muttered, taking a drag. He looked up, thinking for a moment. "So Ellie's place is an antique shop. Plenty of creepy stuff in there. No wonder she's been seeing ghosts since she was a kid, living in a place like that."
Then he turned and walked away again, heading toward his uncle's house where he was currently staying, acting as indifferent as if nothing had ever happened.