Chapter 8: The Dinner

It was the worst of times- their Mathematics class in the afternoon was such a drag for Joy who seemed to be unfocused with everything that is happening around her because of the mixed feelings she has been experiencing- confusion, worry, and worst of all- annoyance. She often looked outside the window at her side and saw freshmen at their PE class- who were still friendly because its only their 2nd day, but who knows what might happen after a week or so when the people starts to show their true colors- rivalries might emerge out of nowhere, like what Fallon and herself have. She looked at the board, trying to fixate her attention, but Fallon was there, trying so hard to solve the problem on the board, but as she can see, she has been there for a long period of time.

"Uh, come on, its just our second day, meaning that that problem is still just an easy logic, but don't worry because that one is not an actual problem, I'm just messing with your heads. No student has ever answered that correctly ever since." Mrs. Brown, the teacher who looked like a witch because of her overly curly hair said. "You may now sit down." she told Fallon and she went sneaking fast to her seat without glancing at anyone except Light, who seemed indifferent to her because he was looking at the problem. Joy looked at it too but failed to comprehend what it was.

"I sent 50 soldiers in a war- none of them came back except 5, 3 is inverted, and YOU came last" she read, finding the sentence strange and - nonsense.

"Just teach us Math." Nick from the other side frowned and hissed at the Mrs. Brown- but he rarely complains- meaning that he can't answer the problem himself even though he is the best at Math in class.

"Shut up, you, if you do not have an answer." the teacher grinned at Nick who had rolled his eyes to a great extent. Light then lowered his head and leaned on the table, making him a lot noticable to Mrs. Brown because of his unusual appearance. "You seem to have a new classmate, everyone." she said, approaching Light. "As I have said before, anyone who can answer the question will automatically have an A at their report cards, so, Mr-?" she asked, pushing Light to answer.

"Elkin." Light replied with a very cold tone as he rose up and looked at Mrs. Brown at the eyes, making her shiver because of the frigid coldness in his tone which everyome regarded as dark and enchanting.

"Mr. Elkin, you do not have the right to sleep at my class unless you have an answer." Mrs. Brown continued, trying to mask out her shivering.

"I love you." he said without further adieu, looking straight into the eyes of Mrs. Brown who seemed to be awestruck with the coldness of Light's tone and very presence which has almost froze her to death because for a moment, she wasn't able to withstand the coldness as he looked at her- like looking into something deeper than her facade- like Light's eyes saw through her like a transparent door to her soul.

"y-you are right, but explain." her words made the class confused as Light walked past her and approached the board. Holding a chalk in his left and another in his right, he quickly discussed the answer as he wrote.

"You take the first letter I, then what is the Roman numeral for 50?" He spoke.

"L!" the class shouted in response.

"So we already have our first two letters, that is I and L. Then None of them came back, meaning zero. Now its I L O- except 5- and the roman numeral for 5 is V- making it I L O V, then 3 is inverted and in dictionary inverted means like mirrored- so it becomes E. Now we have I L O V E- then YOU came last- I LOVE YOU." he said and just left the board in front and went back to his seat." I suppose I now have a Flat A and I do not have to go to your class, right, Mrs. Brown? Can I go now? I've got no time to waste." he said, as the class can almost hear the wind brushing through their faces as Light talked so coldly towards her. Mrs. Brown managed to nod even if she was solidly frozen at her position. Light moved away and left the room, leaving everyone astound and shocked- especially Fallon, who looked at Light as he walked out of the room- like everything was on slow motion.

The bell rang. It was 6:00 pm

"Feel threatened yet? Joy?" Mari asked, teasing her as Nick approached them.

"He might take your first place. We saw how his mind works." Nick said, looking worried as well because his best in Math could also be taken away from him.

But Joy wasn't threatened because something completely different has been going off inside her head- a mission, Light's level and other-worldly and almost perfect appearance, and her heart beating at a fast rate everytime she sees Light.

"Let's go home Joy." Mari said as the assigned group for cleaning started to sweep and clear the writings on the blackboard.

"I'll have to go somewhere, I'll pass now." Joy replied and left the both of them in complete silence.

"Joy is so quick-witted, she gave us precious time for each other." Nick whispered at Mari, who was trying her best not to run after Joy.

"Shut up Nickolas." She said and went away, leaving her bag behind and Nick carrying them away to run to her side.

Meanwhile, Joy was running to get to the rooftop, and as she arrived there, she saw Light looking above like the way he did when they first met- and his hair danced with the wind- his pale skin shined like the moonlight as the orangy yellowy sky filled her vision apart from the trees below it.

Without looking at Joy, Light knew she was there and that painted a smile in his face.

"I-I came." Joy said, refusing to look at Light who was still looking up, but this time, his eyes were closed.

"I knew you'd come." he said and turned to the railings.

A girl with a jet-black hair came dashing towards the school ground wearing the black uniform that was same as Joys', but she was running at a constant speed, making her vulnerable to trips at the stairs. Joy moved away and hid behind the benches as Light backed away as well. After about a minute, the girl was there, panting, and looking so thin. She cried out loud and approached the railings and looked around the school.

"I missed you" she said as tears started to blur her vision which made her trip and fall to the bench at her back.

"No one believed me... No one wanted me.... I was kicked out- I was - They never bothered to listen to my explanations. I-I did not push her… no one believed me…" Corriene said, crying. Joy was there at the back of the other bench, looking sympathetic to her while Light was nowhere to be found, seemingly invisible to Joy's eyes.

"I believe you."

Corriene looked at her back and was shocked to see Light, making her withdraw the blade she had on her already bleeding hand. Light looked at her while she averted her gaze from him because of the shock she had. The school should have been empty at this hour, but to her surprise, Light was there.

"Who are you?" she asked as she backed away at Light with her aquiver, frail body. Light walked towards her, but he realized that she was having panic attacks- making him stop at his own pace.

"Corriene Vega from class 11-2, supposedly 12-2. I am Light." He said, and upon hearing those words, Corriene looked at him for the first time. "If I am not mistaken, you were involved in an accident last year with Ms. Remi, your classmate who fell on the stairs. She told people that you pushed her, but in fact, she fell on purpose- but you were there, standing, so people blamed you." He continued, making Corriene remember everything that happened on the day when she got expelled.

"H-How do you know that?"

"I know everything" said Light, "And I know what you are planning to do right now." He added and looked at her hand which was bleeding hard and then to her face, who was fixated at Light.

"I-I just want to give a proper explanation, but they never heard me out! T-they expelled me before I knew it! A-and someone tampered the footage!" she screamed so hard that her voice cracked while Joy was aghast to her own helplessness- she wanted to help and go to them, but she did not know what to do!

Light raised his left hand and a video tape suddenly appeared with it. "A copy of this video has been sent to the Principal's Office, and another to the head of the Ministry of Education. You have cleared your name."

"How could you do that? J-J-just who are you- no- what are you?" she asked, trembling, as she looked at the necklace of Light that seemed to be glowing. Joy, from a distance looked at hers too-and it was also glowing- so she tried to conceal it with the both of her hands. Light grinned.

"So the thought of killing yourself has diminished in your thoughts and you had found hope. What am I? You'll know unless-"

"Unless what?" she asked with a relaxed tone, which was completely different from the way she talked before. She has found hope because of what Light did- she did not want to trust him, but there is something inside her that made her trust Light in an instant.

"Unless you agree to live and not end your life yet." Light said.

"What kind of nonsense is this?" She said, perplexed. "I wasn't about to end my life." She said, averting his gaze from Light, but inside her, she knew that all of which Light said was true.

"I'll take that as a yes." Light said, closing the gap between the both of them. Joy stood up and saw a bright, blinding light swathe the both of them, but she tried to maintain her wide-opened eyes to see what was happening and approached them. It was really hard to see because of the light that surrounds them, and there was a very strong gust of wind that started to build up, but she still tried to go near, tripping and struggling. When she finally came close, he heard Light-

"I am Light, the chosen one,

By right of blood that channels through me,

I proclaim myself to thee.

Your pain and worry I vanish from thee.

From now on your heart will be at ease

And the burden you carry

Give them all to me

So your heart can finally feel the peace"

A brighter, more enormous light caught Joy's eyes- it was not just a plain white light like before- instead- it was a strong golden flash that reminded her of the sun, and of his eyes. The beam of light that surrounded them expanded until it caught where she stood. It was not long when the light had faded, and all she saw was Corriene as she collapsed at the ground- and Light- who had bleeding arms. Joy hurried towards Light and held his arms.

"Are you okay?" she asked.

"I am." He said, looking at Corriene's bleeding hands. Joy looked at it closely and saw the same pattern of cuts Light had.

"You've got to be kidding me." She said and backed away, frightened at the scene. "If you save her, you get her cuts… why?"

"You'll heal with her. However, there is no such thing as complete healing so it will leave a scar. If the wound you have taken from the one you saved healed, that means-"

"She has also healed and doesn't think of leaving this world anymore." Joy replied and looked at Light's face, who seemed to be in pain and in relief at once.

"Say, Hope, now that you have witnessed how this mission will proceed, would you take my hand and be with me until this mission is over? However, I must warn you that other missions will not be as easy as this one though," Light said, trying so hard to maintain his stance because he was about to fall anytime, and he offered his right hand towards Joy- whom he called Hope. Joy thought so deep. She had wished to save people and the heavens have really heard her plea- which was totally unexpected due to the belief of the people that the deities have already abandoned them because of hate brought about by men's actions. Will she die after getting cuts from other people? But she thought about the most important part- she'll be able to save people- save Mari, and all others who needed her help.

"Hope." Light whispered. "Will you take my hand?" he said in a weak voice.

"I-I will! I'll help you save people! I'll walk with you until your mission is over!" she exclaimed and took Lights hands which made him smile- his coldness towards her had all faded at that moment as she looked at him- then he slowly closed his eyes and collapsed on the ground, still holding Joy's hands, but he wasn't unconscious-he was just tired.

"It was such a long journey taking that tape to those people. That Math teacher's riddle was an easy one, so I had time to collect the tape and give it to them. By tomorrow, she'll be able to go back to school." He said, trying to open his eyes. When Joy looked at it, the orange sky was reflected through his eyes and it looked so surreal. However, the ephemeral moment had passed when Light stood up, and he looked as if he was himself again [cold]- to Joy's surprise.

"Let's hurry home." He said and offered his hand at Joy again, who was still awestruck. She took them and stood up.

"How about her?" she asked, pointing at Corriene who was sleeping soundly like a baby.

"Let's leave her like that. She'll have no memory of my face, but she'll remember what happened today." He said and left, with Joy walking behind him.

They walked past the gate of the school, then onto the meadows, then the bridge, and before Joy knew it, they were at her home where they saw her grandma, sweeping their yard. She looked at the both of them and smiled wide with malicious intent to Joy, who started blushing while Light just looked at her with cold eyes. It was clear that her grandma was planning something.

"Our new neighbor, right? What's your name?" Josephine asked Light who was getting ready to go inside his home.

"Hello, my name is Light, Hope's classmate." He said and faced Josephine who was smiling widely and friendly.

"Who lives with you in that big house?" Josephine asked.

"I live alone." He said, trying his hard to mask his innate cold tone.

"Oh, is that so, thank you for walking home with my Hopie. Do you want to come eat dinner with us later?" she asked while Joy protested in the background- so Josephine turned to face her, showing an evil smile and intimidating Joy to shut her mouth- which she did.

"I'd be happy to. Thank you very much. I will just change my clothes and come later." He said and left the both of them. Josephine looked at Joy who seemed to be drowning in thoughts.

"Why did you invite her, Nana?" Joy asked Josephine who seemed to be smiling so wide.

"Just-hmmm… secret. Go to your room and change your clothes." She said and laughed triumphantly. Without a second thought, Joy went to her room and did what her grandmother just said. She took off her uniform and searched for t-shirts in her big, wide gray drawer. She found a white fitted t-shirt with red linings on the neck and shoulders and wore it, while the necklace she wore sparkled in the light of her room. She held it tight and smiled to herself, remembering the first time she had looked into the necklace. She looked at her window near her bed where he saw Light this morning from where she stood and wondered if she could see him again if she looked. She approached her window while her eyes were closed, praying so hard to see him- and when she felt that she was already in her window, she opened her eyes slowly and saw Light leaning on the side of his window like he was purposely waiting for her. To Joy, it was like all things faded in the background- she imagined the wind caressing Light's hair, the cool, strange moonlight being reflected in his golden eyes, with his skin glowing like a fragile, expensive glass. His aqua blue shirt looked good on him and it highlighted his manly arms. She looked at him like he was some sort of a vivid dream that haunted her- making her want to stay to uncover all the mysteries that surfaced. She rubbed her eyes, unable to believe the situation, and saw phosphenes surrounding and flying near Light- then she realized that she had been on a state of oblivion and snapped out her thoughts.

"What a nice smile you had there. Actually, I never thought that you could smile. I've been tired seeing your fake smiles- a real smile looks great on you." He said and left the window as well as Joy who looked stunned with what he just said.

She snapped out of it and went down to their kitchen to help Josephine but as she did, she saw that all the food was already at the table, with Light and her brother sitting side by side, and only her chair was empty. She approached them and sat on their chair while Josephine placed the last dish on the table. It was a sweet and sour pork cutlets dish- the specialty of her grandma. She looked at Light who seemed to have managed to feel at home as he looked at the dishes, when she noticed the necklace of Light, as well as his cuts that seemed to have faded a bit.

"Let's eat!" Josephine said. Light took a handful of dishes and ate merrily while Joy watched him, feeling full just by seeing him eat happily. Both of their necklaces sparkled because of the light above them but the both of them didn't mind because of the feast in front of them. After eating, Josephine told Joy and Light to wait at the balcony in front of their garden at the back while she washes the dishes and coupled it with her saying 'Ah, youth', and shooed them off.

"That was nice food." Light said as he sat on the wooden balcony and watched the fireflies that lingered in their garden, but his cold tone was still very obvious and felt.

"You could at least say that with a happy tone." Joy said.

"That was delicious." Light said, showing a forced smile and concealing his eyes with his hair. Joy frowned at him and was enthralled by how ineffable he was.

"You know what, every time I look at you, I 'm always hiraeth and I feel like everything is just a dream, it scares me because I never want it to end." She said and looked at him straight in the eyes.

"Why?" asked Light.

"You are just too good to be true and your kind only exists in some fictions or dreams, but I guess I am wrong, and you are real life." Joy added, still maintaining an eye to eye contact with the cold-hearted Light. "But if this is a dream, I don't ever want to wake up. Nana Josephine's here, my brother is here, and you too,"

"Do not be impulsive and say things like that. Just live the moment while it's still there especially with another mission at hand." Light said and opened his necklace. "Tomorrow at the lake, 9:21. A girl at your class."

"N-no way. Th-this is Fallon Bane!