13. EESOME

Eesome (adjective)

Pleasing to the eye.

Chapter 13

(Mako P. O. V)

I shake as the wind blows hard at my thin night dress. How did I not wake up when I was brought here... can this just be a nightmare... I take my cold blue hand in front of my face and brace for it, slapping myself hard trying to wake up. I wince at the growing tingling pain on my left cheek, I can hit pretty hard; rubbing at my cheek I study my surroundings. Being here can only be done by someone in the house, or else no one would allow me to be taken away... the frappe! was there something in it? impossible, it tasted so good... it can't have anything in it to hurt me, Heli would never... wait... is this one of my father's punishments?

I look around, no one in sight, just me and the abandoned ruins of buildings. I shield my face as the wind picks at the ruble, circulating around me; throwing my long hair around violently. A smile creeps on my face, putting my hand to block the fallen buildings out of view; I notice now how beautiful it is here. The greenery striving, red tulip flower beds tint the scenery as they dance in the wind. I run to them bare footed not minding the dirt for now; my long dress not hindering me in any way as I swing my arms loosely.

I crouch over and try to smell them brining my face closer to them. Smells just like grass, well it looks pretty and that's enough, it doesn't need to smell good to feel more magical. It's already contributing enough by looking beautiful. I find my hand hoovering around my chest trying to grab hold of my camera but it's not there. I have nothing on me, except my night gown. Whoever brought me here didn't think of making me comfortable.

I glance over at the shore, I don't see any bridge connecting this place to the city... just the vast empty ocean. I was probably brought here by a boat or something... no, that's risky, whoever brought me here can't use a boat, what if the ghouls see it and try to escape with it? everyone knows ghouls have tried their best to escape this prison... prison of quietness and flowers. I walk over to the shore, inspecting the place I woke up in. The waves are raging because of the wind... so I can't see anything that might connect the cities... but isn't this city a peninsula? it must somehow connect...

Seems there's no way to go back for now.... wait... technically I'm free here, so it's not that bad of a situation, and there's no ghouls in sight, maybe they're hiding? they're probably as kind as the twins? maybe they'll welcome me... I shrug at my thoughts. There's really no way to telling how good or bad this situation is, overthinking this won't help.

A wave comes crashing forward and I race back in order to stay dry; hurrying up the water tickles my legs and I yelp at it's cold touch. It stops it's chase and now slides away back into the ocean and I zip following it back.

I crouch over and scoop some of the water into my palms, letting the water soak my dress now that I'm used to the cold. I gulp down, finding myself spitting out the rest,

"Salty!" I shout at it. Of course I know the ocean water is salty, but just had to try it for myself for the first time. Botan had put this on his 'must-try' list after leaving the house, we had agreed on drinking sea water and verifying the fact. I sigh at my memory of my brother.

I jerk up as something swooshes past me and lands in the water splashing slightly. I glimpse around... what was that? did I imagine it? I'm sure I saw something go past me from the corner of my eye, but I don't see anyone or anything moving in sight, just flowers and high grass sway with the wind. I brush away at my bangs and walk out of the freezing water, now my hands and feet blueish, turning ice as the cold wind blows at me, throwing my hair all over the place blinding my vision.

"Ahhh!" I yelp at the sudden pain in my right shoulder. Grunting, I push my hair away looking around, pressing at the stinging pain. A stone lies next to my foot; was I hit by a stone? I never imagined it would hurt this bad! I take my hair into my hands; twisting it tightly and try to fasten it in place in a bun out of the way with loose strands. My eyes watch the scenery before me, trying to find anything moving.

"AWWW!" I shout in annoyance as another stone shoots at my left leg. I rub it trying to ease the stinging itching pain. I stand straight again, I watch as a stone comes flying towards me and I lean away dodging it. I point at my far left, detecting the source area.

"Found you!" I hiss at myself as I race forward from where the stones came flying. From behind the bushes of green mess, a figure wriggles escaping. My hands into fists; I race as my wet dress ends slap against my legs. Who thinks they can hit people with stones for no apparent reason? this can't be forgiven. I run into the wild high grass and I push the tickling ends away grunting...

I stop in my tracks as I feel something crawling on my neck... I gulp down... it's probably just grass, I reassure myself. I stroke at it with my hand and I feel it. I scream at the top of my lungs as I bring forward what I grabbed with my hand. A big fat grasshopper wiggles around my fingers. I shout again shaking my hand up and down as it goes flying away at the force and I run back out of the grass field. Stumbling forward on the ground, I keep brushing at my neck just incase there isn't another one on me. I study myself from head to toe making sure no other insect is on me. Glancing up, I hear loud giddy shrieks of laughter coming from the grass field.

I stand up high trying to see who's the jerk through the thick grass. I spot a little figure, wild messy orange hair cupping a masked face; brown eye squinting behind a slingshot... aimed straight at me. My eyes widen and I squat down before it flies my way. Moments of silence... was it a ghoul? why would a ghoul hunt with a slingshot? no, probably just someone playing around. Again, maybe everyone here is just as nice as the twins... I shake my head slightly; why do I keep forgetting the man Tora supposedly stabbed for information? well... Seiji never stabbed anyone, I'll use him as the good example for now. But still... maybe I was being hit by the stones to be lured... so I'll get eaten... will they really eat me, kill me then cook me... wait no, father never mentioned they cook humans... well maybe they do and they have special recipes like we do with chicken...

"What are you doing?" I gaze up at the joking voice above me. I gulp watching a head hoovering over me, hair all over the place; sharp ends sloppily cut obscuring the eyes from view, with a dirty white cloth around the head with the numbers 110 on it, fastened tightly.

"Haloo." The person before me wails sarcastically... I stand up straight, taken aback at the height difference. This is a child?... I'm not scared of a child!

"You... you hit me!" I find myself accusing, pointing at the slingshot in the child's dirt smudged hand. The child rolls it's eyes... I can't tell if it's a boy or a girl.

"But you're so cute!" I bend down a little to meet their eyes smiling at him... or her. The child's brown eyes flutter looking away, long eyelashes giving a tint to a little healed scar below an unruly eyebrow. Is this one a good one... or a bad one... I'll believe in my senses for now.

"Cute!?" The kid utters in disbelief pushing away at their hair in embarrassment, looking away. I crinkle my nose humming,

"Emmmm...Yes, so I'll forgive your mistake this time. But you shouldn't hit people, it hurts." I reprimand smiling at the cute one in front of me.

"You looked like a skank so..." The kid rants shrugging; adjusting the cloth mask. Skank? what does that mean?... seems like another word from the dot.

"Get away from her!" A loud brash voice pricks at my ear drums as I'm hauled down with a kick at my legs. I fall forward yelping at the sudden attack; black sand making it's way into my mouth.

"She wasn't doing anything!" I hear the Child input. I glance up, my face burning with heat as anger swells up inside me.

"What is wrong with you people!?" I blur spitting out, glaring up at my enemy. A tall boy stands before me, slender-slight build and covered in dirt; clothes ripped in all random places. A band sits on his forehead similar to the kid; with the number 106.

"Did she hurt you?!" The boy asks the kid as his mask slides down against his pallor, hands in fists.

"I hurt the kid!? he's the one who hit me with the stones!" I shout in my defense standing up; noticing how badly muddy my dress is. I begin to pull at my dress to show the bruise but stop as it's quite high up my leg and it's inappropriate.

"Why can't I shlocking smell you?" The boy asks adjusting his mask back in place; pulling the kid towards him protectively, chin up high; looking down at me. Smell me? what is he... a dog...

"You're scary. Ana, let's leave." He addresses the kid... a girl!... wait, did he just say I'm scary.

"Scary? what part of me is scary... oh wait RAWR!" I draw my hands like claws and pretend to be a beast. I laugh at their gawking eyes but soon embarrassment takes over me, a wave of heat washing over me.

"Wayyyy...way..." A hissing flippant noise from the back draws our attention. The three of us quietly trying to see who it was. A tall broad women walks out of the bushes from behind me and I twirl around staring at her, my heart thumbing so fast. A grey piece of cloth covering her face, with two holes positioned for her eyes to see from and a large slit showing a set of plump bluey lips, with the band number being 75. She walks forward, swinging her hand in the air.