A tinge of foolishness 

It was completely the fact. We couldn't bring back everything we lost the company and the rest of the assets. But that small portion of insurance could still change our life. Paying the remaining bills and allowing me to establish a new job was all it could do; besides it, I had the school expenses.

She handed me the cellphone, which survived that misfortune. I scrolled up the menu and opened my email inbox.

My finger stopped on Go Solid topic, it could make a holographic cybernetic-space out of the screen and show me the whole email without gazing onto the screen, and I could sneak into that notice. But I changed my mind and began to read it privately.

My eyes fixed on this part, "Your claim had been verified by the law court of Vita."

"What did he say yesterday?" Roby, my darling cousin asked; could not control her curiosity; I didn't want to talk to anyone, still deeply felt guilty. Deeper senses of discomfort have been wiggling through my spine.

"I can take the restitution," I said drily.

"It is amazing among all other bad news."

"How many people the earthquake had taken?" I gulped.

I remembered that night. Chase, my brother's cold hand was out of the ruin, I could feel it with the tips of my fingers even now. Going to that unstable farmhouse was madness.

"Around Two thousands of people. Most of them were villagers and the east of Rose Vita. Here didn't shake too much but it was all in a line near the Vita river. If you check the highlights, they marked the zone in red. Oh, I forgot to tell you ..."

While she was explaining I strolled into the highlight news and opened "The Earthquake Zone," the topic said and the map was enough clear. All satellites had pictured a huge slash near the river.

"Numazu had risen!" I murmured out another topic. Articles had various ideas and Roby rubbed my attention with another surprise.

She drew a little silver box out of her bag and passed it to me.

"That night after the earthquake; I drove to you. I saw the ambulance and Robot FS2 (Flying Seeker). I asked the seekers about that… how many people they had found... they said," she swallowed her gulp and took a deep breath; during that, I scampered to the desk and picked the box up.

"We found you near the shrine, half-dead, you asked me to hide this."

I opened the box, the string glowed, and the card was right underneath.

"Where did you get this? What on the earth is it? And that card!"

I paused peering at her, my neck tilted, "you, you didn't touch it, did you?" my mouth got even drier than before.

"As you touched it… what happened?" I blurted, panicked, at the moment my heartbeats paced and the heat flared over my bones.

She started to play with the tip of her fingers then slowly said, "From that night I feel that someone has been following me, a shadow or a wraith; I have no idea what it can be called. Should I go to Immortal court and record this case? Because when I turn back to discover what is it, nothing I find. Further apart, since that night, it is all happening at nights not in the daily light at all."

"They didn't mention that it might happen."

"Who?"

"It is a long story. I can't explain here, help me to get rid of here. I'll let you know after I meet with Mr. Chen."

I rushed to change my clothes. I tightened the string around my wrist and it changed to a scenic bracelet. And I didn't want it to catch attention. The pain in my body that I didn't know from which hell it was coming totally faded away as if never it teased me just a moment ago! A simple proximity of this thing could heal me inwardly.

"Damn, it scares me! Can't wait to hear the story behind it," she murmured her thoughts loudly.

I wore a brown cotton jacket on a white well-fit shirt and then slipped into black tight jeans that she brought. No one could believe that I had broken bones.

"As you said a damn thing that I don't know what I should call it; a curse or gift," I replied.

"You changed!" I could see the fear in her brown eyes; never could I strongly sense the emotional aspects and the reason was coiled on my wrist.

"How come?"

"You look stronger and braver; more state of foolishness, daring and grumbler! Or Like an old stubborn Nan who bears everything! Actually, I can't keep you up." Roby confessed and I knew why! I healed fast and she had a ton of questions that couldn't shake off her mind. She approached and started sniffing me. It was disgusting. Her dark short black hair touched my shoulder. Near my armpit groaned!

"You stinky! You need to take a clean bath!"

As she was shorter than me her head was right close to my armpit. I ignored that and didn't expect more!

"For now just keep my secret with you especially hide it from Veronica," I emphasized because she and Ella were the only family remained for me. I knew it cost me an arm and a leg, but that was the way I stepped indiscriminately.

"Let's go," I said while opening the door.

The fresh air of spring kissed my face. The moonlight was the best part as if I knew what might come to my nights from that moment. Devouring a mass of air could help me settle my life down.

"Hello, dear Rose Vita, I've missed you," I whispered.

Roby touched her car remote. An auto voice from her cellphone said, "Your IQB3 is about to leave the Parking, please be patient Roby."

Her IQB3, (Internal Quantum Binary), was a black public smart car and after five minutes stopped right across our feet to pick us up.

She drove straight to the attorney's office at the center of the city where those skyscrapers grew up and touched the sky made the moon grumble for locking its way. Moreover, the Orange Energy Cube Electricity system made the stars jealous for offering a mass of light. The shuttles shuffled through the sky-bridge twisted rails overhead as we stopped behind a red light. It moved like a twinkling snake-ghost through a line.

My eyes locked on FRP1, (Flying Robot Police) and the officer beside him. Both were soulless and motionless like a statue until I made a funny face and the officer faintly smiled. Ding Green light! We crossed! Nice, the officer waved a hand before it. Puff! Not to me, but to the little girl who waved him back.