Chapter 3. THE NEWBIE GOT A CRUSH

When we finally exited the conference room, I dashed back to our room. My stomach was churning, and I felt tempted to vomit. Having entered, I opened the restroom door and proceeded to use it. I lowered my head and began to vomit into the toilet bowl. I exited the restroom once I had finished emptying my stomach. On the sofa, Derek and Robby were speaking. I cleared my throat to get their attention.

"Hey, you alright, Brownie?" Derek asked.

"Can't imagine you threw up all that special food. You should know that that's the best meal you will ever get here." Robby spoke.

" The dish seemed both repulsive and unfamiliar. I need a toothbrush since my mouth feels bitter."

"C'mon! The meal was super delicious, and the snake soup was so good." Robby said, faking a drool. He was so annoying, and I was already starting to hate him.

"There are a few new toothbrushes in the bathroom cabinet; you're welcome to one..." Derek spoke. He was more remarkable than Robby and more mature. I could tell he was probably my age cohort.

"Thank you," I said and headed to the drawer. I picked one and squeezed some toothpaste on it, then proceeded to the bathroom. Once I was done, I stepped out feeling relieved.

"I will be in bed," I spoke and hopped on the king-sized bed.

"Wait, what? Newbie, you're sleeping on the sofa. Derek and I share the bed. Robby stated before jumping onto the bed.

"Get off already," Robby said, pushing me out.

'Okay. Sorry." I said and stepped down. I dragged myself to the couch and slept on it.

"Good night," Derek spoke as he hopped on the bed. It was the worst night, so I did not respond. I pushed my body and closed my eyes.

****

The following morning, a lot of loud music played when I woke up. Robby was humming along in an absurd voice. He was unpleasant in every way...

"Will you please turn that off? It's still so early and your voice is just pathetic."

"Come on! Don't be jealous, Chase boy. I have the best voice." Robby said, and I laughed sarcastically.

"What's so funny halfwit?"

"You have a terrible voice, Robby," I responded.

"I keep telling him that but he wouldn't listen," Derek spoke from the bed.

"Anyway, it's time to go get some breakfast. Let's go boys." He added and stepped off the bed. We all dressed up and headed for breakfast.

****

We sat at the bistro, eating our breakfast. Although it was still bizarre food, at least there was coffee and God! I loved coffee. There was also bread, so I was good to battle my starvation. Robby and Derek took coffee, mushrooms, and some scrambled eggs.

"Whoa! The newbie got a crush." Robby said.

"What?" I asked.

"Look over there...Alexa is smiling at you." Robby said. I looked on to the next table from us. There were two girls, two guys, and Malachi.

"The one in the middle is Alexa," Derek spoke. I glued my eyes to the supposed Alexa.

"Is she not the most beautiful woman?" Robby asked and smirked.

"I don't care," I responded.

"It was a rhetorical question, halfwit."

" Enough of these halfwits, dumb and Chase boy names. Can't we just stick to my name being Chase? Chase alone?" I asked furiously. I was getting fed up with Robby's nosy behaviour.

"Come on Chase boy! If you stop acting dumb then there will be no more halfwits. It will only be Chase boy." Robby said.

"Do you even know that I'm older than you? You should show me some respect, kid." I said, and Robby laughed exaggeratedly.

"C'mon Chase boy! Who cares if you are older than me? Age works differently on this side. The ones who landed here first are considered the oldest. So, I'm older than you, new kid." Robby spoke.

I ate my breakfast while thinking about how inquisitive Robby was becoming. The fact that Robby was the only person I knew was tearing me apart inside. When Robby tormented me with words, Derek didn't utter a word, but I did know him. My father had always told me those anti-social individuals were the worst, and I grew up believing him.

"I'm going to catch some air," I said and sipped the remaining coffee off my cup.

"Should I come with you? Remember I'm supposed to look after you. " Robby said and raised on his feet.

"No thanks," I responded and started walking fast. I needed some alone time away from Robby, and thanks to God, he didn't think of following me.

To avoid being in a situation where Robby may show up at any time, I opted not to return to my room. I decided to take a stroll and get a feel for the surroundings. There were a lot of people. There were also several young children, and I wondered why such young people could die. I was wondering when I came to unfinished construction. It was an excellent area to get some peace if you wanted it. I swung my legs out the open window and sat there, my legs dangling. I permitted myself to contemplate everything and everything that came to mind. It took time until someone chose to disrupt my peaceful existence. Steps were making their way closer to where I was standing. I prayed hard that it wasn't Robby while I awaited the person's arrival. Thanks to God's grace, it wasn't him! Malachi was the culprit. I felt a burst of joy and relief at the same time.

"Hey," Malachi spoke.

"Hey." I talked back. "Are you following me?" I asked.

"No. No. I needed to get away from those guys. They are a bit much than I can handle for now." Malachi said. I was glad that he was having a hard time too. It meant I was not overreacting.

"What about you? What are you doing here alone?" Malachi asked

"I needed some alone time too. The guy assigned to check on me is so annoying." I said.

"This place is tedious. It drives me crazy. It's depressing to realize that we'll be here for the rest of our lives which is forever. Malachi replied as he walked over to settle down next to me.

"I thought you liked this place. You said it's beautiful here. What changed?"

"Nothing changed. This place is beautiful. Look around. Everything looks so pretty. The air feels so fresh." Malachi said and closed his eyes, then breathed in some air.

"I mean, it's perfect here. It's just the nosy individuals and the bizarre meals that are ruining this location for everyone else. Drinking snake soup laced with our blood is beyond my comprehension.."

"It was so disgusting. I threw up it all." I said.

"Yeah me too. I don't even understand why we had to perform that stupid ritual. I don't feel connected to them. They ain't my family. My family is alive and I'm so dead to them." Malachi continues talking.

"I don't feel the connection too. I hate it here and I'm missing my family a lot and my friends too." I said.

"I wish I can see them once more," I added.

"Ooh, Alexa! A friend of Billy, my roommate. I overheard her saying that it's possible to travel back to the world of the living. I think she can give us a tour there. I miss my family too." Malachi's words sprang into my mind.

"Did you say, Alexa?" I asked curiously, recalling the beautiful young woman who Robby said was crushing on me. Maybe if it were confirmed that she had a crush, it would not be hard to convince her to take me back to my family.

"Are you sure one can travel back?" I asked.

"I overheard her say so. I think it's possible." Malachi said.

"Maybe we should ask her. What do you think, Chase?"

I was unsure how to reply at first. When approaching Alexa, I wasn't sure how I felt about it. I couldn't tell whether she liked me or if Robby was being Robby. However, I was ecstatic at the prospect of seeing my loved ones once again. I couldn't let that go unnoticed.

"Yeah sure. I think we should try asking her. " I finally spoke.

"Yeah sure. We will ask her tonight. I heard there is a club around and she loves to hang out there with her friends." Malachi said.

"Whoa! I didn't think there are clubs here." I said.

"There's everything here. That's why I said the place is beautiful." Malachi said and climbed down.

"I'll see you tonight. Meet me here at 7 pm." He said and started walking away.

"See ya' " I said before he disappeared.

****