A Sense of Normalcy (1)

'But even after all of his efforts, Rhys was unable to save the world—and his one and only love.'

What?!

I angrily shut the book and threw it across the room with all the force I could muster. The volume hit the wall with a loud thud, falling open on the floor with a flutter of pages.

That's it? That's the ending? You have got to be joking. After all that happened, all he had to go through, this is the ending Rhys gets? The ruin of the world and the death of his lover? What kind of bullshit is this. I did not get invested in the story, only for it to have a bad ending. I mean, seriously, who the hell likes bad endings?

Wow, someone's going to die today. I am going to kill Sky for suggesting this book to me.

A few weeks ago, my best friend and co-worker, Skylar, suggested reading this book called 'Ruination'. By name, the book sounded like something a rookie, inexperienced writer would write, but after a bit of searching on the internet, I realized that this book was, in fact, quite popular. No, scratch that, it is very popular.

I don't understand why with the ending, but at the same time, I do; the plot and story build-up was done incredibly well. The storytelling sucked you right into the story, making you feel as if you're living right with the characters. I felt their pain, despair, and happiness. I felt whatever they felt. The power of words was overwhelming.

I started reading the book after confirming that the starred reviews were great, but I regret not having read detailed reviews about the ending. I thought that people liked the book because it has a great story and a happy ending. Boy, was I wrong.

According to the internet, this book is currently one of the most popular fantasy books in the nation. But here's the funny part: nobody truly knows who the author is. This person wrote a whole five-hundred-plus-page saga, and yet, only signed it with a pen name. Anywhere you search the name 'HR Writer', all you see is details about his book Ruination. I say the author is a 'he' because, well, it was stated very obviously in clear and concise words on the last few pages of the book: 

 Dear readers, I hope you enjoyed this story. I wrote this with a lot of love and effort, hoping this story touches your heartstrings as much as it did mine. Any support would be greatly appreciated. Once again, thank you for reading this story.

 (PS: I am a male. Please do not misgender me.)

Yes. That is exactly what was written at the end of the book, where the 'author's note' resides. Sometimes, I marvel at this guy's imperious words, written without a care in the world. It only fueled my irritation towards him. I love Ruination, I truly do, but that ending and those cocky words compelled me not to read the follow up novel if there ever is one.

I lie spread-eagled on my bed, thinking over my life choices. This is why I hardly ever read novels—I get attached too quickly. And now, after that annoying ending, I have promised myself to never pick up another volume in my life. The worst part was that Ruination was by far my favorite novel. I always get attached to the tragic stories, I don't know why. It seriously annoys me to no end.

I pick up the phone lying on the bedside table and turn it on. Opening my messaging app, I fire a message to Skylar.

I hope you sleep with one eye open.

She knows what I'm talking about, as her reply comes in instantly.

Will do.

I scowl in irritation. This annoying girl. I bet she's having a good laugh behind her screen as I obsessively think over the story's ending over and over again.

I shut the phone off and put it back on the table, sighing heavily as I throw an arm over my eyes. Then, I realize that the lights are still on, and I grumpily slump out of bed, moving towards the door. 

The lights in my house are all connected, and the switch that turns off my room's lights is in my brother's room. Whoever thought that it was a good idea to connect light circuits needs a serious lesson taught.

I stagger towards my brother's room and barge in, not giving a single shit about his privacy.

"Ren, turn the damn lights off!"

My brother startles at my intrusion and he blinks at me for a few seconds, before speaking. "Hey, Zerolan. Why so grumpy today?"

"That is none of your business."

Ren snorts. "You seem like you have just finished reading Ruination."

I blink at him in slight surprise. "You read that?"

Ren smirks at my response, gaining confirmation from my question. "So I was right."

Yes, he is right. But so what? He is most likely another one of HR Writer's victims, although he probably got over his shock long ago.

"Hey, just turn the damn light of, yeah?" I snap.

"Alright, Alright. I know better than to mess with someone who just finished Ruination."

 ✽ ✽ ✽

When I woke up in the morning, I realized that I was late for work. So I went about in a hurry to get ready for the day.

Today is a busy day at the cafe since it is a Monday. People come and go every second as orders keep piling up. I'm unfortunate enough to be stuck as the cashier, taking orders, as Skylar, the waitress, distributes each order. 

Moon Cafe was unfortunate enough to be situated right on the main road. Not for the owner, that is. She would be getting a lot of money because of the location while we work our butts off just to scrape a little money every day.

In front of me, the counter our only division, stands a long line of people waiting to order their drinks and snacks.

"Welcome to Moon Cafe. May I take your order?" I say plainly, without even making an effort to be polite. It's not like the customers care, however. Long ago, I realized that all they cared about was their orders being to their liking.

The customer standing in front of me is an elderly woman with the sweetest smile that compels me to smile back.

"Yes, please. I would like a latte for my granddaughter here." She nods to a little girl about eight or nine, holding her grandmother's hand.

I nod, tapping the screen in front of me. "Alright, that will be $5, please, ma'am."

The old lady shuffles through her purse and brings out a crumpled old bill. I take it from her and tell her to wait a few minutes until her order is ready. She thanks me and goes to sit down at an empty table with the little girl.

"Next," I call out to the queue, my eyes back on the small screen in front of me. I hear someone shuffle towards the counter, but they say nothing, just standing there quietly.

The silence irritated me. This person is only wasting time right now. What are they even doing, standing quietly like this? Just who...

Looking up, I see a beautiful woman standing in front of me, wearing a smug grin on her face. She is dressed in expensive designer clothing, and I notice that most of the men in the shop are staring at her with a hungry look in their eyes. I used to be one of them, some time ago. Before I broke up with her, that is. Now, the only emotion visible in my eyes would be irritation of the highest level.

"Will you be ordering, or would you rather just stand there, holding up the line?" My tone is devoid of any emotion, unwilling to give her what she likes. Nori has been coming to the cafe frequently to either annoy me or to make me take her back again. She seems to have the impression that I still like her and want her back. But it's unfortunate that I am not into bitches.

"I'll order. I would like a strawberry mocha, please." She flips her hair over her shoulder, making many of the staring men drool. However, I cringe at the attempt. I feel many cold gazes land on me as they realize who she is truly interested in.

"Okay," I tap the screen a few times, confirming her order. "Anything else?"

"Hmm," she pretends to think over it for a few moments before answering. "You."

I don't even bat an eye at her response, but I do have the urge to vomit. "Not happening. Your order will take a few minutes. Go sit or whatever."

She gives me a pout, but she moves out of the line, and I breathe a sigh of relief. Thank god. This is exactly why I broke up with her. She is such an attention seeker and can be so...extra.

The day passes by like this, me taking orders and telling the customers to wait. By the time I catch a breath, it's closing time, and I am completely worn out. I slump over the counter, resting my stiff body, but a smack on the back of my head has me standing straight again.

"Tired, huh?" Skylar says, moving over to clean the tables. "You still have to help me clean up, so just bear it a little longer."

I groan loudly, grabbing a cloth and moving over to clean a table close to the windows.

"How was reading Ruination?" 

My head snaps in her direction, eyes narrowing to slits. I had completely forgotten about the fact that she was the one who recommended Ruination to me.

"I have mixed feelings about it," I grumble unhappily.

She laughs. "I know. That's how I felt, too."

"I really hate the author. How could he write such a great novel with such an annoying ending?"

"Right? That's what I thought!"

A silence settles over us as we clean the tables, both of us stuck in our own thoughts

"Hey, what do you think would happen if we were in that world?"

Her sudden question catches me off guard, and I look up to stare blankly at her for a moment before bursting into laughter.

"Are you serious? What kind of a childish question is that??"

"Hey, just be serious, okay! I want you to think seriously and answer my question."

I decide to humor her and think for a moment. "I'd change that shitty ending first, that's for sure. I mean, if we were to end up in that world, I'd rather have a future there. I would prefer to have a...happy ending." I put emphasis on the last two words, channeling my annoyance. A happy ending is exactly what I wanted for Rhys so when that is exactly what he didn't get, I was mad.

She nods her head in understanding. "Yes, that's true. But why do you think the book ended that way?"

I pause, trying to remember the reason given in the book. "Well, it was a problem with manpower, right? Most people were either turned into Mutants or died because their bodies were unable to handle the changes happening because of the pills."

"That's right. So, to change the ending, we would first need a large group of healthy people to fight against the Mutants since they are physically much stronger than the average human." She gives me a triumphant grin.

I scowl at her. "Why are we having this conversation again?"

Skylar laughs. "Why not? I never had a friend to discuss Ruination with until now."

"You're too obsessed with this book, seriously."

"Hey, you can't deny that it is not your favorite!"

"..."

"See? I was right!"

"Skylar, just shut up, won't you?"

She laughed again, her eyes on the table now. They gain a somber look as she speaks softly.

"After reading all of those fiction transmigration stories, I hope Ruination does not suck us in."

Her words were meant as a joke, but for some reason, they struck me hard.