A tree.
A tall tree with a sturdy brown trunk that splits into several branches. Its dense, vibrant green foliage is bushy and full, looking lush and healthy, and a bird's nest, neatly woven with twigs and branches, sits on a sturdy tree branch.
Two small birds with black, white, and yellow feathers are standing on the edge of the nest, feeding their two small chicks. One looks fully healthy, while the other, a little smaller, looks a little sick and not as energetic.
This is a lovely and calm scene. Mia's lips curve into a faint smile as she looks at this sight. She says in a joking manner,
"Ohh... What a lovely family! I didn't think that a person who acts like they don't care would always be looking at something like this."
Paul replies, a little irritated, "Get away from me, now that you've seen it."
Mia lifted her hand from Paul's chair and desk, taking a few steps back. She slightly staggered on the bench and said,
"Okay, okay, you don't have to be so cold about it. I'm very good at keeping secrets, you know? I won't tell anyone about this, but… I have a condition."
Paul didn't reply and stood up from his seat.
He quickly walked towards the cafeteria to buy lunch, completely ignoring her and the words she had just said.
As he was walking, he noticed that the classroom was completely empty. There was no one in sight. Also, the hallway had grown cold too.
He reached the door to exit the classroom but stopped. He turned back, his hands twitching with frustration.
"Why the fuck are you following me now?"
Mia replied faintly with a slightly troubled expression on her face, trying her best not to look into his eyes. "Well... didn't I... say that... I have a... condition?"
She looked up and met Paul's cold eyes. She turned her face down again, looking at her shoes.
Paul turned back and walked outside the classroom. Then, he heard her again,
"I forgot money at home today, and I'm feeling really hungry, you know?"
Paul stopped and continued listening, not knowing why.
"I woke up late and... haven't eaten breakfast either... and also, I'll pay back the money tomorrow."
After listening, Paul started walking, and he heard her last faint voice, but it sounded very clear to him,
"I'll be waiting at the usual spot."
As Paul reached the cafeteria, he saw that the place was full as always, with students chatting about their lives, which new movie came out, blah blah.
Paul ignored them and walked near the counter.
There was a man taking orders from students.
He was wearing a light-blue, folded shirt and black pants. A light brown apron kept him from getting dirty while serving food. He looked around his mid-20s, with medium-sized, slightly curly black hair and a clean-shaven face. His face always looked bright and energetic.
His facial features were good enough that Paul always heard slight whispers from girls about asking this man out, while entering and exiting the cafeteria. But all in all, Paul couldn't care less, but...
As he reached the counter, the man noticed him and walked to his side since there was no one else nearby. With a faint smile on his lips, like a greeting, he said,
"One orange juice and two veggie sandwiches."
But this was the person Paul had talked to the most after he started coming to this jail. No, maybe he was in second place now after Paul's talk with Mia, combining yesterday and today.
Paul glanced at the man, didn't care if this man remembered what he always orders, and said calmly, "Make it double."
The man nodded lightly and bent down slightly, taking out the sandwiches. To his left was the refrigerator. He opened the door and took out two orange juices, and put everything inside a small plastic bag.
He placed it in front of Paul while saying, "Not eating alone today, are ya?"
Paul scanned the QR code with his phone and paid for the food. While grabbing the plastic bag, he replied, "Something like that."
The man smiled faintly, and Paul exited the cafeteria, holding the plastic bag in his right hand and walking in the hallways towards his usual place, where he normally eats lunch.
"Why did I buy it? Shit... she's clearly lying." His eyes lifted up. "You're seeing this too, aren't you? Don't have anything to say about this. Tsk. Just going to see what I'll do, but what if—"
But what if she wasn't lying and telling the truth?
What if she really hasn't eaten breakfast today?
Although Paul doesn't want to admit it to himself that he also has this side of him, why? He himself doesn't know.
He always acts like "I don't care" and is short-tempered, but those who are close to him, he really cares for them.
But…. Why her?
He doesn't know her, does he? He has only talked to her a few times.
He can count that on one hand, and she was asking him to buy lunch?
Isn't this too absurd? This could only happen in imaginations or dreams.
Paul has also noticed something about her.
Whenever he hears her voice, sees her, or she waa around him, he feels something different.
He couldn't explain that feeling with words alone.
He reminds himself again that—
she is dangerous,
but what he felt wasn't danger, but FEAR, which wasn't regular fear either, but something different.
As Paul was pondering these thoughts, he arrived near the metal bench and saw Mia sitting alone, looking towards the playground where most of the students were chatting with their friends.
Paul silently took the seat beside her, clearly maintaining a distance, and took out an orange juice and a sandwich from a plastic bag, placing the remaining items in the center between them.
As he took a bite of the sandwich, he slightly glanced sideways to his left, towards Mia. He saw that she was still looking at the playground, as if lost in an endless sea of thoughts.
Paul, not knowing what she was thinking, said lightly, "Hey."
Mia came back from her endless sea of thoughts, a little startled by Paul's sudden voice. "Huh? What?"
"Here," said Paul, taking another bite of sandwich and looking at the playground.
Mia looked beside her and saw a plastic bag, and with a little anticipation, she checked what was inside.
A soft smile appeared on her face.
She took out a fruit juice and a sandwich and said, "I didn't think you'd really buy it for me."
Paul, eating his sandwich, replied while still looking at the playground, "I'm taking back my money, though."
Mia also took a bite and said, "Yeah, yeah. I'll give it back, don't you worry."
As both were eating their lunch, a sweet silence enveloped them.
The sun shone brightly, but it didn't feel hot. The few trees behind them danced slowly in the gentle wind. A faint sound reached them from the playground. It's just per—but Paul quickly broke it while sipping the orange juice.
"You live alone?"
Mia replied while eating, "Yeah."
"Where?"
"Verta."
"Verta?" Paul thought slightly. He was sure he had heard this name before.
He asked, his voice sounding a little confused, "Verta?"
"Yeah." She seemed pretty clear, but when she looked at Paul, she added, "Uh... you might not know. It's Drayden... Drayden Streets? Verta is like his second name or something. My mom mentioned that when I was little. Only a few people call it that, though."
"What about your parents? Like your father or mother?" Paul asked again casually.
Mia turned her head towards Paul while sipping the juice. "They both live overseas, but why are you asking?"
Paul didn't reply and finished his lunch, then stood up, ready to leave and walk towards his class.
Seeing him get up and about to leave, Mia quickly finished her last sip of juice and asked, "Why was Varsha staring at you in class?" She had been wondering about that from the start.
"That's none of your business." And he left for the classroom.
A few hours earlier, at 9:00 AM, almost two kilometers away from Liam's rental house in a small cafe, Simon sat in a white-colored wooden chair sipping his black tea, taking his time while looking outside the big glass windows, as if he were searching for or observing someone.
Outside the cafe on the streets, there were many people going to their jobs, and some students going to their universities. Still, the streets didn't look very crowded.
He could see across the streets that shopkeepers were opening the shutters of their stores, and some were already open.
There was a small restaurant for eating morning breakfasts and a big metal gate, light gray in color, which clearly looked like it was fading its luster because of old age. Some scratch and rusty marks were clearly visible, and inside were a few houses for bachelors.
All in all, nothing seemed out of place.