——————
A mother brought her child to a family diner named Schwartz's. It was a typical restaurant with red cushioned booths and low quality old-fashioned ceiling fans. The tiles were black and white, and yellow, because the janitor had been slacking off.
A young, fresh waitress skated over to them, already seated in a booth, "Welcome to Schwartz's, what would you like to order on this fine afternoon?"
"Hmm..." The mother scanned the menu attentively with squinted eyes, while the nine-year-old boy lost patience.
"Can I just have fries?" The little boy asked.
"Ugh. No. That's not good for you, Ethan." The mother advised sternly, which printed a frown onto Ethan's expression.
"Well," The waitress attempted, "our fries here are made of real, fresh potatoes, and are air fried. It's significantly healthier than fries from a regular fast food chain."
"No, that's not it." The mother waved, "I simply don't want to build that habit in him."
"Mom!"
"Enough."
Ring!
Another customer entered the restaurant. His appearance caught every gaze immediately: the mother's, the son's, the waitress's, and everyone else's in the diner.
Why? It's Malaysia, the average temperature here is 30°C, yet this man was wearing not just a turtle neck, but also a trench coat over it, all black. Black leather boots, black cotton gloves, black sunglasses, black mask, and a black fedora.
It's like he was trying his best to cover every inch of his skin with black cloth. The very few exposed skin on his face showed him to have fair skin.
He sauntered right up to the cashier's desk, unbothered by all the attention he received.
"Uh, sorry sir." The man working the cashier clasped his palms, "You pay after the meal. You can just take a seat, our waitresses will tend to you—"
"Project Exo." It was a deep, ridiculously deep, unrealistically deep voice.
The cashier, James, seemed shocked by those two words. He flinched, taking two steps back, with widened eyes staring blank.
James awkwardly scratched the back of his head while forcing laughter, "Haha... I'm not sure what that meant, sir..."
"You wouldn't be laughing if you don't." One couldn't even tell his mouth was moving beneath the mask, he was standing too still.
"Haha... Ha..." James' laughter simmered down, "Sir, I'm afraid I'll have to ask you to leave..."
The eye-catching gentleman raised an open palm. One of his fingers found the bridge of his sunglasses and pulled it down, revealing them.
Them: the eyes of a cat.
The pupils narrowed into a cylinder, mesmerizing hazel iris surrounding them.
James couldn't look away from them, and he didn't know why. His eyeball began shaking, shaking. Then, his pupils changed shape: compressed into a similar cylinder.
"Take me to your superior."
"O... Okay..." James suddenly complied.
His colleagues behind him leaned closer for a better peek. Their curiosity allowed the Cat to also affect them.
The Cat then returned the sunglasses, blocking them.
"Hey..." A concerned customer stood up, "Are you okay?" He was looking at James, now with cylindrical pupils.
"I'm completely fine." James tilted his neck robotically to face the customer, his lips curved in uniform speed to carve a smile.
"Yes, we are fine." His colleague behind him approached with unnatural footsteps, and an identical, eerie smile.
"This way, sir." Yet another worker at the restaurant opened the 'Staff Only' door, allowing the Cat through.
The Cat waltzed in without care.
The confused customers and waitresses could only frown, some even got up to leave, including the mother and the son.
"I think we'll go somewhere else." The mother dragged her kid by the wrist, while bowing slightly and quickly to the waitress that tended to them.
"Oh, okay." The waitress didn't even try to stop them; she herself was feeling uneasy and unsure of the situation.
The mother and son scampered out of the restaurant without another glance back.
——————
"... And that's all for today's lecture."
What? It's over? I woke up on my seat, pulling myself straight and rubbing my droopy eyes open.
People were already swarming to the exits; it seemed like everyone agreed that the lecture was not only boring, and also a total waste of time.
The reading materials are right there, why do I need someone else to read it for me?
Nonetheless, we had to show up for attendance.
I looked to my right: Dai Dai looked like she was dead, with her entire torso leaned on the table and her mouth open. Saliva dripped out, staining the pages of her own notebook. A notebook that's used 80% for doodling and 20% for actual notes.
Well, it wouldn't make sense for me to bother her. Let's just leave.
...
I strolled through the busy city streets on the way home, with my headphones on and my hands in pockets.
Do you realise that your mind is usually somewhere else entirely during long commutes? You could be thinking about the most irrelevant topics: maybe envisioning your future where you adopt a cute puppy, or imagining your greatest enemy's downfall just for the fun of it. No matter what, your feet keeps moving on autopilot, they'll find your destination for you.
Hey, I talk to you a lot, don't I? Yes, you. Please don't think that I'm talking to anyone else. I think I should give you a name. How's Amelda?
My autopilot was disrupted: it was the zebra crossing demanding my attention.
The traffic light still shone red, cars still trampled the zebra crossing, disallowing anyone to cross.
Well, actually, it had already been a while since a car had passed.
A roughly nine-year-old boy that was holding a paper plane noticed it too. The empty road prompted the boy to disobey traffic rules.
That was a bad idea.
Just when he started to cross, a sedan that was obviously breaking the speed limit turned a corner.
But he didn't notice it.
"Hey!" I threw myself onto the road.
My yell turned the boy's head towards the speeding vehicle, but fear froze him like a deer in headlights.
BEEP BEEP BEEP! SCREEEEEECH!
The vehicle angrily horned. The driver probably stepped the brake pedal flat, but it still wasn't enough to stop the car in time.
"GET OUT!" I shoved the boy out, taking his place.
Oh, wait, shit—
THUD!
...
...
...
I didn't feel pain, I felt numb, everywhere, like I've been deprived of all senses.
I wasn't dead. You weren't either. Phew.
Either I was deprived of my sense of sight, or where I ended up was pitch black and nothingness, literally.
Maybe I am dead, and this is what the pessimists call eternal darkness...
I stood in the middle of a void, beneath my feet was nothing, yet I wasn't falling.
"Interesting." An abrupt voice startled me. I jolted before whipping my head everywhere: found it, the one who spoke.
I didn't lose my sight, clearly not my hearing either. But touch, smell and taste, I don't believe I kept any of those.
The one who spoke was a cloaked figure. Their face hid in the darkness, difficult to find. Their arms and legs were also difficult to spot, as they seemed to be covered with black cloth. Aside from the purple cloak and the wooden staff he's holding, it was difficult to notice that it was indeed the shape of a human.
"Angela Mok Fay. Aren't you?" Their voice was soothing, calm, and gender-neutral. Seriously, I couldn't tell if I was talking to a dude or a gal.
"Who are you? And where are we?"
"Neither of that matters. What happens to you next depends entirely on your answers, not your questions."
"And what if I don't answer?"
"Then, we'll stay right here for as long as time itself."
"..."
This isn't you, right, Amelda?
"No, I'm not Amelda."
Shit, they can hear us.
"Yes. Yes, I can. So are you Angela Mok Fay?"
We don't have a choice, do we?
"Yes, that's me."
"How old are you?"
"Seventeen, I'm underage, let me out before the whole online world turns on you."
"No, you're not, you're nineteen."
Is this guy/gal serious? If they knew that then why did they even ask?
"I simply like to hear your response."
Right, they can hear us,
"Creep." I hissed.
"Why did you save that little boy?"
"Dude. What is this? Are you like one of those systems from webnovels? Am I gonna get transmigrated now and get a superpower system or something?"
"... No. And please, more answers than questions. Why'd you save the boy?"
"Tsk..." I was hoping that my guess was right, "Why wouldn't I?"
"Fascinating..." They seemed to be stroking their chin, "Indulge me with just one more question, Angela. Do you dream?"
"Yeah, I get chased by Jeffrey Dahmer every time I fall asleep, that asshole is terrifying—"
"No, no... I don't mean that." They waved, "Allow me to reiterate, do you dream?"
"Can I not answer?"
"What do you think?"
"Can I say I have no answers?"
"So you don't dream?"
"I dream. Of course I dream." I paced around the endless nothingness, because why not.
"Tell me."
"Well. I want money, a lot, a lot of money, a sea of money."
"And?"
"I want to be the first female and first Chinese prime minister of Malaysia."
"Material wealth aside. Please, tell it in your voice, what you truly desire."
They really want me to say it.
"Yes, I do."
"Stop doing that, let me talk to Amelda."
"Apologies."
Do you know what I truly desire? I think you can make a guess. It's so, so, stupid, and so embarrassing to say it out loud, yet they demanded it.
I dont want to spend eternity in endless nothingness so...
"Well, sometimes, I feel alone. So..." I pouted, while avoiding eye contact with them. I didn't know where are their eyes to begin with though.
"So you wish to fill the hole that is loneliness?"
"... I guess. I guess that'd be nice."
"Share your full vision with me."
"Ugh..." It's so embarrassing. I stepped further and further away from them. At least I thought I was. When I turned again, there they were, the exact same distance away.
"Please. Describe your dream. It is only that that could help you make progress."
"What kind of progress?"
They didn't answer.
"Tsk." So I guess I should answer, "It's stupid but... I like sunsets... specifically violet twilights, pink ones are nice too actually. I don't usually look at them because there's not a good view where I live, and whenever I went somewhere better to watch, something just... felt missing. So I guess... I just... want someone to watch it with me."
"I see..."
...
...
...
The sedan sped past the zebra crossing, at a velocity that could kill any living, breathing species. It travelled so fast that a strong gust of wind travelled with it, and that wind wafted my untied hair. That wind also blew the paper plane out of the little boy's hand.
He was in front of me, safe and sound. I was also safe; I never crossed the zebra crossing, it seemed.
Then what was all of that? I didn't imagine all of that. No, I didn't.
The boy picked the paper plane back up. Traffic light turned green.
O...kay?