Crimson Angel

by Yume

  * * *

  Len’s friends were already waiting at the junction. Their casual wear remained unchanged.

  “What a sunny day, Alice.” I could hear Roy greet.

  “Good morning, Alice!” Bess ran past Roy and threw me a warm embrace.

  I flinched at first because I was not used to being hugged by others, especially friends whom I had made for solely one day.

  “Good morning, Bess.” I smiled.

  “Now, let me carry your bag.” Jim offered to hold the bag for me but of course I refused.

  “No, I can…”

  “Come on!”

  Were Len’s friends always like him- never listening to everything you said before they made a move?

  Jim had the same surprising strength and my heavy bag weighted like a sheet of paper on his shoulder.

  Bess snickered.

  “Don’t you have to attend schools?” I asked, raking over their fashionable dressings.

  “No.” Roy said. “We are here to play with you.”

  “We dislike schools anyway.” Bess smiled. “We study on our own.”

  “Really?” I was envious to be true. I also wished to self-study and stayed at home all day, without having to meet those tedious schoolmates and dull teachers.

  “Actually, if you have any problems, you can consult us.” Jim kindly offered.

  “You can trust us, you know.” Roy guaranteed.

  “I saw Len.” I said tersely. They all swung their heads to me.

  “You…what?” Bess stammered.

  “I saw Len.” I repeated. “He came to me last night.”

  “Are you attacked?” Roy asked right away.

  “Yes, how do you know?” I gazed at him.

  “Oh, because….”

  “Seriously, what’s going on?”

  “We….” Roy still couldn’t find the proper word.

  “Len can play magic.” Bess answered for him. “He can make you see him whenever you want.”

  “That’s impossible. Why should I believe you?”

  “You have to believe us, Alice.” Jim said. “Len was just an illusion. It’s a kind of spiritual comfort.”

  “Do these things even exist?”

  “They do!” Bess said, nodding her head forcefully.

  “So, he wasn’t really there?”

  “We don’t know, but he’ll be back soon.”

  “How long have you met Len?”

  “We?” Jim seemed surprised. “We are childhood friends!”

  “If he has such good friends like you, why would he bother to have me as his friend?”

  My words totally got them nowhere.

  “Alice, why did you say that?” Bess looked puzzled.

  “Because we are so different.” I said, lowering my pitch. “But you and Len are the same type of people.”

  “Alice, don’t you understand?” Roy asked. “Len likes you.”

  “No, I don’t.” I said. I was just telling the truth. There was too much I had no idea of. Len had never told me why he fell for me either.

  “It doesn’t matter we are different.” Jim said grimly. “Differences only add up to prejudice.”

  I tried to make it clear this world was full of unfairness because someone was always more superior than others. But then that would sound sarcastic for these people walking with me were really the ones superior.

  “It’s true you are different from us.” Bess paused and then continued. “But you are also different from many other girls out there.”

  “In what way?”

  We were walking down an incline when out of sudden; a trolley of heaps of loads was sliding towards us, heading to me in particular. The trolley was rumbling on the rough road with the loads falling at any rate. The time I spotted it was already too late. I tried to evade but Jim and Roy dashed to the front.

  Jim made a slight turn and kicked the heavy trolley. It went running down in the other direction. Roy grabbed the handle hastily and the trolley stopped.

  The whole thing happened in around two seconds, with Bess staying close by my side as if she was guarding me.

  Following the incident of the trolley, I heard the sound of shattering glasses. The instant I looked up, I was astounded. Several plant pots were falling down from the second floor of the two-story house. It’s too late, I thought. Yet, Bess was faster. She pushed me away and lifted up her arms. The pots fell right on top of her and I screamed. I expected blood to be spewing by now but nothing occurred to Bess. Instead, the pots broke into pieces, like my bedroom windows had been the previous night.

  “Bess, are you…” Before I could finish my sentence, we heard a rumble sound.

  We turned and another truck approached. I widened my eyes and stared ahead. There were no drivers in the truck and it was running out of control towards us.

  I screamed again.

  “Bess!” Roy shouted. She got hold of my wrist and dragged me out of the scene.

  Roy let go of the trolley and Jim actually stood still in front of the approaching truck.

  “Jim!” I bawled. He was in utter danger.

  And then, the truck changed its direction on its own. It turned to me and Bess.

  “This is bad!” I heard Roy say.

  Roy and Jim reacted like the fastest runners on this earth, with Roy stopping before us and Jim leaping into the driver’s seat flexibly.

  Jim hadn’t made it in time though. The truck hit Roy and I screamed even louder. And then, everything dropped dead.

  “ROY!” I squealed. Bess and I rushed to help him up and I really couldn’t believe my eyes. He was not injured. There was no blood, no wounds, nothing! Yet, the truck’s head was dented.

  Roy scratched his head and said peacefully. “Jim is too slow.”

  Jim peeked out from the window. “Is anybody hurt?”

  I blinked my eyes several times, flicking them from Roy to Jim and from Jim to Bess.

  “Alice?” Bess scowled.

  “How…how did you do that?” I cringed. This was just too bizarre. Weren’t they teenagers like me? They weren’t supposed to have body as hard as rock and limbs as fast as wild animals. They just stopped a series of odd accidents within the shortest period of time!

  “Oh my God!” Someone yelled.

  There were more and more people surrounding us. They had all witnessed the commotion. Within minutes, corps arrived and investigated the case. The truck driver appeared and was shocked to see his truck’s damage.

  “I….parked it outside the market.” He shuddered. “How did it run on its own?”

  “Perhaps some engine problems.” Jim smiled.

  “Kids, how come you…” A police officer glanced over Jim and Roy.

  “We’ve learnt some karate and kung fu before.” Roy made an excuse. Undeniably, such move was nothing related to karate and kung fu.

  In the end, the police called upon our guardians. They got Winnie but none of others’ parents.

  “They are working overseas.” Bess explained.

  “It’s strange.” The police officer commented. “How can you kids have no guardians at all?”

  “My maid must have just gone out.” Jim stuffed his hands in his pockets. “We can go back alone.”

  Therefore, I ended up at home eventually.

  “Alice, are you alright?” Winnie was making all the fuss. “They must be crazy! Letting a trolley and a truck running…” And blah blah blah…

  I was not worried about the trolley and the truck, but rather the three youngsters who were there with me. What kind of people had super strength and speed? I could only come up with “superhero”.

  The door bell rang and I went to answer it.

  “Hi, Alice.” Jim was grinning at me, delighted.

  “Jim! What are you doing here?” I inquired.

  “Can I?”

  “Yes, of course.” I welcomed him into the hall. Winnie paused, her mouth wide open. She must be thinking how on earth I brought in
another amazingly gorgeous boy.

  “Who’s this?”

  “My friend, Jim.”

  “Hi, Mrs…”

  “Winnie.”

  “Hi, Winnie.” Jim took out his hand and Winnie shook it.

  “He and his other friends saved me this morning.” I said.

  “Really?” Winnie exclaimed. “How can I ever thank you?”

  “It’s okay.” Jim turned to me.

  I knew what his look was trying to hint at. He meant “Some private talks.”

  I led him to my room and together we settled down.

  “What’s up, Jim?” I asked.

  “Alice, do you want to hang out?”

  “Huh?”

  “We are planning on the park later this afternoon.” Jim said.

  “Where are Roy and Bess?”

  Jim smiled. Well, if I were a complete fool, I would never comprehend what lay behind his silence.

  “Are they…”

  “Yes,” Jim nodded. “So, I guess I have no reason to interrupt them.”

  “Oh.” I sat back on my armchair.

  “Did I happen to disturb you?”

  “No, you can chat with me anytime.”

  “Thanks, Alice.”

  “Jim, don’t you also have…”

  “No, not at all.” Jim said. “I can’t handle that kind of things.”

  Really, I thought a good-looking boy like him could have thousands of girlfriends and I was not overstressing it.

  “So, would you like to join us?”

  “I am fine with it as long as Winnie lets me out.”

  “Good.”

  “Jim, what are you?” I asked directly.

  Surprisingly, he didn’t look at all shocked.

  “A boy.”

  “What kind of boys?”

  I was not giving in that easily. If he was concealing something, I was to dig it out.

  “A teenage boy.”

  “What type of teenage boys?”

  “Alice!” Jim crossed his arms. “Do I have to prove it to you?”

  “A normal teenage boy!”

  “The way I see things is,” I said bluntly. “You are not normal.”

  “You think too much…”

  I flared with anger when I heard that.

  “Sorry, but Alice,” Jim seemed to sense my emotion change. “You won’t want to find out what kind of boys I am.”

  “Is that so?”

  “Plus, Len would be pretty jealous by now.” Jim joked.

  “Great, if you know where he is, tell him if he keeps on missing, I am going to fall for some other boys.”

  Jim laughed. “Alice, you won’t.”

  “How can you be sure?”

  “You are way too easy to see through.”

  I blushed and sighed. I missed Len. I wished to see him so badly. I had never wanted someone this way before.

  “Hey, those dolls are adorable.” Jim exclaimed, suddenly discovering Len’s gift at my bedside.

  He stood up and walked to pick them up.

  “Len gave you these?”

  I nodded.

  “Wow…” His eyes gleamed. “I don’t know this is such a good way to charm girls.”

  “I am not charmed.” I said.

  “Len will be heart-broken to hear that.”

  “Let him be.”

  Jim chuckled again.

  Winnie knocked on the door and entered with a tray of biscuits.

  “Er…” Jim looked horrified.

  “What’s wrong?” I nudged him.

  “I think I have to go.”

  “Alice, your friends always have to go when I serve anything.” Winnie complained. “Is my food really that bad?”

  “No, no.” Jim waved his hands in the air. “They taste good!”

  “But you haven’t even tried one!”

  “Winnie, Jim’s full.” I said.

  “Huh?”

  “He’s had three burgers at lunch. It’s not the right time for tea.”

  “Oh I see!” Winnie cried.

  “Winnie, can I go out?”

  “What? Where?”

  “Um…I think I’ll hang out with some friends. Is that alright?”

  “It’s nice to have some friends.” Winnie said. “But be sure you’ll be back early.”

  “We won’t be long.” Jim answered for me.

  Quickly, I took a jacket and left with Jim.

  “Thanks.” Jim said as we walked down the road.

  “Don’t thank me. I want to know why.”

  “Well, I am not hungry.”

  “Nobody can fear food like that.” I turned to Jim. He was obviously avoiding my eyes.

  “Never mind.”

  “Alice, don’t be sad.”

  “I’m not sad.” I snapped. “I’m angry!”

  “But…”

  “Len is always hiding things from me and now, you as well! This is enough. I am like an idiot!”

  “You’re not.”

  “I feel so.”

  Jim sighed. “Let’s meet Roy and Bess first. We’ll have a little of a talk then.”