7: Eastlanders (2)

“I found a good hut earlier. Shall we go in there?”

“What's nicer, the mansion or the hut from these slums?”

“Boss, we don't even have a mansion.”

Pak!

“Aw!”

“Don’t you know ecstasy in daydreaming? F*ck off!”

Footsteps scurried away as the boss battered his lackeys on the way.

Three girls listened to their conversation until they got away.

The series of events baffled the two foreign girls. But she was not the only girl who grabbed them inside her house. She might still be oblivious of their intention in coming into the slums, but soon she would be able to find it out.

Though much later since her so-called schedule was filled to the brim. She could not present only one “present” in the auction, should she? And she was also a kind, loving, and obedient girl. She would do her best not to cause trouble to oth – old man Quinn.

Quinn had just become Quinn and not others. Now that they were in a state of collaboration, she could not declare him as a stranger.

Alek Cider glanced at them while pondering deeply. She was an honest kid. She found it hard to lie unless she was willing to.

“U-Uhm, hi?” A mosquito-like voice resounded in a silent atmosphere.

Alek Cider’s tantalizing eyes looked at her. Shasha trembled subconsciously. The person looking at her was too serious! She got intimidated by how she looked at her.

After a couple of minutes, Alek Cider veered her eyes away. “Are the juice and the sandwich not to your liking?”

“N-no. Not a-at all!” stammering she may be, Shasha still had the little bit of courage left in her. She was usually not a coward, but the way the strange girl looked at her seemed to be excavating the innermost emotion she was feeling right now.

Surprised, feared, and anticipation.

 “Lies,” Alek Cider snorted and rolled her eyes. “It is quite obvious what you are feeling though. Your emotions are showing disgust as if what you have just swallowed is a syrup extracted straight from a rotten extract from a trash can.”

“I-I… Why would I think that way!”

“Hehe…” A cute, chibi-like giggle sounded beside Shasha.

The two of them shot a glance at the fair-colored individual. Both of her hands covered her face as she tried not to giggle loudly.

Noticing their glances, Kitiara Bashira turned and glanced at them when she realized she was being improper. She immediately stood up while covering her red face in shame and waited for a few seconds before clasping her hands as she said, “Kitiara Bashira of Kitiara Clan from Eastland Fujisan Country.” She said with straight, fluent English. A lot different from her usual words ending with “o”.

But their impression broke by her following words.

“Hehe, Boku—I, gomenasorry! Gomenasai! Sorry! Sorry! I introduce myself so late, sorry! You can call me anything, feel free and confident.” Kitiara Bashira trembled excitedly as she offered her apologies.

“Your excitement is overflowing, not even a hint of cautiousness.”

After introducing themselves, a deafening silence engulfed them.

Feeling the awkwardness, Alek Cider initiated and said, “I don’t think I need to introduce myself. I mean, why would you follow a stranger back to her humble abode without knowing who she is? Unless you two are a stalker or predators waiting for their prey to be unguarded.”

“I am lucky to be not the usual prey if ever you are.” She murmured silently.

As if hearing nothing, Shasha replied in question, “Those guys earlier, do you happen to know them? They look muscular but dumb. Hehe. And I have this feeling that they are looking for you.”

“Heh, how are you sure that they are looking for me? Your words are filled with hesitation, but your confidence is soaring high.” Alek Cide smirked at Shasha’s reply.

“You also pulled us into your “humble abode”, shocking us as we got dragged inside your dirty floor.”

“You are lucky you did not get kidnapped to be used as an interrogation alternative. I don’t have the power to take a res--”

Before Alek Cider could finish what she was supposed to be talking about, Shasha pushed Bashira’s head down as she was. “I’m sorry!”

Bashira and Alek Cider were both confused hearing her.

“What are you on about Shasha-nee?”

“Well, I just think we are being nosy about her life. I think it is a mistake to doubt you just because the entitled idiot student was able to speak the Mainland language. Now I realized you are smart pretending to be an idiot.”

“Well, I am not nosy! I want to be Alek’s friend. We have the same personality, unlike you. But right, how were you able to speak Mainland language, Alek-chan?”

Once again, Alek Cider felt awkward. Shasha’s personality changes 360 degrees from earlier. She was too dumbfounded to speak but anyway opened her mouth and answered.

“Before you talk like you didn’t cause a mess inside my head, hurt me. Let me finish first what I am talking about, okay? It is annoying. I was about to complete my line e. I heard that from the local radio. Ah! I almost achieve it!”

She slapped the table and added, “I was technically joking with you all. Why so serious?”

Alek Cider wiped her nonexistent tears and frowned like she was about to cry.

“Alek-chan, did you hear me earlier?”

“Yes, I do. But I don’t remember what you are talking about.”

Kitiara Bashiara whined her eyes twinkling with tears. “I am so sad; you did not hear it. I will still repeat it. How were you able to speak the Mainland language, Alek-chan?”

“What Mainland language? The way I talk to both of you?” They nodded their heads. “I also don’t know. I grow up hearing and talking about this language. Until my… that’s all.”

“I happened to have a memory defect. I can’t remember anything unless some of the details happened in the past before I was seven. I think I can’t remember you from tomorrow onwards so even if you don’t introduce yourselves, I will still forget you.”

“That’s cool- aw! Stop hitting me, Shasha-nee-chan!”

With a serious face, Shasha asked, “Radio is too old-fashioned, isn’t it? Don’t you have a television? What about the phone that can capture images and videos?”

“Still in the process.”

“Will it be cooler than the ones from the mainland?” Kitiara Bashira asked excitedly. She already had weird imaginations going on inside her head.

“Stop being so cheeky, Bashira! We might offend her, shh, okay?”

However, no matter how Shasha tried to reprimand Kitiara Bashira’s acting too unusual in front of Alek Cider.

Alek Cider was giggling adorably when she paused/ Her facial expression darkened as she said, “Get out, quick!”

She just heard the same footsteps earlier as they talked about the two girls that entered the slums earlier. They were back searching for her and now with two additional people.

Alek Cider quickly sprinted out of the house leaving the two of them.

“I like her, but I think she is mentally retarded.” Shasha murmured as she led the way out to Kitiara Bashira. They looked around and found a group of men who they saw earlier. Their cruelty intensified as an intense aura got omitted from their body. They looked like someone angered them

Kitiara Bashira spotted an insignia on a person’s arm that was bringing an axe. They did not notice it earlier because they were too busy stalking Alek Cider.

“Let’s run, quick. They are from the Criminal Regime.”

Unable to ask more, Shasha got dragged by the childish yet strong Bashira out of the slums.