Aster Veren
Episode 144

- Esther

"Aster?" Sean's voice made me look up to see him standing in front of me before helping me up.

"Sean hiks ...," I muttered along with her hand that was clapping someone behind me. The guy who's been following me, I know he's on duty. But why is he so staunchly following this scared, half-dead me? Just to walk, I had trouble.

"Bego pain!" Scream Hendric.

"Lu the bego, go there!" The thrill made me look behind me.

"So the ghost ... Hendric?" I asked after taking a deep breath. Trying to catch my breath a little tight.

"Let's get out." Invite Sean along with the sound of a scary laugh makes me reflex to hug Sean's body with all my strength.

"Ah don't want to, I'm afraid hiks ... My legs hurt!"

"Legs? You injured?"

"That's, I can't walk. So I crawled all the way here, now my knee hurts hix ...," I replied recalling the times I crawled with all my remaining strength.

"You crawling?" The question made me nod in his arms, "and the boy kept following you?" The next question made me nod a second time.

"That idiot!"

***

-Sean

"So I sure saw Aster with Carel and Lusy near the entrance. Why am I just seeing the two of them? Where's Aster?" My murmurs noticed the backs of Carel and Lusy who were walking briskly towards the exit. Are they separate?

"Yeah!"

"Aster?" I continued muttering immediately to take off my mask and remove the black robe I was wearing, not forgetting that I wiped my hands covered in red liquid before running towards the source of the sound.

I saw the boy kneeling on the floor sobbing, and I quickly extended my hands to help him stand up.

"Sean hiks ...," he muttered along with my hand that shook Hendric behind Aster.

This child is really crazy, maybe he followed Aster until this woman has difficulty walking.

"Bego pain!" Peek Hendric when he took my hit.

"Lu the bego, go there!" I made Aster look back at him.

"So the ghost ... Hendric?" He still gripped both of my hands tightly.

"Let's get out." Inviting me along with the frightening sound of laughter made him reflexively hug my body with all his strength.

"Ah don't want to, I'm afraid hiks ... My legs hurt!"

"Legs? You injured?" I tried to let go of her embrace, but it was too tight.

"That's, I can't walk. So I crawled up here, now my knee hurts hix ...," obviously I can't imagine the times he crawled with all his strength to get to this place. And that crazy guy keeps following him around the back?

"You crawling?" I asked him to make her nod in my arms, "and the boy kept following you?" I asked again to be sure, and Aster nodded his head a second time.

"That idiot!" I growled, wanting to feel like I ran to her place and hit her stupid head. But I ponder, I'd rather take Aster out than waste my energy chasing after that double-eyed kid.

***

"Here," I said as I gave a canned orange drink to Aster's hand. And he immediately received the drink with both hands.

We went straight outside to breathe fresh air after treating his injured knee. Even Aster had changed his clothes with a sports uniform first because his clothes were dirty exposed to red liquid that was used as a fake blood material.

"Thank you." He said before taking a sip of his drink, making me sigh in relief before sitting next to him. Fill up the empty space there.

Thankfully she was calmer, my mind watching Aster's expression looking better than before.

"Is it better?" I asked again, wanting to ascertain his feelings. She was just pretending to be okay.

I saw Aster nodding lethargicly giving his answer to me. It seems like he was very surprised, I'm sure he wouldn't want to go into such a place again despite being offered various kinds of rewards in return.

"Why did you go inside if you were that scared?" I asked as I grabbed the slumped pink ribbon from her hair, then I trimmed her messy hair using my fingers.

"That .. I just don't like seeing Carel alone with Lusy. So I–" he replied after pausing his words for a while before continuing his explanation.

It really makes me think nothing of that answer. Can he get into a scary place with such determination? Though he is the most depressed and frightened if he is there. But he went in three and followed them from behind until they got separated like that?

"I didn't know the place was going to be that scary, friends were also dressing up so scary."

"Aren't you hearing people's screams while you're out there?" I was still tidying up her hair.

"Listen up." His words made me meet face to face with his crystal clear purple bead. Is it because she was crying?

"Why come in?" Dengusku resumed my activities braiding his long hair.

"Yes that was, I–"

"Yes yes I heard. Don't repeat it again!" Cut me to make him stop talking.

Her hair was smooth .., I continued in my heart, feeling the softness of the Aster hair I held.

"You can braid your hair?" Ask Aster surprised me.

"Little." I answered briefly while tying the pink ribbon to Aster's hair so that my braids did not come off.

"Do you have a sister?"

"No."

"Niece of the daughter?"

"No."

"Brother sister?"

"No."

"... Where do you learn to braid?" She asked while carefully touching her hair.

"Secret." My answer made him sniff out at not getting the answer he wanted, so adorable, "let's go!" Continue while rising from my sitting position.

"Where?" Ask looks confused.

"Ground enjoying the festival atmosphere," I answered making him immediately rise from his seat and immediately grabbed my right hand enthusiastically.

I saw her wide smile already imprinted beautifully on her face, beautifying her face. "Come on! We went to the candy apple stand first huh, my candy in Teo's sita this morning." He said, pulling me away with him.

Inevitably I followed his small steps from behind as my right hand joined his left.

***

- Kalea

"Eating the right!" Teo exclaimed as she wiped the mayonaise stuck to my nose, making me meet face to face with her green bead that looks beautiful.

"Ekhem!" Dehem Nadin awakened me with his presence.

We were traveling around together, but I was not aware of his presence because we were separated and agreed to meet again on the sidelines of the sport.

"Where's Tia?" I try to melt the atmosphere.

"Go play games with your friend." He answered while sitting beside me.

"Where is that son of a bitch?" I asked again, looking for the figure of Carel who was not visible to the nose.

"Where else would it be if it wasn't with her fiance." Nadin replied before sighing heavily, "it's good to have fun with your partner ...," he continued to make me wince while drinking my mango juice.

"When did Nathan come back?" His murmur completely shattered the atmosphere. Even Teo could not speak at all thanks to Nadin's words.

This kid, why destroy the atmosphere? He wants to make me and Teo feel uncomfortable, right?

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Thanks for reading...