CHAPTER SEVEN

THE ANAEMIC LUNA

CHAPTER NINE

CASEY'S P.O.V

"Thank you for taking me in at this off hour, Lia."

"Hey, come on. It's nothing. Can we… talk privately?" Lia requested, her eyes narrowing down on Astoria.

Astoria kept her arms linked to mine, so I let the gesture do the talking. Lia seemed to get the message and chose to sit down on the sofa. The muted sounds coming from Leo's room proved he went ahead to continue his video games in his room.

"This seems to be a serious case, Casey. Who is she? And where did you get to know her? Why is she in a hospital patient's dress?" Lia inquired.

I sighed, unsure of what to start off with first. I started off by asking if there was anything Lia had at home. I couldn't get anything for Astoria to eat since she left school, because, well I was thinking about something entirely different. Lia confessed she was about making grilled chicken chops when I 'bombarded' her phone with lots of texts.

After a long six minutes of excusing Astoria and I, she came back with a box of cookies and beer. I gave her an expression that questioned what she brought. She shrugged in response.

"Lia,"

"What?"

"She hasn't had a thing simce she woke up."

"Uh-huh? This is all I have for now! Hey," she stretched the jar of cookies to Astoria, "Cookies?"

Reluctantly, Astoria slowly collected the jar, staring at it strangely. Lia couldn't help but be amused at Astoria's behavior. I collected the jar from Astoria and opened it for her, plucking out two cookie. I took one in hand and took a bite, trying to make an impression to Astoria that it was edible. Immediately, Astoria imitated my actions, raising the cookie to her lips and took a bite. Lia and I leaned in to captire the expression on her face, unsure whether she has consumed anything close to a cookie before.

Surprisingly, her eyes lit up in excitement and she dipped her hands into the jar to fetch out more cookies. Lia and I heaved a sigh of relief, thankful we didn't have to opt for something else.

I turned back to face Lia, my mind already made up to tell her the secret I have been hiding from everyone in my life for the past few months.

"Lia,"

"Yeah?"

"Before I say anything about… Astoria," I noticed Astoria look up at me at the mention of her name. She seemed alert, and I chuckled a bit. I shook my head, telling her it's nothing and she resumed gobbling down on the cookies.

"I first wanna apologise for keeping her a secret from you and everyone else."

"Casey? Okay, wait. Right from the moment I opened the door and saw your face, it was pretty unlike you and I knew something was up. But what I don't get here is, how does that relate to her?"

"Phew! Erm, whatever you hear from me now, Lia, please promise not to tell anyone else. Leo is welcomed to find about this."

"Alright. I'm listening."

*******

"... and now, I just had a last resort to bring her here, because I am unsure if how to table all of this to my Mom and Dad." I said, completely narrating all that had transpired from months ago.

Lia's mouth was dropped open.

"Lia?" I called out to her, but it seems she had drifted off to somewhere else.

"Lia!" I called out to her again, and she jerked in response.

"Erm, y-yeah?" she stuttered, stating at me with her eyes wide open.

"Have you been listening to me at all???"

"Y-Yeah. Yeah, I was listening. Casey, this is a lot! How did you pull this off? I mean, how did you foot the bills? This girl was on a goddamn machine for close to six months, and I can only imagine how that will cost." she continued to maunder.

I rolled my eyes in disgust, wandering why Lia was acting crazy, when I am the one who's supposed to be.

"We aren't from poor families, are we?"

"Oh, please. If Leo and I weren't adopted, we probably will be."

"Lia?"

"Huh?"

"This now brings me to asking for a favor from you."

"What's that, Casey?"

LEO'S P.O.V

"Dang it! Can you just stay on the ground floor, b*tch???" I yelled at my teammates whilst playing the video game.

"Shut it, man. You are a a noob!(newbie player)"

"And you are a f*ckin' camper!" I retorted, angry my other two teammates were already killed.

They kept trying to tell me to assume the game as a solo-vs-squad match and forget about my surviving teammate. Just when I was fuming, Tanner decides to phone me.

"Goodness gracious! Tanner!!!" I yelled I'm frustration, heartbroken the video game has been abruptly terminated by his call.

I picked up the phone, but made sure to take in and out calming breaths before picking up the phone.

"Hey, Tanner. Wassup?" I feigned a jobial tone.

"Man, this is urgent."

At the moment of hearing that, my anger dissipated immediately and I strained my ears to listen to Tanner more attentively.

"What is it, man?"

"Casey's Mom just phoned mine, claiming Casey hasn't been back from school. Have you perhaps heard from Casey anytime around today?"

"Err…" I was about answering Tan when Lia and Casey dashed into the room.

Embarrassed, I used the bedspread to cover my legs, ashamed to have the girls watch me wearing boxers only. They seemed to be panicky and made gestures like they were telling me not to do something. Not wanting to keep Tan on hold, I decided to do what they told me to.

"Hello? Leo?"

Placing the phone on loud speaker, I replied, "Well, err… I haven't heard from her—" I was interrupted by Lia and Casey once more, making the same gestures they made earlier. I discovered I was supposed to acknowledge the fact that Casey was around.

Lia eventually walked up to me and snatched the phone from my hands. She rolled her eyes before turning to the phone.

"Tan? What am I hearing? Casey's here with me."

"My goodness! Can you please hand over the phone to her?" I heard Tan say over the phone.

I caught a glimpse of hesitation in Lia's face before she handed over the phone to Casey without saying a word. Hesitation, jealousy or whatever it is I saw, she managed to swallow it down her belly immediately. Our eyes met and I gave her a mocking look. She got the message—I had noticed her.

CASEY'S P.O.V

I rushed back to the living room to sit with Astoria who was fast asleep. I met her sleeping, her face devoid of any negativity. I smiled down at her and stroke her hair. With the phone still in my hands, I settled on the sofa beside Astoria.

"Hello, Tan?"

"My goodness, Casey! You were acting all weird today, and now you are keeping your mother worried? Why didn't you tell her you were gonna stay over at Leo's?" he grunted in a hush tone, probably trying to be careful not to alert his mother.

"Tan, I'm really sorry."

"Really? An explanation is what I need. Your mother is the on you need to call and apologise to right now."

"Tan, I'm really stressed right now. Can we just talk about all of this tomorrow?"

A long silence erupted from the other end of the call before I heard him sigh.

"Just call your Mom." be said and the call ended.

As if perceiving that Tan just ended the call, I heard my phone beginning to buzz. The phone screames beamed, the caller ID displaying my Mom's contact info.

"Goodness. I'm toast."

*******

"Meet me at home now." my Mom said in a time so dark I feared what I'd encounter on getting home might eventually lead to my demise.

I stared at Lia, who simply held my hands.

"Understood?"

"Okay, Mom."

"Good." she said curtly and ended the call.

I dropped my phone on the bed and placed my head on Lia's shoulders. I couldn't fathom where the tears came pouring down from. I felt Lia's hands patting my back.

"You don't have to tell her anything, Casey
It's as simple as givingam excuse that you stayed here to take care of me overnight." she suggested.

"My Mom isn't the type to fall for such lies. Don't you get it, Lia?" I said amidst tears and she hugged me again.

"How about her?" I pointed at sleeping Astoria, and Lia chuckled.

"I handle it. Don't worry. We seemed to bond a bit over the cookie yesternight, so I believe it wouldn't be too complicated." she reassured me.

"Okay. Thank you so much." I said, hugging her and reaching for the door.

"Oh, one more thing." Lia said, stopping me in my tracks. "Wash up before your Mom even stops you. You refused to do so on getting here yesterday." she said, scrunching up her nose.

I chuckled slightly and closed the door.

TANNER'S P.O.V

"Hey!" I called out to the girl in a hospital patient's uniform who was walking down the second floor.

She didn't answer. She just kept walking. I took notice of the ward numbers and immediately assumed she was headed for Ward 123. The watch where I had met her 4 months ago. When I had stepped in and missed her forehead. She seemed perfectly alright, so I wondered why she was still in the hospital.

"Isn't she supposed to be discharged by now?" I wondered following her into the ward.

I noticed the room was devoid of lights, and I reached for the nearest wall to feel for a switch or anything I could possibly sense. Almost instantly, the room lights came back on, and there was her standing before me, her eyes radiating a proud ruby.

"Alpha," I whispered.

She smiled and reached for my hands, interlocking her fingers with mine. She leaned in to perhaps kiss me, and I began to hear a distant voice call out to me.

Suddenly, a slap on my face brings me back to reality, and I held my hurting cheek.

"Mom!"

"Would you shut up and get up now??? This is why you get late to school!"

"Oh, please! It wasn't like I had to wake up this early or go such a distance from home to school when we used to be at our former house."

"Don't play that card and get your flat butt up now, Tan." my mother said sternly, storming out of the room to where I assumed to be the kitchen.

I sat down for a minute to reminisce te dream I just had and I struggled to keep all the pieces of it in my head. I almost kissed her. Again, I had followed her. I had seen her, but this time, alive. She appeared to like me too. Who is this mysterious girl? Is she still perhaps in that hospital? Why can't I fathom the connection I feel whenever something draws me to a certain things about her?

Without reasoning, I wanted to find out more about her, and knowing fully well my mother works in the City Hospital now, I can't get in there without a valid reason. It's Mom's strict principles not to allow me into her working space, because she terms it as she being indisciplined and giving room for her superiors to see her as unserious.

I got up from my bed, still staring down at my hands and imagining I was holding on to the girl's hands, chuckling as I entered the bathroom.

CASEY'S P.O.V

"Thank you so much." I handed over to the taxi driver the fare and turned to face home.

Mom was standing outside the gates, already expectant of my arrival. I reached for my shoulders to adjust my bag's handle, but then I remembered—it was with Tan. I hit my head slightly, and I noticed my mother was still staring at me.

"Stop right there." my mother raised her hand, motioning for me to trail where I was.

She walked up to me, her eyes looking like smoldering red hot coal. I couldn't dare to stare at them for another second. Surprisingly, she pulled me into a hug. I was taken aback by her reaction, and she kept hugging me, kissing me on the neck multiple times.

"You could have at least cled my you were at Lia's." she said in a complacent tone, urging me into the house.

I followed her, unsure way to say or tj8nk about first.

"I had to disturb innocent Tanner in the middle of the night. Poor boy." she said somberly.

"Mom, I'm sorry."

"It's okay. I just wanted you to come home first before anything else. What happened?"

"Erm, Lia was really sick yesterday. She was so sick that she couldn't go through the lectures. Leo can be such a greenhorn—"

"Haha. You don't even need to explain that." my mother cut me in, forcing me to laugh.

"He can't take care of her properly, so I volunteered to stay with her for the night."

"That's good of you, my angel. Go sit at the dining table. I believe you haven't had breakfast."

"You're right, Mom. I'm starving!" I grunted and she chuckled, dashing for the kitchen.

She came back with a plate of sliced bread and scrambled eggs. I wished you but I rolled my tongue, salivating—in my thoughts.

I munched the first slice at a go, then I noticed the frown on my mother's face. I raised my brows, questioning why she had that look?

"You didn't say your prayers, did you?"

"Argh! Mom, spare me for just today, please?" I pleaded, bread crumbles falling off my stuffed mouth.

"Tan came over to drop your schoolbag before leaving for college. I thought you were at Lia's,bso why was your schoolbag with Tan?"

I stopped chewing immediately when she asked. Now I had to rack my brain for another excuse.

"Sweet Lord, please come to my rescue."

LIA'S P.O.V

"For goodness sake, it's test week in a matter of 6 days. Why can't you just go to school, you this video game fanatic?" I sneered at Leo, who wasn't willing to take his eyes off the video game he was playing.

I wondered if he even slept a wink overnight, and now I meet him playing video games as early as 9 in the morning???

"Tanner's gonna come over in a few days. We are gonna revise together, so what's the ish?"

"I believe Tanner's the source plug to the cheats you secure for passing your exams, fool."

"Yeah yeah. Say whatever." he mumbled, his eyes fixated on the video game.

I rolled my eyes, unfazed by his attitude. Deep down, I wanted him to go to college for a reason—find out what's going to be discussed in the lectures we have for today. Only if Casey's mite hadn't told Casey to go back home, I wouldn't be this worried. Tan and I aren't really in a talking space, so…

I heard a loud thud coming from my room, and I rushed to see what was happening. Astoria was awake, and she was banging atbtendoor furiously. I opened the door immediately, raising my hands sharply to connote submissiveness to her. If there's any trick to calming someone down, I believe this is one that works perfect well.

She stares at me with a puzzled look, looking behind me to see if there was anyone behind me.

For the first time since she came in with Casey, I heard her speak?

"Casey… where is she?"