"Don't you think the director's(owner of orphanage) been going home earlier than usual?"
"Who knows? His expiry date is near, maybe he wants to spend more time with his family"
"He has a family?"
"What are you 2 idiots talking about?
Azreal poked Elijah's side as he wiped his upper-body with a towel.
"I'm down showering, who's next?"
"Me me me! I can't stand smelling like shit"
Kevin quickly rushed into the shower, bringing in his towels and clothes.
Azreal then put on a shirt and turned to Elijah
"So, why were you idiots talking right in front of the shower stall I was using. Are you that excited to see me wet?"
"No one would want to see you even if you offered it for free, anyway. When do you think they'll fix the other shower stalls? They've been out of order for some time"
"Well, if the director doesn't adopt anyone soon, this place will probably close. Kevin's leaving in 3 days and we'll probably leave in 2 months for an academy. Maybe he decided 1 shower stall is enough for three people?"
The two of them then sat down on the floor near the door (to the room, not the shower stall)
Gazing at Elijah who seemed to be in his own world, Azreal cleared his throat.
"So, what do you think about that blond pretty boy from earlier? Should we tell on him?"
"I dunno, He said he lived around here so maybe he doesn't have a home. Or maybe the director adopted a monkey instead of a human this time"
"I didn't know monkeys could be so fast that could appear out of nowhere in the blink of an eye. Anyway, are you really planning on having him join us? What are we even going to do tomorrow actually? I know Kevin wants to explore but…"
"We'll go to the forbidden zone"
"Forbidden zone..?"
"You know that area I almost got lost in when I was 8? That. We've not been allowed to explore it for some reason."
"What if we get lost..?"
"Then we get lost. I doubt this area is that big anyway"
"Fine I guess, and that.. Zaire is joining us I presume?"
"Mhm"
Azreal lied down, resting his head in Elijah's lap while thinking of what other topics he could talk about to stop this awkward silence.
Meanwhile, Elijah was absorbed in his thoughts
'…that guy. What did he mean by hero?'
Earlier, Zaire had been continuously calling him hero from the start. Why though? Was he mistaken about something? Or was it related to…
'The star on my back.'
From the start of his life, this star had always been on his back. Elijah simply ignored this and so did all of the people he knew. They simply assumed it was a birth mark.
'But what kind of birth mark is yellow? And why is it getting bigger?'
Elijah's thoughts were soon interrupted by azreal's voice.
He looked down, at the boy, who's skin was considered the fairest among them. He moved his hand to touch the boy's pale white hair, something about it had always drawn him to it. It felt repelling but at the same time, he couldn't bare to look away.
"Elijah, are you listening?"
"Ah? Huh? What.. sorry."
"No it's fine, I just asked what academy you plan to go to. Should we go to the same one as Kevin's?"
Looking at the shower stall where he could hear the faint hums from the boy showering inside, Elijah replied
"His humming irritates me"
"Huh?"
***
"This fence seems to be breaking down.. did I use too much force when I climbed it?"
"I told you in order to regulate your strength better, you must be in harmony with it"
The two girls, Serena and saoirse, jumped down from the fence
"So.. who's this?"
Serena pointed at the blond boy standing next to Elijah.
"Ah.. he's Zaire"
"Did the orphanage adopt someone new?"
Saoirse asked in curiosity as Elijah looked at Zaire.
Seeing that Zaire was not answering, Elijah nudged Zaire in the elbow, Zaire then looked at Elijah with a dazed expression before his eyes widened, as if he understood what Elijah told him to do
"I live here"
"…"
"…"
"…"
"Ah, so the orphanage adopted someone new? Let's introduce ourselves then"
Serena bowed her head slightly
"My name is Serena and the woman behind me is named Saoirse. We are… you friends' friends"
"I'm Zaire"
Azreal then stepped in front of the two with a calm expression
Instead of a boisterous tone typically used to hype people up, Azreal asked the two girls in a mono-toned voice
"Now that self introductions are over, would you 2 like to guess what we will be doing today?"
Serena and saoirse responded to his statement with a reply equally "enthusiastic"
"Dancing?"
"…climbing trees?"
Kevin jumped in, his legs then kneeling down on the floor as he posed with an expression fit for a clown.
"Ding ding ding! That's the bell for two idiots! Today, we're exploring the forbidden zone?"
"The.. what zone?
"There's a forbidden zone?"
The 2 girls asked with a exasperated expression
"Mhm Elijah decided it"
The two then glared at Elijah
"Going into a forbidden zone…? It's forbidden for a reason you know. It could be dangerous"
"Well, rules are made to be broken, right?
In response to Serena being a worrywart (in his opinion), Elijah simply retorted with a smile
"Well, being in danger is fun no? You can feel the adrenaline pumping."
"…"
Serena simply sighed