Kaze had gathered together again at the restaurant.
"The three of you made it too," said Dion.
"Where have you guys been?" asked Yoga.
"Nowhere, really," replied Melvin.
Hasta paused for a moment, looking at Melvin. The boy's face looked pale, his eyes red. "Are you okay, Vin?"
"Huh, me?" Melvin stammered nervously.
"Ah—never mind, Vin. I was just joking," Hasta quickly shifted the question, realizing he might upset Melvin.
"Let's eat, I'm starving," Yoga said.
They started eating the food they had ordered earlier. After a while, their stomachs felt full and only a little food remained.
In the middle of the silence, Melvin spoke up.
"Guys, the weekend's coming up. How about we go on a trip together?" he suggested.
"Where to?" asked Dion.
"Anywhere, as long as it's somewhere far," said Melvin.
"Just to get some fresh air," Hasta proposed.
"Fresh air… like what?" Yoga asked.
"A nature-related getaway," Yoan answered.
"Beach." said Kala.
"No, the beaches around here are risky," Dion added.
"Where would be fun then?" Yoga asked.
"A waterfall," Hasta said.
"Nice, we could camp in the forest," Melvin said.
"That'd be great! When?" Dion asked.
"Friday afternoon, shortly after school. And we can return Sunday afternoon," Melvin answered.
"Tomorrow's Friday, isn't that too soon?" Yoan questioned.
"I don't think so. We just need supplies; we don't need to rent a place," Dion said.
"Which forest, by the way?" Gantha asked, noticing something strange—was it just his feeling?
"The closest one. There's one marked on the digital map," Dion said.
"So this is the camping trip?" Yoan asked.
"Yeah, why not," Yoga replied.
"Eh, while we're still at the mall, we should get supplies first," Dion reminded them.
"Yeah," Yoga agreed.
~~~~~~
Kala glanced at his watch, which showed 16:30, leaning against a train bench.
Tomorrow he and the others were going camping, but for some reason, Kala felt very reluctant. Was it because he had never camped before? No, actually he wanted to experience camping, especially with his friends.
"Why do I feel this way?" he muttered.
As the train passed through an underground tunnel, the surroundings became dark. Kala noticed a bit of color beside him and lazily turned his head.
"Since when were you there?"
No answer.
"Are you sticking to me?"
Still no answer.
"Agantha?"
"Who, me? I'm Sunoo," came the voice.
Kala stared blankly. "Lies… Sunoo isn't like this. He's friendly, not this dark."
"Hm, I've been watching you look so confused," Gantha said.
"I really don't want to go camping tomorrow," Kala replied.
"Why didn't you refuse earlier?" Gantha asked.
"I couldn't, man. Everyone already knows about Melvin's situation," Kala said.
"You could say you're still uncomfortable going far because of what happened with the spirit stealing you into another world," Gantha suggested.
"No, I can't. I don't want anyone missing out," Kala replied.
"Ah, whatever you say," Gantha muttered.
A few minutes passed, and the train stopped at a station. Kala and Gantha both got off there. They walked together along the road heading home.
The streets were quiet, just the two of them.
Gantha walked while playing with his phone. Soon, a thunderclap sounded. Gantha looked up at the sky, which had started to yellow but wasn't dark yet, signaling the rain might come.
"Thunder," he said.
He then looked at Kala, who was crouched down, covering his ears with his hands.
"What's wrong?" Gantha asked worriedly.
Kala adjusted his position and looked at his friend.
"I—it just reminded me. Sunoo found me when there was a lot of thunder," Kala said.
Gantha exhaled and glanced at a small market not far from where they were.
"I'm thirsty. Let's get some drinks first," he suggested to Kala.
They went to the market to buy drinks. Kala didn't just buy a drink—he also got ice cream, which usually calmed his thoughts faster.
"Kala,"
Kala turned immediately when he heard his name. Melvin was calling, and of course Gantha was beside him.
"You guys are walking together," said Melvin.
"Not on purpose," Kala replied.
"Oh," Melvin nodded in understanding, then glanced at the glass door. "Looks cloudy. How about we stop by my house for a bit?"
Kala and Gantha didn't answer immediately; they just looked at each other.
~~~~~~~
"We're here,"
Melvin opened the door to his house and invited his two friends inside.
Kala stepped in slowly, feeling a vague emotion he couldn't quite understand. But it felt bad.
"Kala,"
Gantha waved his hand in front of his friend's face.
"What now?" Kala asked.
"When was the last time we came here?" Kala asked.
"I don't remember. Why?" Gantha replied.
"I feel… familiar with this place," Kala said.
Soon, Melvin arrived in the living room, carrying a tray of drinks and snacks for his friends.
"Alone?" asked Gantha.
"Yeah, that's why I'm happy to see you guys earlier," Melvin replied.
"Whether you're alone or not, you should've just said someone's here," Kala said.
"Why?" Melvin asked.
"He's a thief," Kala said, glancing at the friend beside him.
"Totally open map mode, huh," Gantha muttered.
Melvin laughed. "Forget it, let's just play together."
Melvin led the two friends to the living room. There, Kala felt that unusual feeling again.
"Vin, when was the last time I came to your house?" Kala asked.
"Huh? None of you have ever been to my house," Melvin replied.
"Oh… right, I forgot," said Kala.
In silence, he felt a chill because he had never been to Melvin's house. What exactly was Kala feeling? Was it déjà vu?
~~~~~~~
"All done with this assignment,"
Kala closed his book after finishing the exercises. His throat felt dry, so he headed to the door—but there, he saw a lavender-haired young man.
"You're Sunoo again," Kala said.
"Sakala, how are you? Glad to see you're okay after I kidnapped you," Sunoo said.
Kala chuckled bitterly. "I'm not that weak."
"Yeah, yeah, just as expected. You really suit the role of the main character," Sunoo said.
"No matter what you say, leave my room right now," Kala said.
"I'm not done talking to you, so why should I leave now?" Sunoo stepped closer to Kala.
"I'm also glad you understood my point about the other side," Sunoo said, laughing. "One of your friends has already become a puppet. You just need to guess who."
Kala remained silent, trying not to listen to the demon in front of him.
"Oh, and one more thing—the more exciting part is about to start," the demon said, then walked to the balcony and jumped off.