Drew hadn't even taken a full 8 hours' sleep before he woke up this morning. He muttered, "man" as he slowly looked out the window next to his bed.
The bleeding on his back had stopped overnight, but it still stung as he cringed when stretching his back.
After a quick shower, he groggily got changed into the layered tee from the night before and went to his older sister's room, where Xeanoz was still asleep and resting peacefully.
"At least that proves all of that wasn't a dream."
He shut the door and headed for breakfast. He takes a few eggs and makes himself an omelette.
He set the oven to high heat and cooked them right before he caused them to burn and implode. He repeated it once again and got a near-perfect golden-brown.
An hour later, Xeanoz came down.
"What is that?"
She asked with slight fatigue in her voice.
"An omelette. What the hell do you people eat?"
He replied sarcastically. As he talked with his mouth full, she didn't bother to respond, walking towards the pan and making her own.
"How do you do this?"
She played with one of the eggs in her hands, staring at the salt, black pepper, paprika, and chili powder. Drew walked over and pointed at a bowl.
"Crack it, mix all that stuff in it, and heat it. Happy?"
He went back to eat, as she commented on his attitude.
"You don't have to make it sound like a chore."
She then does as he said before, lighting a blue flame underneath the pan and causing the eggs to fry without the need for the oven; she almost burnt them, but still perfect enough for her.
"Listen, I'm going out to the shops today, but because of your lie, I'm gonna need you to come with me."
She glanced at Drew, who looked a little aggravated, and she sighed but nodded agreeingly.
"Fine, let's go do whatever you plan to do to waste your time and your currency."
"Thank you!"
He yelled with a wide grin and raised a thumbs-up in her direction.
***
A little while later, the two made it into the town, which was incredibly packed, front to back and left to right. It was a hassle getting through without nearly bumping into someone.
Drew cursed the large numbers under his breath. Meanwhile, Xeanoz was getting some stares, not feeling awkward at all, yet curious, she asked Drew.
"Why do they keep looking at me?"
He turned around with his exhausted expression subsiding as he looked her in the eyes.
"Well, there are two things: your body or your hair."
Drew stated as he walked on towards the shops. She was now a little irritated and followed him until they arrived at a clothing store.
Drew had already entered and was taking a look at the several different clothing brands.
"JD? What is this place?"
She asked with mild curiosity but a tone of absurdity, Drew didn't bat an eye as he checked out the hoodies and jackets.
"Clothing store, you get a bunch of the best stuff here. You should use it sometime whenever you get some money, to fix your...fit."
She scoffed at his remark and retorted.
"Speak for yourself."
He shrugged it off, replied defensively.
"In my defence, you're the one who shot me out the window, my clothes were fine until you sent me into wearing this crap, that was the only hoodie I had that wasn't torn, stained, or soiled."
"Now."
"It's all three!"
She didn't seem to care, which he could already recognise from her expression. he sighed once again and browsed the section.
"So, you like hoodies?"
She asked, and he nodded in reply.
"Overhead, zipper, even the fucking jacket ones, I'm good."
"As well as Lynx, archery, and bowling"
He replied.
"Huh, that's interesting, you can be so influenced and attracted by so many stupid and strange things."
She stated.
Drew squinted, trying to get a better look at the other clothes, with his back turned to Xeanoz as he remarked.
"You're wearing one your damn self."
"Yes, but I don't love it."
She replied instantly, and Drew turned to reference the fact that she was wearing one in summer.
"Anyways, how are you not boiling? You're wearing three layers, and one looks skin-tight."
She shook her head and index finger in a 'no' gesture.
"You naive, idiotic boy, I'm not from this world. Ergo, I have a different biology. I can adapt to any weather."
Drew was astonished by this factor and thought to himself.
"Holy fuck, if I had that, I could wear anything I wanted, anytime."
He pictured himself wearing all types of nice clothes, despite the extremely warm weather or the extremely cold weather.
Xeanoz, however, gave him a look of disappointment as she could tell he wasn't thinking about how useful a bodily function like that is.
"Yo, Drew."
They both turned their heads to find the voice of the person, Xeanoz guarded, Drew, already knowing that this was a bad time to introduce someone like Xeanoz to the person who was about to arrive.
Tyler came up slinging his arm around Drew's shoulders, which made him give an awkward expression.
"Bro, how are you doing? I didn't think you'd be out after what happened yesterday."
Drew held his head and nodded.
"Yeah, I know, but the doctor said I was fine, and my parents got a convincing argument from her."
He said, pointing at Xeanoz, and as she's about to introduce herself, Drew cuts in, speaking as if his life were on the line.
"This is Mir-Mira Jordan."
Xeanoz looked at Drew like he was an idiot and whispered.
"What do you think you're saying?"
Drew then put his face in front of hers and started whispering back with his teeth shut.
"Listen to me, Tyler will mock your weirdass name more than I ever could, and that shit will cause you to crash out, so just trust me on this one and call yourself Mira."
She was appalled but didn't respond to his order, seeing that he was just defending her…in his own way.
"Mira, huh."
Tyler looks at Drew with a widened smirk as he leans over.
"And right after Olivia, You Dog!"
"And you know she's been texting you? Worried as hell, man, you should open one."
Drew cringed as Tyler said 'the name'. And before Drew could say another word, the speakers called for Tyler at the cash register.
"Geez, well, I'm out, see you two, go get her, bro."
Tyler encouraged running off.
Drew watched him leave, irritated.
"Yeah, no way in God's earth would I ever go after Xeanoz."
Meanwhile, Xeanoz seems visibly confused by the entire encounter and didn't understand what was even going on.
Drew set the hoodie in his hands back on the coat rack, and he rolled his arm, indicating for Xeanoz to follow him.
Once they left the shop, Xeanoz figured she could ask what their conversation was about.
"So, who's Olivia?"
Drew looked over at Xeanoz, a little tired and fed up.
"A girl I used to go with – basically we were in a relationship – she dropped me for another guy."
"Part of the reason I got expelled from my school not long ago...I tried to beat up the guy she cheated on me with...big mistake."
"Worst part is we lasted a long time, it wasn't a recent break up, but it still pisses me off every time I think back to it."
He shook his head, not wanting to get too deep or emotional into the explanation, already wanting to admit that he's over the breakup.
Xeanoz, still keeping a neutral and plain expression, quietly uttered.
"Some things in our lives are quite annoying…aren't they?"
He glanced at her and then nodded.
The two walked together in silence.
They didn't say a word.
And simply left the area, walking back into the town.
The quiet gave them both some time to think.
Mainly Drew, as he thought about his new situation with this unearthly being.
He stopped in his tracks
The duo had arrived right in front of a space between two shops.
Drew then spoke up to Xeanoz.
"Hey, look, this might sound a little corny, or even stupid. But until you get home. Why don't we look out for one another?"
"We don't have to be friends, and we don't have to enjoy each other's company, but we agree to help one another."
She stared at him, her expression never changing. As Drew raised his hand and formed a fist.
"I don't know jack shit about you Xeanoz, and somewhat the same could be said for you about me, but I think we can at least partner up and work together."
"Honestly, I just want to help you now."
Xeanoz took her hands out of her pockets and responded.
"I don't see how you could ever help me, you're human, you have no soul vapour, and as far as I'm concerned, you can't defend yourself which would make you essentially useless in aiding me."
He shrugged, still holding his fist up.
"I'm willing to try and be stronger. And besides. It's not like I'll be totally useless; I know more stuff about Earth than you do."
She considered his point.
And yet.
Even though it was his only one.
She reluctantly accepted.
Xeanoz did the same with her hand, and they fist-bumped.
"Alright. There."
She subtly said, bringing her hand back straight after.
Drew smiled, but not much, as he also spoke up.
"Yeah, and don't get this twisted like we're automatically friends now or friendship is power bullshit, I'm still on edge about you."
Xeanoz's neutral expression softened a little more as her mouth formed a subtle smirk.
"I admire the honesty, I guess."
The two, now, not exactly allies but temporary partners, had finally come to an agreement that they could both stand by.
Suddenly.
Drew saw a purple light in the alleyway the two were standing next to.
He took a deeper look.
And as he did.
Xeanoz hurled him into the darkness using her air alteration, turning nearby sewage water into air as it blasted Drew to the floor.
As the blue air dispersed and turned back into sewage water, it covered Drew, head to toe.
Meanwhile, purple light immediately dashed past where Drew was standing and implanted into a shop wall at breakneck speed.
Xeanoz walked over and picked Drew up.
He was briefly distracted as he was disgusted by the stench, and he glanced at Xeanoz and muttered.
"Honestly, I would've preferred it if you hit me."
They then heard footsteps running towards them from the deeper end of the alleyway.
They both turned, looking over, confused, as a man began screaming over to them.
"HELP!" He yelled over and over.
Xeanoz immediately stood in front of Drew, readying herself as Drew tried to get a better view of what was going on.
He saw an old man, wearing a black, presumably tailored suit, who could barely even walk straight, collapse onto the building wall.
He leaned onto it for support, looking at Xeanoz and Drew.
His face was terrified, tired, and he instantly got to his knees and begged. Drew looked concerned and was about to go over, but Xeanoz pulled him back.
"PLEASE YOU HAVE TO HELP ME SOMEONE'S GOING TO KILL ME-"
There was silence.
And then.
There was blood.
His head had been blown open, steaming like it had been lit on fire.
As a purple radiance emanated from the skin.
It was clear that not even a gun could do something this bad.
Xeanoz. Unfazed. She merely glared at the dead body and then looked back up in the direction of where the blast had come from…but Drew?
He was mortified.
He held his left hand to his mouth, the blood, the brain.
Everything was disturbing him.
He was ready to throw in the towel and go home.
Pretend like none of this had ever happened, and just sleep the day away again, like he could still escape all of this madness.
But then there was another.
A figure came out. Bright purple hair transitioning into magenta pink, the hairstyle was a mullet.
The figure was wearing a mechanical mask that covered its entire face. It had three red lines upon it, which were the visors.
There was also a mechanical hood above its head that had spider-web-like patterns inside it.
The figure also had large mechanical gauntlets that stretched from its hands to the hood, and there was a strange purple liquid tube attached to them.
The hulking figure walked into the light of the alleyway as they spoke with a strangely casual tone for someone who had just murdered a person.
"Great, more people? I'm gonna have to-"
It cut itself off and was silent for a minute before it spoke back up with a laugh in its voice.
"Oh-ho, damn, I don't think you two are bystanders at all."
It then placed both arms behind its back, as its visors began to glow from the light, and the purple tubes over its gauntlets grew larger.
"So, which one of you is gonna tell me what exactly the two of you are?"