This time, just this time, Alena wanted to go unnoticed. She should've kept her head down, no eye contact, no reaction. Today, the poor woman really needed a quiet and peaceful walk home. But -
"Hey Aleeeeena, how are you doing?"
That voice. Fucking Freddie. Of course, it was him.
He approached Alena with a huge grin on his round face. "It's been a while since I last saw you."
"I've been busy with some work here and there," Alena muttered as she took a step back. Instinctively.
"Oh." Freddie's grin stretched for literally no reason known to mankind, "By the way, here like.. what are you doing here? I thought your shift ended two hours ago."
"It did." She sighed, "Just came from my second shift."
His tone softened, "Overworking now, huh? Need money? You know, I can help-"
Her stomach turned as Freddie's fingers brushed hers without any permission. That simple contact - skin on skin - sent a shiver through her entire arm. She immediately pulled her hand back. "Thanks, but I think I've got it covered."
Even after seeing that reaction, Freddie didn't flinch. That grin he was wearing just never left his face at all. He took a step forward, and with that, his huge shadow ended up swallowing hers.
"Come on. Alena, this ain't a healthy lifestyle, you know. Let me help. Carrying an entire family all by yourself can be so tiring, I understand. However, it's perfectly okay to ask for help sometimes. Being a little selfish in some moments -" A pause, "-doesn't make you a bad person."
Just as he finished his sentence, Alena's jaw clenched to some extent, and her pulse was hammering in her ears. Uneven and angry. She still said nothing. But Freddie… that was a man allergic to silence.
"Look, I get why you are acting like this," he continued, lowering his voice. "You're still mad about it, right? That proposal. I mean yeah… I shouldn't have proposed to you on the remembrance day of your late husband. But please forget what I did in the past. I didn't know, actually. And that's old news. I mean, I fell for you, but we can move past it. We're great friends, aren't we?"
Friends. Alena really never liked that word. And Freddie's over-clinginess made her fingers hover toward her bag. There she felt the metal of her axe handle. Her throat tightened. For a second, she really imagined the swing at his neck. She thought this could be the satisfying end to this smug voice-
But right then, finally, the universe decided to step in and end this torture -
"Freddie."
Freddie turned and saw Kamala standing just a few feet away. A sharp, commanding presence and cold enough to freeze someone like Freddie mid-step. Her uniform was still covered with dust from the field, and her eyes locked onto Freddie with a glare that could skin a man.
"Stop it immediately."
Freddie blinked, "I was just trying to be helpful. Is there anything wrong with that? And we are close. She is okay with me being here."
Kamala didn't move. Didn't even blink. "Help yourself and the people around you by getting in the jeep. Now."
Freddie hesitated first. Then his shoulders gave up. "Yeah, whatever you say, sure, ma'am. Can't even be nice these days." He walked off toward the vehicle bay. His annoying voice faded with distance.
As soon as he disappeared, Alena exhaled. Finally relief. She realized how tightly she'd been holding her rage for the last few days. Kamala turned to her. Her expressions softened, "You okay, Alena?"
Alena nodded, though her throat still felt tight. The air finally moved again. The tension that had been coiled in her chest started to loosen - piece by piece.
"Thanks. He's… annoying."
Kamala chuckled. "Yeah. But you did reject him already, didn't you?"
"I did," Alena said. "But I don't think Freddie understands the meaning of 'no.'"
"Persistent types never do. Good thing I showed up. By the way - how's Kalli?"
Alena: "She's at a school picnic with Lys. They will be back soon."
"Good," Kamala smiled, "Those children deserve some fun."
-------
The afternoon shifted as if someone had tilted the world. Shadows lengthened, and the sunlight lightly slid through the trees. And down by the picnic grounds in Sector 16, you could hear the bursts of laughter, the slap of a volleyball, the sound of a portable speaker playing some overplayed boy-band hit.
Kalli, true to her nature, was far away from those noises. The crowd - it was just too loud and too bright for her liking. She leaned against an oak tree as she flicked her lighter open and shut like a nervous tic. A cigarette dangled from her lips. And her eyes locked on her adopted brother, Lys, and his girlfriend, Sofia. They were so happy and entangled in their own bubble.
"Gross," Kalli muttered. Watching Lys and Sofia like that was like sitting through a bad rom-com. "Don't they have any shame at all?"
"Don't wanna hear that from you, bro."
That voice interfered with Kalli's thoughts. She spun and saw the speaker - Jenna. Her usual shiny gold sunglasses were placed on top of her head. She wore a red crop top and high-waisted jeans. That's the kind of 'I don't care' look - that actually took effort. Kalli smirked. "Hello Jenna Joestar. I thought you were still showering."
"I was." Jenna crossed her arms, "And you are still smoking? Our bald instructor is too scared to even ask you to put it out. What did you do to freak him out so bad?"
Kalli let out a chuckle, flicking ash to the ground before crushing the cigarette under her boot. "I really don't think you need to know that. Anyway, where's Sia?"
"She told me she was going to meet Sofia."
"What the fuck? Why?" Kalli's tone sharpened instantly. "I told you all to stay away from that bitch."
"I don't talk to her, bro. Only Sia does." Jenna shrugged, trying to diffuse it. "They're neighbors, you know. Now's not the time for questions. Let's just ask Sofia where Sia is. I need some cash from Sia for the boots I showed you. Remember them, bro? Oh god, they were so pretty.."
Kalli's gaze drifted back to Sofia and Lys. Lys… her brother - adopted, but that didn't make the knot in her chest any looser. Since they'd arrived, he hadn't looked at her once. All his attention was glued to Sofia. "Fuck it, you go," Kalli said, the edge back in her voice. "I'm not going near them. You know I really don't like Sofia."
Jenna rolled her eyes and let out a small laugh. Despite all the sniping, there was always an ease between them - between Kalli, Jenna, and Sia - which came from too many 'we've got each other's backs' moments.
"You're so persistent about hating people, bro. This is why you don't have many friends except us."
Without waiting for a proper response, Jenna approached Sofia, who was still giggling at something Lys had said. And, from the same distance, Kalli watched the whole exchange.
Jenna asked Sofia something. Sofia's face twisted in confusion. But before she could respond, her phone rang. And after that, Sofia hurried off. Jenna returned, looking annoyed.
"So? She doesn't know?" Kalli asked.
Jenna shook her head in affirmation. "I really don't like that girl, bro."
"Wow, same," Kalli said in mockery, and then she finally stood up.
"For now, let's search for our 'human bank', Sia. Shall we?"
Kalli wasn't the type to explode into panic and drag the whole picnic into chaos. Instead, they plotted a route that felt efficient and unconcerned on the surface: first check the drink stall, then the bathrooms, then the small cluster of shops at the lot's edge. That way, no one would worry until there was reason to.
Jenna called Sia's name twice as they worked the perimeter, voice light, like someone ordering food. People shrugged them off - a teacher, some teenagers, the guy running the volleyball court. Ask, get a shrug, move on.
"Where could she have gone?" Jenna muttered.
Kalli's gaze drifted toward the line of small shops that bordered the park - cheap awnings, a battered soda machine, a cigarette vendor with a cracked glass display. She noticed a group clustered by the corner shop: boys leaning against the wall, too old to be at this picnic, too smirky for their own good. And there she was.
Sia. Standing half-turned under the shop's humming sign. Four older boys ringed her like some vultures.
One gripped her shoulder. One touched her waist. Sia's hands were folded in front of her like they were trying to make themselves small. Kalli's body went numb in a single, hot snap - the calm she'd been forcing fell away like a coat. Their mocking laughter echoed in the air, setting Kalli's nerves alight. She growled under her breath and took a step forward.
"Bro, wait!" Jenna hissed, yanking at Kalli's sleeve. "Think this through. Four of them. We can't just charge in. Just breathe…."
Kalli shot Jenna a sharp look but forced herself to exhale. Her chest rose and fell - one, two, three - before a crooked smile crept across her face. "Breathe, huh? Yeah. So…"
She shut her eyes for a second. Then, suddenly, she started jumping on her heels, "One-two-three-four. One-two-three-four."
Jenna was surprised and blinked. "What are you doing, bro?"
"Just steadying my heartbeat, Ms. Joestar," Kalli muttered, her tone almost musical. "Listening to what it has to say about this messed-up situation. And you know what sound my heart's making right now?"
Before Jenna could even move, Kalli was gone. She launched forward like a raging bull snapping loose. The boy holding Sia didn't even register what happened before Kalli's boot buried itself in his chest. The sound of that kick echoed as he flew back and crashed into the dirt.
Sia gasped as Kalli was already there, like a wall between her and the others. "Sup, bitches," Kalli said, sitting and tilting her head with that same crooked smile.
The largest boy - a tank of muscle and acne - snarled, "Who the hell are you?"
Kalli's lighter flicked open with a click. "Who cares at this point. Let's dance."
The boys hesitated, glancing at each other. One lunged - too slow. Kalli ducked, swept his legs, and as he fell, she drove the metal end of the lighter into his temple. The crunch was sharp. He howled, clutching his head as Kalli pulled his hair and slammed his face into the dirt.
"Another down."
The biggest one roared and charged, swinging wildly. Kalli smiled as his fist aimed right at her cheek. She, without any trouble, caught his arm mid-swing. And then she pushed him off balance and drove her knee into his ribs. Once. Twice. Thrice. Again and again and again until he finally coughed some blood out
The third tried to grab her from behind, arms wrapping around her shoulders. Kalli slammed his head backward on the floor. Then she spun and elbowed him square in the throat. He collapsed, choking for air on the ground.
Sia just stood there, trembling. Kalli crouched beside one of the groaning boys and held her lighter close to his face. The flame licked at the edge of his eyebrow and singed his hair. The boy was crying and panicking as he slapped his own face trying to get rid of the fire. But Kalli didn't stop, she pressed the lighter with a precise pressure so the metal warmed the skin, leaving the surface red and blistering.
Another boy tried to scramble away. Kalli stepped in and brushed the flame along the cuff of his shirt. That made the entire fabric burn. He yelped. The men's bravado cracked into noise. And right at that time, a branch snapped behind them. "What's going on here!?"
Everyone froze.
Simon - the bus driver - strode toward them, face hard as flint. Jenna followed, pale but steady. "So she called for help," Kalli muttered, almost to herself.
Simon's voice cut like a ruler. "Delinquents from college, picking on schoolgirls now, huh? Want me to call the cops, or are y'all gonna scram, bozos?"
The boys immediately ran away without any hesitation - one limping, another spitting curses, the third holding his face and screaming in pain. Jenna rushed to Sia's side. She helped her get up on her knees. "You good?"
Sia nodded, "Yeah… thanks, Jojo."
"Don't call me that, bro, please." Jenna managed to let out a shaky laugh. "By the way, thanks, Simon."
Simon gave a nod. "Get back to the bus. All of you. We will be leaving soon. Otherwise, your instructor is going to cut some shares off my payment, you know."
The injured boy, the first Kalli had dropped, turned once before disappearing into the woods. His temple was raw where Kalli had struck it; his shirt cuff smoked faintly and carried the sour tang of singed fabric. "That girl…"
Kalli looked over her shoulder, flicked her lighter again. The tiny flame carved her smirk out of the shadows. The boy froze and for a split second, hovering over that light, Kalli didn't look human.
"Th-that's gotta be a demon."