"It's been a while since I've last seen you smile."
Amanda approached me after I came out of the room. Her face was unusually serious.
I turned to look at her while cocking my head.
"You think so?"
I never really noticed myself if I had to be honest...but it wasn't as though I was surprised by this development. There wasn't much to smile about.
Also, having had another attack just a couple of minutes ago, I couldn't really bring myself to smile.
"Here."
Amanda placed her hands on the edges of my lips and pulled them upwards.
"Much better."
She returned a smile herself.
Her smile was stunning. Enough to make anyone fall into a daze with just a glance. Well, anyone but me. I was pretty much used to her smiles by now. Well, for the most part. I wasn't exactly totally immune.
"Wwwamhat are you doing?"
It was hard to speak when she had her hands on my lips, pulling them up.
"Helping you smile."
"...What dwoes that have anything to do with the situation?"
"It doesn't."
Amanda let go of my lips.
"It's just that you look a lot better if you smiled a little more often."
Cocking my head even further, I eventually nodded my head.
"Well, sure, I'll try to smile more."
This wasn't too hard of a request. Not like smiling was that hard.
I smiled.
"Happy?"
"For what?"
"I'm smiling, aren't I?"
Amanda's brows furrowed.
"...No?"
"Hm?"
Amanda's reaction took me back.
"What are you talking about?"
Was she playing a prank on me? I could clearly feel myself smiling.
"Are you playing around with me?"
Amanda asked, inching closer to me.
I shook my head.
"That was what I was about to ask you."
Amanda's face hardened.
Her reaction took me aback.
"Hey, what's wrong?"
"Here."
she took out a
took it from her hand
"...No way."
it was
eyes...at first glance, there didn't
At first glance, though.
inspection, I realized
am I
My expression...
It was stiff.
smiling, I did not
'Just what in the...'
closed the pocket mirror and
"Thanks."
"Ren, what's going on?"
mirror back and looked at me with a worried
my hand in
nothing to worry about. Just a little side-effect of practicing a
...That was a lie.
a result of the previous attack
just play this off as something like a side-effect of an art
"If you say so..."
her face still filled with doubt and concern. Obviously, she didn't buy my excuse,
"You hungry?"
rubbed my stomach and attempted to change the
"A bit."
about we
"I wouldn't mind that."
"Great."
bit and
"Come, let's go eat."
"Mhm."
***
was blowing across the grassland, the blades of grass that previously stood upright bent in a prostrating
grassy field as their feet left behind shallow footprints. They moved in
do we have to
breathing had
fuck down! I'm going to die at the rate
that Jin and Emma finally
some mercy. I'm about to
fell back on the grass and supported her body with her extended
to complain was Emma, who
blame us for going too fast. You
you guys were going to run for
as her hands leaned on her knees and she took deep breaths to try and steady herself. The two were moving at such a rapid pace that it was impossible for her to keep up with them. Despite the fact that she wasn't exactly a weak person
and if not for them finally stopping, she would've already started puking on the
I should've never agreed to follow
her stomach and slumped back on
to be the best option, but that proved to
to stare at both Emma and Jin, Melissa stared at the dark
for at least ten minutes. You might
Not tired at
"Me too."
exchanged glances for a moment.
I out
hair to fall to the side of her
the way, are you sure we're going in the right
"Positive."
he
direction of where the demons
Jin's speech halted.
suddenly squinted, and his expression changed.
"Hide, quick!"
"Wha-"
"No time for that."
Melissa by the arm and yanking her away, Emma turned around and followed Jin from behind. They saw a
ground, Melissa felt a slight fluctuation in the air. His sudden actions
just as she was about to say something, she noticed something in the far distance. Her mouth instantly shut and her expression mimicked that of Jin and
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