I stared at him, sitting on the chair by the window as I listened to my parents talked from the adjacent room of the possibilities where this boy came from. They said he could be from Mierkova, the country next door.
I didn't think it matters for now. Selfishly, all I could think about was how I carried him all the way here. Mom said it was the adrenaline rush. I remembered hesitating to come over him for he might be faking the collapse so he could grab and rape me, but I saw the blood seeping out from his head and I realized he hit his head on a stone. I swam with all my energy, checked his breathing and carried him to where my things were because I didn't want to walk through the street only in my underwears.
I was the hero of the day, but someday, this boy will forget about me just like how the people from my country forget how Sergeant Ford kept us from the Tualian invaders. I mean, that was hundreds of years ago but still.
The eyes beneath his eyelids moved, Dad said when that happens the person was having a nightmare and the best thing to do was to wake them up before they get eaten up by the monsters from their nightmares and never wake up again. I knew it was childish to believe that but it seemed to be the right thing to do. So I left my seat and shook his shoulder, he yelled for a short second before he could see that it was me, then he relaxed but still panting.
"Where am I?" He asked. I stumbled backwards, panicking, as I saw the colors of his eyes. The left one was blue and the other one was green. What is wrong with his eyes?
I stayed as far as I could from him, my back was against the wall. I yelled for my parents, they came rushing in worried that something happened to me. Then they gazed at the boy and relaxed to find him awake. The boy looked at us with confusion.
"Dad, stay away from him!" I yelled at my Dad as he walked towards the boy and asked him how he felt, he didn't receive an answer. I know a cat of the same eye coloring. He could be a cat that could turn into human as what I had read from books.
Mom held me in her arms. "Grassi, what's wrong?" Her soft voice calmed me down, but I was still scared of his eyes.
I pointed at the boy. "His eyes..."
Mom gazed at his eyes before he could look down on the blanket. She let go of me and sat by the bed, lifting up his chin with her elegant fingers, he didn't look into her eyes, he stared at the window. Mom turned to me and smiled, "It's nothing to be afraid of, child."
It was dinner when Drev was interrogated by my parents and Nuvian. But they were only able to get few details from him, he was not the talky type which irritated me because I hated the mysterious identity he was feeding us. I didn't even the trust him that Drev was his real name or if we were really on the same age, although he looks just like 16. It was strange whenever I caught him glancing at me and I got to look into his strange eyes.
When we finished dinner, I was left to do the dishes as usual. My parents were at the living room to watch television with Drev while Nuvian was in his room to do his assignments. I hurried to finish the task so I could go to my room and do an appreciation ritual for the another year of existence.
It was nothing fancy. No cakes, but I give myself a birthday wish. And this wish, I grant it myself, it should happen before my next birthday. It was the same with setting a goal to achieve within the year, the difference was you made it on your birthday so it shouldn't be broken because it was special.
Drev was given the room across mine. I could hear the scraping of the floor as the furnitures were moved, unabling me to sleep. My parents were seemed to be unbothered, it was hard to wake them up. I knocked on the door, the scraping stopped, then the door opened revealing a sweaty face. He kept the opening enough for his head to poke out.
"It's two in the morning," I said, my arms crossed on my chest. I looked at the white bandage on his forehead. He was wearing my Dad's shirt because I ripped his white shirt off to use it as a bandage back in the lake. I had to stop the bleeding, I was glad I listened to my health class.
He cleared his throat. "Yeah, I can't sleep so I thought of reorganizing things." It's dark so I couldn't make out the colors of his eyes. Nuvian found them "lit", wherever he learned that term.
"Do it when nobody's asleep, will you?" Then I remembered the manners I was taught. "Please?" I added.
He nodded then disappeared behind the door. No more noise to be heard.
I woke up to the voice of my dad instructing someone of how to chop a wood. I yawned, stretching my limbs as I climbed off of bed to see what was going on. Dad was sitting on the grass, motivating Drev to keep going. He was obviously unaccostumed to wood chopping but I could feel his perseverance everytime he groans as he lifted up the axe.
I went to them and scoffed at Drev. He exhaled and kept going. Mom arrived bringing a glass of water for Drev. I wonder when will he return to wherever he came from? He can't stay forever here and make us adopt him, like how these people I call parents adopted me. He is not a bother, not yet. And I don't trust him although he seems nice.
"Grassi, you should show Drev around the town," Mom said, handing him the water. I looked at Dad and he agreed, I shrunk with my shoulders. They really think he was some kind of lucky charm because of his eyes. Drev eyed me, he was sure waiting for an answer, hoping it wasn't rude.
It took me seconds to answer. "Okay, as long as Nuvian comes along."
"I have classes, Grassi." Nuvian rolled his eyes. He was already wearing his school uniform. It was a white longsleeve underneath a navy blue vest that had the school logo on the left chest paired with black pants and black leather shoes. His bag was hanging behind him. Nuvian was three years younger than me but he was almost as tall as I was.
