*Ring, Ring, Ri-

 

I smashed the off button for my alarm before it even had the chance to wake me up completely.

 

Not today, my arch nemesis... not today.

 

I was mentally delighted with myself for my flawless victory in a hard-fought battle before I returned to Dreamland for a well-earned respite.

 

*Ring~ ring~ ring~

 

My phone rang again with a melodious tone this time. This tone could only mean someone is calling, who could it be this early in the morning?

 

I glanced at the caller and saw Liz's name on it.

 

Then, it dawned on me. Like a flashback of a detective deducing the entire evil plot of the antagonist with clues acquired throughout the story. Why did I even make an alarm in the first place on a weekend? Why is my alarm so early (which unfortunately backfired into me turning it off instantly)? And why is Liz calling me at this time of the day? My mind became clear and my adrenaline rushed, making me remember the significance of waking up early today. Today is the day that our trip to LA would transpire.

 

I frantically looked at the time, hoping in my heart that it was still not the time for the departure. Fortunately, my prayer was granted. I still have 20 minutes left to prepare... phew, I dodged a figurative bullet there.

 

I cleared my voice first before even attempting to answer. Who would have thought that my experience with Mom for always calling me to wake me up would help me develop important split-decision-making skills on what to do here?

 

When I deemed myself ready enough, I answered the call.

 

"Liz, what's up?" I asked as casually as I could, being extra careful to leave out all the grogginess from my voice.

 

“Oh, just checking up on you to see if you're already awake.”

 

Does she know I only had just woken up!? Am I that obvious?! No calm down, she doesn't have any definitive proof here.

 

“I've been awake a while ago. Almost done getting ready," I lied to save face.

 

I'm supposed to be the mature one out of us both, I cannot appear the least bit irresponsible in front of her.

 

“That’s great! Rana and I are about to arrive there in a couple of minutes, wait for us there, okay?”

 

“S-sure... I'll just wait here... almost fully prepared for the trip..."

 

"Yeah, see you later!" she ended the call, oblivious to my current state of unpreparedness.

 

As the call ended, I hurried forth. As fast as I have ever been. I throw the blankets off and scramble out of bed, my heart pounding in my chest with how little time I have left to get ready. I rush to the bathroom to take a quick shower. Hygiene is important after all, no matter how in a rush I am.

 

After a quick clean, I immediately moved to the sink brushing my teeth while simultaneously trying to comb my hair. Now that is done, I moved to get dressed. I hastily pulled my clothes from the drawers, wearing the first clothes I found that vaguely matched. I can hear the tick-tock of the clock in my head, each second slipping away.

 

I packed light, only clothes to wear, and the necessities I needed for the week at the venue. The hotel we will be staying in is fully paid for by the event organizers. I heard rumors from Ray that the whole 5-star hotel was reserved by the management. I doubt they would be going that far, but considering the success of their advertisement team, they might do it to deter the paparazzi from going in and booking rooms just to take interviews or photos of the participants. Our safety is their responsibility after all and having a lot of people in the hotel would be a security hazard.

 

I already have my e-wallet but I still bought paper money just in case. I also did not forget my trusted pillow. A pillow is needed for me to sleep on a long drive after all. It has saved me in a lot of situations especially when I needed to pretend to sleep to avoid awkward conversations.

 

As I was close to getting ready, my doorbell suddenly rang. Wondering who it could be, I checked the camera app on my phone to find out the identity of the intruder. What I observed was my friend, her face lit up with anticipation, prepared for her long-awaited journey. I pondered momentarily how she managed to bypass security, but then I remembered that she was the only one to visit me because I didn’t have any other friends that do… how depressing.

 

The guards must have let her in cause she is the only one who occasionally visits to hang out with me(uninvited I might add) and I'm sure the guards must have known her by her charismatic looks and incredibly sociable aura by now. It doesn't help that her charming personality and friendliness can easily get people to lower their guard against her. If she ever decided to be a serial killer with her social skills, she might become the most dangerous one in the history of serial killers. Wait, why am I even thinking of serial killers?

 

I sighed to myself. My lack of sleep is making my brain think of weird stuff again.

 

I hastened to finish my arrangements so as not to keep my friend waiting too long. It would be exceedingly rude to do that to a guest, especially Liz. Once I had completed my final preparations, I promptly moved to the door to open it.

 

“You didn't have to come all the way here to fetch me. You could have simply called, and I would have come down to the ground floor to meet you,” I pointed out.

 

“It’s fine, it’s fine! I also wanted to say hello to the guards on my way here, also to give Lanny a souvenir I promised to give to her when I dropped by.”

 

“Lanny?”

 

“You know, the woman next to your room? I met her a while ago when we went up at the same time using the same elevator, don’t tell me you have not met her yet?” she briefly explained while looking at me with those judging eyes.

 

What the heck!? She's even more familiar with my neighbor than I have been in the past month! Just how formidable is this girl's social prowess?! I can’t let her know I haven’t even talked to my next-room neighbor a single time I’ve been here!

 

“O-oh- you mean Lan? I usually call her Lan to shorten it 'cause we are close.” I reasoned.

 

“Makes sense, even you are not unsociable enough to not even know your neighbor’s name, right?” she made an innocuous joke, which in fact, turned out to be the truth.

 

“O-of course! Anyways, I’m done preparing. Are we ready to head out?” I changed the subject to not get cornered.

 

“Yeah, all good. I’ll help you carry your luggage,” she cheerfully suggested.

 

“It’s fine, I got it.”

 

I only have two bags anyway that I could easily carry. There is no need for her to help me with such an easy task.

 

“Nope!” She playfully took the other bag I left on the floor when I opened the door, the heavier one at that… how chivalrous.

 

“Alright… thanks for the help…” I made sure to thank her for her efforts.

 

“Of course, anytime! I’m your one and only partner after all!” she declared while giving me a jovial wink.

 

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

 

Leaving my condominium, we made our way towards the parking lot located just outside. Liz took the lead, carrying my luggage, as we approached a silver-themed SUV. Looking at the car, its exterior gleams under the sunlight, reflecting a metallic silver hue that catches the eye. The smooth lines and curves of the SUV's body give it a streamlined and aerodynamic appearance. I do not know of the model or whatever the car is called since I’m no expert, but I could tell it is an electric self-driving car popular nowadays.

 

The window of the car opened, revealing a mature beauty on the driver’s seat.

 

“Oh my~, your friend looks more stunning in person, Liz. She might make it big in the modeling industry in the future. Perhaps she could give me her autograph before she becomes famous?”

 

This witch! Stop it with the autograph already! And please refrain from making such insinuations!

 

"Stop being weird, Rana. You're embarrassing me in front of my friend," Liz complained.

 

I didn't know you were even capable of being embarrassed, Liz. Still, good job reigning your witch of a cousin in, please keep it up!

 

We unceremoniously entered the car with Liz riding shotgun and me in the backseat.

 

“It's good to finally meet you in person Katherine~” Dust greeted me in her usual singsong voice as we settled down. “You know~ I heard much about you from Liz, she keeps talking about you non-stop whenever she has the chance.”

 

“Am not,” Liz instantly rebutted.

 

“You are though, remember when we were talking about good deodorant products? The topic instantly went to you wanting to have a sniff at Miss Katherine's armpits."

 

Liz instantly became beat red at that.

 

Meanwhile, I instantly went on a guarded stance with my arms crossed in an attempt to cover my entire body to protect myself from her problematic fetish.

 

I stared at Liz, unamused. I didn't know I had such a dangerously perverted friend.

 

Liz glanced at my judging eyes with a pleading look. "I-I swear it's not like that Kat!" she turned back to her cousin, eyes full of indignation. "At least add some context without making me look like a total sicko! We were talking about how someone smells without deodorant at that time! I just happen to use Kat as an example! And I never specifically said that I want a sniff at her armpits!" Liz cried at the injustice of it all.

 

Whew, good thing I'm not on the receiving end of her teasing this time. Good luck surviving this journey, Liz.

 

The drive to our next stop went... not uneventful to say the least. One thing is for sure, Liz probably regretted bringing me along to the ride with her cousin now. Still, it was a positive experience for me. It's delightful to know that Liz still sleeps with a stuffed toy she named Eggy up to this day. That is honestly too adorable for my mature imagination.

 

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

As we arrived at a parking place close to where we were supposed to meet Chu, Liz opened the door of the car.

 

"I'll just go get our last passenger, want to come with me, Kat?" she queried before she got out of the car.

 

"Sure," I nodded as I got out of the vehicle.

 

Being left alone inside a car with a serial killer inside seems like a better choice than being left alone with this dangerous woman with how she brutally massacred Liz's dignity a while ago.

 

"You girls can take your time~. We're still ahead of the schedule, no need to rush. I'll just wait here for you two~," she waved us both goodbye.

 

"Sorry, you had to hear most of those embarrassing things. She honestly likes to exaggerate things so please don't get any weird ideas about whatever she says."

 

"I don’t mind. I already knew of her personality way back when we met alone at her office. I don't really take most of what she says seriously anymore," I reassured her.

 

Thinking about it now, it was an unforgettable experience for me, with her expertly trapping me and deducing that Yuusha, my sister's account, is somehow related to me.

 

"That's good. I spent a lot of time with her so I got used to her antics by now. Although, I didn't expect someone as serious as you to get used to her this fast."

 

That explains a lot of things. I’m sure if I had a cousin like her, I would be as thick-skinned as Liz too. Not that I would ever hope to be related to that fox… never in a million years.

 

Our walk continued, with us chatting at the same time as we headed to our destination. We reached a suburban house tucked away at the end of the street. Its weathered exterior showed signs of age, with patches of peeling paint that exposed the worn wood underneath. The porch, once lively, now sagged slightly under the weight of time.

A makeshift clothesline extended from one corner of the house to a slightly tilted pole, displaying laundry that appeared to have endured numerous washes.

 

I’ve never been to this suburban part of the city. Is this his home? I was a bit shocked by the state of the house. It was run down, different from what I imagined a classy guy like to be living in.

 

“I don’t see any door Cam anywhere. Should we knock or shout?” Liz caught my attention.

“Please don’t disturb the neighbors this early in the morning. Just phone call Chu to notify him that we arrived,” I pleaded.

 

“Oh, nice idea,” Liz approved as she tried to call our resident Edge lord.

 

Liz held her phone near her ears for a couple of seconds before she spoke.

 

“Hello, Chu… Yes… Ok, we will wait here,” Liz put down her phone before turning to me. “He said that we should wait here.”

 

Well, that was a hospitable gesture. Although, it is to be expected from him after all.

 

Liz and I spent the time chatting while waiting for our VIP. A minute or two later, the door opened revealing our last member of this trip.

 

“Morning Chu!” Liz cheerfully greeted him.

 

After greeting Liz back, he turned to me with an acknowledging nod. A well-mannered gesture that I politely returned.

 

“Are your parents home? I want to meet them before we go!” Liz requested.

 

What?! That doesn't sound good. His parents strike me as strict. I wouldn't want to get scolded by befriending him. I got to reign in Liz’s penchant for socializing in this one.

 

“We don't want to impose, and I'm sure Rana is waiting for us, Liz.”

 

“Let her wait, this is payback for earlier. Besides she already said that we're ahead of schedule,” Liz expertly refuted my attempt to lessen our time interacting with others.

 

Thankfully, it was Chu who rejected the suggestion.

 

"She's not here, perhaps another time. Let's get going," he quickly dismissed, to the point of almost being apprehensive at the idea of us meeting his parents.

 

Liz quickly bounced back, leading the way back to the SUV. After a couple of minutes of walking, we arrived at the destination where the fox was waiting outside the car in the parking area, e-cigar at hand. She observed Chu with her perceptive eyes as we got close.

 

“So, this is your last member? Oh my~ Liz, you forgot to mention that he is quite the looker.”

 

“Please stop with the teasing already,” Liz sighed, a bit fed up.

 

“Thank you for letting me join the trip,” Chu, for his part, politely showed his gratitude towards the undeserving fox.

 

“Oh~ no need to be so formal around me, just treat me like your big sister, okay?”

 

“…I’ll try.”

 

We all entered the car, ready to go after Chu arranged his luggage at the back of the SUV.

 

"Well then, let's get the road trip going~" Rana Cheered as she stepped on the pedal.

 

“Yeah!” Liz exclaimed.

 

Both Chu and I kept silent, us both situated in the backseat. As much as I like to say I’m on close terms with him… sadly, I’m not. We rarely engage in conversation, even during the scrim matches we play, as both of us are rather quiet individuals.

 

I usually only talk with Liz and occasionally, Renz. On the other hand, he mostly converses with Renz as they both share some sort of rivalry. Renz strives to defeat him, while Chu is determined not to lose and be surpassed.

 

Well, this is kinda awkward.

 

"So, uh, nice weather we have today," I instinctively blurted out to reduce the awkwardness, resulting in a more awkward atmosphere.

 

He looked at me like I had grown a second head before replying, “…Yes, it is.”

 

After his curt response, he returned to gazing out of the window, the awkwardness hanging on us like a dark cloud, refusing to dissipate. It's as if time itself has decided to slow down, prolonging the discomfort indefinitely.

 

At least I tried, you know! Note to future self: no talking about the weather as ice breakers.

 

I mentally sighed. This is going to be a long trip.

 

Welp, good thing I brought my trusted pillow to get me out of this situation. And maybe even catch up on my recently interrupted sleep.