Chapter 4 - Distractions

I woke up in her room and immediately I looked at the clock. It was 8 in the morning. Surprisingly I woke up early today, maybe it's because the alarm clock of Lumina was set for that specific time. I guess she had school, but more importantly, I needed to get out of here before her dad notices. I got up from the floor, still wearing messed up clothes from my fight last night. I felt my face and there were bandages stuck to it thanks to Lumina's urge to heal all the wounds. But, the again, it was for the best. I then went near her computer table and saw my phone there, I picked it up and saw a text message. It was from Raziel. I opened it and saw the message, it stated there:

Nice job last night, Silver Shadows are ahead in the game now - R

Just as I suspected, Raziel was grateful for our tandem for recovering the metal that was in the factory. I bet Samiel already hauled the stuff over to our den and probably wanted wanted to utilize the stuff already. I was still standing inside Lumina's room when I saw her go in. Her hair was still somewhat wet probably because she already showered. She was dressed casually, wearing a white shirt with a picture of a dragon on it, her pants were plain black jeans and she had simple sneakers on. 

"Don't you have school today? Classes start at 30 mins." I told her.

"Classes were cancelled today." She replied. "Teachers are on strike so they had to close the school for a week. It was on the news." she added.

"How'd you find out about this?" I asked her again.

"A friend of mine messaged me on my phone." Lumina replied to me.

"Ahh." I replied to her.

"So you have any plans for today?" She asked me.

"I dunno. I'll probably go back to the gang den and check stuff out." I replied to her.

"Did you already have something to eat?" She asked me.

To be honest I was already famished since last night. I had nothing to eat at dinner and I sure as hell could use a meal right now. I checked my pockets if I have some cash left, but yeah no dice. I probably left my money in the cash box in the gang den.

"Nah it's okay." I lied to her. I'll just get some stuff from the den and go out for some fast food.

"We have some food. Do you want some?" She asked me.

"Your dad doesn't know that I'm here." I told her bluntly.

"He just left. He had to leave early because he had a conference." Lumina replied.

So me and Lumina we're alone at her house? A guy like me and a girl like her? Suddenly nasty thoughts of me and her began running through my head like wildfire. Crap this wasn't the best time to be thinking about this. Since when did I become a perv like Samiel? Damn I should stop hanging with that guy for a while.

"Well if you insist." I told her.

"Alright. I'll prepare the food downstairs." She said bluntly and left her room.

Then I suddenly remembered that I had a pack of cigarettes in my pocket. I could use a smoke right now so I fiddled my pocket to check if I still had them. Crap, my pack was gone. I checked on the computer table if it was there but no luck. I sighed heavily and just went to the her bathroom inside her room. There was a mirror and I saw my reflection. I guess people were right, I'm living a pretty fucked up life right now. And then I saw it, right there my box of cigarettes was drenched heavily in water in her sink.

"Lumina." I said with an angry face as I went down to her kitchen. I saw her with a smug face while preparing breakfast for the both of us.

She probably noticed that I had pissed off look at my face. I knew immediately that it was her that drenched my cigarettes in her sink. I guess she had something against people who smoke.

"Why would you do such a thing??? That was an expensive pack!" I told her in a pleading voice.

"Smoking kills." She replied bluntly.

"You know I can burn your house down in a flash right?" I threatened her.

"I know. But I know you won't." She said to me and that irritated me a little bit because I knew she was right. I can't burn her house down even if I tried. I owed her for letting me stay in her home and treating my wounds. It turns out that Lumina is not all that docile. She was good at mind games and I certainly am falling for her tricks.

I sat down on her table and saw the food that she prepared. It was a bowl of rice and some toppings which looked good enough to eat. I begun to dig in and the food tasted good. I saw her then looking at me while I eat. It kinda irritated me a little.

"What?" I told her.

"You eat like a pig." She replied to me.

"Well I haven't had food since last night what do you expect?" I replied to her.

She was trying to irritate me on purpose and I tried not falling for her mind games now because if I did, I would lose an all out wit war against her. This girl was way different from the girl I met in the central square. Who knew that she would be like a rock with jagged edges?

"Are you always this irritating?" I asked her.

"Nope, only to some people." Lumina replied.

"Well am I some people??" I asked her again, yeah I was falling to her trap as she planned.

"You're barely a person." She replied with a smug face.

Damn, she was trying to irritate me on purpose, and I was a sitting duck. She knew I couldn't hit her so she was really trying to push me over the edge. I had finished eating and put the bowl in the sink. She had finished eating as well and put hers in the sink. I made my way to her front door without talking to her due to reasons that she was kind of irritating. She followed me to the front door and immediately said.

"Are you leaving already?" 

"Well that's the point of me walking to the front door right?" I replied to her bluntly.

I saw her facial expression changed from a smile to no emotion at all. 

"I know you'll miss me." I blurted out in a sarcastic manner.

She punched me in the arm, hard. Wow for a girl she knows how to hit in a powerful way. 

"You can't leave yet, you owe me." She said.

"WHAT???" I screamed. 'Last time I checked I didn't need your help!" I added.

It was a scheme, all of it. Her cleaning my wounds, offering me a place to stay for the night and giving me food. Now I was thinking what have I gotten myself into.

"You're going to help me run some errands today, since school's out." Lumina had said as she looked at me in the eyes. Those blue eyes of hers were a trap. It was like they had the power to make you say yes at her every whim.

"Who knew you'd be this pushy?" I said to her.

"I'm not!" Lumina shouted at me. "Now you'll help me run some errands today." she added.

"Or what?" I said as I looked at her straight in the eye.

"You owe me." She replied to me,

And in a flash, I found myself walking with her on the way to the mall at the Grand State district which was the district next to St. Marks. It was going to be a long walk because I didn't have money to take a cab and she refused to take a cab because it was her that was going to pay. Crap, I fell for her mind tricks again. I knew I had to go back to the den but I couldn't because she was right. I owe her my survival from last night. 

"What exactly are we going to do at the mall at Grand State? You getting a makeover? Because you certainly could use one." I told her. I was trying to irritate her.

"Funny. I'm not the one with bandages all over my face." She replied.

She has attitude. No wonder she can't get a boyfriend even with her looks she's as cold as ice. 

"Well what are you going to do in the mall?" I asked her in a straight forward manner.

"I'm just going grocery shopping, I just need to pick up some stuff." She said to me.

"Then why the hell am I going with you?" I told her.

"The bags are heavy." She replied.

"So you want me to carry them for you? You do realize that I'm injured right?" I said to her while pointing at the bandages on my face.

"Don't worry, you can do it." She told me bluntly. At that moment I really thought that if she wasn't a girl I would've hit her flush in the face.

We finally made it to the mall and immediately we went to the grocery department. She picked out some stuff as she said which were bread, meat, eggs and etc. We made our way to the cashier, she was walking beside me while I was pushing her cart of groceries. She had bought so many, probably this would last 3 weeks in her pantry so she wouldn't need to shop immediately. The cashier wrapped the stuff in paper bags and all in all there two paper bags that were very big. Lumina had asked to rent a cart outside of the mall and she was allowed to do so. I still pushed the rented cart though. We went outside the mall and I knew it was going to be along walk again. IT would really be hard for me because I was the one pushing the heavy cart filled with her groceries.

"So you eat all of this food by yourself? I'm surprised that you're not fat." I said as I tried to irritate her again. I checked my phone and it was already 11:00. I should really be getting back at the den. 

"Ha-ha." She just said with sarcasm. "This food is for me and my dad. It would last us 3 weeks before I go shopping again." She said to me.

We walked our way and it was a really long walk. St. Marks was pretty far from the Grand State district and I was already feeling exhausted from pushing the cart. My injuries have healed though it's just that the sun was way up in the sky giving out excess heat that I didn't need. Then that was when it hit me, I saw the Grand State park which was the land mark that we were nearing St. Marks district. 

"Look Lumina, I'm getting kinda tired why don't we rest at the park first?" I asked her. 

"Fine. But only because you asked nicely." She replied and smiled at me. I can't believe it, I felt like a pet dog being walked by my master.

We made our way in the park and immediately saw a bench. I parked up the cart near the bench and sat close to it. I moved so that Lumina can have a seat on the bench as well. I checked out her shopping and there was an ice cream packet in the bags. I took one and gave it to her, she was feeling somewhat hot and I knew that this would cool her off.

"Thanks." She said to me as she opened and began eating the ice cream on a stick. Crap I could use a smoke right now, I'm feeling the stress of not having a cigarette.

"I still haven't forgotten what you did to me." I blurted out.

"Which is what?" She asked me as she was licking the ice cream.

But before I could reply, I was cut off by a guy that noticed Lumina at the park bench. He had blue hair and brown eyes, he was wearing a red shirt with and with black jeans and white shoes. His face had that smug look on it and I wanted to bury that f****r under the ground. A sight of that guy just irritated me, then I saw the insignia on his right arm. I knew that mark immediately, the guy's a gang banger just like me.

"Hey there beautiful." The blue haired man said with a smug tone.

"Not now Noire, I'm not in a mood to play one of your lame games." Lumina replied. She knew him, probably went to the same school as her.

"That hurt me sweetie." Noire had said to her. F****r had no respect for Lumina. "You know you enjoy my games right? I always do when you're at school." he added.

He grabbed Lumina by the arm and pulled her close to him. 

"You can't resist me babe, one day you'll just have to accept that you like me." Noire had said.

"You wish!" Lumina had said as she slapped Noire right in the cheek and kicked him on the shin. I saw the guy kneel from the pain as he was rubbing his shin.

"That's it. I'm done playing nice." Noire had said as he went near Lumina again, but this time I cut him off by gripping his wrist.

"Too close for comfort f****r." I blurted out.

He looked at me with those smug eyes of his which I didn't like very much. I wanted to bury the guy's head under ground and stomp his face until he died.

"Who the f**k are you?" Noire had asked me.

"My name's not important." I replied as I threw him at a far direction but, to my surprise he landed swiftly on the ground.

"Strong hands. I'll keep that in mind." Noire had said to me.

"Quick reflexes." I replied to him. 

Noire wasn't an ordinary guy. I had a feeling that he had a trick or two up his sleeve.

"Well, isn't it a little hot today? Why don't you take your time and cool off!" He said as he conjured water out of thin air. The guy was a water manipulator. He aimed the water straight at Lumina but fortunately I got there in time and vaporized the water with my flames.

"Well well, a Fire Manipulator. This seems interesting." Noire had said. "You must be a gang member." he added.

"So what if I am? I could say the same thing for you." I said as I still held blue flame in my hands.

I looked at Lumina and she was surprised at what she saw. She had never thought that Noire can manipulate water. She had always thought that she was a jerk based from her looks but she never knew that he had that power.

"Lumina, get out of here." I told her. "You need to protect the groceries and hide somewhere." 

"You can't tell me what to do." Lumina replied to me.

"This isn't the time to be playing your tricks on me." I replied to her.

"I'm staying." She said.

"Fine! Just get out of the way and protect the groceries." I told her as she moved out of the way. 

"Well, are you ready?" Noire had said to me as he took some water out of the nearby pond in the park.

"I was born ready." I said as I wrapped my hands in flames and rushed towards the water manipulator.