Not So Empty House (Part 5)

I look around, feeling the flushing coming up my neck and through my throat right inside my poppy-like head. My fingers nervously shook and the guilt pressure started compressing my mind into a square. Allen was sitting in one place looking more and more lifeless and dull. Brain kept sending shivers up and down my spine whenever my eye caught up with his motionless expression. Right, I need to act quickly! I nimbly turned around and hurried in the kitchen. There's gotta be something with caffeine! I opened a fridge that's leaning over one of the kitchen's beige walls and from the left side of our kitchen table. I pull the handle and look inside. Lots and lots of dairy products. Flavored milk? No. Eggs, veggies, yogurts, pack of disgusting olives, tuna, even a freaking bento?! Some of the rice balls seem a bit after their expiration date. Ew.. I look on the shelf attached to the inner side of the fridge's door. Lemons, horseradish- hang on.. I look lower and notice a can. An energy drink. Perfect! I snatch the drink and look at its composition in the back. Yep, sugar and caffeine. Who even drinks this crap? I raise my eyebrow, wondering what kind of trash could let this flow inside their own body and affect it. Long story short, it contains what I need to resurrect that indulged addict. I bring it with me and hurry back over to Allen.

"Here!"

I push the can of energy drink in his face.

"It's an energy drink, I found it in the fridge, it's the same crap like your caffei- I mean, drink it! Hurry up and drink it already!"

Allen only limply turns his head in my direction, half-closed eyes flutter open as soon as I speak up to him. He looks like as if he's just lost a piece of his mind, I gulp, I feel quite uneasy from all the sudden, looking at him from above like this. But in conclusion, he unexpectedly grips the can with haste, without a further inspection of the drink he was holding, he severely opens up the can's seal. Tss, the can sibilates and Allen hustles the fluid in apace. The view was thrilling. I didn't really know if its gonna work, after all, Allen doesn't drink energy drinks and in fact - He and I hate them. My eyes slid away from him and stared at the ground tensed, all I hear is swallowing, gobbling sound formed in Allen's throat.

"Aaaaah..."

Not so long after I continuously start staring at the ground, a long tender exhale comes out of addicts mouth. I instinctively raise my head and pierce the man with my widen shaking eyes. Did it work? My mind lights up with excitement from my task's visible success. Allen holds the can with strange facility, no-no, just when a smile sprouted on my face - he compresses the can tightly within his hand out of the blue. My heart jumps.

"Thanks.."

He mumbles and links his grey eyes with mine. I feel strange sync, yet, I'm so uncomfortable whenever I feel his look on me. I nod and fold my arms as if nothing happened, moreover the vibe he threw at me with increasing doses. Like a radiation.

"Don't bump into me while holding a cup of coffee next time, understood? It's more dangerous than sad, not just losing a last pack of my favourite drink - but, you or I could've gotten burnt."

His expression rapidly changes into a cheerful and heartening grin. I couldn't process it, I couldn't make any connections in my brain. I just glared with mildly pouting lips.

"Well, it would be you who'd get burnt on 100%. I can not simply burn myself like this!"

Another cold shiver runs down my spine as he predicts me getting injured in most cases than him. Unfortunately, he's right. Allen is just so extraordinary, odd and abnormal. You never know what he's thinking about, you never know how he feels. For some reason though, he's the only member of our family I can always relate to, even if we're greatly unlike and different from each other. Allen leans over the couch to stand up. Not so clumsy, looking pretty vivid and all. I'm standing next to him, feeling small and short, after all he's about 180 cm tall..and I'm about 173 cm tall, but I'm still catching up to him. Still holding that destroyed can, he tilts his head and laughs.

"Stop staring like this, go get yourself dressed properly, you're still in your pyjamas." I look down and reach my hands in front of my blushy face.

"O-oh! Right! I'd totally forgot!"

"Hm hm!"

I look back at Allen and rub my eyes.

"I'm sorry for the coffee waste.."

He blinks twice before patting me on my head.

"That's okay, it happens. I'll tell Bream to buy me a whole new packing of soluble coffee! I also have to remind her about the stolen bag, you know her, she'd totally forget about that~"

Allen winks and flicks my forehead. I was just about to say something, all I do is that I shut my mouth and puff my cheeks angrily. I'm a puffer fish. I think to myself when making such derpy face. He grabs my cheeks and pulls them to sides, playing with them.

"Pfffff! Haha! A hamster!"

I take his hands away and flick his nose instead.

"Idiot! I'm a puffer fish!"

He frowns and grabs his chin, looking thoughtfully in a hilarious comical sense.

"Right, right.. you're right."

Allen mumbles again. It makes me grin teasingly. I watch this being standing in front of me in hidden awe and astonishment. I regard him with a cocked head and smirk in the corner of my lips. I keep thinking about yesterday. Sensing my joyful aura, Allen's eyelids sink lower glaring at me tiredly. He obviously expects me to want something, so he asks. My hands are abound with cold sweat and my tongue flickers into a stutter.

"Y- You know, you fascinate me.."

I pause my sentence and quickly run my eyes over Allen who seems somehow starled by my words. Go on. I can hear him saying that inside my head.

"I was wondering, you've- you've never really told Me what your role here really is...-"

I pause again to check on him. I can't decide between millions of thoughts running through my head, but how am I supposed to describe his swirling expression into words. Is he intrigued? Disturbed? Weirded out.. flattered even? I hesitantly continue.

"And.. - like, you don't have to tell me! I was just wondering, you know, since.. we all have a role! Right?! Hahah!"

A nervous laugh kicks in.

"'Cause Bream is a Guardian, caring and protective! Andy is an Observer, silent but helpful! Camille is a Comet type, always in a rush and stubborn, yet so brisk and perky.. and.."

I take a breath.

"And me, a Puppet type.."

Allen narrows eyes and breaks my sentence in half. Startlingly.

"I'm a Puppet type just like you, Cherril."

Lie

My eyes widen from surprise, my knees almost give in from his unexpected answer. My mouth feels dry and sour. My faces gets paler, pallid, sallow.. my spirit sinks into a black mass.

"A-Are you?!"

I blurt out. Allen nods and laughs.

"What did you thought?"

He asks and I immediately hit him with my answer.

"An Alien, or Shapeshifter! Krampus!"

I name all my early ideas and suspicions of Allen. When I first saw him, I thought of an Alien because he seemed too pale to be a human. In other cases, I started to think he might be a Shapeshifter. I always noticed various beasts swirling deep in the reflections of his own eyes. Even Krampus type thought slithered into my mind, knowing how scary those types are, his anger would always remind me of them. He's too inhuman, there's no way he's a human! I stand in front of him with my fists clenched and my position resembled a playful whelp. Thereafter Allen started laughing abruptly. Loudly and falsely, or was it really THAT entertaining? I freeze.

"W-what's wrong..?"

I ask with shaky voice. He looks down at me, leaning above me quite. With a grin and eyes sparkling.

"Cherril-dear, was that a joke? Alien, me? Shapeshifter? Krampus? Cherril, I'm merely a normal being like you, a Puppet! Don't make me get a stomachache."

I feel something off about him. I know he's dishonest, lying. I watch him as he laughs in my face convulsed. You're bad at pretending, Allen. I move my head away from him and frown with a slight sign of revulsion. He follows and grabs my shoulder, shaking with me lighly.

"Hey, hey, hey, hey, hey.."

He says.

"I'm no fool."

To be continued