CHAPTER 1

Chapter 1

My phone beeped inside my pocket. I took it out and saw my girl best friend’s name, Iris, in my phone's screen. I excitedly pressed the answer button. I have a crush on her since we were on seventh grade. But she is not aware of my feelings.

No one is aware of my gender because I keep on hiding it. I am a lesbian by the way but I am not a cross-dresser so no one really knows. I also have long hair and wear dresses, but I don’t know how to put make up on my face. I don't even know how to properly comb my hair. I just roll it in a circular motion until it forms a bun on the top of my head.

I keep on chewing my bubble gum when suddenly a loud voice coming from the other line of the phone shouted. Ouch, my eardrums! Here she comes again. She's too loud.

“Princess, are you there? I’ve been talking to you and keep on repeating my question for the nth times but you weren't answering. You look like you're on your own world again. Didn’t I tell you to stop that habit of yours when you are at a public place, did I? Hey, Princess, are you even listening?” Iris reprimanded, complaining about my daydreaming habit. I wasn’t daydreaming earlier. I was just introducing myself. I snorted.

What did I like about this girl? Yes, she’s nagger but I don't know what's gotten into my mind why I’m into her for so long—eversince we were in high school. I don't know either. Maybe it was really love. I rolled my eyes mentally because of that thought.

"Hey, girl, what’s up? Are you still there?” she asked me, trying to pull herself from… annoyance. I guess so. Every time she had period, she behaves like this. Well, I’m used to it anyway. And she’s my girl best friend after all who happened to be my crush for a long time.

“Just wait me there. I am going home,” I told her.

“Did you buy the right brand of my pads?” she said, asking for assurance if I had bought the sanitary napkin with four wings that can absorb liquids five times faster than any other brand out there. She's too picky when it comes to choosing the suited brand of pads during her period.

“Yeah, I've bought the same brand as you used last month. So calm down there, okay? You are like an old woman having a menopause again,” I responded to her, trying to calm her.

“I’m sorry. I just couldn't take it anymore. It feels unpleasantly warm and humid. So hurry up there. I’ve been waiting for you here in our apartment for almost thirty minutes now. I just couldn’t take it anymore, Princess,” she complained to me, reiterating what she had said in order to emphasize her frustration.

“Yes. I’m on my way home. Just turn off the call,” I said to her on the line and then hurriedly rode my bike home to our apartment.

But I immediately braked my two-wheeled vehicle when I saw a burning hospital building. In its situation, it is very difficult to prevent the fire from spreading because it has almost consumed the entire building. There’s no hope anymore to save that building from destruction. It kept on emitting black smokes coming out from the windows, thickening on the establishment’s rooftop. Fortunately, it looks like the people in it got out right away. And that’s a relief for me.

I was about to leave but was again stopped when I saw an old woman asking for help through the window of a room on the second floor of the hospital.

“Mr. Firefighter, there’s a grandmother on the second floor of the hospital, pleading for help. Save her from that raging fire, please!” I begged to a man holding a water host while aiming it to the burning hospital. I, then, pointed my index finger at the window where the old woman was.

“What are you talking about? I can't see any old woman pleading for help. And besides, it is impossible for anyone to survive in that kind of situation anymore if ever it is true that there was someone trapped inside the building,” the fireman told me and it seemed like he didn’t care what will happen on that old woman. I got annoyed because of his behavior. We are talking about life here. Did he really consider himself as a firefighter? He's such a coward. I glared at him as he turned his back on me.

I was just pissed off with that useless fireman so I moved to his fellow firefighter busy with his water host focusing on the burning building but it looks like he also doesn't want to help the old woman. He said that it is very dangerous to go there and there's no helping it anymore. There’s no chance for survival. He also said to me that he has a family to feed and there is no person who will march to his own grave. But I guess... I was the only fool to do that. Argh, I don't what to do now. Whatever!

Lord, please take care of me. If I die doing this, please just tell Iris what I feel for her and hopefully when she finds out, she will still go to my funeral and will not be afraid of my spirit just in case you give me a chance to show up to her. Lord, I've been kind ever since my childhood days, haven't I? I hope you will forgive me because I like my fellow women and fantasize about them every night. Amen.

I blew an air from my mouth after I stated my prayer. I dared to face the burning building even though people shouted at me not to do it. I did not listen to them. It would be better for me to die here than to live for a long time with my conscience bothering me.

I kept on evading the falling burning debris from the ceiling until I reached the second floor of the hospital. I searched the room where the old woman was while enduring the very hot temperature biting into my skin. When I was sure I had found the room, I broke down its door.

The old woman sitting in the hospital bed greeted me and seemed to be waiting for my arrival. She smiled at me which caused me to be very surprised.

“Grandma, come on. I need to get you out of here before the fire caught us.” I quickly ran to her and then helped her stand on her feet. But I immediately stopped when she grabbed my arm.

“It is okay, child. You can go out from this burning building now. I'm happy to know that there's someone who still cares about a worthless old woman like me. I'm really happy. I'll finally be able to rest now," she said softly to me along with the creaking noise of the burning ceiling.

“Huh? W-what are you saying, Grandma? Let's go—”

“My child, this is just only my apparition, a soul in other words. I’m not going to die anymore because I am already dead. I’m not leaving this room because I’m waiting for my grandson but he never came to even find out if I’m still alive. No one cares about an old woman like me, but, you are a proof that I am wrong. Thanks a lot. I’m ready to leave now and have my way to heaven. Be careful coming out of the building, okay?” the old woman revealed to me that made my whole system shutdown for a moment. I became dumbfounded of what I've heard from her. But I came back to my senses when I heard the ceiling starting to collapse.

“What?!? Are you kidding me, Grandma? I gambled my life just for a soul? Grandma, stop this nonsense. Let’s get out of here,” I told to her firmly and was about to grab her hand but I can’t touch her. She just smiled at me. Where did she get her guts to smile in this kind of horrible situation? And now, I am starting to panic. My hands were quivering while profuse cold sweats kept on rolling down to my face.

She placed her hand on my head and gently caressed my hair even though she can’t touch me.

“You’re a good person, Princess. There’s a reason why this is happening to you right now. Just trust me,” she calmly mentioned to me and then slowly disappeared from my sight. Hair stood up all over my body when he called me by my name. What am I going to do now? It’s getting hotter.

“Ouch!” I shouted when my skin got burns. I just frowned and bit my lower lip to endure the pain. I need to get out from this building before I became a roasted human meat.

I strongly tapped my feet on the floor because of my foolishness, creating a thud. All my sacrifices came to nothing. Suddenly, a warm liquid rolled down to my face.

I ran towards the door but suddenly the ceiling collapsed so I fell back a few meters from it. The black smoke began to thicken inside the room. I slumped on the floor until my chest tightened. I patted it a few times with my clenched fist but no matter what I did, I couldn’t breathe properly. The black smoke is suffocating me.

“Help! Somebody… please help me!” I desperately cried. I couldn't help it anymore but to burst out into tears. My knees were shaking and as time passed by, I was losing my strength.

“H-help… please s-someone help me.”

“Report: Special Appraisal Skill, Virtual Assistant, successfully acquired!” Suddenly, a male voice spoke and it echoed in my mind. But I just ignored it maybe because I was just hallucinating. I massaged my neck, trying to remove the lump blocking my throat. D*mn, the thick smoke was suffocating me.

“Report: Simple Skill, Suffocation Nullification, acquired!” I creased my forehead out of confusion. What was that voice? I was having delusions again. Not now please. I don’t want to daydream in this kind of desperate situation.

“Report: Unique Skill, Illusion Manipulation, acquired!”

D*mn, what was that? Now, it starting to scare the hell out of me. Maybe this is what happens to people who are about to die. I heaved a deep sigh mentally. Am I just going to accept my fate? How I wish I had the courage to tell Iris all the love I feel for her.

“Report: Special skill, Leo, the Zodiac of pride and bravery, acquired!”

I’m really going to die. There's no helping it. There was no hope anymore for me to survive in this lake of fire. It’s like I’m in hell right now.

“Report: Special Skill, Purgatory, acquired!”

I still have many dreams in life. I still want to build my own company and feel how to be a boss. I’m tired of being submissive to everyone. Hopefully in the next life, I will at least feel that I am on top.

“Report: Special Skill, Grandmaster, acquired!”

My chest throbbed loudly. I just ignored the voice that had been speaking to my mind. It might only be my imagination.

“Report—”

“Hey, can you just stop blabbering things I didn't understand. You are driving me crazy. My breasts hurt even more because of your babblings,” I complained to the voice in my mind.

“You are only imagining. You have no breasts. Report: Unique Skill, Limited Horizon, acquired!” the voice persisted to speak. What the fudge! Where did it get the guts to criticize me?

As time went on, my breathing and my eyelids became heavier. Soon, I was nauseous on the floor and lost consciousness. Death was really coming for me. Maybe I should accept my fate now and ask for God’s forgiveness already before my judgement happens. How I wish I would go to heaven and not in the other way around.