It doesn't end

7. Nadia 

I jolted as the truck passed a bump, making me groan out in pain. The wood must’ve shifted to an awkward angle behind my neck while I was sleeping. As if on cue, I overheard a laugh sound from the drivers upfront, and a wave of irritation shot through me. Those bastards, I cursed before turning my eyes elsewhere. 

How strange... I dug around to ease the pressure in my ear. The pain distorted my hearing, which shot a jolt of panic through me. You're so stupid, Nadia. Falling asleep just like that. The voice in my head pinged around like thorns, making me crankier than usual. 

A small finger jutted out from under a worn tunic sleeve. It didn’t take long to realize who they aimed the jab towards.

“Did you see how she was snoring?” The older of the two boys asked.

They snickered, imitating my face rather hideously. I stared at them, blank. Is this your first time seeing someone sleep?

“Yea yea, put up with it,” I said tiredly.

I shooed their laughter away with the flick of a hand and stretched out my sore muscles. If anything, their glee brought me a wave of nostalgia. A true smile was rare to find among these kids. Especially one with mirth.

It made me realize how even a change of expression can reveal a glimpse of a person's nature. Although for them, I only notice the pain.

Living was definitely a pain for everyone. Living. Pleasing. Satisfying. I shuddered. 

I shifted around before noticing the grainy texture covering my clothes. Sand? I thought. The ripple of the shabby strung tarp caught my attention. As I rubbed the crick in my collarbone dumbfounded, I wondered why put up a tarp in the first place? Instead of keeping sand out, the tarp trapped it inside proving itself to be a nuisance at this point.

The tarp slapped against my neck as I turned to relieve the pain. It rustled in delight, as though it had fun playing with me. More laughter followed, and I frowned. Agh, just my luck, being caught up with this lot. I looked at the lady in front, choosing to ignore the raucous boys. Why look at this. She was much relaxed, seeing that half the wood on her side wasn’t there.

Gee, I wonder why.

The aunty regarded me with a snark before returning to her newspaper. I wanted to question the playful look in her eyes, but I digress. I’d laugh if I saw my state, too. 

“Almaḥaṭṭati alttāliyatu hiya, byalawna!” the hoarse voice rang out from the front. 

Palawana’s the next stop. I yawned but closed my mouth as the old lady widened her eyes, seeing my face. 

“What’s up, granny?” I asked. I wiped the tears in my eyes and then realized. 

“STOP! STOP THE DAMNED VAN!” her hollering set us into a frenzy. 

“Maam, what-” the curly-headed boy said. 

“Grandma, be quiet, please-” the other groaned. 

But her response fell short. She clutched at her throat in a rather dramatic fashion. We all quietened down to allow her some space to breathe. When will this hag calm down, I thought annoyed, she's obviously putting on an act. 

Seconds spanned, and sweat trickled down the side of my face. Red scratches marked her neck and her breath came in shallow spurts. It's not an act you goddamned fool. 

“YAH! STOP THE VAN!” I screamed, seeing the lady’s face paling by the second.  

“Don’t touch me, you witch, shame on you! Shame! Shame!!” she sputtered, convulsing in her seat before passing out. 

They looked at me as the van shuttered to a halt. Look at their suspecting eyes. I gulped. Palawana was right there. I needed to divert their attention. 

“Get the water.” I directed, but no one moved.  

“Get off the truck.” Curly countered. 

I squeezed his face and smiled. 

“Boy, if I was a witch, half the Empire woulda been on my ass.”  

His eyes hardened as he swung out with a knife from underneath. 

“Ayo, don’t pull that on me now,” I said, gripping the handle in the pocket of my cloak. 

“KEEP THE KNIVES AWAY!” the driver up front screamed. 

Oh, so they can speak in our dialect now?

“Sir, I wasn’t bringing out any knife.”

I raised my hands, and the boy relaxed. Although his movements were tensed. Who knew what this chump would do, I gritted my teeth, impatient. 

“Here, I’ll get off ya?” I hopped out, showing them I’m, in fact, not a danger. 

The vehicle spun around and made a detour, leaving me in a cloud of dust. I stood there, confused why I was such a threat to them. Even if I’m a witch (which I’m technically not), I literally can’t cast any spells in this vicinity. In the case I do, the magic system automatically catches it, and traces the tracks. In front of so many witnesses, that’s the dumbest idea ever.

“Humph, whatever.” It’s not like it’d kill me to walk the rest of the path.

I set out at a light jog, unintimidated by my circumstance. I live in Palawana, underneath a noodle shop if you’re wondering. Shabby, but quiet and comfortable. And, I get free meals sometimes, so there’s nothing terrible about it… I think. The only weird thing about my home is the leasers. I’ve already been living with them for a few years now. Yet they remain so cautious around me, bruh.

The thought of being cautious reminded me of something.

After giving it some more thought, I paused.

Why’d that hag scream after seeing my face? I questioned, suspicious of what she saw exactly. 

It couldn’t be, right?

Even if she saw the scar, it shouldn’t be that big of a deal. Unless she knew me from back at the palace. I lose track of thought as I glance at my feet. I could hardly see where I’m going.

I pull out a polished stick and thumbed the smooth edges. No, it’s not a magic wand, haha. It’s a wood medium to cast spells. Using palm tree twigs as wood mediums is fairly easy to achieve, but they're basically one-time-use plates if you think about it. Temporary but useful.

They’re not used anymore since better all-purpose mediums are being sold. The use of these stick mediums is uncommon nowadays, but who am I to complain. I’m not gonna spend my money to buy an expensive one when I can get those for free.

“Lavantho.” I whisper and blow. The tip of my makeshift wand produces an incandescent glow. 

The moon hangs bright enough in the sky to provide enough light, but just in case, so I don’t encounter any snakes on the ground. I smile, relaxed, as I hold it up and continue to walk toward my town. With my pace, I'd get home in around 15 minutes. As I hum to myself, I hear the slightest flutter of wings passing by. 

By the sounds of it, it was definitely a lone bird. The flutters remain closer than I’d expected, but it doesn’t bother me as much. The thing’s probably just looking out for me.

…………

I underestimated my patience. After a few minutes, the fluttering became a persistent hum in my ear.

To divert the annoyance from above, I brought out the pieces of roti I saved for myself. Tucking the medium in the crook of my ear, I munch on the stale pieces, satisfied with the sound of my chewing.

Fortunately, the light burned a bright flame, producing no heat. I smirked at my accomplishment at mastering temperature levels. I can handle fire easily if I can control the temperature. Securing the cloak more tightly around my head and body, I eat my stale bread and resume the drunkard’s hum.

“Mm-hm, ~ Karandish. Ya~ Karandish. A wonder of the round~.”

*Flutter* *flutter* *flutter*

Damn, it’s much louder now. I thought of using my mana to shut the thing up when I felt something graze my back.

“What the hell?” 

Irritated, I look back and see nobody there.

“Whoever is tryna play some game with me, it’s not funny yeah?”

I turn back, picking up my pace. If someone’s following me, I should blur myself into my surroundings. I take out the stick and anxiety creeps at me. I already used it up. Shit, I need to work with this somehow. I felt the wingtips graze at my arm this time, and a prickle of fear grows within. The wing was quite large for a bird. I bristled at the thought of a vulture following me.

How large is this bird… haha. I need to consider what spell to use to derail its tracks. If I’m not careful, I might even end up killing it.

The fluttering seemed to yield behind me, almost as if it was waiting for my next move. 

Nose flaring, I suck in a deep breath. Blind the bird using the flash. I shake out my wrist and grab the rest of the stick. Not very intimidating, I suppose, but it’ll work for now...

It appears my timing was off by a stretch.

“EWWWWWWW- what the hell?” I screech, beating off the heavy thing that just plopped onto my chest.

I took too long thinking about what to do.

“Bitch, do you want to die?” I look before me and no ones’ there. 

I slowly turn my head towards the ground, realizing the thing I just whacked was an irritated looking-

“-... crow.”