Jiwa

Chapter Ten

The Nurse left me in front of my dorm with a cheery "Have a nice evening!" I thanked her and watched her pillbox hat hurry away.

Sighing, I knocked on the door and heard the sound of papers being shoved away, along with frantic whispers. I was greeted by the shocked face of Kelly, gaping. I came in and sat on the edge of my bed. Devi stared at me from the desk in utter confusion.

Standing up, I took the paper out of my jeans, where I had stuffed them after I changed, and drew both of them into the hug. When they pulled away, I held up the paper.

"Thank you both, so much. Which one of you gave this to me? And when? What does it say?" I said. Devi and Kelly exchanged a look, and both of them shook their heads. My eyebrows scrunched together.

"Wait...so neither of you gave this to me?"

"Nope," affirmed Kelly. Devi just shrugged.

I glanced again at the paper, and said, "Well, do either of you at least know what it says? Devi, you took Languages this semester, right?" I handed her the paper. Devi took it and examined it.

"Doesn't hurt to try...'Kepercayaan sepia'. Hmm, I recognize it...it's definitely a spell for something, but not something specific. That second word, sepia? I think it means something like trust? I'm not sure though."

I nodded thoughtfully. "When I read the spell aloud, the nurse appeared, and told me I could leave. So, maybe it's, like, 'trust fate' or something."

Kelly nodded, and nudged me. "You definitely had fate on your side tonight, my friend. We don't even have to break in!"

I nodded and looked at my bed. Having been in a bed for nearly a week, the thought of sleep made my stomach lurch. Kelly seemed to read my mind, because she gave me a side hug and said, "Mind running down to grab us some snacks?" I happily obliged, grabbing a bag on my way downstairs.

When I reached the stall selling makanan bagus I set ten wang on the table and stared at the menu. They took the money, and obliged me when I ordered a large coffee, six pieces of kaya and four pieces of cheese. I came back again and ordered a huge mug of Teh Tarik and a huge plate of buah.

In fact, as I was eating, one of the people working at the stall came over and sat opposite me. I recognized their school uniform underneath the apron - they were probably a Fifth or Sixth year student working a job to pay tuition fees. I didn't recognize the person though.

"Hey," I said, offering them the buah. It was too much for just me to eat anyways. They accepted, and took a bite, before saying, "Yeah, hey."

"So what's up?" I asked. I didn't ask them who they were. I assumed they'd tell me if they wanted. They set down their food and placed their hand on their chin.

"Well, not much for me, but what's up with you? Fiona, right? You're the talk of the town, so to speak. Congratulations on the recovery, by the way. So glad you got better."

"Thanks! I do feel better. But wait...you know my name, but I don't know yours? What's your name?"

"Heh, you're welcome. You can call me Dan - but if you see me in the halls, just say 'hey', OK? No one really says my name except the teachers."

Weird. "Got it. So, do you work here full time? Or is this just a week-long thing to fill the time in between classes?"

"Nah, my dad actually works the stall. I just help out. Tuition won't pay itself, right? My mom works in the city, and then the stall on weekends. I think it's an excuse for them to 'keep an eye on me', as if I'm not a perfectly capable 17-year-old."