god line

chapter 25

"Where are you going?" Ore asked, turning to Fay. Fay was wearing her best-looking—and most expensive for that matter—dress. "I'm going to see my cousins." She adjusted her necklace, which was gold and in the shape of a fish. Apparently, Ayumi had given it to her. She put on another coat of lipstick, putting the tube down and looking over at Ore. "How do I look?" She smiled and asked. "Fay-ish." Ore replied monotonically. Fay huffed. "Fine. Well, I'll be on my way then." Ore made a small "uh-huh" sound as Fay marched out the door.

Fay came to a small clearing. A pond lay in the middle of it. She sat down and sighed. She was nowhere near where her cousins lived, it was at least a few miles from here. She decided to take a break, pulling an apple off of a branch and taking a bite. A lone figure sat on the opposite side of the pond. Fay rolled her eyes and continued eating her apple, guessing it was some creep who was simping for her. Once she'd finished the apple and tossed it to the side, she looked around for other things to do besides sitting and catching her breath. She picked up a sleek and shiny river rock, playfully skipping it over the water as it bounced with energy and grace. It also happened to bounce onto the head of the figure opposite to Fay. A small "ow!" was heard following. Fay bolted upright, cursing under her breath. She sprinted over to the other side of the pond, eventually discovering the figure. It was a small boy with black hair and bunny ears. He was wearing emo-looking clothing. Fay put her hands on her knees and leaned over to the boy. "Hey, you okay?" She asked curiously. The boy looked up, a small bruise having formed on his forehead. "Um.. yes." He seemed anxious. "Well alright." Fay stood up straight, hands on her hips. Her floral print minty green dress blew in the wind. "Sorry about hitting you with a rock." She laughed heartily. The boy nodded, looking away and back over at the water. Fay's smile faded slightly at his silence. "A pretty girl is talking! Pay attention!" She shouted, the boy stumbling backward at her volume. Fay huffed, leaning back as her eyes narrowed. "I don't have time for stupid boys like you." She looked away, pouting before a noise hit her eardrums. The boy had started crying. "Wh- hey! I didn't... no! Don't.." Fay stuttered, not knowing how to comfort a crying person. "You think I'm stupid!" The boy wept, eyes closed and mouth open. "You aren't stupid! I'm- that was a joke!.." Fay sighed and sat down next to the boy, an arm around his shoulders. He sniffled and looked over at Fay, black eyes red and puffy from crying a few seconds prior. "Um.. don't cry. I was joking.." Fay nervously patted the boy's back and looked away. Her? Comforting a stranger? Let alone a stranger that looked like he shopped at Goodwill? That simply couldn't be true. "Okay.." the boy mumbled. "I'm Fay, by the way." Fay smiled proudly, sunlight complimenting her dark green hair. "I-I'm Killua." The boy said, smiling shyly as well. "Killua is a nice name I think," Fay said, looking around for the sun. "I'll be going, sorry. I have to find someone before nighttime or else stuff happens." She waved to Killua, skipping over to the other side, and grabbed her bag, before disappearing into the woods once again. Killua waved back weakly, left with a weird experience and the odd feeling that Fay had purposely insulted him.

Fay continued her trip through the woods, keeping her gray eyes fixated on the sun. Eventually, she came across a small lagoon. "Nessie!" Fay called out, putting her basket down. A girl stuck her head out of the water. She had light blonde hair and soft features. Her pale skin glistened from the water she was wading in. "Fay!" Nessie called back happily. Fay raced over to the edge of the lagoon, taking her shoes and socks off as she dipped her feet in the water. Nessie propped herself upon a rock, a teal mermaid tail where her legs should be. "Where are the others?" Fay looked down into the water, which seemed fifty feet deep. Maybe deeper. Nessie sighed. "Nixie and Attina got in a fight again. Nixie said that Attina stole her hairbrush and Attina said that Nixie said she could use it... it's a whole mess. Everybody else is either asleep or busy." Fay nodded. "Didn't Attina write a letter about how beautiful Nixie was, though?" Nessie shrugged. "Not even god knows at this point." Another girl stuck her head out of the water. She had the same blonde hair as Nessie, the two practically identical. "Nixie! Hey!" Nessie turned to Nixie, who waved. "Heyyy. I couldn't sleep so I decided to see what you were doing. Hi Fay." Nixie smiled shyly, sitting on top of a rock as her blue tail flicked about. "Hello," Fay said as she waved back. "Why'd you come all the way out here?" Nixie squeezed water out of her long hair. "Hmm... I just wanted to see my cousins." Fay smiled and kicked her feet out in the water, splashing Nessie. Nessie giggled and splashed Fay's knees back. The sun had set by now. Fay looked nervously at the sky. "Nessie, Nixie, um.." Nixie looked at Nessie, her eyes wide. "Ah. Right. Cmon." Nessie grabbed Nixie's arm. "Goodnight Fay. Be safe. Remember, dodge any sketchy-looking men." Nessie pulled herself and Nixie underwater, disappearing into the darkness. Fay put her socks and shoes back on carefully. Anxiety ate at her stomach. Maybe that boy, Killua, whom she'd talked to earlier was.. no. She'd had some run-ins with hunters before, and Killua didn't look the part. You could never know though. Fay was being searched for by hunters. Apparently, there was a hefty bounty for her, alive or dead. She'd been accused of witchcraft in the small town she used to live in. Ever since Ore took her in the middle of the night, the bounty for her grew steadily higher. Fay grabbed her bag and tried to navigate through the trees as quietly as possible, staying alert for bear traps or twigs. She didn't want to even think about what they would do to her once she was found. Kill her? Force all the witchy secrets out of her? Fay began to pick up the pace. The trees she was running through turned into a blur of green and black. The moon was high in the sky. She knew the castle was a long while from here, involving taking multiple taxis and lots of walking. She grabbed her phone out of her bag, attempting to turn it on and call Ore. It was dead. Fay sighed and put her phone back inside her bag. Maybe.. just maybe.. the boy was still there? She looked around the wooded area, attempting to retrace her steps back to the pond. Once she'd rediscovered the clearing, sure enough, the boy was still there. For what reason, Fay didn't know. Maybe he'd been kicked out or something. Killua seemed to notice Fay, as she was still standing on the edge of the clearing mysteriously. "Hello?" He called out, a slight tone of concern present in his voice. Fay walked over to Killua, towering over him as he was still sitting. "I need a place to stay." She said sternly. "...Good for you? Wha-" Killua started before he was grabbed by the collar of his shirt. "That means can I stay with you, dumbass." Fay clutched Killua's shirt. "S-sure!" He stammered, finally being let go. The tall girl put her hands on her hips. "Good. Now, where do you live?"

"Am I being held against my will to do this or something?" Killua asked as he walked side by side Fay, who shrugged. "Didn't matter whether or not you said yes or no. I'd yell at you either way." Killua looked nervously at Fay. "You haven't yelled at me yet." "Do you want me to?" The girl snapped. They both went quiet after that. "Right here." Killua said, fumbling with a pair of keys as they approached an apartment complex. It didn't really look like an apartment complex though, more like a motel with the rooms in weird portables. Fay directed her attention to a poster that was pinned to a tree. "Wanted, Dead or Alive." It stated, a picture of Fay beneath the letters. Fay ripped the poster off of the tree and threw it to the side. Killua didn't seem to notice what was on the poster. "Littering is bad." He reminded quietly. "Shut up shrimp. I do what I want." Fay said, her voice slightly distressed. Killua mumbled something in response and continued towards the apartments. Once him and Fay were in front of an apartment door, Killua inserted a key into the lock and turned. "I have to warn you, it's kinda loud in here." He looked up at Fay briefly. "I'm used to it." Fay said matter-of-factly. "Okay..." Killua mumbled, opening the door silently and walking in. Fay followed. Loud talking met her ears. "My gods.." She whispered exasperatedly. "I warned you." Killua sighed. A small, white haired and pale skinned girl was shouting at a much taller person with blonde hair dyed pink at the tips. The girl paused once they saw Killua. "Soup stole my scissors!" The girl cried, pointing at the taller person accusingly. "Did not!" The tall person said in response, hiding their hands behind their back. A pointy object stuck out. Killua shook his head. "Give Ollie her scissors back..." The tall person huffed and handed the girl a pair of scissors, before flipping Killua off and going into a room. The door slammed. "Good grief." Killua mumbled. Fay looked at the small girl, who waved and put the scissors down on a counter. "Who are you?" The girl asked curiously. Fay noted that she had cat ears atop her head. "Ollie, that's ru-" Killua jutted in before Fay interrupted him. "I'm Fay." She said in the softest, nicest voice she could muster. "That's cool! I'm Ollie." Ollie said, her pale face forming a smile. Fay nodded. "Is Soup mad at you?" Killua asked, hands on his hips. "I dunno." Ollie shrugged. She glanced at Fay once more, her eyes going slightly wide. "She kinda looks like the girl on the pos-" Fay pushed Ollie away. "Okay okay that's enough go to sleep five-year-old." Ollie pouted and walked off to her room. "What the hell?" Killua looked at Fay. "I'm not getting ratted out by a little girl the size of a carrot." Fay hissed, glaring at Killua. "What would you even be ratted out for?" He asked, eyes narrowing. "That's none of your business, goth boy." Fay stuck her nose in the air. Killua scoffed. "I just wanna know if I'm letting a murderer stay in my house or not. I've seen the posters and I'm not stupid." Fay gave Killua a sharp stare. "None. Of. Your. Business." She repeated, seizing Killua by the collar of his shirt. "Okay okay! Geez.." Fay let go of Killua, looking at the floor and hugging herself. "...you alright?" Killua prompted as he looked at the girl anxiously. "I'm fine!" Fay snapped. "For someone I'm letting stay the night, you're awfully mean." Killua stated, crossing his arms. Fay groaned. "I just had a bad day. I'll just sleep on the couch. Can you go away please?!" She turned to Killua, her expression aggravated. Killua mumbled something and walked away to his room. The room went silent as the door clicked. Fay looked at the carpeted floor. She marched over to the sad excuse for a couch that Killua owned, plopping down onto the cushions. A chill went down her spine as she did so. She stared up at the ceiling, which was dotted with spitballs and spider webs. She wondered how three children could take care of themselves, let alone pay for an apartment. For Christ's sake, she was eighteen years old and still lived with her mother. She guessed Killua, which seemed the oldest and maybe the only adult, had a job or something. There was definitely more to Killua than he let on. Maybe she shouldn't have been so rude to him. He was just curious. Fay sighed, rolling over onto her side. A cold night breeze drafted in through a window. All that Fay had to warm herself was an old patterned dress and her messenger bag. She shivered and hugged herself. At least she had a place to stay. If she'd been stubborn and tried to get back home, she would most likely be on the sharp end of a hunter's arrow right about now. Like a dead deer or such. Her old boyfriend used to call her "doe" on occasion, so who knows. Maybe she was destined to be dead like a deer. Hunters would sure get a kick out of that. Fay sighed and shut her eyes tight. Sleep was what she needed, not thoughts about how she was in a real life manhunt with no chances of winning. She slowly drifted off into sleep, soft wind brushing against her hair.