The Zodiac Empire

Chapter 16 - Into a Psychic's Mind

Gray hummed a merry little tune to himself as he strolled through town, Alile's hand in his grip. No longer garbed in his gray robes, Alile could now see that he wore a pair of shabby brown jeans and a plain green, wrinkled t-shirt, giving him the appearance of some poor bum, rather than a master thief. It had stopped snowing, and much to Alile's surprise, Gray never even acknowledged the sudden change in weather.

"Fresh aro-....empty space...!" Spritelile read, still going haywire. Every few minutes it would try and make a prediction, only to cut off and start freaking out over this 'empty space' it spoke of.

"Are you going to tell me where we're going?" Alile asked eventually.

"Shouldn't you know that already, little miss psychic?" Gray smirked back at her.

Alile averted her gaze. "I really am psychic you know." I'll show this guy, she thought, then focused, hoping she could still get Spritelile to work.

"Up...upccoming popfly? East? Predictions unsure..."

"Sure you are." Gray was looking straight ahead again so Alile couldn't see his face, but she could just feel him rolling his eyes.

"If I was a phony..." she released her hand from his grip, "I wouldn't know that there's an oncoming popfly." she edged to the right and stood a good distance away from a yard, where two boys were playing baseball.

"Oh really?" Gray came to a stop and watched the kids. "So they'll hit a popfly, and you'll be, like," Gray rose his voice to a high pitched, girly tone, "I told you so!" he bounced on his heels pointing at Alile's chest. Did he really imagine she would act like that? That was the type of bubbly airhead action Alile would expect out of someone like Alsen, not someone as calm and collected as herself. Just the thought of herself acting like that almost cracked a smile across her face. Almost.

"This is going to be my best pitch ever, get ready!" the boy with the ball said as he threw it for a pitch. Alile rose her hand above her head right before the bat was swung, her heart beating in anticipation. Gray might have made a fool out of her before, but this time she'd prove herself. But as the ball was batted, that anticipation turned into horror as she watched it blast off in a straight line.

"Oof!" Gray moaned as the ball crashed directly into his gut.

"What?" Alile gasped out in disbelief. She was wrong...again? The ball did come their way, but not in the way that she had predicted.

Gray let out a weak laugh, "Guess I got the lucky catch?" he dusted himself off and stood back up.

"How did you...?" she asked, trying her hardest to maintain her cool.

"How'd I what? I didn't do anything."

Alile was lost for words. Gray wasn't wrong...he didn't do anything but take a ball to the gut. What could the cause for this be?

"You look as if you were the one that got hit." Gray stared at her attentively.

"Pfft." she brushed his comment off.

"Are you salty over making a fool of yourself yet again?" he asked as he reached for her hand again, but she stepped back.

"You know you have to give that back, right?"she asked, referring to the ball. Truth be told, she could care less if those kids got their ball or not. She just couldn't stand letting this man get away with making her look like a total idiot.