The Choice Of Fate || The Promised Neverland

Chapter 67: Overprotective

Sistine's POV:

"Girl, he did WHAT!?"

I pull the phone away from my ear, hissing in pain as I cover my ear. "Genesis, don't yell!" I whine, earning a small sorry from him.

Things never went back to normal after what happened between Ray and me. I couldn't sleep at all that night. It's not that it's a big deal, but he also disappeared for another last week to look for Emma.

I actually have to thank him for that. I didn't really want to see his face after he pulled that crazy stunt. Plus, he saved himself from getting attacked by Floof, so good for him.

Meanwhile, other members of the Ratri clan and I have started talking more often. With Christmas right around the corner, they intended on giving something special to the other children. Having nothing to do, I decided to join my parents in helping them.

I wasn't really expecting them to give me an early Christmas gift, let alone a phone that can contact someone from the entity's world.

Seriously, I didn't even know that was possible.

Also, how long has Dad known that this was possible!?

I flop down on my bed and hold the phone to my ear again, groaning in frustration. "Dude, I swear, when he did that, it felt so warm and so weird at the same time. I have no idea how to explain it. I don't know why my reactions are changing towards him. I don't know if Ray's the weird one or me. It could be me. It's probably me."

"... Were you on your period?" Genesis asks first.

"No."

"What time was it?"

"Three in the morning."

"Were you stressed?"

"After Floof tried to kill him? Sort of."

His amused chuckles ring in my ears, bringing a comforting smile to my face. "Don't worry," he assures. "Your secret's safe with me. I'm a hundred percent sure Lew-chan will kill Ray if he ever finds out."

"Thank you, you blessed soul," I reply, earning another snicker from him.

"To be fair, though. If Zack did the same thing to me, I would have freaked out."

"If Zack WHAT!?" I shriek, earning a pained groan from the other line.

"Geez, not so loud... Didn't I ever tell you?"

"You're gay!?" I react, to which he hums as a yes. "Bro, I thought I could trust you! How dare you keep this secret from me! You could have at least told me you liked someone from the Resistance! Don't hide these kinds of stuff from me!"

He lets out another snicker. "Come on, you're a smart dumdum. You should have been able to get it."

"That explains why you two were talking so much before we left!"

"Oh, how I wish," he sighs. "But no. I just had to give Zack a few orders from the former Archduke."

"Papa?" I ask.

"No, me," he sasses, making me scoff in surprise. "Of course, it was your Papa! Who else could it have been!?"

"I dunno, Uncle Sonju?" I joke, earning an annoyed sigh from the entity on the other line. "No, but seriously, what orders?"

"He's asking the Goldy Pond Resistance to keep an eye on you."

I flinch at his reply, staring at the phone in disbelief. "Are you serious?" I ask him. "Why?"

"Beats me," Genesis answers as I put the phone back in my ear. "But my theory is that Lew-chan sees Ray's boyfriend material and is trying to keep him as far away from you as possible. He's seen the power of the Resistance. Maybe he intended to use it to his advantage."

"You're joking."

"I'm guessing," he corrects. "You know how Lew-chan acts towards you. He's like an overprotective dad, even without you here!"

"It just feels weird, because nobody from the Resistance has acted against it yet."

"Yeah, but Floof did, didn't she?" I widen my eyes and glance at the owl playing on the floor with her teddy bear. "Maybe she's the one keeping an eye on you in the room."

I sigh in relief, leaning back on my pillow. "So she was just being overprotective. Thank goodness. For a second I thought she was already planning murder."

"Who knows? She could be."

"Please don't!" I shriek in panic, making Genesis burst out laughing. "Seriously, he still wants to reunite with Emma. Please don't let Floof kill him."

He hums in understanding. "Say, about Emma. Did anyone ever remember you when you 'disappeared'?"

"Carol and Nayla did," I reply. "Ray seems to show signs of it, but he's probably just doing it because he recognizes me. No big deal."

"Your boyfriend is hellish."

"He's not my boyfriend."

"Say what you want, darling. I'm not buying it. He likes you. I can feel it in my gut."

"You don't have guts."

"And that proves my point even more."

I grumble in annoyance, and all of a sudden the memory flashes in my head again, causing the same heat to rise to my face. I turn around and flop my face on the bed, crying. "What happened to you?" he asks. "You sound like a kitten calling for her mother."

"I hate him so much!!!" I shriek, kicking my feet in frustration. "I hate him, I hate him, I hate him, I hate--!"

"Hate who?" The familiar voice brings even more heat to my cheeks, causing me to lift my head and turn around, finding the raven-haired cyclops at the door.

I lift the phone back to my ear, whispering to Genesis "I'll call you back" before hanging up. I sit up straight and stare at my feet, falling completely silent while I sneakily hide the phone under my pillow.

Ray gives me a weird look before closing the door and putting his bag back down, calmly asking, "Who were you talking to?"

"Uh, a friend," I reply, blinking repeatedly to try and ease my dizziness.

"Ah, I see," he utters softly, readying his clothes to take a shower. "Uh, sorry about last week, by the way."

"It's okay," I murmur, grabbing a pillow to hug it in attempts to hide my red face. "It's no biggie."

"It was a biggie," he disagrees, turning away from me. "For me, at least."

"Don't--!" My voice cracks again, causing me to clear my throat. "Don't-- don't think about it too much. It's not something you should be thinking about when looking for somebody else."

He falls silent for a few moments, standing uneasily at the bathroom door. "I, uh..." he utters, causing me to lift my eyes to at least see his back. "Anyway. Can-- can I talk to you? After I shower?

"I need to tell you something."