Charm - 02

backstories will be written in italic

★★★★★

I was only seven. Just a kid with cotton candy fingers and ticket stubs stuffed in my jacket pocket. We were on our way home from the arcade - me, Mom, and Dad. I remember the glow of neon lights still flickering behind my eyes, the ringing of game machines echoing faintly in my ears. It should've been a perfect night.

But then it started raining.

Hard.

The kind of rain that drowns out your thoughts, mixed with thunder that slices through your chest like war drums.

I was curled up in the back seat of the bus, watching the window blur with water trails, when the shouting began.

The driver and a woman... and another woman - which looks like the driver's wife. I couldn't make out the words, but the tension was thick - angry, scared, something desperate in their voices.

Dad's arm went around me. Mom held my hand. That's the last time I felt safe.

The crash happened so fast. Screams. Shattered glass. Metal folding like paper. My ears rang. My lungs burned. The smell of smoke replaced the scent of rain.

"Run, Y/N. Run!" Dad's voice was sharp, panicked. I hadn't noticed that a piece of broken glass pierced through my Dad's head. Yet he still smiled - he wants me to survive.

I saw him collapse.

Mom pushed me toward the crumpled aisle, she gathered the strength to protect me even though she herself is losing so much blood.

"M-mommy... Daddy..!"

"My baby! Run, please! I love you...."

I tried to run. I really did.

Bu when tthe thunder roared again - I froze. My knees locked up. My chest squeezed tight. All I could do was cover my ears and cry.

Then she appeared.

A woman - maybe in her twenties - limping badly, one side of her face already smeared with soot.

She knelt beside me despite the fire and chaos around us, her eyes soft even as the smoke stung them.

"Hey, hey. Look at me," she whispered, it calmed me down.

"You're okay. You're strong, alright? Courage, sweetheart. That's what we need right now."

I nodded, barely. My throat hurt from crying. She wrapped one shaky arm around me, then pulled me toward the smashed exit.

"I can smell it. The fuel's burning," She muttered. "We don't have much time."

Just before I reached the door, she pressed something into my hand - a phone.

"My nephew... he's gonna call... Tell him-" She coughed due to the smoke. "..tell him to be strong. Just say that."

I didn't understand. I wanted to help her, to pull her out too. But she shook her head firmly.

"Run."

I hesitated.

"RUN!"

I turned.

And then - the explosion.

The blast knocked me off my feet, heat licking at my back like fire's final breath.

I screamed. I didn't stop running until my legs gave out. I collapsed by a roadside ditch, curled up like I was trying to disappear.

Rain poured harder, thunder growling low in the distance.

The phone in my hands vibrated.

Through tears and trembling fingers, I glanced at the caller ID, but everything was blurry. I can't read it.

I hit answer.

"H-hey, Auntie... when are you coming back?"

It was a little boy's voice-soft, confused, maybe around my age.

I couldn't speak.

"Hello? Auntie?"

I sobbed into the speaker.

The boy paused, clearly startled. "Who- who are you? Are you okay?"

"I'm sorry," I choked out. "I'm so sorry."

The silence on the other end broke my heart.

"The kind lady... she said to tell you... to be strong..."

And then - nothing.

I don't remember dropping the phone. I just remember blacking out, the boy's confused voice fading with the storm, and the weight of grief pressing down on my chest like thunder that never stopped.

─── ⋆𐙚₊˚⊹♡ ───

We stepped out into the cool evening air, the last hospital lights fading behind us. Rafayel's hand nudged mine.

He guided me down the street to a little cart glowing under a streetlamp. We each picked our flavors - vanilla for me, strawberry swirl for him - and sets off again, ice cream cones in h and.

We walked in comfortable silence for a few blocks, the city's hum wrapping around us. Rafayel bobbed his head to some unheard melody. I kicked at a stray pebble.

"So," He said, with his voice playful, "What's the weirdest thing you've ever diagnosed?"

I laughed through a mouthful of mint chip. "Me? Sorry but it's kind of like a doctor-patient confidentiality and all that-"

He held up a hand, mock shock on his face, "You must be sooo fun at parties"

I can't figure out whether he's complimenting me or it's just pure sarcasm. This guy, haah.

His phone buzzed, and he glanced down. He swiped, eyes lighting up, "New art commission." He announced, putting the phone away.

I caught sight of a little charm dangling from his case-a tiny, painted jellyfish on a tassel. Something about it felt... familiar.

"Hey," I called out, "why the phone charm? Guys don't usually-"

He paused, tracing the charm with his thumb. "It's silly." He said lightly, "but I made it with someone important." He shrugged, grin returning.

"Anyway, enough about this charm. I see no problem with a guy having one, yeah?"

I bit my lip, studying him. There was something he wasn't saying, but the night felt too easy, too soft for heavy talk.

We rounded the corner and he held out his cone. "Your turn," He teased, offering me a lick of his strawberry swirl.

I leaned in, took a taste, and pulled back with a laugh. "Delicious." I responded.

His ears turned red and I laughed a bit - maybe he's not expecting that I'll take a bite from his ice cream. Well, he offered it. It's rude if I refused.

Rafayel immediately composed himself, brushing it off with a wink. "Of course."

As we strolled on, I couldn't shake the little knot of curiosity in my chest. Rafayel was full of surprises-one more to unravel.

★★★★★