My Eyes Only

By Lillyanna Fuchsia

Copyright © 2020 Lillyanna Fuchsia

Cover art © 2020 Yaya chan

This is a work of fiction. Names,
characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents either are the
products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any
resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely
coincidental.

Table of Content

Chapter 01

Chapter 02

Chapter 03

Chapter 04

Chapter 05

Chapter 06

Chapter 07

Chapter 08

Chapter 09

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Epilogue

Afterword

Preview

Chapter 01

“Hey, look,” someone whispered when Eliza entered the classroom.

“No way.
I can’t believe she’s back after all that.”

“She was
in prison or something, right?”

“It was a
rehab clinic.”

“Oh,
yeah. There was a rumor she almost overdosed on New Year’s Eve.”

“It’s not
a rumor. My dad works in the hospital, and he told me about a girl our age
almost dying back then.”

“I heard
she stole from her friends to get her drugs.”

“I heard
she stole drugs from the hospital.”

“Doesn’t
her mom work there?”

“Yeah, I
heard her parents had to pay a lot of money so the hospital wouldn’t press
charges.”

“Better
watch your phone and your wallet whenever she’s around.” They sniggered.

I’m surprised they bother to whisper, Eliza thought. She walked to the last row of seats with her head
down to avoid meeting anyone’s gaze. When she sat in the desk next to the
window, she pulled out her crappy earbuds with only one working side, closed
her eyes, and rested her head on her arms.

The first
class hadn’t even begun and she was already wishing she could go home. All this attention is too tiresome. I knew my first day back in school would be
like this. But it’s been two weeks since I was discharged from the rehab
clinic. I thought you guys would’ve exhausted the topic by now. I’m not that
interesting.

Half out
of curiosity, half out of boredom, Eliza covered her face with her arm. Taking
a deep breath, she relaxed and focused her eyes. After a few seconds, her skin
shivered and became transparent. An instant later, the muscles, veins, blood,
and bones were gone as well.

Looking
through her arm, she confirmed that students were looking at her.

Holding
the urge to groan, she stopped using her strange powers. When her sight returned
to normal, she closed her eyes. As usual, they itched slightly, but she was
glad that was all.

Guys, I mean it. Apart from my eyes, I’m not
interesting, Eliza thought as she sighed and looked
around without her powers. If you wanna gossip that much, why don’t you pick someone with an
interesting life?

One of
her classmates entered the classroom and walked to her seat. She tied her long
brown hair in a ponytail as she sat down. An instant later, two of her friends
came over to talk.

Yeah, you should talk about her. Trust me, she has a
much more interesting life than me. Eliza observed
through the corner of her eye. They giggled, played with their hairs, and redid
their makeup.

I know it looks like she can’t hold a conversation if
it’s something other than makeup, but that’s on the surface. She’s studying her
ass off to go to college abroad while taking care of the house since her mother
left her family.

Another
classmate entered. He’s interesting too.
Did you guys know his dream is to be a painter, and he’s trying new experiences
to deepen his work? He even kissed a guy after taking some drugs. I’m not sure
how it worked out with the guy. She had closed her eyes and turned off her
special sight after they started undressing each other. I’m not into that.

That girl’s interesting too. She goes to the cemetery
and tries to communicate with the dead. Maybe she’s crazy, but that’s way more
interesting than the plain old me. Even—no, not her. I doubt she has an
interesting life.

Eliza
rolled her eyes when she saw Bianca. Yeah,
I guess her life, which looks like it came out of an American TV show, isn’t
interesting. I bet the only trouble going with her is what to wear the next
day.

Bianca
dos Santos Silva, whose porcelain skin and smooth long red hair made Eliza
doubt if she was actually Brazilian, didn’t seem to have an interesting life
that could get the school’s gossipers fired up. With her father being the chief
of police—and Eliza’s dad’s boss—and her mother, a businesswoman owning one of
the biggest fashion stores in the metropolitan region, she hardly seemed to
have any worries.

“Did you
see who’s back? You should ask your dad for some extra protection. She might
steal again for, you know…” Whoever spoke made a sniffing noise and then
laughed.

So now I’m a cocaine addict. Eliza sneered and rolled her eyes, not bothering to see who was
talking about her. Trust me, if I had the
money for it, I’d rather spend it on something else. For starters, earbuds good
enough to shut out that cat-fighting-a-hobo voice of yours.

“Do you know if that’s true? Yeah, if you
don’t have any proof, better not say anything.”

“Sorry, sorry. I forgot you wanna be a journalist like your mom. You only work with
facts, right?”

“It’s got nothing to do with that. Don’t get
angry at me because you caught your boyfriend cheating on you.”

“Why did you have to mention that idiot?
We’re talking about little miss drug addict there, not my ex.”

“If the
rumors are true, you shouldn’t talk about her like that. She’s had a rough
time,” a third person said. Despite being only classmates, Eliza knew it was
Bianca. “We don’t know her circumstances. And even if we did, we can’t go
around judging her.”

You talk like you know anything, Eliza thought. She wondered if the redhead knew something. Dad works for her father, but I doubt he has
enough contact with the chief to have time to talk about me. Maybe the word got
around the police department. Now that I think about it, it’s been a while
since Dad talked about his work. He used to tell a lot of funny stories during
dinner. How long it’s been since I heard a story?

“Everyone’s
saying it.” Despite their friend insisting, Bianca and the other girl refused
to talk about Eliza.

Is she a nice person or just pretending to be above
gossip? She wondered as she glanced at them again.
The girl whose name Eliza didn’t remember noticed and poked the journalist’s
daughter, sniggering as she leaned closer to whisper something.

Oh, no. Please don’t spread any more rumors. I don’t
know what I’ll do if my popularity sinks any further. Then again, rock bottom
is… well, rock bottom, Eliza sniggered in her head.

Bianca
didn’t seem interested. She used a compact mirror to fix her hair as if that
was more important. She glanced at Eliza when her friend whispered something
and their eyes met.

Wow… Red hair and green eyes? Are you for real? Aren’t you cheating in life a little too much? Bianca turned
her attention back to her hair, but not before smiling. Why are you smiling?
Am I funny looking and just never realized it? Well, I bet you’re not perfect.
Let’s see what’s underneath that perfection.

Eliza
covered her face with her arm again and cleared her mind. Wait, better not. I just used my powers a moment ago. I shouldn’t use
it too much. Otherwise, I might lose control and then…

The
painful memories of the last few months came to her. Her breathing became
shallow and irregular. Sweat ran down her brow and her arms trembled.

It won’t be like before. I can control it, she told herself, clenching her fists and breathing slowly. I have no idea how I got it, but it’s my
power now. I can control it. Yes. I can do this.

With both
the urge to check Bianca with her unique sight and the desire to be in control
over her powers, she stared in the direction of the redhead and relaxed.

At first,
she saw only her arm with the faint light coming through the gaps. Then, just
like before, the edges of her vision blurred, her limb shivered, and became
transparent little by little. For a second, Eliza saw Bianca as the others saw
her. Then, her pants and shirt became transparent. Then disappeared.

Holy shit! Eliza gasped,
choked, and lost control of her powers. Her vision blurred and everything spun.
She shut her eyes, waiting for her vision to get back to normal.

“What’s
she doing?”

“Bet she
was snorting.”

“Right
here in class? That’s bold.”

Shut up. It’s her fault, Eliza
thought, massaging her eyes. She felt everyone’s stare. As she waited for her
head to stop spinning, and the urge to vomit vanished, everyone went back to
whatever they were doing.

With her
breathing slow and steady, Eliza turned her eyes back in Bianca’s direction.
She concentrated again. This time, she could see underneath the girl’s clothes
faster. Even if she had already seen, she still blushed. Who the hell wears black silk lingerie to school? Did you meet your
boyfriend or something before coming to class, or are you meeting him later?

As the seconds
passed, Eliza couldn’t take her eyes off the redhead. She’s so beautiful. The thought crossed her mind as she observed her
smooth skin, legs, belly, and back. I bet
you spend hours and hours, and a ton of money, taking care of that pretty skin
of yours, am I right? That just confirms you cheat in life.

As Bianca
turned to talk to a boy, Eliza saw a glimpse of a strange mark on the redhead’s
thigh. Wait, what was that? A birthmark?
Hickey? Turn around and show me.

The boy
left and Bianca turned back to her friends, but she still couldn’t see the
mark. Just open your legs a little, Red.
It’s not that hard. Just do it for me this once. When Bianca placed a foot
on the spindle of her desk, Eliza saw. Though it wasn’t big, it was swollen and
a dark shade of purple that destroyed the beauty of Bianca’s skin.

That’s not a birthmark or a hickey. Why do you have a bruise
there, Red? Are you into that kind of
play with your boyfriend? I sincerely apologize for calling you boring, she
thought. She closed her eyes and waited for the itching to cease. It recovers much faster now. I am in
control.

When it
was gone, Eliza couldn’t stop smiling. Maybe
I should reveal you’re into rough play to everyone. They’d leave me alone for a
while. What kind of rumors would the idiots spread about the chief of police’s
daughter?

She
entertained herself by imagining, holding her laugh as the rumors grew more wild in her head.

***

After
class ended, Eliza stuffed her notebook into her bag. I’m starving, she thought, dashing toward the door. She wasn’t fast
enough to avoid her classmates’ whispers, though.

“Where’s
she going in such a hurry?”

“I bet
it’s the munchies,” someone answered, followed by sniggers.

Eliza
sighed and rolled her eyes. They’re still
talking about me. Guess that’s the only thing their tiny brains can do, she
thought, rolling her eyes. She pulled her shabby earbuds from her bag and
untangled it. But before she could shut herself away, she froze.

Even if
she only saw the back of her head, she recognized that long, wavy brown hair anywhere.
Amanda, she thought. Pressing her
lips, she stared at her friend heading towards the stairs. After a moment of
hesitation, Eliza broke into a short run, bumping into other students as the
corridor became crowded with everyone leaving their classrooms.

Amanda
was already at the bottom of the stairs. If she ran, she could reach her best
friend. But when Eliza saw her talking to her boyfriend, she stopped. I can’t just talk to her. Not after what I
did to her. I’m such a coward. I know it won’t make a difference. I know
she’ll never forgive me, but I need to apologize. It’s the least I can do.

But Eliza
only watched as the girl she considered a sister drifted farther and farther
away until she disappeared into the crowded hall. Then she focused.

The
students, the walls, and everything else vanished as her vision moved forward.
It only stopped when she saw Amanda smiling after kissing her boyfriend. Seeing
that smile made Eliza happy, but it brought back the memories of what she had
done to her; reminding her of what she had lost. How long has it been since she talked to me with that carefree smile of
hers?

Damn it… Damn it… All because of this stupid power, she thought. She closed her eyes
and headed home once the itching went away.

“Mom?”
she asked the moment she opened the door. When there was no answer, she bit her
nails.

Before
she got her powers and the consequences that came with it, Eliza hated her
mother’s constant watch. But now, she realized how comforting it was having her
home. Carla had been with her since the day she was released from the rehab
clinic.

Mom didn’t say anything, but I know she was picking up
a lot of extra shifts at the hospital. My treatment was too expensive. Not to
mention the stuff I stole…

Breathing
slowly to keep her anxiety in check, she went to the kitchen and found a note
on the microwave. Heat for a minute. Stay
home. Your brother is studying with Danielle. Your father and I will be back by
dinner. Love, Mom.

So, Dad and Fabio aren’t coming home, Eliza thought as she heated her lunch. The butterflies in her
stomach grew wild. She picked up a knife and fork, took her plate to the table,
and sat, focusing on each action. The psychologist from the rehab clinic told
her to focus on the present, not the past or the future.

As she
stared at the food, however, Eliza realized she wasn’t hungry anymore. Even so,
she forced herself to eat as much as she could. After she couldn’t eat another
bite, she stored the leftovers and went to the living room.

After a
minute of stillness, she got the cleaning supplies. Ever since she had returned
home, Eliza had been helping her mother with the housework. Though she
complained, she did it to keep herself busy for a while. Actually, more to avoid letting my mind empty, right, priest? What did
he say? The empty mind is the devil’s workshop. She overheard him tell her mother those words.

Eliza had
barely helped with the housework before. In fact, every time her mother
complained she had to do everything around the house by herself, she pretended
she didn’t hear it. Now, cleaning the house and listening to her mother talking
about work calmed her more than she wanted to admit.

After she
finished sweeping and washing the floor, cleaning the bedrooms, bathrooms, and
doing the laundry, she found herself sitting on the couch with nothing to do.
She thought about taking a nap, or watching a movie, or even studying, but
those options didn’t seem good enough to spark her interest. What did I use to do before rehab?

She
stared at her reflection on the black TV. I
bet it’s just crap at this hour, she thought, turning it on. Instead of the
regular programs, however, the national news was on. With some surprise, Eliza
realized they were talking about the neighboring town.

“The
authorities still have no information about what caused the explosion at the
chemical plant. The flames still haven’t been controlled, and the fire
department has requested help from the nearby cities,” the reporter said.

Pictures
of the chemical plant Eliza had once visited on a school trip flashed on the
screen. There were already five fire trucks, but more were coming. “The number
of victims is unknown, but early estimates are over a thousand. Survivors are
being moved to closer towns—”

If they’re bringing the patients here, mom will be
working overtime. And dad will probably help with the rescuing.

They won’t be home today,
Eliza realized. She turned off the TV, buried her face into the cushion and breathed
slowly. Ever since she was discharged, her family has been having dinner
together every night.

A loud
ringing roused her. With her eyes closed, she reached out for the house phone.
“Hello?”

“Eliza,
thank God you’re home,” her mother said, sounding relieved.
“I was worried. I called a couple times, but there was no answer.”

“Sorry, Mom.
I was taking a nap.” She sat up and took her phone from her pocket. Wow… Nine
calls isn’t a couple times, Mom. “What’s up?”

“Your dad
and I—”

“Won’t be
coming home for dinner,” Eliza finished. Even
if I’m not completely okay, you don’t need to treat me like a kid. “You
guys are helping with the accident, right?”

“Yes. And
your brother’s gonna spend the night studying,” she
said, then kept quiet. Eliza could tell what she was thinking. “If you want, I
can come ho—”

“Don’t
worry about me, Mom.” Eliza tried sounding casual to hide her anxiety. Technically, I’m an adult. I can’t have my
mommy holding me by my hand forever.

“Okay…”
Carla didn’t sound reassured. “What are you gonna do
for dinner?”

She
considered for a moment, but she wasn’t in the mood to cook. And I need to get out of this house. “I
might eat out.”

“Eliza…”

She
imagined her mom’s face full of worry over the phone. “I promise I won’t do
anything stupid.” I hope I can keep this
promise.

Someone
called to her mother on the other end. “I need to go. Be careful. And please
get home as fast as you can. Don’t go wandering off. It’s dangerous. I love
you.” She ended the call before her daughter could say goodbye.

Mom’s really busy. I need to
show her she doesn’t have to worry about me all the time.

After a
minute of taking deep breaths on the couch, she went to her bedroom, changed
her clothes, and went to eat out for the first time in weeks.

***

It wasn’t so bad, Eliza
thought after she left the fast-food restaurant. Though the employee was one of
her classmates, he didn’t make any snide comments. He couldn’t; otherwise, I could make a scene and get his ass fired. The
idea amused her, but then she shook her head. Life’s too short to waste time worrying about a guy like that.

Eliza
wondered what to do next. I don’t wanna go home now. I can’t stay inside alone without going
crazy. She pulled her phone to reread the text from her mother again, just
to make sure she hadn’t misread.

“I need to work overtime. I don’t think your dad or I will be home
tonight. Please, be careful and go home soon.”

If mom couldn’t call me, it means it must be crazy
busy at the hospital, Eliza thought, putting the
phone back in her jacket pocket. Without any idea what to do, she just walked through
the streets at random.

Before
her powers, she loved her privacy. When she was home, she was certainly in her
room. I used to waste time online or
talking with my friends… with Amanda…
She lives just one block from here, Eliza realized. She turned her head
towards her best friend’s house. I think
it’s within my range…

She
closed her eyes and exhaled slowly. When
she was calmer, she opened her eyes and relaxed her body, concentrating on the
trees before her. After a few seconds, the trunk and the leaves faded. A moment
later, she could see through it. But her sight didn’t stop there.

The house
behind it came closer and its wall became transparent to her. The residents
were in her sight, but only for a second. I
don’t wanna spy on people I don’t know without a
reason. I’m not a voyeur.

Eliza
dismissed the idea as her sight moved past the house. My eyes are getting faster, she realized. She was relieved she
wasn’t feeling any itching or pain yet. This
was enough to hurt them at the beginning, especially when I had no control over
it.

The
memories of those days flashed in the back of her mind. No… Don’t think about it… Don’t think about it. I’m not gonna let it destroy my life again, she told herself,
shutting her eyes for a second.

Just like
when she had no control, her powers continued to work, even though her eyes
were closed. The sudden change made her sight go back to the previous house, so
she cleared her mind and focused.

A couple
of seconds later, she was seeing the two-story house. She had spent so much there, it was almost like her second home. The beauty salon
on the first floor was busy as usual. Though Amanda didn’t work there officially,
she helped her folks with manicures to earn some extra cash. Now, she was
finishing with a client. But instead of attending to another woman, she went
upstairs, washed her hands and face, and went to study in her bedroom.

If it
wasn’t for this stupid power, I’d probably be studying with her. Or maybe with
my ex-boyfriend. I’d be a normal girl.

Eliza
watched for a few minutes before deactivating her powers. After a couple of
seconds, her sight was back to normal, with only a weak itching in her eyes. With
a tiny smile, she raised her hands with the unkempt and bitten nails. Amanda
always insisted on doing my nails. She never admitted it, but she liked the
purple nail polish. I wish we could go
back to the way things were…

The urge
to see her friend’s face came back. But
she stopped before she used her powers again. I can’t abuse this power too much. I almost died because of the pain
back then… Before she relived those days, Eliza walked away.

Without
realizing it, she was at the park two blocks from her home. Oh yeah, I used to come here all the time
with Fabio when we were kids, she recalled, chuckling weakly. How many years has it been since we played
here?

She sat
on the swings, thankful that the park was empty. She didn’t want anyone seeing
her. She held the chains and swung, going a bit higher each time. Wow! I never reached this height before,
she thought, grinning and throwing her weight forward to go even higher. When
she was little, she cried whenever her father pushed her too high. Why was I so scared of this? It’s almost
like I’m flying!

When
Eliza was at the highest point she had ever been, something over the park’s
fence caught her attention. Digging her feet into the ground, she stopped swinging
and focused. She knew she shouldn’t use her powers too much, but her curiosity
was getting the best of her.

This
time, the trees, the plants, the playground, and the fence became transparent
in a heartbeat. She was so excited it was hard to control her powers, and her
sight went beyond what had caught her attention. Shit.

Eliza
closed her eyes and took a deep breath. When she opened them again, her sight
stayed at the alley. Damn it! Why is it
so dark?

She had
learned her power could use almost every source of light to see brighter. But
if the light was too weak, she couldn’t see properly. Couldn’t this power work like night vision goggles?

With
difficulty, she could tell there were four people in the alley. The one with a
black hoodie had their back to the fence, so she couldn’t see their face. The
other three closed in on the one in the hoodie.

Hoodie
was shorter than the rest, but that didn’t stop them from kicking the closest
one right in the neck. Holy shit! That was a roundhouse kick, Eliza thought,
so surprise she lost control of her powers.

Damn. She breathed out and
focused. The alley was back and Hoodie was fighting the other two now. More like beating the crap out of them.
She was smiling without realizing it.

C’mon. Turn around, Eliza found
herself wishing for Hoodie to turn around so she could see their face. I don’t wanna keep
watching your back. At the end of the alley, another guy showed up. He
stayed in the shadows, waiting. Eliza was so focused on Hoodie she only noticed
his bat at the last second.

“He’s got
a bat!” she screamed as loud as she could.

Hoodie
dodged and kicked the newcomer in the groin, who fell to the floor with the
rest. Hoodie turned in the direction of the park.

In the
dark, Eliza couldn’t make out a face. But due to her enthusiasm, Hoodie’s
clothes became transparent. Holy shit.
I can’t believe it… Not only had she
seen that bruise on the inner thigh earlier, but she also recognized the
winner’s black, silky lingerie.

Maybe it’s not Bianca. It can be a coincidence, Eliza told herself. She focused on the face, hoping the light
would become brighter. That didn’t happen, but she saw a lock of red hair under
the hood.

So that bruise wasn’t your boyfriend, huh? Eliza couldn’t stop smiling as she closed her eyes to stop the
burning sensation creeping in around them. I’m
sorry for calling you boring.

Chapter 02

For the first time in months, Eliza didn’t feel like staying in bed
after she woke. The instant she opened her eyes she got up, took a shower,
changed into her uniform, and went to the kitchen ten minutes before her alarm even
rang. She was surprised she didn’t see her parents. It was rare not seeing them
having breakfast by the time she forced herself out of her bedroom. Guess they came home pretty late last night,
she thought, opening the fridge.

“Liz?
What are you doing up so early?”

“Morning, Mom. I just woke up early today.”

“That’s
great, honey,” Carla said, yawning. “I-I’ll make breakfast in just a-a-a second.”

“Don’t
need to.” Eliza took ingredients out of the fridge and beamed at her. “I’ll
cook today.”

“O-okay…”

As she
cooked, she could feel her mother’s gaze on her back.

“Did
something good happened?” Her mother asked.

“Not
really. I just woke up and didn’t feel like staying in bed.”

Eliza
preferred her parents didn’t know the reason behind her sudden change in mood.
She didn’t want them finding out she liked spying on her classmates, and
especially how she did it. It’s not like
it’s my hobby. I knew they’d talk behind my back, so I just got dirt on them
beforehand. Not that I’m gonna use it. That was the excuse she gave herself.

“That’s
wonderful, honey.”

The
relief in her mother’s voice made her feel guilty. Don’t sound like that. It’s just my weird hobby of pretending to be a
spy with my freaky power, that’s all. Nothing’s changed.

“I saw
the news. It must’ve been awful. What time did you guys get home?” she asked to
change the topic.

“A few
hours ago. Thanks,” Carla added when Eliza poured her a cup of coffee. She let
out a long yawn and took her time drinking. When almost half of it was gone,
she pressed her eyes with her freehand. “I’ve never seen anything like that.
The patients just kept coming. So many chemical burns.”

Eliza
tried her hardest to not think about it and focused on the eggs. She didn’t
need those pictures in her head.

“And
those were the lighter cases,” Carla went on. “The worst were taken to the
capital, but even they couldn’t handle all the victims at once.”

“Sounds
terrible.”

“It was,”
her father, Flavio said, yawning. He looked just as tired as his wife. When he
sat on his chair, he dozed off, his head swaying. He opened his eyes and
blinked. Eliza poured him a cup of coffee and he drank half in one swallow.

“Thanks,
sweetie. It took so long because after they put out the fire, the place had to
be decontaminated before we could look for survivors.” He shivered and drank
another sip.

Eliza
finished cooking and put the food on the table. “Do they have any idea what
caused it?”

“Some are
saying it was human error.” Flavio said nothing else and ate his food in
silence.

Eliza
wanted to tell them to take a day off and rest, but she couldn’t. They can’t. We need the money because of me.
If I say something they’ll get mad,
saying kids shouldn’t worry about money. But I’m not a kid anymore, and I did
screw up.

She
finished her food, said goodbye to her parents, and left. Once she was outside,
she turned to the door and used her powers. Her parents exchanged suspicious
looks and then smiled as they held hands. Feeling better, Eliza headed to
school.

The place
was almost deserted. Few people come here
so early. Better for me, she thought as she headed to her classroom. She
enjoyed not hearing any whispers follow her. If I don’t waste time in bed, I get a little peace in the morning. Good
to know. She sat on the desk farthest from the door and turned to look out
the window.

From
here, she could see the few students coming in through the main gate, but with
her normal vision, it was hard to distinguish them. Eliza considered using her
powers but didn’t. Better to not use it
too much, she thought, rubbing her eyes gently. I need to save it if I’m gonna tag Bianca,
code name: Red.

Eliza couldn’t help but get excited as she saw the students piling into school. It’s like I’m in those
cops and spy movies I used to watch with dad and Fabio when we were kids.

Little by
little, her classmates arrived. Thankfully, most ignored her; the accident at
the chemical plant was more important. That’s good. I wanna
focus on Red. Where is she, by the way? Hope
she didn’t skip today.

Finally, Eliza
recognized the beautiful and lustrous red hair swaying and didn’t even need her
powers to do it. Guess she’s the only one
with this color, she thought, grinning.

She
watched until Bianca disappeared from her normal sight. Then she turned to the
door, pressing her lips. Just a little
bit will be fine. I can’t miss the
chance to get a frontal view.

Eliza took
deep breaths, relaxed, and focused her eyes. It took seconds for her to see
through the wood door and the floor.

Bianca
was walking down the main hallway. In a few seconds, she would climb up the
stairs, turn around the corner and walk down the corridor straight to the
classroom.

It’s not fair she’s that beautiful, rich, and strong.
Who wrote your character? Eliza became jealous for
an instant before dismissing it. It was making her powers waver, and Bianca’s
uniform became transparent.

T-this is more perverted than I imagined, she thought, gawking. It
doesn’t help she’s wearing outrageous lingerie again. Don’t you have
normal panties and bras?

Eliza
ignored the lingerie and focused on the porcelain skin, perfect if not for the
bruise on her leg, which looked much less swollen. It looks like the one on the hooded girl from yesterday, but it was too
dark to be 100% sure. If I could just get a better look. Hey Red,
could you stop and spread your legs open for me?

She
laughed with the thought. That sounded gayer than I meant it to be. The
loss of concentration brought her sight back to normal and Bianca reached the
door before Eliza could use her power again. Damn, I lost my chance.

It was only
for an instant, but when the redhead entered the room, their eyes met. She has such pretty eyes, Eliza thought
before turning to the window and yawning. She felt a gaze on her but didn’t
turn to see who it was. It’s just my
imagination.

***

When the
last bell of the day rang and the teacher left, Eliza rested her head on the
desk. I feel like shit. Because of all
the crap yesterday, I forgot how tiresome classes are. And I didn’t understand
anything. There’s no way I can get into college this year, she thought as
her classmates prepared to leave. I need
a nap after lunch.

After
everyone left, the classroom fell silent. Before she could get ready to leave,
she heard steps walking towards her.

“Hey.”
Eliza turned grudgingly. When she saw Bianca, she became alert. “Why were you
watching me all morning?”

There’s no way she noticed. Eliza pushed herself up and began organizing her backpack. She couldn’t. I’m not that stupid to let
myself get caught.

“I don’t
know what you’re talking about,” she said coolly, and walked around the redhead
to get to the door.

Bianca stood
before Eliza. “You were staring at me yesterday before class started and today
when I arrived.”

She
showed no reaction as she stared directly in her eyes. “How self-centered can
you be? I know you’re one of the most beautiful and popular girls here, but not
everyone treats you like you’re the center of the world, as shocking as that
might sound.” Eliza walked around the redhead and pulled out her shabby
earbuds. Before she put them in, she looked over her shoulder and couldn’t help
but smile when she saw Bianca’s surprised expression. “Sorry to break it to
you.”

Even with the earbuds in, she heard Bianca snorting. A moment later,
she was walking beside Eliza. “You say that, but you
seemed to find me interesting enough to look at me the entire day. Care to tell
me why?”

Shit. I was too careless,
Eliza thought. She was doing her best to ignore her. Though she tried to pay
attention during class, she found herself sneaking peeks at her target every
now and then.

Bianca took
one of her earbuds gently. “Did you, by any chance, want to take a peek at my
panties?”

Eliza
became flustered and took a few steps back, her hand on her ear, which was
slightly warm. “Why would I want to see that outrageous lingerie of yours?”

Bianca’s
lips curled into a victorious smile.

She’s messing with me.
Eliza put the earbud back in and walked faster.

Bianca
matched her speed. “So that’s it, huh? You’re interested in what’s underneath
my pants.” She covered her blushing cheek and sighed with a troubled
expression. “Don’t get me wrong. I’m flattered. But I don’t even know you.”

Eliza did
her best to ignore that annoying smile. Perfect.
Just what I need. Besides being an addict, I need lesbian added to the list.
Everyone’s gonna have a blast with that, she
thought. Then she sighed. A long time
ago, I might’ve cared.

“Yeah,
sure, whatever. If that makes you happy, you can think I was interested,” Eliza
said with all the sarcasm she could muster.

When she descended
the stairs, Bianca caught up with her and blocked her path again. She exhaled
loudly through her nose and rubbed her eyes. “You already know why I was
looking at you. Aren’t you satisfied? What else do you want? To hear, you got
beautiful skin? Nice legs? You probably already heard that.”

“I wanna thank you,” Bianca said, looking her in the eyes. All
the teasing was gone from her face. Then she smiled. “And to give you a
reward.”

Eliza was
having trouble understanding. She had lost herself in those green eyes. She
has long eyelashes. “A-a reward? For what?”

Bianca
climbed up two steps so their heads were level. She looked around, then leaned
closer to Eliza’s ear. “He’s got a
bat,” she whispered, watching her reaction with interest.

So, it was her fighting yesterday! Eliza could barely keep the excitement from her face. And she recognized my voice… This girl is
much more interesting than I thought. As she considered what to say, she
didn’t notice she was smiling.

Bianca
leaned closer and kissed Eliza on the cheek. When she stepped away, Eliza
brought her hand to her cheek, feeling the moistness from the redhead’s lips. What just…

“For now,
this is all we can do.” She turned around and climbed down the stairs.

It took a
second, but Eliza shook her head and went after her. “What was that for?”

“Didn’t I
just say? It was your reward.” Bianca giggled when Eliza was by her side. “I
know you want more, but I hope you can be satisfied with just that for now.”

“Thanks for the reward. I’ll treasure it for the
rest of my life,” Eliza said in monotone. “That’s not what I asked.”

“If we’re
gonna start a relationship, we need to take it slow.”
Bianca brimmed with so much joy that she seemed she might start skipping at any
moment.

“Even if
I was like that, why would I start a relationship with someone who goes around
kissing others for no reason?” I’m
totally caught in her pace, Eliza realized. But for some reason, she didn’t
consider walking away. How long has it
been since I had a stupid conversation like this?

Bianca
was so close that Eliza thought she would get another “reward.” And not on the
cheek this time.

“I don’t
go around kissing others for no reason. You helped me yesterday, so it’s only
fair I do something for you. I thought that would make you happy.”

“Right…
And why would a kiss from you make me happy? I think I blanked out and miss
that part.”

“You were
the one who spent the entire day interested in what’s under my pants.”

Eliza
snorted and shook her head. She’s messing
with me. “Let’s put those delusions aside. When did I help you? I don’t
even remember ever talking to you before.”

She
ignored Bianca’s last comment and got back to the main topic. She caught me off guard I almost forgot she
just confirmed that it was her in the alley yesterday.

Bianca
sighed and brought a hand to her cheek. “I’m not interested in girls who don’t
listen,” she said. “I know it was you who screamed about the guy with the bat.”

Eliza
kept her face empty. “I have no idea
what you’re talking about.”

“Oh,
please. I know you were there.”

“Where?
Did you see me?”

“No,” she
admitted.

Eliza
suppressed her smile of triumph. If she’s
got no proof other than her intuition, I’m safe.

“But I
did recognize your lovely voice,” Bianca whispered when Eliza walked past by
her.

Eliza stopped
at the bottom step and turned around. For a moment, the sunlight shining
through the window behind Bianca made her look like a red-haired angel. The
sight left her speechless.

“Then it
was you fighting in the alley. I’d never think the school’s number one beauty,
the famous Bianca, liked beating people up so much.”

She
decided to let go of all pretenses. I have
the upper hand here. I know she goes around fighting people, though I can’t do
much with that information for now. And it doesn’t matter if she knows it was
me who screamed, because there’s no way she can find out about my powers. At best, there’ll be another rumor that I
was stalking her or something. Luckily, my reputation is at rock bottom,
so one more rumor won’t make much of a difference.

Bianca’s
playful smile remained. “It seems we’re both interested in each other. How
about if we continue this conversation in a more private place?” she asked when
a student came running past them on the stairs.

“Fine.” Me
and my curiosity…

Bianca
beamed as she climbed down the steps until she was on the same step as Eliza. I could’ve sworn she was taller. “W-why
do you look so happy?”

“Because
communication is important,” Bianca said. “Before we start a relationship, we
need to get to know each other, don’t you think?”

Eliza let
out an exhausted sigh. “Could you avoid those jokes? I already got enough
rumors as it is.”

Chapter 03

“Let me get this straight,” Eliza said, resting her head on the
wall. “Those guys ambushed you because you humiliated one of them?”

“Yeah…”
Bianca flashed an awkward smile.

But Eliza
could tell she was proud of what she had done. “What did you do?”

“I went
to their leader’s church and screamed he was a cheater who gave me and other
girls chlamydia.”

Eliza
imagined Bianca doing that on a Sunday morning in a full church. Though she
knew nothing about the redhead, she could see her doing that with a smile. But
there’s something strange.

“And why
did you do that?”

“He
cheated on my friend!” Bianca’s smile vanished. “And that wasn’t all. He
cheated on a lot of girls before her too. But it’s not like I’d beat up people
for that. So when he came at me for payback, I took my
chance.”

She
laughed, her anger gone as she spun on the chair in Eliza’s bedroom, happy as a
kid proud of her accomplishments.

After
they agreed to talk, Bianca suggested a coffee shop or a restaurant nearby, but
Eliza said no. She doubted the conversation would end up being about her power.
Even though she wouldn’t say anything, she preferred not to talk in public.

But that
wasn’t the only reason. She didn’t want other students seeing her with the most
popular girl in school. It won’t change
my reputation, but I’d rather avoid the headache. Especially if she keeps
making those lesbian insinuations, she thought at the time.

So, Eliza
suggested her house, where she felt comfortable, and there wouldn’t be anyone
around. At her suggestion, Bianca giggled and blushed but agreed, muttering
something like, “Too soon, but if it’s
you, I don’t mind getting to know you better there.”

“I doubt
you ever imagined I did something like that, right?” Bianca asked, dragging the
chair closer to the bed. She stared at Eliza with wide, sparkling eyes. “It
deviates a little from my reputation.”

Eliza
couldn’t help but laugh, and it felt good. It had been so long since she
laughed like that. It was strange, but she felt lighter. “Yeah, let’s say a
little. But aren’t you worried? I mean, with your parents, fighting in alleys
is a bit…”

Bianca
closed her eyes, pressed her lips, and shook her head, moving her index finger
from side to side at the same time. “It’s my turn now.”

Bianca
took her time observing the bedroom and making little comments here and there.
Then, Eliza asked the first question. She answered, but when Eliza pressed for the second answer, she said
it was her turn to ask. They questioned and answered each other for almost half
an hour.

“Then,
ask.”

“How did
you see the guy with the bat?” Bianca was suddenly
serious.

She’s finally asking, Eliza
thought, biting her lips. The questions so far had nothing to do with the
fight. Things like what Eliza liked, how her relationship with her parents was,
if she had a boyfriend or someone she liked. Because she saw no reason to lie, Eliza
answered honestly. But, she ended up using one of her
questions to ask why Bianca was interested in such stuff.

Bianca
said those things were important in a relationship.

Eliza
moved her tongue on her teeth, thinking. How can I answer without lying?
She didn’t want to lie, but she had no desire to reveal her powers to Bianca. Maybe if we knew each other more, I could…
Wait, why am I starting to sound like her now?

“I saw one
of them lurking with it.”

Bianca
narrowed her eyes and pushed the chair away, humming. “I can tell you’re not
lying, but you’re hiding something from me.”

Eliza
chuckled and suppressed the urge to click her tongue. She has good intuition. Too good.

“But you
answered anyway, so I’ll answer your previous question. I care about my
parents’ reputation, and mine a little. But if I let that guide the way I live
my life, I’d be denying myself and living according to what others want.”

The smile
and teasing were gone from Bianca’s green eyes. Eliza couldn’t say anything. I can’t
believe the girl I considered boring, and an airhead, is much more mature than
me. I wish I
could be like that.

“Now it’s
my turn again.” Suddenly Bianca dragged the chair towards the bed again. Their
faces were inches from each other.

Her smile
caught Eliza off guard, making her blush. She scratched her head and averted
her eyes. “S-sure. Go ahead.”

“You say you saw the guy lurking with the bat, and I believe
that. But there’s one thing bothering me. There was no one else in that alley
beside us.” Bianca moved the chair so she could look Eliza in the eyes. Eliza
wanted to look away, but Bianca placed one finger on her chin and forced her to
meet her gaze. “And most importantly, your lovely voice came from the park. I
doubt you could see with the fence and the trees.”

She knew from the start I was in the park. All her questions were to
check if I’d answer for real! For a moment, the idea of telling Bianca
about her powers crossed her mind. It’s
not like she can harm me if she knows, Eliza thought, going through the
scenarios. What would she do? If she
tells anyone, people will think she’s gone crazy. And there’s no way she can
blackmail me if she knows about it. I
mean, there’s nothing to blackmail me with. Besides, she’s answered everything
I asked honestly, as far as I can tell.

That was
all true. However, deep down, Eliza wanted to tell someone, to talk about the
power which came out of nowhere and changed her life and was now part of her. I don’t have the courage to tell my parents
or Amanda, but I’m gonna tell this girl? She’s
practically a stranger, she thought, sneering at the idea.

“I have
a… sort of special power,” she mumbled. “I can see through stuff. Kinda like x-ray vision.”

Bianca
showed no reaction as the silence filled the room. Eliza blushed and suddenly,
she couldn’t look her in the eyes anymore. Why
does it sound so stupid? What am I, a kid with delusions? There’s no way she’d
believe me, she thought. She held the urge to pull her shirt over her head
and hide her face. Stop looking at me
with those beautiful eyes. Say something, Red!

“You’re
saying you have a supernatural power,” Bianca said after a while. Her voice was
empty, just like her face. “I find that hard to believe, but it seems like you’re
telling the truth. Show it to me.”

Eliza let
out a soft laugh before she could suppress it. She’s crazier than she looks. Only someone who fights in dark
alleys would believe in something like that without questioning my sanity.
“It’s my turn to ask now, isn’t it?”

“That
wasn’t a question.”

Eliza
opened her mouth but then closed it, smiling. “You’re right. How can I prove
it?”

Bianca
crossed her arms, thinking. A few seconds later, she pulled her phone out,
fiddled with it, covered the screen, and then turned the device towards Eliza. “Tell me what’s on the screen.”

Eliza
closed her eyes and breathed in and out slowly to relax. When she felt her body
become lighter, she stared at Bianca’s hand. Even with the distracting smile,
it only took her a few seconds to see through the skin, muscles, and bone. When
the screen was visible to her, her face became a wild shade of red, and she
looked away.

“Why the
hell do you have pictures of your boobs on your phone?”

“It is
true! I can’t believe it!” Bianca could barely keep her voice down from her
excitement. When she calmed down a little, she came closer again, flashing a
sly smile. “How do you know they are mine?”

“I… I…
ah…” Shit! Me and my big mouth! C’mon, think, damn it! “I…ah—it’s my
turn to ask!” Nice one, me!

“It was
nudes for my ex. Now tell me how you knew these were my boobs so quickly,”
Bianca asked again. Her smile was slyer, and her eyes shined as she flashed the
screen at Eliza.

Eliza bit
her lips and looked away, her face redder as she mumbled in a barely audible
whisper, “I recognized them.”

“So, you
used your powers to check out my boobs,” Bianca said, her cheeks a shade of
pink. The playful expression was gone, and she averted her gaze. For some
reason, the sudden shyness was even more embarrassing to Eliza. “Can you see
through anything?”

“I don’t
know.” She shrugged, glad they weren’t talking about
the redhead’s bosom anymore. “There’s a distance limit, but nothing has stopped
me so far.”

“Not even
lead?” Bianca emphasized the last
word, suddenly suppressing a grin.

“Never
tried.” Though it was her turn to ask, Eliza didn’t mind. I wanted to share this with someone. Never thought it’d be her, though.

Bianca
seemed a bit let down but recovered the next second. “You were looking at my
legs all day. What were you trying to see?”

“I was…”
Eliza tried to come up with something, anything, but her mind was blank. I hate how easily flustered she makes me, she
thought. Only now did she notice Bianca’s bosom was still on the screen. “Could
you put your phone away?”

Bianca
looked at the screen and the sly smile was back. She flashed the phone at Eliza’s
face again. “Why? You already saw me, how I was born, with your powers, didn’t
you? This shouldn’t be embarrassing at all.”

Eliza
looked away and heard Bianca laugh while putting the phone back in the pocket
of her pants. She breathed slowly
until her cheeks were back to its natural color. Her heart still pounded faster,
though.

“I was
only trying to confirm if you were the person in the alley. You got that bruise
on your thigh.”

“Ah… I
thought you were into me…” Bianca’s smile thinned. Then she shook her head and
as excited as before asked, “How far can you see? Does everything just become
transparent? Is your vision like a telescope zooming in?”

“It’s my
turn to ask.” Eliza chuckled with her expression. She’s like a kid looking for candy. “But I’m out of questions
anyway.”

What she
didn’t say was that she wanted to talk. Bianca’s excitement was interesting. I’ve only had this power for a few months,
but it’s already become normal to me, even the trouble that comes with it. But I never gave too much thought about it.

“Yeah,
it’s like a telescope zooming in. I never measured, but I think the limit is
about two or three kilometers. In the beginning, it was only a couple meters.
It became stronger as I learned to use it,” she said, suddenly realizing how
much she had used her powers despite everything that happened. “Before, my
vision used to go through everything, even my eyelids. It was… hard. But after
a lot of things, I managed to control it.”

“Can you
control what becomes transparent, or it goes through everything?

“Now, I
can choose what to look through. It’s like forcing your vision to become
blurry; only the stuff I’m looking at becomes transparent.”

“That’s
awesome!” Bianca beamed. “How did you get them? When?”

“I have
no idea. Around Christmas, I just kinda woke up with
it. Even though I had my eyes closed, I could see the ceiling and the sky in
and out of focus. I was so dizzy I threw up,” Eliza confessed, the words coming
out of her before she realized it. “My power was coming and going so much my
eyes were in pain all the time. I felt like my head was exploding…”

“Is that
why you almost overdosed?” Bianca
asked in a whisper. She had stopped smiling, all her
excitement gone.

“Yes.”
Eliza closed her eyes and held her breath for a moment. I can’t believe she’s the first person I’m telling this to. “It
hurt so bad I had to do something. I… I stole from my friend to buy painkillers.
But it wasn’t enough. I stole morphine from my mom’s work…”

She
stopped talking to suppress her tears. She didn’t want to cry. Not in front of Bianca.

“Do your
eyes still hurt when you use your powers?” Bianca asked in the same whisper
after a while. She looked truly worried.

“Only
when I use it too much. They itch a little, but it goes away quickly.” For some
reason, Eliza didn’t like seeing Bianca worried. They didn’t know each other,
but she liked it more when the redhead smiled.

“So, you
don’t need medication anymore?”

“No… but
I’m afraid… until the itching fades, I fear it won’t, that it’ll be just like it
was at the beginning of the year,” Eliza admitted. She trembled and lowered her
head. “I don’t want to use painkillers or morphine ever again. I don’t want to
go back to rehab and put my parents through that again… I… I almost died…”

Suddenly,
there were two arms around her. Bianca had jumped from the chair and was
hugging her. “Whenever you need someone, you can talk to me. I’ll help you any
way I can.”

“Thanks.”
Eliza doubted there was anything the redhead could do for her, but she didn’t
dislike the idea of someone who knew her situation.

She had
no idea how long they hugged for, but sooner than she wished, Bianca was back
on the chair again. Eliza cleaned tears she didn’t remember crying. “Now you
know, but—”

“It’s our
secret.” Bianca beamed, and seeing that smile made Eliza happy.

She
opened her mouth but instead of saying something, she chuckled. “Yeah, guess
you can call it that.”

They
looked at each other and laughed, only stopping when Bianca’s phone rang.

“It’s my
mom. Ah, crap!” she exclaimed. “I totally forgot. I promised I’d help with a
photo shooting!”

“You’re a
model?”

“I model
sometimes to earn some money.” She stood up and grabbed her bag. “I gotta go, but I’ll call you later.”

Eliza
escorted Bianca out the front door. The house fell silent again. She looked
around the living room and went to her bedroom; nothing had changed, but
everything felt a little brighter.

She ate
alone that night. Fabio sent a text saying he would spend the night with his
girlfriend. Since Danielle’s parents were on vacation, he was practically
living with her. Lucky for him that Mom
and Dad are working, or they would complain about it, Eliza thought. They
had called to tell her about working late, so she cooked their dinner and left
it in the microwave in case they wanted to eat when they got home.

After
taking a shower, Eliza tried watching TV, but nothing was entertaining enough
to distract her. She gave up and went to bed even though it was too early to
sleep. Even if it wasn’t, she doubted she could; her mind was too racing.

I can’t believe I told her everything. I know there’s hardly
anything she can do with that information, but still… The image of Bianca
smiling filled her head. Tossing around, she sighed loudly and buried her face
on the pillow. It’s already done, so I
can’t change anything, but I never thought I’d feel better after telling
someone. Would I feel better if I
tell Amanda? If I explained why I stole her grandma’s ring?

You can’t. It’s our s-e-c-r-e-t, Eliza heard Bianca’s voice whispering in her ear. She shook her head
to dismiss it and turned to her phone on the nightstand.

I’m thinking about her too much. She said she’d call
later, but she doesn’t have my number. I doubt we have any friends in common. She
lives in that huge house a few streets from here, right? Is it more than three
kilometers away?

Eliza
wondered as she sat up and faced the wall. I
don’t know why I’m doing this. She
focused her mid. Faster than usual, her
bedroom walls became transparent, and her sight zoomed in, going farther this
time. Houses, trees, cars, people, and animals faded. Finally, she was staring
at the outside of a huge three-story house.

It’s her house, right? She
watched for a while, hoping to see anything that might indicate that she was
right. Hope it is. I don’t wanna spy on strangers. That’s a line I’d rather not cross.

Eliza
took a deep breath and concentrated even more, but her sight wouldn’t go any
farther. It’s just outside my limit. Oh
well, it can’t be helped. I don’t even know why I’m doing this anyway. She
closed her eyes and waiting until her vision got back to normal before lying on
the bed again.

After a
few seconds, Eliza sat again. Damn it! She
blinked a couple of times and took deep breaths, letting herself relax
completely. Then she opened her eyes and focused. Clear the mind. Don’t think of anything.

She found
herself staring at the house again, but this time, little by little, her sight advanced.
The edges of her vision blurred as the walls became closer and closer until it
was all she could see. Without blinking, Eliza relaxed her
shoulders, took a deep breath, and slowly let it out through her nose. Just a little more…

The outer
wall became transparent and she could see part of the interior. “Yes!” she
screamed and made a fist. Her vision backed up a bit and the wall became
visible again. Shit! Relax and clear your
damn mind.

Though
her eyes became strained, the wall faded again. Panting slightly, Eliza
suppressed the urge to blink. She looked for Bianca’s room, hoping it wasn’t on
the other side of the house.

That’s the one, I can feel it, she told herself. She tried to contain her laugh and kept her
concentration. The walls of the bedroom
at the corner of the huge house were covered with ‘70s, and ‘80s martial arts
movie, superheroes, and even Japanese cartoon posters. I can’t believe the most beautiful and popular girl, the famous Bianca,
is a nerd! Ah! That’s why she asked if I could see through lead!

Eliza couldn’t stop smiling. The excitement was enough even to make
her forget about the light burning sensation in her eyes. Where is she?

The door
opened, and Bianca entered the room wearing nothing but a robe and a towel
around her hair. She’s gorgeous,
Eliza had to admit. Did her bruises fade?
It’d be a shame if it left a mark. She
contained her urge to check. I’m
already forcing my eyes, and I shouldn’t try seeing through that robe just out
of curiosity.

She sat
on a chair and used the hairdryer. When she finished combing her hair, she
turned and stared at the wall.

No way. Her intuition can’t be that good. No way, Eliza
told herself. She tried to deny the fact that Bianca was almost looking in her
direction. She knew it was impossible, but still gulped under her intense gaze.

When
Bianca stopped facing the wall and picked up her phone, Eliza breathed a sigh
of relief. A second later, her phone rang. She lost focus and everything
blurred as her vision returned to normal. Holding the surprised scream in her
throat, she blinked a couple of times and picked up her phone.

She
couldn’t help but chuckle and shake her head as she stared at the screen showing
an unknown number. No way. It
can’t be her. No way. After a couple seconds, she pressed the button and
brought the phone to her ear.

“Were you
looking at me?” Bianca asked before she could even say hello.

“I… erh…” Eliza was so surprised she was left speechless.

“I felt a
disturbance I hadn’t felt since this morning and knew it was you checking me
out.”

“It
wasn’t that. I was just—” Eliza stopped talking, but it was too late.

“You were
looking at me!” Bianca sounded delighted. “I thought I was the only one thinking about you. But knowing you’re
also thinking about me makes me so happy. Were you looking at my thigh again?”

“I…
invoke my right to remain silent.” It was the only thing she could think of to
say as she remembered the posters in the redhead’s bedroom.

“I can’t
believe you admitted it so easily. I was just joking, and you took the bait so
quickly.” Bianca laughed. “It was like when a in a movie character says, ‘you
can come out now’ in an empty place and someone appears, they’re like ‘wow, there
was actually someone there!’”

Why does she make me so flustered so easily? Eliza asked herself while waiting until the redhead stopped
laughing again. I’d never imagined she
was like this.

“I was
just making sure you weren’t blabbing about my powers.”

“For our
relationship to work, you need to trust me,” Bianca said, almost singing.
“Besides, I’d never betray the secret that brought us together.”

Eliza
sighed and pressed her temples. There she
goes with those insinuations. She really gets me off guard. “Fine. I’ll
give you the benefit of the doubt and trust you for now.”

“Yay!
Thanks!” Bianca seemed so happy Eliza blushed. Then, Bianca’s voice fell into a
serious tone. “But now we have two problems.”

“What?”

“You were
spying on me. That’s a violation of my privacy.”

Eliza bit
her lips. She had been spying on her classmates for a while, and she was aware
it was on the shady side of morality. But
to have someone pointing it out to my face…

“I
promise I won’t use my eyes on you again.”

“No!”
Bianca said quickly. “I like the idea of you watching me. But I want you to
promise you’ll only do it to me. I wanted to hide this, but I’m the jealous
type.”

Eliza
imagined Bianca puffing her cheeks like a spoiled kid. That’d be cute, she thought. The idea made her chuckle. “Is that
so? Then I’ll try keeping my eyes off the others.”

“Yay!”
Bianca sounded delighted. Eliza was starting to notice that this wasn’t
annoying her like before. “Then we’ll go shopping tomorrow to celebrate.”

“Celebrate
what?”

“Our
first promise!”

“Yeah,
fine, whatever.” Eliza felt tired but still smiled. She can be so tiresome.

“Wait,
you said we had two problems. What’s the other?”

“Ah.”
Bianca chuckled. “It’s not actually a problem, but I’m gonna
play with myself after we hang up. And because I caught you spying on me, I’ll
be thinking of you, so it’s like I’ll be masturbating to you.”

Eliza’s
face turned a wild shade of red. “How can you say those things?” she said in a
hushed voice before she could stop herself. Her reaction only made Bianca
laugh.

“I’m just
telling the truth. Why are you being such a prude? Are you a virgin?”

“I’m not
someone who talks about that kind of stuff like it’s nothing!”

“Prude.
But don’t worry, I’ll do something about that,” Bianca whispered the last part.
Eliza could feel her sly smile through the phone.

“Could
you stop messing with me?”

“I’m not
doing that.”

“Yeah,
right.”

“I’m
serious. If you want to, you can watch me.”

There was
a moment of silence. “I’m exhausted after talking to you. I’m gonna sleep now. Bye.”

“The idea
of you watching me turns me on so much.”

Eliza
ended the call with her face burning. She turned towards Bianca’s house. She wouldn’t, would she? I’m sure she was
just joking.

She lay
on the bed, her face buried into the pillow. No matter how exhausted she was,
the picture of Bianca pleasuring herself filled Eliza’s head. Shit! I’m just confirming she was messing
with me. That’s all, she thought,
angry at herself as she sat up.

This time,
her sight went into the house without effort. Bianca was lying on the bed with
a hand between her legs, her fingers moving in and out…

Eliza
closed her eyes and buried her face in the pillow. No matter how much she
tried, she couldn’t push the image out of her head. She’s red down there too…

Chapter 04

Eliza stood in the corner of the store, completely still as she
watched Bianca walking up and down the rows of clothes and shaking her head.

“No, no,
urgh, not this one,” Bianca murmured. “How could Mom put this out for sale? Is lame
becoming popular? I pity the next generation.”

Eliza
held the urge to sigh or ask why they were there again. I can’t hear ‘buying
clothes’ one more time. Her ‘isn’t it obvious? Can’t you tell?’ face is
annoying, she thought. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

“This one looks interesting.” Eliza opened her eyes and Bianca
stood before her with a smile and a dress in her hands. “Try these two.”

She
stared into those green eyes before turning to the dresses. One was a strapless
powdered blue, and the other was a high neck, low back dress in emerald.
Knowing how pushy the redhead could be, Eliza suppressed her immediate
reply—no—and tried imagining herself wearing both. I doubt they’ll look good
on me.

“I don’t
know… It’s not me.”

“Have you
ever tried something like this?”

“For my fifteenth
birthday party.”

Bianca looked
at her with sparkling eyes. Under that gaze, Eliza sighed and accepted the
dresses. This wasn’t how I imagined my day would be, she thought,
walking into the dressing room.

***

When she
woke that morning, she felt better than usual. Talking to someone about my powers and what had happened in the past
few months felt good, even if it was someone like Bianca. Still, maybe I
shouldn’t have said that much.

Though Bianca
couldn’t cause any trouble, Eliza considering skipping school. But when she thought
about her parents, who arrived in the middle of the night again, she gave up on
the idea and got out of bed.

There was
nothing to be wary of. Everything was just like the previous days. This
means Bianca hasn’t told anyone, she thought as she hid in a stall in the
bathroom. She could still be up to something but, even so, I can’t hide here
all day. When she was about to leave, her stomach churned. Why am I
nervous to see her? This is stupid.

Eliza snuck
a peek with her powers; Bianca hadn’t arrived yet. Ignoring the whispers
when she entered the classroom, she sat at her usual desk and laid her head on
her arms. Instead of waiting for the teacher, however, she watched the front
gate, hoping to see beautiful red hair swaying in the wind at any moment.

Around
five minutes before class started, she saw Bianca coming. I wonder what these idiots will say if she
talks to me like we’re friends. Maybe that I’m blackmailing her for drug money.
I think it was cocaine, she thought as she watched
the redhead enter the building and disappear from her sight.

A couple
of minutes later, Bianca entered the classroom. She greeted her friends and
went to her usual desk without glancing once at Eliza.

Being
ignored was annoying, but she brushed off the feeling and faced the window. Whatever.
It’s best if she doesn’t talk to me here anyway. That’s what Eliza thought,
but a second later, she turned back, even more annoyed. I’m too conscious of
her.

Coincidence
or not, Bianca was glancing at her through the corner of her eyes. With a
smile, she turned back to her friends but, before Eliza got even more annoyed, she
tapped her desk with her index finger.

What’s
that supposed to mean?

It took a
moment, but Eliza understood. Half curious, half irritated, she focused. The
desk became transparent, and she saw Bianca pointing between her legs, tapping
her thigh with a finger.

She slowly
exhaled through her nose. If I do what she wants, then I’m letting her
manipulate me. This idea was annoying, but her curiosity was bigger. After
a second, she focused her vision a little more.

Eliza
became an alarming shade of red the instant Bianca’s pants turned transparent. Her
vision went back to normal when she lost focus. Bianca had written, ‘Meet me at
the mall for lunch’ on her thigh.

Wasn’t
there a better way to ask me that, Red? You have my number, she thought, her cheeks still burning. The worst was that Bianca
noticed, and the sly smile was back on her lips. Damn.

***

“It doesn’t
look good,” Eliza said through the curtains. She turned around to check her
back in the mirror. “I told you it wouldn’t.”

“Let me
see.”

“Wait—”

“Are your
eyes bad even with your power? You look great!” Bianca exclaimed when she
pulled the curtain, observing Eliza from head to toe.

“T-thanks,
I guess.” She blushed and held her elbow over her body, not sure how to react.

Bianca
smiled, placed a hand on her chin, nodded, and hummed in approval. “That was
expected since I have good taste.”

Eliza
snorted. “I know it’s hard, maybe borderline impossible, but could you stop
with the self-compliment and get out? I have to try on the other one.”

Bianca smiled.
“We’re both girls, so there’s no problem if you change with me in here, right?”

With a
body like that, it’s more like I’m a girl, and you’re a woman, she thought, eyeing the redhead’s ample bosom. “Sounds sarcastic when
you say that.”

“If
you’re worried about that, I can make a woman out of you,” she said, her smile
even more playful.

Keep calm, Eliza told
herself. Don’t let her know her jokes
affect you.

There was
silence, and then Bianca dropped her shoulders. A moment later, she recovered
and reached out through the curtain and pulled out another dress. “Until that
day comes, try this one too!”

She was ready
to say anything to avoid trying on more clothes. But she couldn’t. Instead, she
imagined herself wearing the dress. Without looking at Bianca, Eliza accepted
the dress and waited until she left the dressing room.

I can’t
believe I’m doing this, Eliza thought again.
Despite that, she smiled. I guess hanging out with her and doing this isn’t
that bad. It’s better than staying at home with nothing but my thoughts.

Bianca looked
awestruck when Eliza pulled the curtain away. She was speechless, but soon was
back to her normal self, and beamed. “It looks—”

“You can
start with the self-compliment. Even I have to admit you deserve some,” Eliza
interrupted, half-joking to mask her embarrassment.

“I’d do
it if I deserved it, but you look too beautiful for me to start babbling about
myself.”

The lack
of any sly innuendo caught Eliza off guard. She avoided looking at Bianca and
closed the curtains to change back into her school uniform. “This is enough.
Are you satisfied?”

“For now,
yes.”

“Huh? We’re
not done yet?”

“There’s
still a lot planned for tonight.”

“A lot of
what? And for what exactly? You still haven’t told me the reason we’re doing
this.”

Bianca said
nothing as Eliza got out of the dressing room. She pulled her towards the
register, excited like a kid in an amusement park. “C’mon, we have no time to
waste!”

Chapter 05

She must’ve spent a small fortune. I know she said I don’t have to
pay, but this is too much, Eliza thought as she
took a shower, remembering all her new belongings spread across Bianca’s bed.
It wasn’t just a dress. Bianca also bought her earrings and heels, took her to get
their nails done, and even a quick spa trip to, apparently, relax after a day
of shopping.

Well, a
small fortune to me. What Bianca had bought for Eliza
was nothing compared to what she had bought for herself. Rich people sure
are different. I wonder if I could do this every week. After a few seconds of
imagining, she shook her head. Even if I had the money, doing this every
week would be boring. Maybe once a month.

As the
cold water washed her fatigue away, she thought of Bianca. It’s hard to
imagine the girl who enjoys beating people up go on a shopping spree like on TV.
Then again, I think she enjoyed treating me like a doll more than buying stuff
for herself. Guess part of the rich girl’s image is true.

Though she
would never admit it, spending time with her and finding out more about the
famous Bianca was fun. Even so, she hadn’t forgotten. Bianca avoided saying
why we were shopping and what she’s planning for tonight…

“Finally.
I was beginning to think you ran away.” Bianca beamed when she got out of the
bathroom.

“Sorry. I
like long showers… It clears my head.”

“I’m not
complaining. Now sit here.” Bianca tapped the chair before the makeup dresser.

“Are you
finally gonna tell me the reason for all this?” After
spending all day with her, Eliza had given up sighing and just obeyed. “Please
don’t tell me you plan to take me to a party or something like that.”

“You’re
so smart.”

Eliza
groaned. “What kind of party?”

“It’s a
surprise.” Bianca beamed.

I should
tell her I hate surprises. My life’s
had enough surprises after I got my power. “All this just for a party?”

“Actually,
it was more so I could bring out a little of the beauty in you and brag to the
world.”

“Brag
about what?”

“That you’re
all mine.” Bianca kissed her on the cheek, looking at her through the mirror.

Eliza
ignored the redhead’s teasing. A party… It doesn’t sound so bad, she
thought, letting Bianca do her hair as she pleased.

***

Eliza wanted
to say something as she looked around the room. It didn’t have to be clever or
sarcastic, just something that could voice a little of her confusion and
embarrassment. She had no words, though.

People
are looking at us…at her. She’s so beautiful she just stands out. Both men and women, young and old, looked at Bianca and then
whispered something among themselves. Others simply looked awestruck, as if
they had never seen someone so beautiful. There were a couple of young men
pushing each other as if trying to make the other go talk to the redhead.

By her
side, Bianca was oblivious to all of that. All she did was try to suppress a laugh.
But as she pressed her lips together, Eliza knew it was nearly impossible.

“Go ahead
and laugh,” she mumbled as she blushed.

“It’s not
my fault. The face you just made was so cute,” Bianca laughed and smiled. “It’s
like you’ve never been to a party, you prude.”

“I’ve been
to parties, but I’m sure our definitions of a party are worlds apart.”

“This is
more like the Oscars.” Eliza eyed the room one
more time. The parties she was used to were a few friends getting together to
talk and maybe dance. It didn’t include a banquet or a live band; the closest
was when someone played their guitar while the others sang along. No one wore dresses,
tuxedos, suits, or fine jewelry. They wore anything from jeans to skirts and
shorts, from blouses to t-shirts.

“It may
be hard to believe, but I get your point,” Bianca chuckled. “It’s too much for
our little city. But our new mayor doesn’t think that.”

“Says the
girl who hired a limo to bring us here.”

“T-that
was because dad made me. I’m serious. Stop looking at me with those eyes,” she
added under Eliza’s doubtful expression.

Eliza
kept her stern gaze, but then she chuckled. “Sure, sure.”

“I mean
it…”

“What
kind of party is this, anyway? You said it wasn’t a birthday or a celebration
or anything. Does the mayor like to splurge taxpayer’s money on a Wednesday
night like this?”

“He does.
And this is a bribe party,” Bianca said in an uninterested voice.

Eliza
waited, but she didn’t look like Bianca would say more. “What that’s supposed
to mean?”

“Just as
I said. Do you recognize some of the guests?”

“I feel
like I recognize some faces, but I’m not sure.”

“Most of
the town council members are here.”

Ah,
now that you mention it, I do remember some of them showing up on TV with a
stupid jingle or something like that. “So why is
this a bribe party?”

“Because
our new mayor wants to change this year’s budget, but he’s meeting some
resistance—”

“So, this
is to convince everyone.”

“Yeah,
but that’s not important.” I feel like it’s kinda
important, Eliza thought as Bianca looked at Bruno with a strange gaze. “That’s
your ex-boyfriend, huh?”

After she
greeted and introduced Eliza to some of the guests, Bruno came to talk to them.
Though there was no need, she introduced her ex-boyfriend to the redhead, who
became suddenly serious.

“You’re
still on that?” Eliza flashed a wry smile. “What about him?”

“Nothing.
I just thought you’d have more to say to him,” Bianca said, twirling a lock of her
hair with her finger.

“What did
you expect me to do? He broke up with me after…you know…”

“What a
jerk.”

“I don’t
blame him. What I did reminded him of what happened to his mom when he lost
her.” Eliza looked at Bruno and the girl he seemed to be dating now. “I’m glad
he’s happy.”

“Hm…” Bianca
hummed loudly.

“What?”

“Nothing.
I never thought you were into older guys…”

Eliza
snorted. “He’s just two years older than me. Don’t make it sound like he’s a
married man.”

“He’s
popular. Everyone here seems to know him. Guess having a famous dad helps.”

“That
coming from you, it’s a little…” Eliza chuckled when Bianca bit her lips. “It’s
not only his dad. He’s a hard worker and a good guy. He was one of the few who
got top marks on the composing part of the national exam. He was even on TV.”

“Quite a
catch,” Bianca mumbled, crossing her arms. “It sounds like you miss him.”

“I’d be
lying if I said I didn’t.”

“Do… do
you want to get back together with him?” she asked in a low, barely audible
voice.

“Why do
you care?”

“Do you?”
Bianca insisted, looking her in the eyes.

Eliza blushed.
She could tell it wasn’t just out of curiosity. Bianca needed an honest answer.

“I’ve thought
about it. I mean, before everything, we had been dating for over a year. I… I
was in love with him.” The redhead seemed to have something to say but kept
quiet. “We were broken up by then, but he came to visit me a couple of times
when I was in rehab. We talked a lot, but never about getting back together.”

“And do
you want that?”

“No, I
don’t.”

“Really?
Do you mean it?”

Eliza couldn’t
help but chuckle. I prefer the Bianca who gets happy out of nowhere like a kid,
she thought, but would never voice it. “Yeah. He was a big part of my life,
but that was then. I’m not the same person as I used to be. Not only my eyes…” She
looked at the redhead and trailed off, blushing again.

Bianca didn’t
notice. She was too busy beaming. “I’m glad you’re not the same. If not, we’d
never have the chance to get to know each other.”

“Yeah,
yeah. Whatever,” Eliza murmured, looking away when her heart thumped faster. That
smile was too cute. “C-changing the topic. You said when we got here, the
party wasn’t the actual surprise.”

“Oh, yeah,”
Bianca remembered. Then she flashed a mischievous smile. “Speaking of that,
it’s probably starting soon.”

“Are you gonna tell me what it is?”

“Say, do
you know how to play poker?”

“Yeah…”

“Excellent.
This will be very interesting with your unique ability.”

Eliza
smiled when she finally understood. I can’t say it won’t be.

***

Never in
her life, not even in her wildest dream, had Eliza imagined she would be
playing poker against the mayor at a high society party. Or that she would have
the chance to win more money than she had ever seen in her life.

Everyone watched
as the unknown girl the chief of police’s daughter had introduced them stared
between the mayor and their cards. Everyone was as quiet as possible; the
conversations had died, and the sounds of glasses clinking had stopped. No one
seemed to breathe; they held their breaths together as one. Instead of awkward
silence, however, excitement filled the room.

The game
had started with fifteen people, including Bianca and Eliza. But after a couple
of hours, only the mayor and Eliza remained. Even Bianca had dropped out after
winning and losing a few times.

Eliza
breathed slowly, thinking. The money was tempting, but she knew better. The mayor
had said all-in and pushed his chips to the pile at the center, but he was no
fool to bluff. She had lost count of how many times she had seen, but she
focused on his hand again.

From her
position, and the way he held his cards, she could only see three of them. A
seven, an eight, and a nine… Eliza turned to her own cards. She had four tens and a two of clubs.
If he has a five and a six of spades, I’ll lose. If he only he would move
his hands just a bit, I could see if he has a straight flush.

Only a
few seconds had passed since the mayor betted all-in but to her, it seemed like
an eternity had passed. Though her breathing was calm and slow, she was
sweating and tense.

The
mayor’s a gambler. He tries to play it safe in the beginning but when he sees
the chances for a big prize, he’ll take it. Eliza remembered
what Bianca had told her before the game. I can’t tell if he’s risking or
not! I have to choose. To bet or not to bet?

With her
heart pounding like crazy, and the eyes of everyone on her, Eliza pushed her
pile to the center.

Time and
air stood still, the tension and excitement higher than ever as the mayor
lowered his cards onto the table.

When she
saw the two and four of spades, Eliza almost burst into a laugh. Her heart went
wild as she showed her cards. The room was still, then burst into applause and
cheers. Bianca ran to hug her, smiling and cheering more than anyone else.

The mayor
dropped his shoulders, looking disappointed, but when he raised his head, he
was smiling. “You’re the first to beat me in a while,” he said in a cordial
tone. “I’m impressed. Hope you’ll come to the next game.”

What
happened next felt like a dream. After many congratulations, shaking dozens of
hands, invitations for other games, inquiries about who she was and about her
family, Bianca managed to pull her away from the others.

When Eliza
came to herself, she was at the back of the limo with the redhead by her side.

“That was
way more awesome than I had imagined!” Bianca shouted, grinning.

“My heart’s
pounding like crazy!”

“Mine
too! I almost laughed when he went all in! And you pretended to consider
perfectly!”

“I wasn’t
pretending,” Eliza confessed, the adrenaline rushing as she remembered. “I
couldn’t see all his cards.”

“What!? You
went all in without knowing you’d win!?” Bianca was awestruck.

“Yeah. I
couldn’t see all his cards from where I was.”

For an
instant, Eliza thought she would get mad. I did gamble with her money, she
thought, and felt guilty for not considering that.

Bianca
burst into a laugh. “You’re more awesome than I thought!”

Eliza
couldn’t help but smile too. But when she calmed down, and all the excitement
cooled, she gave the money to Bianca. “Here.”

“Why?”
Bianca stopped smiling.

“You
know. The entry money and the dress and everything else.”

Bianca seemed
to consider this. Then she took a part of it and gave most of it back to Eliza.

“I told
you the dress and the rest were presents,” she said, trying to end that conversation.

“All that
stuff isn’t a normal present.”

“You’re
not normal.” Bianca came closer, looking her in the eyes. “You’re special, and
you better realize that.”

Eliza
tried to think of something to say, but she was caught off guard once again. Her
eyes are so beautiful. “Y-you’re just changing the subject.”

“You
figured it out, and I do like smart girls.” Bianca chuckled. “But I mean it.
Presents mean presents.”

“That
much money—”

“It’s my
money, so I can spend it however I want.” Bianca placed the money on Eliza’s
lap.

“Yours?”

“Yeah. I
told you I worked as a model, right? I earn good money with it, and I can spend
it however I want without people giving me crap about it.”

Eliza
opened her mouth, but then let out a reluctant laugh. That does sound just
like her, she thought and turned to the pile of money on her lap. I’ve
never seen so much money…

Suddenly she
felt guilty for the way she had won. In the beginning, she was reluctant about using her powers. But, as
Bianca had reminded her, her powers were a part of her. The supernatural
part, but still me. But now that I think about it, it wasn’t right to
use my eyes…

“I can
tell what you’re thinking.” Bianca wasn’t smiling anymore. “If you’re feeling guilty
about the money, then put it to good use.”

“How?”

“The
loan.”

Eliza
widened her eyes. It hadn’t crossed her mind at all. With this, I can pay
the loan for rehab and the stuff I stole. Mom and dad won’t have to work
overtime anymore. The thought made her guilt go away. In fact, she almost
wanted to cry out of joy. Things will never be like before, but maybe we can
put this all behind and have a new start.

“That’s a
great idea.” Eliza beamed at her. Bianca blushed and looked away. She chuckled and
cleaned the tears at the corner of her eyes. “Hey, can you tell me why you sat across
from me?”

“So you couldn’t use your powers against me. I wanted to win too, you know? But it wasn’t my night,” Bianca pouted.
“At least it was your day. You won it. We can’t say fair and square, but it
still counts.”

“Because
of that, I had to sit between that guy and that woman. They flirted every time
they could. I’m surprised they didn’t just go to the bathroom to do it.”

“I
thought they’d start rubbing their groins with you in the middle.”

Eliza couldn’t
help but laugh and shake her head. “I can’t believe I’m hearing this from you.
You’re so different from your image.”

“I don’t
see anything wrong with it.”

“Me
neither. It’s fun hanging out with you.”

Bianca
beamed. “Then let’s keep hanging out together!”

“Yeah, no
problem.” When did she get so cute?

Chapter 06

Eliza took deep breaths as she gathered up courage she didn’t have.
Though her hand was on the doorknob for a while, she hadn’t opened the car door
yet.

“I can do
it if you want,” Bianca said in a low voice.

It’d
be much easier if she did it for me, Eliza thought.
Before she could say yes, Amanda popped in her head. “Thanks, but I need to
do this.”

“Okay.
Take your time.”

Eliza
looked outside the car window. As she saw the entrance of the small pawnshop,
she couldn’t help but remember the last time she was here. I’m not the same
as back then, she told herself, pushing the memories away. I changed…
Bianca changed me. With a deep breath, she got out of the car.

A small
bell rang when she entered the shop, and again when she closed the door. When
it stopped, the place became quiet. There’s no one here.

Though
some of the products were new, others were here last time, and she didn’t like
the memories they triggered. Trying not to look at anything, she walked to the
counter.

“H-hello?”

“In a
minute,” a grumpy voice came from the door behind the counter. A moment later,
an almost bald old man came out. He eyed her suspiciously for a moment. “What
do you want?”

“I-I
don’t know if you remember, but I came here to sell this ring a couple of
months ago,” she mumbled, showing a picture of it on her phone.

“Yeah, I
remember,” he said in the same grumpy voice. “What do you want?”

“I wanna buy it back.”

The old man snorted. “Oh, yeah, you said
something about needing money but that you’d come back, so I shouldn’t sell
it.”

“T-that’s
why I’m here,” Eliza said. “You didn’t sell it, did you!?”

As she
waited for the answer, her insides twisted. Please tell me you didn’t. I
need to buy it back for Amanda.

“When you
showed up with that ring, you looked like any other junkie who stole something
from their family,” he spoke after a heavy silence. “You begged me not to sell,
saying you’d buy it back when you had the money. I didn’t believe you. I’d heard
that before.”

She felt
as if she had been punched in the gut. “You sold it?”

“I didn’t
promise you anything,” he reminded her. “A couple of days after you came, a
girl your age showed up asking if someone like you had come in selling a ring.”

“D-did she
have wavy brown hair?” Was it Amanda? How did she find out about this place?

“Yeah. I
knew there was something fishy with your story, but I’d done nothing illegal.
It was you who stole from her.”

“She
accused you?”

“No. She
wanted to buy the ring back but couldn’t afford it,” he answered before she
asked. “She gave me some money so I wouldn’t sell to anyone, saying she’d buy
it back when she could.”

That’s
why she’s been working a lot more at her family’s salon, Eliza realized and guilt filled her twisted insides. Instead of
studying, my friend is painting nails to buy back something that belongs to
her. Because of me. “S-so you still have the ring?”

The man
looked at her, chewing his tongue slowly. “Yeah, I do.”

“Thank
God.” She almost cried in relief, a weight lifting from her shoulders. “Please,
let me buy it back. I need to give it back to that girl.”

“You
stole from her, didn’t you?”

“Yes,”
Eliza admitted. “And I need to fix my mistake.”

He grew
quiet again. “Fine. I’ll sell it back to you.”

“Thank
you so much!”

“But not
for the same price,” he added as he went behind the door.

“Y-yeah,
I know.”

“It’ll be
twenty percent more than what I paid you.”

“T-that’s
all? I-I mean, thank you, but are you sure?”

Eliza was
prepared to give him the rest of her money after paying back the loan for her
rehabilitation, and what she stole from the hospital. She told her parents she
had earned the money from a few modeling jobs Bianca had arranged for her. They
were suspicious, but they were exhausted from the long and hard week and
haven’t asked since then.

“I’m not
heartless, girlie. I’ve seen too many people come here. From people selling
their dead family member’s stuff for a quick buck to junkies looking for money
for their next fix. But I thought there was something different in you. I don’t
know what. Maybe it was your eyes. You looked like a junkie, but not like the
usual ones.”

“Thank
you so much!”

When
Eliza got the ring back, she couldn’t hold in her tears. Now I can apologize
to Amanda.

Or so she
thought. Despite creating a plan, she couldn’t bring herself to call her friend
over the weekend. She told herself she would talk to Amanda on Monday, but after
Friday came around, she had yet to gather the courage to apologize.

“You’re a
coward,” Bianca said bluntly. Their last class of the day was canceled because
the teacher was sick, so they hung out on the patio.

“I don’t
need you rubbing it in my face,” Eliza grunted.

“I have
the right. You’re like a girl trying to gather courage to confess to her first crush.
It was cute at first, but I’ve grown tired after a week.”

“But I
can’t just call her out of the blue, can I? I mean, I did something terrible to
her. This ring belonged to her great grandma, who Amanda loved. This is her
only memento. I knew that and I stole and sold it anyway. I can’t just say sorry…
can I?”

Eliza
didn’t expect any real help from Bianca. But after hanging out for two weeks,
she found herself waiting for the redhead’s opinion. I’m starting to rely on
her more than I’d like.

“Yes, you
did something terrible. But you don’t need a big gesture or anything.” Bianca
looked her in the eyes. “You two can’t go back to being friends like before
right away, so don’t overthink or put too much pressure on yourself. Even if
she doesn’t forgive you, what you need right now is a simple and honest ‘I’m
sorry.’”

“You say that
like it’s easy,” Eliza grumbled and looked away. She’s right, but I’m not
telling her that. Do I have the courage to look Amanda in the eyes after
everything?

“It’s not
easy. You need to open your mouth and speak. And some courage, which you lack.”
Bianca didn’t skimp on the sarcasm. Eliza groaned. “I’d tease you for that
reaction, but I’ll let that slide.”

“Thanks,”
she muttered, hoping her sarcasm was audible over the bell. School was over.

“You’re
welcome.” Bianca grinned. Then she was serious. “But I mean it. You’re putting
too much pressure on yourself. Apologizing is only the first step to repairing
your friendship.”

“You’re
right,” Eliza forced herself to admit; the redhead’s smug smile didn’t help. “But
still…”

“Such a
coward.” Bianca poked her in the sides a few times. Eliza grabbed her hand to
stop her, but the redhead smiled at something. “Since you can’t take the leap,
I’ll give you a little push.”

Confused,
Eliza did nothing as she dragged her away and made her stand in different spot.

“What are
you—” Before she could ask, Bianca pushed her.

She tried
to grab Bianca’s arm, but she wasn’t fast enough. She lost her balance and
crashed into someone. After apologizing to whoever it was, she looked up to see
Amanda.

Under an
awkward silence, she helped her friend pick up her books. As they looked at
each other, Eliza clutched the small ring box in her pocket so hard her hand
lost its color. She took a deep breath and gulped despite the lump she felt in
her throat.

“I’m
sorry,” she mumbled, handing her the box with her eyes closed. Her courage
helped her apologize, but it wasn’t enough to make her look Amanda in the eyes.

“The
ring,” Amanda whispered. Eliza had no idea what she was feeling. “How did you
get it back?”

“I got
some money recently.”

Amanda
grew quiet as she looked at the ring. “I’ve been working in the salon whenever
I had time for months, but it’s still not enough…”

Eliza
risked a peek at her friend. She looked relieved, but there was a bit of
frustration.

“B-Bianca
hooked me up with a few modeling gigs. You know, h-hand modeling and stuff.
M-my face isn’t suited for magazines.” She let out an awkward laugh. My
parents believed it. Well, sort of.

“It must
pay a lot.”

“That’s
why she’s rich,” Eliza joked.

Amanda
didn’t laugh, though. She was still looking at the ring. “Why did you steal
it?”

She
didn’t scream or accuse Eliza of anything. She didn’t even seem mad. She simply
wanted to know. Even though Eliza was prepared for that question, she almost
looked away in reflex. Maybe if she had screamed, I’d feel less guilty. She
forced herself to look Amanda in the eyes.

“I was in
pain. A lot of pain. The doctors couldn’t help me. I needed money to buy
painkillers, and I was desperate. I know it’s not an excuse. What I did was
unforgivable. I knew how much that ring meant to you. Thanks for not reporting
me to the police. I know we can’t be friends like we used to be, but I hope you
can forgive me.”

“You
idiot,” Amanda cried. “There’s no way I could report you.”

“Manda…”

“Liz…”

They
looked at each other and cried. It didn’t matter that there were students
around, or that some of them were recording on their phones. Amanda threw her
arms around Eliza, hugging her tightly. Eliza hesitated, but then did the same.

After
they finished crying, they talked a little more and said goodbye—Amanda had a
few clients waiting for her at the salon.

Though
their friendship wasn’t back to what it used to be, Eliza simply knew it would
be easier to call and talk to her after this. Thanks to Bianca. Where is
she?

She
looked around, but there was no sign of the redhead. Using her powers, she
found Bianca hiding behind a tree.

“How much
did you see?”

“Enough
to get jealous.” She smiled and offered some tissues.

Eliza
accepted it. “Why?”

“Because
you gave a ring to another girl. How do you think I feel?” Bianca pouted.

She had
no reaction. Then she laughed, her shoulders lighter than it had been all week.

“I can’t
believe you can make me laugh like this after what just happened.”

“I told
you, you can count on me!”

When Bianca
beamed at her, Eliza’s heart thumped faster.

Chapter 07

“I’m not sure about this…”

“Why? It’s
a great idea. Another one, I might add.” Bianca’s eyes were full of expectation
and excitement. When Eliza sighed in defeat and dropped her shoulders, she
grinned. “Is he still in his classroom?”

Eliza
focused her eyes and saw a boy talking to his friends in the next classroom
when the walls became transparent. “Yeah.”

“Excellent!”

“H-hey,
let’s not do this now. I don’t think I’m ready yet.”

Bianca lowered
her phone and turned to Eliza. “Why are you so against this?”

“It’s
invading people’s privacy more than I’d like,” she answered, avoiding the
redhead’s eyes. “I feel like I’m walking into pervy territory.”

Bianca
laughed. Not her usual teasing or joyful laugh, but a mischievous one. “You
can’t say this after all you’ve seen already.”

Eliza
blushed and kept her mouth shut; she couldn’t think of a reply. What makes
this worse is that she’s right.

Bianca placed
a hand on her own cheek and sighed. “You’re lying to me right now, and it makes
me sad.”

“No, I’m…”

“What?
Are you afraid of letting the Great Me down?”

The smile
on her lips was annoying. “Like I care about that.”

“Don’t
worry! You’ve been working hard all week. I know you can do it!” The redhead
ignored the last comment. Her enthusiasm vanished as she fidgeted, averted her
gaze, and her cheeks reddened. “We could practice a bit more, but you said you
don’t wanna do it with me anymore. How do you think I
feel when a girl doesn’t wanna do it with me?”

“That’s
because you keep saying weird stuff like that!”

As Eliza
flushed, Bianca laughed. Teasing me is her main source of entertainment!
One day I’ll get her back for everything. Then we’ll see who’s laughing. As
she watched Bianca be so pleased with herself, despite her efforts, she
couldn’t help but remember. Why did I agree to this?

***

They were studying
when Bianca came up with an idea to make better use of Eliza’s powers.
According to her, the x-ray alone was useful, but if she learned a new skill,
she could use her power in a much more interesting way.

“What
skill?” Eliza asked.

Bianca
had a sly smile on her lips when she voiced it. After a moment of
consideration, Eliza nodded, also smiling.

However,
learning how to read lips was far more difficult than they had imagined. Even
though Eliza had been working hard when she had time, the progress wasn’t
promising. After reading articles and seeing videos on the internet, they practiced
with random people at school. But it was hard to confirm if what she read actually
matched what they said.

After
many frustrating attempts, Eliza gave up and agreed with Bianca’s suggestion of
using her to practice. She refused at the beginning for two reasons. Since they
knew each other, it was rather easier to know what the other mouthed, so it
wouldn’t be  good
practice. The other reason, however, was because she firmly believed Bianca
would find a way to tease her. After the first practice, she confirmed her
suspicion.

In the
beginning, Bianca mouthed things slowly, covering her mouth with a hand so
Eliza could try to read it while using her powers. But, as usual, the redhead
had too much fun and mouthed outrageous things just to see Eliza’s reactions.

It
started with ‘how old are you?’ ‘Where do you live?’ ‘What’s my name?’
After Eliza read correctly, Bianca put in ‘have you ever kissed a girl?’
‘What do you use to pleasure yourself?’ ‘Have you played with yourself
thinking about me?’ ‘Did you watch me that night?’ ‘I was thinking of you’ ‘Am
I red down there too?’

With her entire
face burning, Eliza suppressed her embarrassment and repeated the questions.
Though her voice failed a few times, she managed to say everything, to Bianca’s
disappointment. I knew she’d do that. I knew it! If I show any reaction,
I’ll be playing right into her hands!

But as
the questions got more and more embarrassing, she was pushing her limit. When
Bianca wanted answers to her questions, it was too much.

“There’s no
way I’ll answer!” Eliza screamed, and the redhead couldn’t stop laughing.

***

As Eliza
dismissed the memories, Bianca placed a hand on her chin and forced her to look
into her eyes. “Jokes aside, you need to believe in yourself. If you can’t,
then believe in me who believes in you.”

Her smile
had no malice or hidden meaning behind it.

“Fine.
I’ll try,” she mumbled, averting her eyes as her cheeks turned red. The teasing
Bianca was bad, but the honest one was worse. It’s not fair that she has a
cute smile like that.

“There is
no try,” Bianca exclaimed, beaming with excitement. Eliza’s lack of reaction deflated
her enthusiasm, but she shook her head and was back to her usual self the next
second. “Are you ready?”

“No.”

Even so,
Eliza took deep breaths. When her body relaxed, she focused. The walls and the
students vanished. In mere seconds, all she could see was the tall boy standing
inside the classroom next door.

“I got my
eyes on him.”

With her
eyes on Eliza, Bianca pressed the screen and brought the phone to her ear. “Hey,
little cousin. How was the game yesterday?”

His
nostrils flared as he waved his mouth. He looks mad. Talking with Bianca won’t
help. Though she couldn’t hear his voice, Eliza read his lips and wrote
down what she understood. Using my power and writing at the same time is
more tiresome than I imagined, she thought, doing her best not to blink.

“So that’s
why you looked angry this morning,” Bianca said, humming.

Though
she wasn’t paying attention to her, Eliza sensed her mocking tone. Her cousin
spoke faster, but she kept up with all the cursing he said.

“I’d
never do that. I was just worried.”

When the
boy ended the call, Eliza stopped her powers, the tension leaving her body as
she rubbed her eyes. “Did you have to piss him off like that? He looked mad.”

“I barely
said anything! It’s not my fault his team sucks,” Bianca defended herself,
pretending to be offended. Her smile didn’t help.

“It’s
your voice, you know? It has the power to annoy people with just a few words.”

“My
lovely voice that some have said to be the voice of an angel?” Eliza tried
thinking of a comeback, but she winced and shut her eyes instead. “Does it hurt?”
Bianca asked in a low and concerned voice.

“A
little. But it’ll be better soon,” she said, hoping it was true. She could
control her powers much better now, but she was still afraid the pain would
never fade.

Bianca said
nothing as she rubbed Eliza’s back. She would never say it, but that delicate
yet strong hand made her feel better. When the pain was gone, she shook her
head.

“Thanks.
I feel better.”

“Great. So,
how much did you get?” Bianca asked, her enthusiasm back.

Eliza
pulled the little notebook closer out of reflex. But under those sparkling
eyes, she handed it to Bianca without looking at the redhead. “I-I didn’t get
all… It’s hard to concentrate on my powers and write at the same time.”

“You’re
already giving excuses.” Bianca chuckled and opened the notebook, her eyes
running through the page, her mouth slightly open. When she finished reading
it, she closed it with both hands. “Your handwriting sucks.”

Eliza
blinked and then laughed. “Shut up.”

“Hey,
don’t kill the messenger. I’m just being honest. But you got most of what he
said: Coach sucks, referee’s a son of a bitch and should die, the president
should leave now. A lot of swearing,” Bianca smiled and handed the notebook
back. “You pass!”

“Like I
care,” Eliza lied, blushing slightly. “I don’t like prying into people’s
business.”

Bianca’s smile
turned sly in a heartbeat. She came closer and looked Eliza straight in the
eyes. “Are you saying you never spied on our classmates or anyone?”

Eliza forced
herself to stare into those green eyes. She doesn’t know. She’s baiting me
for a reaction. She did it before. They had been hanging out for almost a
month now, and Eliza had figured out how the redhead worked. She knew Bianca
had good intuition and could pick up on a weak lie right away. “I think people’s
privacy is important.”

It was
true. She had never spied on strangers. Only her classmates, and she had a
reason for that. But ever since we started hanging out, I haven’t done that.

Bianca
leaned in so close their noses were almost touching. Eliza didn’t move back.

“Weren’t
you watching me that night? My privacy was broken when you saw me naked and
about to masturbate,” she whispered. “I said I could only think about you after
the call, but that was a lie. Even before that, I was thinking about you.”

“Wha… you… why…” Eliza struggled for words. Bianca’s green
eyes were so beautiful they were making her head go blank. She could feel the
redhead’s breathing, could feel the warmth emanating from her body.

“That
entire afternoon, I could only think of you. How your hand would feel inside me?
How would it feel to touch you? What did your lips taste like?” Before Eliza
could do anything, Bianca jumped on her lap and wrapped her arms around her neck.
Their mouths were closer than ever. “That day, I had a modeling job, but I
barely remembered anything because you filled my head. How will you take
responsibility?”

Eliza was
an alarming shade of red, her heart thumping so loudly she was sure Bianca
could hear.

“I’ll let
you off the hook today if you answer me. Am I red down there or not?” She
gently took Eliza’s hand and slid it down her own belly. “I know you saw
everything. If you don’t answer, I’ll make you check for yourself.”

Out of
reflex, Eliza lowered her head and saw her hand almost inside Bianca’s pants.
She was staring so intently her power activated on its own. She saw through the
fabrics, everything blurring and mixing, her head dizzier by the second.

“Yes!”
she shouted and shut her eyes. Her breathing became short and irregular. “It’s
darker than your hair, but it’s red too!”

“I knew
you looked,” Bianca whispered in triumph. When Eliza opened her eyes, she saw
the redhead’s smile even slyer. “Do you want to check it yourself?”

Eliza
realized her hand was still on Bianca’s belly. If she slid down a bit more, her
fingers would go inside. Her head went blank at the idea. Her breathing slowed
down, and she raised her head. All she saw were the redhead’s eyes, green and
alluring.

What
kind of face she’d make if I took on one of her jokes? She’s always teasing,
but I doubt she expects me to go through with it. Suddenly
she wanted to see more. More of Bianca and more expressions she hadn’t seen. When
the idea crossed her mind, before she could think, without looking, her hand slid
down on its own.

Bianca
widened her eyes but didn’t pull Eliza’s hand out.

Her
fingers found what they were looking for. Eliza teased, moving the middle
finger around, but didn’t put it in.

Bianca
bit her lips and held her breath. Her cheeks reddened, and her body quivered,
but she never said a word. Her mouth was too busy trying to hold a moan.

That’s
too sexy. I know Red’s beautiful, but I never imagined she’d look this sexy
trying to hold a moan, Eliza thought, surprisingly
calm as she slid one finger in, moving slowly.

Bianca’s
breathing became faster, and her mouth was slightly open. She did her best to
suppress her voice.

Suddenly
Eliza couldn’t control herself. She wanted to see more of the redhead’s
expressions and slid another finger in, moving them a little rougher.

“Ah!”
Bianca’s voice finally let out. She bit her lips immediately, but it was too
late. Eliza had heard.

More, the thought crossed her mind. Her breathing also became shallower.
I want to hear more of your lovely voice, Red. Her fingers moved faster.

Bianca
couldn’t keep her voice in any longer. She bit Eliza’s neck and let out a
muffled moaned as she reached pleasure.

Despite
her wet thigh, Eliza didn’t mind. She only had eyes for the sweaty and panting
Bianca.

The
redhead looked at her with dreamy and unfocused eyes. “That was… much… better…
than I…dreamed…” she managed to whisper and then kissed Eliza.

She kissed
Bianca back. Before she knew it, she was using her tongue, and the kiss became
more intense.

Eliza
only realized what she was doing when she felt herself wet. As if waking from a
dream of pleasure, she stopped kissing and pulled her hand out, getting another
moan from Bianca.

“So rough.”
Her whisper was full of pleasure. “But if it’s you, I don’t mind.”

“I can’t
believe what we… what I…” Eliza had trouble forming a sentence, had trouble
thinking. She looked at her wet fingers and then at Bianca, who was still short
of breath. “I shouldn’t have done that.”

“No… You
should have.” Slowly, Bianca’s face and breathing returned to normal as a smile
formed on her lips. A tired but satisfied smile. “You shouldn’t… have stopped…”

Eliza held
her breath as she stared in those hazed-with-pleasure green eyes. Damn it!
How can one girl be this sexy!? Despite her urge to touch the redhead and
make her moan again, she wanted to get up, to move, to clear her head, to clean
her thigh. But with Bianca still sitting on her lap, she couldn’t.

“Get up.”
She had to force the words from her. Somewhere in her mind, she didn’t want
that.

“I will when
I can. My legs are weak from your touch. You’re too good at this. Have you pleasured
another girl before?”

“W-what?
No, I’m not a lesbian,” she blurted out, not sure where to look.

Bianca
placed a hand on her chin and made her look at her. “Then why are you so good?”

“I… ah… t-that’s
what I do to myself…”

“You need
to show me again. And soon, please,” Bianca whispered, wrapping her arms around
the girl’s neck.

Eliza
tried to get her off her, but she had no strength left. Her wet fingers and
thigh didn’t help. “W-we can’t do this…
this kind of thing again.”

“Why not?”

“Because
I’m not a lesbian. And neither are you.” As Bianca breathed on her neck, Eliza realized
the room was too hot. Was it this hot all the time?

“How can
you think that after all I’ve said and done?” She nibbled on Eliza’s ear. “You
think I’m straight?”

Goosebumps
ran throughout her body. That nibbling made Eliza’s mind blank again. I need
time to sort my head.

“Y-you
have to stop… teasing me like this… Or I’ll stop hanging out with you, even if
you try to blackmail me with my power,” she lied.

Bianca
trembled. It was a small quiver, but Eliza felt it. She stopped and looked into
Eliza’s eyes with a strange smile. “I told you I’d never do that. I won’t
betray someone precious to me,” she said in a gentle voice. “And I can’t stop
teasing you. I just love seeing your expressions too much. It’s all I can see
in my dreams.”

“Then—”

“I know
you won’t stop hanging out with me either,” Bianca interrupted with a confident
expression.

Eliza was
relieved to hear those words, but she didn’t let it show. “How come you’re so
confident about this?”

“Because
these past weeks have been fun and interesting. You said it yourself.”

Eliza tried,
but she couldn’t come up with anything to say and looked away. Me and my big
mouth.

“But, if
you insist, I’ll turn down my lesbian a bit. I don’t wanna
make you that much uncomfortable. For now.”

“Until
when?”

“Until
you’re all mine,” Bianca whispered in her ear.

While Eliza
blushed, the redhead laughed. I’m gonna end up falling in love with this girl, she realized. There was a smile forcing itself on her lips.

Chapter 08

“You’re doing it wrong,” Bianca said without hiding her smile. She
seemed to enjoy teaching Eliza. Or better yet, correcting her. “Take your time,
and don’t rush. Or do you need me to show you again?”

Eliza suppressed
her groan. I should’ve known better. I know I asked for this, but she
doesn’t have to look this happy correcting me. “Where?”

“Here.
It’s supposed to be like this.” Bianca stood behind her closer than necessary
and gently touched Eliza’s hand, moving it how she wanted. “See?”

Keep
calm, Eliza told herself. She can’t know my
heart pounds faster when she touches me. But she didn’t pull her hand back.
“Thank you for the clarification.”

“Your
reactions are getting less and less interesting. No fun,” Bianca booed, pouted,
and jumped back to the bed.

“I’m here
to study, not to entertain you.” She’s a good teacher, Eliza thought,
but never voiced it. She erased the part she got wrong. “And you should be
studying too. The last exam is Monday.”

Bianca
flashed a smug smile. “It may not look like it, but I already studied.”

“A
fighter-model has that much free time?”

“It’s not
like I model every week. Mom won’t give me work near exam week. And please
don’t talk about the fights,” she lowered her voice. She turned to the door
where her father and then her mother had entered without knocking. “I’d rather
keep that a secret from my parents.”

“A
secret, hm?” Eliza tried to keep her smile under control, but the sight of the
redhead being nervous was fun. And cute.

“I have
lots of secrets.” She rolled on the bed until she was next to the coffee table Eliza
was using to study. “I haven’t told anyone what you did to me that day in the
classroom. I can still feel your touch,” she whispered.

Bianca’s mouth
was so close Eliza felt her breath. Damn it! How can she make me shiver with only this? She did her best to suppress any reaction. “I’m grateful you kept
that a secret. The last thing I need was lesbian added to the list of rumors
about me.”

“No
reaction equals no fun to me.” She booed and pouted again.

“I’m
devastated,” Eliza said in a flat voice. “But your parents are cool. I bet they’d
be more worried about you fighting than angry at you.”

She
changed the topic because Bianca wasn’t the only one who still thought about
what they had done that day in the classroom. If Red found out I used the
same hand to… have fun… Even in her head, it was hard to admit.

“I knew
you’d say that.” Bianca snorted and rolled her eyes. “You go to one game with
them, and the three of you became pals.”

“You’re still mad about that? Let it go.” She
couldn’t help but chuckle.

“Let it
go? Sorry, but no. I had a great night planned for us. I spent the entire day
choosing a good movie and snacks for us that Saturday. I planned to show you a
good time and hoped something more…” Bianca mumbled the last part, her cheeks
turning pink. “But then Dad showed up and invited us to the game. And what do you
do? Ignored my protests, plans, and hard work by accepting!”

Even if
she tried, Eliza couldn’t stop grinning. “It’s not my fault your plans got
ruined. But it was a skybox! I’d never been to a skybox! I’m more of a bleachers kind of girl. Watching the game there was awesome.”
Among other things, she thought, remembering the photos. “Besides, it
was fun seeing your dad curse out the referee like that. Even my dad doesn’t
scream so much when he’s mad at a game.”

“Interesting.”
Bianca seemed as if she suddenly realized something. “I thought I’d be happy finding
out another thing about you. But to think you’re that crazy about football…”

“I’m not
the one who used to go to every game and enter the field with the players. And
to think you even got lost.”

“Can’t
believe Dad told you that.” Bianca flushed. “What else did he—”

“There’s
nothing wrong with peeing your pants,” Eliza interrupted, nodding with an
understanding smile. “It was the first time you entered the field.”

“Shut up!
I was a kid!” Bianca turned redder and hit Eliza with a pillow. That didn’t
stop the smile from turning into a laugh. “I don’t like that you and Dad are
getting friendly. He’s never been like this with any of my… friends…”

Friends,
huh? Ever since I saw that photo in the skybox I…

Even with
the euphoria of watching her team’s victory at the last second, Eliza couldn’t
forget one photo in particular that decorated the walls. It was Bianca and her
family and friends celebrating the team’s fifth state championship in a row.
But the redhead seemed happier about the girl she was kissing than with the
victory.

That
was her first girlfriend. Eliza forced herself to
believe all of Bianca’s teasing and insinuations were just her fooling around. Given
her personality, it could be true. Teasing me to watch my reactions.
But she really likes girls that way.

She thought
of everything that happened between them. She had no idea how to feel. But from
that moment on, her heart pounded faster whenever she was too close to Bianca. If all that had happened between Amanda
and me, would I feel like this? She had thought
about it for a long time and always came up with the same answer. I’d feel
weird, but not what I’m feeling now.

Eliza
glanced at Bianca, who was still pouting on the bed. Since it’s her fault I
feel like this, it’s okay if I tease her, right? A little payback for
everything.

“I could’ve
sworn me getting along with your dad was one of your plans.”

“Even if
you’re a prude, you can tell I’m trying to seduce you. Why would I want my dad
involved?”

“So your folks would like me.” She looked at her with the
straightest face she could make.

“I… eh…” Bianca
struggled to find words. When she couldn’t come up with anything to say, she
became as red as her hair and covered her face with a pillow.

“Why are
you hiding?” Eliza climbed on the bed and yanked the pillow.

Bianca
covered her face with both hands but looked at Eliza through her fingers. Then
her eyes moved down to her lips.

Eliza only
wanted to tease a little. But when she saw a drop of sweat on Bianca’s neck run
down to her cleavage, she lost control of herself. She stopped the drop and
retraced its path with her tongue, nibbling the redhead’s neck enough to leave
a small bite mark. Just like you did to me that day. It was hard to hide
teeth marks from my parents.

Bianca looked
surprised, happy, and embarrassed at the same time. She bit her lips and turned
her head. “Stop teasing me. I won’t be able to hold back.”

As she
heard that slightly erotic whisper, Eliza recovered her senses. With her face
blank, she climbed down from the bed. I can’t believe I just… When she
realized what she had done, her face became the same color as Bianca’s hair. Damn
it, Red! Look what you’re making me do!

She
glanced back and saw Bianca squeezing the pillow as if trying to choke it with
her arms and legs. The sight made her both happy and guilty. I wanted
payback, but that was too much. She’s been doing her best to keep that promise—that
stupid promise I forced her to make…

Ever
since that day in the classroom, Bianca had kept her distance. Though she still
teased and embarrassed Eliza daily and pretended her insinuations were nothing
but jokes, she never tried anything that could be considered crossing the line
between friends.

However,
instead of happy, Eliza felt strange. After that day, it’s like she’s been
restraining herself around me. I don’t like it. We haven’t known each other for long, but I
don’t think Bianca would worry this much about that promise if it was with
someone else. Which means she really…

Eliza
knew what it meant, but she couldn’t say without blushing even in her head. She
faced the coffee table and hid her face with both hands, glad Bianca wasn’t
paying attention to her. Damn it, Red! You better take responsibility for
making me feel like this!

By the
time her face and heart were back to normal, Bianca was still hugging the
pillow, which made her smile. I’m being too mean
to… to… To the girl I fell in love with, Eliza
admitted to herself for the first time.

“H-help
me finish this so we can watch the movie!” Eliza almost shouted—bossier than
she wished—to mask her embarrassment.

Bianca
glanced at her, mumbled something unintelligible, threw the pillow aside, and
sat up. Her face was still red as small tears appeared at the corner of her
eyes. She had an expression as if she didn’t know if she should be happy or mad
about what had happened and that was too much for Eliza.

Everyone
says she’s hot and beautiful, but no one ever said anything about her being
this cute, she thought. Her heart thumped faster
again as she handed her the notebook.

“You got
this part wrong. If you calculate this and this before, you can apply the
formula directly. It’s much easier this way. Don’t you remember this? The
teacher taught this at the beginning.”

“You don’t
need to worry like you’re disarming a bomb around that topic. I’m a big girl,
and I know why I lost the first two months of school.” Eliza smiled at Bianca,
erasing the wrong parts after she got her notebook back from the redhead’s
static hands. “Besides, I don’t mind talking about it if it’s with you.”

As Eliza redid
the problem, Bianca wrapped her arms around her. “You’re more mature than you
look.”

“Coming
from you, that sounds almost like a compliment,” she joked, enjoying the hug. She’s
warm.

“What’s
that supposed to mean?” Bianca pouted but then beamed. “I’ll throw you another
compliment. Not only are you sexy, but you’re smart too. You got it right.
Cheers!”

“I did?”
Eliza stared at her work. “Finally. We should take a break. You know, quit
while you’re ahead.”

Bianca
closed her eyes and mouth and moved her finger from side to side. “Only after
you finish the entire list the teacher gave us. You know you need to make up
for your last grades to avoid remedial school.”

Eliza
sighed and rested her head on the coffee table. “It’s too hard. And tiresome.
Why the teachers always leave math for last?” she complained, rubbing her eyes.
“Exam week should start with it so we can get it over with.”

“Math is
like the last boss. Would you fight the last boss first or after preparing
yourself?”

“Wrong.
Math in the last day, especially after chemistry, feels like defeating the last
boss and finding out he has another form, and you’ve got no life left.”

“Why are
you stalling?” Bianca narrowed her eyes at Eliza. “If you didn’t complain so
much, you could’ve finished by now.”

“You noticed,
huh?” Eliza clicked her tongue. “And you even said the same thing as my mom.”

“You’re a
hundred years too early if you think you can trick me.” Bianca laughed. “But
I’m nice, and I’ll give you a little help. You need to learn how to hide your
true intentions.”

“Like
you?”

“I-I’ve
never hid…” She looked flustered for a moment and then flashed a coy smile as
she averted her eyes. “I’ve been perfectly clear what I want to do with you.”

“Yeah,
yeah. You want to be my friend,” Eliza said, hiding her grin. Teasing her is
fun. Now I know why she does it to me all the time.

“I can’t
believe you’re still saying I just wanna be your
friend. I take it back! You’re not smart! You’re slow!” Bianca pouted and hit her
with the pillow. “And you even put me in the friendzone. I thought that only
happened to ugly people.”

“You can
be so full of yourself sometimes.” Eliza yanked the pillow and hit her back. “You
should learn to be humble. Or at least pretend to be.”

“Sorry,
but I can’t—wait a minute! You’re stalling!”

“Damn, you
found out.” She clicked her tongue again but couldn’t stop smiling. “Well, I
think I stalled enough.”

“Not bad.
Not bad at all.” Bianca nodded. Then, with a prideful smile, she raised her
nose and puffed up her ample chest. “You’re, indeed, learning from the best.
Was that humble enough?”

“How
about if you try again? I think your ego can inflate a little more.”

They
looked at each other and then laughed.

“But for
real, finish the list so we can watch a movie,” Bianca said. “Today is my turn
to choose. And I already checked. There’s no game for Dad to invite you to again.”

“I told
you to let it go. My ex never dwelled in the past like. You’re like a museum,”
Eliza joked, rolling her eyes. A second later, she realized what she had said. Damn
it. Me and my big mouth. It almost sounds like I’m comparing them. She was
already jealous when she met Bruno.

“W-what
are we watching this time?” Eliza changed the topic without looking at Bianca. “It’s
not another one of those three hour fantasy movies, is
it?”

On their last
movie night, it was Eliza’s turn to pick. Before that it was Bianca’s, and she
chose a movie about a group of guys on a journey to destroy a jewel in a
volcano or something. Eliza kept dozing off, which made her mad.

“Don’t
sound like I’m forcing you to watch a documentary about paint drying.”

“Then how
should I sound?”

“Yay,
another one!” Bianca picked up a Blu-ray box from the shelves and showed it to
Eliza. “It’s the second movie of one of the best trilogies ever made. And I’m
still mad at you for falling asleep!”

“You’re
mad at me? That movie was too long.”

“It’s not
long, it’s detailed so we can experience Middle Earth!”

“It’s
written right here. Extended edition!” Eliza pointed. “How can you say it’s not
long?”

Bianca
shook her head in disappointment. “Extended editions are gifts from the
directors so we have more to enjoy.”

Eliza
rolled her eyes exaggeratedly and turned back to her notebook, grinning. She’s
such a nerd.

“Ah! I
saw that! I saw that smile! You liked the movie. I knew it!”

Bianca’s
face was filled with triumph and Eliza pushed it away. “At least I hope it has
more action than the first.”

“It has.
C’mon, hurry up and finish the list so we can watch it right away.”

“You make
it sound easy.”

“It is!”

“Then
help me.”

“With
pleasure!”

With her
help, Eliza noticed she wasn’t trying to come up with excuses to stop studying
anymore. This might be the first time I don’t hate math, she thought,
glancing at Bianca. She beamed back at her, as if that was enough to make her
happy. Just hanging out with her is fun.

That’s
why I… I fell for her. Since I just realized my feelings, I don’t mind taking
things slow if I can enjoy moments like these.

“Finally.”
Eliza let out an exhausted sighed and laid her head on the table. “It took way
longer than it should.”

“Yeah. We
can’t even see the movie anymore.”

Eliza
pulled out her phone to check the time. “We still got, like, three hours until my
curfew. Is the movie longer than that?”

“I’m not
discussing that again.” Bianca looked down.

“How
about if I pick today?”

The
redhead’s expression lit up. “That’s a great idea!
That way we can watch the third movie next week! It’ll be much better if we don’t
watch anything between the second and third!” She nodded in approval, as if it
was her idea. “Go ahead and pick.”

She’s
like a kid sometimes. Chuckling, Eliza stretched
her body as she went to the bookshelves filled with movies, books, manga, and
comics. She has a lot of ‘70s and ‘80s kung fu movies, but most are nerdy
looking ones. It’s hard to believe the same Bianca who looks like a princess
from a fairy tale is such a nerd.

“How about
a rom-com to set up the mood?” Bianca said with a suggestive smile.

Eliza
ignored. Like it’d make a difference. You’re all talk. If you hadn’t backed
down and kissed me that day in the classroom, I wouldn’t have stopped you. I
know it’s not fair, but right now, we could be…

Images
that could make her face go a wild shade of red popped into her head. She
picked a few movies at random and pretended to check them before returning them
to the shelves.

“C’mon, hurry
up or we won’t have time even for your movie,” Bianca complained like a spoiled
kid. She was lying with her
pillow on her arms and her legs slightly opened.

It’s
just like what I imagined a few seconds ago. As
Eliza waited for her heart to stop pounding so fast, something crossed her mind.
“Hey, Bianca…”

“What?”

“Where
did you learn to fight like in the movies?” That had been in the back of her
mind for a while, but she wasn’t all that curious. Bianca was already interesting
enough.

Bianca
sat up and looked at Eliza with a mysterious smile. “Are you sure you wanna know? It’s going down the rabbit hole.”

Eliza chuckled
at the line. It was from the first movie they watched together. Now that I
think about it, it was a trilogy too. She really likes those, huh?

“We’re
hanging out because I saw you fighting. Isn’t it weird that I don’t know
anything about that, other than you can kick ass?”

“If you wanna know, it means you’re interested in me, and that
makes me happy.” Her mysterious smile turned into a true one. Eliza blushed and
looked away. “I’ll tell you, but I’m afraid you might be disappointed.”

“Why?”

“Because
even though it’s about the Great Me, it’s nothing amazing or worthy of rumors.”

Eliza
stared at her with a blank expression. A second later, she laughed. “Don’t
worry, I wasn’t expecting anything like that. I thought I’d said you’re not as
special as you think.”

Bianca
threw a pillow before she could react. Eliza straightened the pillow, walked to
the bed, and smacked her on the head with it. They fought for the pillow again,
but after a moment, they gave up and laughed, lying with their heads next to
each other.

“It’s nothing
special. My father loves karate and has trained his whole life. When I was a
kid, I went to the dojo with him and started training too. Do you see all those
martial arts movies? We used to watch them together.”

“Just
like me and my dad with cop movies.” Eliza smiled. The fact that she and Bianca
had something in common made her happy. “That doesn’t explain you fighting in
back alley, though.”

“You
picked up on that.” Bianca flashed a wry smile. “Well, if you must know… eh, how
can I say this? Without bragging—”

Eliza couldn’t
help but laugh.

“Without
bragging,” Bianca repeated as if not interrupted. “I was good. So good,
I wanted to test myself with the boys. I even cross-dressed and won a
tournament once. The guy I defeated at the final got mad after he found out he
lost to a girl and came for a rematch without rules. I beat him again, in case you’re wondering.”

“Nothing
special? I think they make movies with that plot,” Eliza chuckled. “Then what?
You got the taste for blood?”

“You make
it sound like I was looking for my next kill.” Despite her words, Bianca showed
no regrets. “But it was something like that. I realized I liked fighting without
rules.”

“I can
totally see you going down that path.”

There was
a moment of silence, and then they both laughed again.

“Now, you
know. Hope you’re not disappointed. It’s nothing special or surprising. I just
like fighting, that’s all. Though it’s been a while since my last fight.”

“There’s
no way I’d be disappointed. I’m glad I know more about you,” Eliza said,
smiling. “I’m surprised people would fight you knowing who your dad is and all.”

“I’ve
never thought about it.”

“Actually,
knowing how annoying you can be, it’s a surprise there aren’t people lining up
to fight you every day.”

Bianca
got the pillow and swung it at her face. “Shut up.”

Eliza stood
up, laughing. “I’ll choose the movie.”

“I’ll make
the popcorn.” Bianca smiled.

Chapter 09

“What do you think of my driving skills?” Bianca asked, flashing a
huge smile once she turned off the car engine.

“Don’t
talk… to me now… or you’ll see… my breakfast…” Eliza got out as fast as she
could. Her wobbly legs couldn’t support her weight, and she fell. She stayed on
the ground, doing her best to keep the contents of her stomach inside. “You bought
your license, didn’t you?”

“You
already asked that!” Bianca smiled when she pulled her wallet and waved her
temporary driver’s license with pride. “I might have pulled some strings to
take the exam faster, but I did pass it! Look at my license!”

Still on
the ground, Eliza glared at the smiling redhead, her heart still beating wildly
from the car ride. She had fallen in love with that smile, but right now, it was
annoying her. Without warning, she grabbed the license, turned it around a few
times, and held it against the sun.

“It looks
real, but after seeing you drive, it makes me wonder if you passed the test or didn’t
simply pull some strings again. And by that, I mean bribe the examiner.”

“You make
it sound like I drive like a maniac. It wasn’t even that scary,” Bianca
complained, but didn’t look Eliza in the eyes when she got her license back.

“It wasn’t
that scary?” The urge to lash out her feelings gave her strength. “Not only did
you drive like you were trying to get your mother out of the gallows, but you
were also cutting off cars like we were on a bike! The worst was when you tried
to pass that truck. I thought my heart would leap out through my mouth!”

As Eliza
recovered her breath, Bianca smiled and waved her hand to dismiss the
complaints. “We got here safe and sound and in time to enjoy the rest of the
day. You should be thanking me and not worrying about details.”

“My life
isn’t a detail,” Eliza muttered under her breath.

“If you
hate it that much, next time you drive.”

“I wish I
could, since, you know, I value my life. But I can’t afford a license.”

“You
could’ve used what was left from the poker money. But then you made us stop to
buy all that.” Bianca eyed the trunk of the car. “You know it was because of
the time you wasted choosing all of this that I had to drive a little faster,
right?”

“Don’t go
blaming me. You were the one trying to kill me. And I’m not having this conversation
again. We need lots of fireworks for St. John.”

“I can’t
believe you like the holiday this much.” Bianca chuckled while shaking her
head. “Putting your strange obsession with fireworks aside, what do you think?”

“I’m not
done complaining.” Eliza was at a loss for words when she saw the house. “Holy
shit! It’s huge! You said it was huge, but this is more like a beach mansion. I
knew your family had money, but this is absurd!”

“That’s
the reaction I wanted!” Bianca grinned as she offered a hand. Even after Eliza stood
up, she didn’t let go. “And by the way, this house belongs to my grandfather.
He’s the one with money in the family.”

“Our
definitions of money are worlds apart. My grandpa has a beach house too.
Probably a tenth the size of this one, but it was awesome spending summer there
with all my cousins.”

“Sounds
fun… summer with you.” Bianca muttered the last part with a coy smile.

“It was
fun playing with everyone at the beach and the pool. But it was awful sleeping
with ten kids in a tiny bedroom. It’s not fun to wake up with a toe up your
nose. And when one woke up the rest woke too, because no one could leave
without stepping on the other. And it was hell when the air conditioning broke.”
Eliza smiled as the memories came. “We played from morning until sunset and
only came back to the house to eat.”

“I’m so
jealous. I didn’t have that growing up.”

“You’re
not gonna make me feel sorry for the rich girl who
didn’t have her cousins poking her back whenever she forgot to put on
sunscreen.”

“You make
it sound like that happened often.” When she averted her eyes without
answering, Bianca laughed, hugged, and kissed her on the cheek. “I’d never do
that. But I’d love to poke you somewhere else.”

“Yeah,
yeah. I’d poke you too,” Eliza said without reacting to the kiss. However,
under that cool expression, she had trouble hiding her smile. She hoped her
heart wasn’t thumping too loud. “When is your family getting here?”

“My
family?” Bianca looked at her with a puzzled expression. “Why would they come?”

“Didn’t
you invite me to spend the holiday with your family at your beach mansion?”

Her face
lit up with comprehension. The next second, she flashed her sly smile. “I
invited you to spend the holiday with me at my family’s beach house. I never
said anything about them.”

“Then—”

“Yes, it’s
just the two of us.”

“You
tricked me!” Just the two of us? The whole holiday? I don’t think I’ll be
able to stop myself. As Eliza blushed with the lewd images forming in her
head. Bianca’s smile only grew. She knew I’d react like this! “Mom and
Dad only let me come because I said your parents would be here. If I knew you
were planning something like this, I’d have invited you to come with my family
to Caruaru.”

I wanna see Red in pigtails, painted freckles, and a flannel
dress… and dance with her, Eliza thought.

“It’d be
cool to spend the holiday with your family. But I’d rather celebrate with you
alone.”

“C-celebrate
what?” Eliza was half curious and half hoping Bianca would say something to
break the stupid promise.

“You
missed almost two months of school, yet you managed to avoid remedial classes.
Even your parents were happy with your results.”

“I
couldn’t do it alone. You helped me a lot,” Eliza mumbled, averting her eyes.
Bianca’s genuine smile always caught her off guard. It’s rare for her to not
pat her ego. Especially when she actually deserves it.

“It’s
because you worked hard, but I’m happy you acknowledged my contribution.”

“What
kind of person do you think I am?”

“Someone
dense who put me in the friend zone,” she complained and pouted. When Eliza
patted her on the head, she smiled. The next second, Bianca pulled her by the
hand. “I know it might be boring for someone with your eyes, but let me show
you the view. I think even you’ll be amazed.”

Eliza smiled
as she watched Bianca act like a kid on Christmas. When they stopped before the
double doors at the other side of the house, Bianca grabbed the handles almost
as if she was keeping the best for last. Watching Eliza, she opened it.

The house
was right next to the beach. There was nothing standing in the way of the view.
The sun shone strongly, with no clouds to block its light. The white sand
extended for kilometers on both sides, with a few houses like the mansion. The
blue sea water extending as far as she could see, sparkled invitingly.

“Wow. It’s
the first time I’ve seen the sea like this.”

Eliza
couldn’t stop smiling as she raced to the deck handrail and used her powers. Without
realizing, she grabbed Bianca’s arm and pointed to the middle of the sea.

“It’s
amazing! There’s a shoal of colorful fish swimming a few kilometers from here!
There’s a fish pushing sand on another’s house over there! Wow, it’s a huge
jellyfish! Like two meters wide!” she shouted, trying to look in every
direction. “I never thought the sea was so amazing. I wish you could see.”

“I’m
satisfied seeing you like this. It’s the first time I’ve seen you so excited
about your powers.”

The
embarrassment made Eliza blink, and she lost focus. When her vision came back
to normal, she blushed.

“T-thanks
for bringing me here. It’s been months since I’ve felt light like this. I didn’t
think I ever would… not until I met you. S-so I’ll let you brag today!” she
shouted to hide her embarrassment.

“Don’t
need to. Being by your side is enough.” Bianca flashed a warm and gentle smile.

Damn
it! How can she go from hot to cute like this? I won’t resist beyond today!

“C’mon. It’s
a waste to not enjoy these waters.”

“Y-yeah,”
Eliza mumbled, glad Bianca had changed the topic; her heart was already racing.

They picked
up their bags from the car and went to one of the bedrooms on the ground floor.

“H-how
many bedrooms does this house have?” Eliza asked from the door. Though she
didn’t look directly at it, the only king size bed in the room was everything
in her vision.

“Eight, I
think. Why?”

“You
mean, out of eight bedrooms, we’re gonna sleep here?”
In the same bed?

“Yeah? I’ve
always used this room. Why?”

“N-no
reason.” Eliza tried to sound as normal as she could, hoping Bianca wouldn’t
realize that she was freaking out inside. But when the redhead’s gaze stopped
at the bed, her puzzled expression became a sly smile as she turned back.

“Are you
afraid of something?” she asked. “Don’t worry. I don’t kick nor bite in my
sleep. But I might kiss.”

“I know
you won’t do anything.” Because of that stupid promise. The problem
isn’t you. I don’t know if I’ll be able to control myself, Eliza thought,
finally entering the room.

She
ignored Bianca’s grin as she put her bag on top of the dresser and opened it
and rummaged through her clothes. Before she found and changed into her
swimsuit, something at the corner of her eye caught her attention. The redhead
was searching through her bag naked.

“Here!”
she exclaimed, pulling out her bikini. Then she noticed Eliza staring at her. “Are
you gawking me by any chance?”

“Why are
you changing here? There’s a bathroom right there!” Eliza flushed and blurted
out the first thing that came to her mind.

“What’s
the matter? We’re both girls, so there’s no need to be nervous.” Bianca’s smile
became slyer as she came closer, her bare breast almost touching Eliza. “Or does
seeing another girl naked make you feel something?”

It’s
not any girl! It’s you! Eliza took her swimsuit from
her bag and raced to the bathroom under Bianca’s laugh. Thank goodness she
doesn’t have the power to read minds.

She
remained still until her heart stopped beating so fast. It’s not like I
haven’t seen her naked before. I took a good look back then. I even saw her… Eliza
shook her head and tried to push the image of Bianca’s naked body from her mind
as she changed. With her eyes fixed on the door, she used her powers to watch the
redhead put on her bikini.

I like
you too, Bianca. After hanging out with you for so long, there was no way I
wouldn’t start liking you. But dating is complicated. I wanna
stay friends a little longer, she thought as she deactivated
her power. You have no idea how many firsts I wanna
have with you. I wished I had the courage to thank you for coming into my life.
I never thought I’d be able to enjoy life a few months ago, if not for you. I’m
here thanks to you…

“Are you
done?” Bianca asked. “Let’s enjoy the sea while the sun’s still up.”

Eliza
opened the door to see the redhead smiling, offering one hand, and holding the
sunscreen in the other. She couldn’t help but blush and when she accepted. That
was enough to make her heart pound harder. I don’t just like her. I’m in
love with her.

The water
was pleasant. The clear sand in between her toes felt ticklish and warm. The
salty air filled her nostrils and brought back old memories along with a smile.
The kid inside Eliza whispered, and she scooped up some wet sand, made a ball,
and threw it into the ocean with all her strength.

“Yes!” She
smiled at a surprised and mute Bianca. “I still got it.”

“What was
that for?” The redhead’s surprise became a laugh.

“A few
years ago, that would probably be aimed at you.” That didn’t help Bianca’s
confusion, which only made Eliza’s smile wider. “My cousins and I used to
settle things that way. Not to brag, but—”

“Already
bragging,” Bianca muttered under her breath.

“—I had a
great aim. I always hit what I wanted,” she went on as if she wasn’t
interrupted and pretended to be a baseball pitcher. “You have no idea how
satisfying it was to hit my cousin with a heavy mud ball right in the middle of
his face.”

“I knew
this detached personality was fake, but to think you were such a tomboy.”

“I don’t wanna hear that from you, the girl who goes around fighting
in dark alleys.”

“I’m not
complaining. I love learning more about you.” Bianca’s genuine smile caught her
off guard. “I’m gonna fall for you even more.”

“M-mom
hated that side of me.” Eliza did her best to hide how happy she was to hear
that last bit. “She was so mad when I broke his tooth.”

“And here
I thought I was the one who liked fighting out of the two of us.”

“It wasn’t
my fault. His tooth was already loose…ish,” she added
with a wry smile. “Let’s just say I helped a little. Mom was so mad she didn’t
believe my perfectly good reason.”

“Why not?”

“He was
the cousin who poked me whenever I got sunburned. For some reason, she thought
I did it for revenge.”

“Scary. I
always knew you had a vengeful side.”

Eliza
chuckled. “If you ever meet my cousin, you’ll want to hit him with a mud ball
too.”

“I might slap
him for all he did to you.”

“To be
perfectly honest, it’s not like I didn’t deserve it. I did the same whenever I
could,” she added at Bianca’s puzzled expression.

“I
suspected there was more,” Bianca said, laughing. Eliza couldn’t help but do
the same.

“It’s
been ages since we all got together like that. I think the last time was to
celebrate Grandpa’s birthday two years ago. But that was before the rehab.” Her
smile faded, and she lowered her eyes.

Bianca
wrapped her arms tightly around Eliza. “What’s done is done. You can’t keep dwelling
on the past, remember? All you can do is try your best, just like you’ve been doing.”

“You’re
right. You’ve helped me so much.” She hugged Bianca back. “With Amanda, with my
parents, with everything… I’ll allow you to brag. Go on.”

“Thanks,
but I can’t take all the credit. You did some of the work,” she joked, her
voice inflating with fake pride. “All I did was give you a little push.”

“With Amanda,
literally,” Eliza muttered, and they both laughed. “It’s not as if our friendship’s the same as before, but I did start
talking to her thanks to you.”

“Now, you
love me more and will give me a reward?”

Eliza patted
her on the head. “Satisfied?”

“You know
that’s not what I meant,” she complained, but still seemed happy.

“Fine.” Blushing,
Eliza leaned closer and kissed her on the cheek. Bianca widened her eyes,
brought her hand to her cheek, and became almost as red as her hair. “Is that
better?”

The
corner of her lips trembled as if she were trying to suppress a smile. She
looked happy and surprised but was doing her best to hide it.

That
expression is so cute I wanna see more, Eliza thought. She felt the urge to tease the redhead growing.

“Stop leading
me on,” Bianca mumbled, pushing her into the water.

Eliza
laughed as she fell into the water. She was surprised to find that even underwater,
she could see perfectly as if she were wearing swimming goggles.

“Wow…
that was…” She tried to find words when she came up to breathe, clearing the
hair from her eyes. “Amazing!”

“What?”
Bianca was still red, but her embarrassment gave room to her curiosity as she offered
a hand.

“I could
see perfectly underwater!”

“You’ve
never tested your powers underwater?” Slowly Bianca’s curiosity grew.

“But I
didn’t use my powers. It was like everything was already in HD without me using
it!”

Bianca thought
for a moment. “At night, you have a sort of night vision and can see clearly,
if there’s light. Wouldn’t underwater be the same?”

“Now that
you mentioned…” Eliza barely contained her amazement. She has put a lot of
thought into my powers. More than me.

“Try
using your powers underwater,” Bianca said, pointing to the ocean.

Eliza ran
a hand down her face, took a deep breath, and dove in again. Even though her
excitement made it difficult to concentrate, she managed to activate her sight.

The blue
waters darkened slightly, but everything was still visible as her sight zoomed
in. She saw hundreds of fishes, plants, corals. Then something red popped at
the corner of her vision. Her powers wavered, but she ignored Bianca and
concentrated even more. Then the redhead waved.

Without
losing her focus, Eliza pushed the hand away. The next second, she felt a
finger running on her neck. Her powers wavered, she
lost control of it and saw someone in a scuba suit.

“Urgh! My
eyes!” Eliza shut her eyes, swallowed water, and stood up.

“What’s
wrong?” Bianca asked in a mocking voice as she coughed. “What did you see? An
old man? Did you see his junk?”

“You knew
he was there!” She rubbed her eyes when her breathing was back to normal. But
no matter what she did, she couldn’t unsee it. “Ah, damn it! I can still see it
in my head! What was that for?”

“Payback
for teasing me!” Bianca laughed and swam away.

Eliza went
after her, but it was hard to catch up with her.

***

“I still
can’t get the sand out of my hair,” Eliza complained after she changed clothes.
Even with two extra showers to get the rest of the sand out, she was still
finding bits of the beach. “Are you ready yet?”

“Ages ago.
And I got sand too, by the way.” Bianca was on the front porch, swinging lazily
on the hammock.

“Your
long hair must be even worse.” Eliza smiled, but it vanished when she saw
Bianca. “You’re not going like that.”

“Eh? Why
not?” The sudden change took her by surprise. She got out of the hammock,
raised her arms, and twirled around. The red and black flannel dress swayed with
her twirl. “What’s wrong with this? I look great. As usual, if I might add.”

“Yeah, I
can’t deny that. But you’re still missing crucial details for St. John.” Eliza led
Bianca to the makeup dresser in her room, made her sit, and began braiding her
red hair. “Why are you smiling like that?”

“It’s the
first time you’ve done my hair,” she murmured, her cheeks turning pink.

“Shut up.”
Eliza lightly tugged Bianca’s hair to hide her embarrassment. After making two
long braids, she drew black freckles with a marker. Lastly, she put on the
straw hat she had brought. “Now you look perfect. Even I have to admit it.”

“In
pigtails and with freckles?” Bianca raised her eyebrows and looked at Eliza
through the mirror. “Either you have strange tastes, or you like this holiday
way too much.”

“The
second!”

“I bet it’s
the fireworks. Wait, do you like to throw traque
de massa at others?”

“I can’t
deny, it’s fun smacking it at someone’s forehead.”

“God, I
hate that. The smell of gunpowder always got stuck in my hair for days. Ah! Don’t
you dare do that to me!”

“Oh look,
I can hear music. Let’s go,” Eliza said and left the room.

“Hey,
answer me!” Bianca went after her, but she never got an answer.

“It’s
huge.” It was all Eliza could say when she saw it up close.

The
bonfire, organized by the resident’s association, was almost twice as tall as they
were. The flames were so bright everything seemed pale. Even though they were
standing at a safe distance, the flames were so intense they could feel its
heat. The association had hired a band, and the residents and guests danced to
the sound of the forró underneath the
countless multicolored paper flags.

“Live
music, over the top decorations, a huge and awesome bonfire… as expected of
rich people,” Eliza said, smiling at Bianca’s discomfort.

“I-isn’t
this normal?”

“Kinda. Grandpa used to make a bonfire too, though it was
half my height. I liked throwing plastic cups at it. The smell was awful.” Eliza
grinned. Bianca had no idea what to say for a moment, then laughed. When
someone lit a firework, she suddenly remembered. “Crap! Hey, did you get the—”

“You
really are a tomboy. I wished I could’ve met you before. I bet I’d have fallen for
you then too.” Bianca opened her bag. “Yes, I brought your stupid fireworks. You
can play to your heart’s content.”

“You mean
us.” Eliza pulled her by the hand with a huge smile.

Between talking,
eating, drinking, and dancing, it took them almost three hours to play with all
the fireworks Eliza had bought. Though the people around them had brighter and
more colorful and beautiful ones, they were the ones who caused the most noise because
Eliza hadn’t skimped on rojões and
rockets. Because of that, they had attracted a lot of attention.

I
think it was Red rather than the fireworks, Eliza
thought, not containing her smile.

“The
association will definitely complain,” Bianca sighed and sat down on a free
chair next to the pool. “I still can’t believe you bought that many rojões.”

“They’re
the best ones! How could I not? I always wanted to play with it when I was a
kid, but Dad never allowed.”

“Of
course. They’re class C explosives. What kind of parent would let their kids
play with that?”

Chuckling,
Eliza sat by her side and handed her the pamonha
they had bought. Even after all the snacks, she took a generous bite. “It’s
been ages since I played like that.”

“You didn’t
play last year?”

“No.
After Bruno got burned with a firework a couple of years ago, he kinda got traumatized. He endured on New Year’s Eve, but St.
John was too much for him. Most of the parties we went to didn’t have fireworks.”

“Hm…”
Bianca mumbled and focused on her food without saying anything.

Eliza
regretted mentioning her ex-boyfriend. Me and my big mouth.

The band,
who had taken a little break, got back on stage and was playing again. Eliza
watched Bianca, who observed the couples on the dance floor with an envious
expression.

“You wanna dance?” she asked, surprising even herself.

Bianca’s sour
mood vanished at once. “Dance? No, I can’t—”

“You owe
me a dance.”

“When?
Why? Where? I don’t remember that.” Her cheeks reddened, and it had nothing to
do with the heat.

“If you
invite me to St. John, it’s implied.” Eliza offered a hand. “I’ll teach you.”

“In front
of so many people?” She accepted with a coy smile.

Eliza
squeezed and enjoyed the touch of Bianca. But before they left their table, a
boy came to talk to them, flashing a bright smile that was more out of alcohol
than confidence. “How about a dance?”

He was
staring at Red for so long I wondered if he had the courage to ask her, Eliza thought. As the night went on, many boys came to talk to
Bianca, asking for a dance or, if they were too drunk, if they could make out.

The
interruptions were annoying, but Eliza grew used to it. But it was different
when a girl showed up out of nowhere and flirted with Bianca. Eliza grew annoyed
as she watched the nameless girl compliment and giggle at anything the redhead
said.

More than
once, she thought about yelling that Bianca belonged to her. She entertained
herself with the idea, wondering how the redhead would react if Eliza did that.
But before she grew any more jealous, Bianca rejected the girl politely as she had
done with everyone else.

C’mon,
Red, let him down so we can dance, Eliza thought,
waiting. To her surprise, instead of a flat-out rejection, Bianca smiled. Eh?

“Nando?
Is that you? You changed so much!” she exclaimed, hugging the boy.

“Thank God.
I couldn’t be that chubby fourteen-year-old kid you humiliated forever.”

“I never
humiliated you. I just turned you down, that was all. Let it go.” Bianca and
the boy laughed. “I can’t believe I haven’t talked to you in ages. How’ve you
been?”

“Busy
like crazy. I’m studying and helping my dad at the store.”

“Just like
you never wanted.”

He let
out an awkward chuckled. “Yeah. A lot has changed. How about we catch up?”

When Eliza
saw her contemplating it for a second, she pulled her away from him before she
could even think twice. “Sorry, but we’re heading back now.”

Bianca
blinked. Then she blushed and smiled. “Give me a call. My number is still the
same.”

“Okay,
bye.”

As she
half dragged, half led Bianca back to the house, Eliza made sure she didn’t turn
around. Even without seeing, she could tell the redhead was smiling because of
her fit of jealousy. Eliza couldn’t stop blushing and didn’t want Bianca seeing
it. But when she entwined their fingers and squeezed Eliza’s hand gently, her heart
pounded so loudly she was sure the redhead could hear.

“I never
knew you were so jealous,” Bianca said. She didn’t hide how happy she was.

“I… I…
ah…” Eliza felt her face burning as she struggled with the words. “I’m gonna take a shower!”

Not even
the cold water could make her heart and face go back to normal. By the time she
finished, Bianca had also taken a shower.

“The
smell of smoke and gunpowder will take days to come off,” she complained as she
smelled her hair.

Eliza’s
mind went blank as she watched Bianca.

“What?”
She asked when she noticed Eliza staring.

“It’s
just that… w-we can still hear the music from here.” Eliza offered her hand
with a goofy smile. “You still owe me a dance.”

Blushing
and suppressing a smile, Bianca accepted.

Oh God,
she looks too cute embarrassed. Oh God, she’s awakening a side of me I never
knew!

“S-since
I’ve never led, you’ll have to forgive me for any mistakes,” Eliza mumbled,
putting her right hand on Bianca’s waist. It feels weird leading the dance, but
I can get used to this. “Put your left hand on my shoulder.”

“L-like
this?”

“No. Why
are you so far? This isn’t waltz, it’s forró.
We need to be this close.” Eliza pulled her closer,
their noses almost touching each other. Bianca became almost the same color as
her hair.

Not sure
where to look, Eliza took two steps to the side. Bianca awkwardly did the same.

“G-good.
Just do like I’m doing.”

In no
time, Bianca managed to pick up the dance. When Eliza moved her left leg
forward, Bianca moved her right leg back, doing the right steps without any
instructions.

“Not bad.
How about this?” When Eliza raised their hands above Bianca’s head, she did the
twirl almost perfectly. “You know how to dance!”

“With you
teaching, it’s easy.” Bianca smiled despite her short breath. “How about if I
do this?” This time it was she who raised their hands above Eliza’s head.

Though
she was expecting it, she still tripped on her feet and made them fall. If not
for the hammock on the front porch, they would have been on the floor. They
looked at each other and then laughed at the same time.

“What
kind of teacher trips like that?”

“It’s not
my fault,” Eliza said, still laughing. “I told you it’s the first time leading.
I forgot that.”

“That’s a
lame excuse. You better learn.”

“If we
can dance more, I promise I’ll learn. I’d like to see you dancing samba
and frevo.” When she winced, Eliza laughed again.

Bianca
shifted so they could lie comfortably with their heads next to each other. “Look
at that,” she said, pointing towards the sky. “We’d never see such a clear sky
in the city. I mean, I wouldn’t.”

The purple
and blue starry sky stretched until it met the black sea, its water reflecting
the moonlight. With the half-moon on the background, it seemed as if it had
been painted with a brush.

“It’s
amazing,” Eliza muttered.

“Yeah,”
Bianca whispered, caressing her hand. “I always liked watching the sky here.”

Without
thinking, Eliza used her powers. The few clouds went away, and the sky’s
endless purple and blue became closer, the stars brighter than ever. The moon
became bigger, and the white light around it became more beautiful than ever.

“It’s like
a different sky from a different world.” Eliza’s sight went farther until it
reached her limit, which had grown a lot in the past couple of months. “I wish
you could see it.”

“Me too,”
Bianca said. “But I’m happy with just being by your side. I think I said that
before, but it seems you don’t believe me.”

Eliza
lost her concentration as her cheek flushed. She blinked, and when her sight
was back to normal, she turned her head. Bianca had her eyes closed and truly
seemed to enjoy the moment. Her chest moved up and down slowly, and there was a
soft smile on her lips.

Eliza’s
heart pounded faster as she looked at those lips. I can’t believe she
managed to restrain herself. I can’t…

“There’s
something on your lips.”

“What?”
Her voice never sounded sweeter. Before Bianca did anything, Eliza moved her
head. When their lips met, she opened her eyes in surprise. It took a second,
but then she closed them again, kissing Eliza back.

“What?
Why? How?” Bianca blinked and tried to speak. Her face had turned redder than
her hair.

Eliza
chuckled and couldn’t help but tease. She’s too damn cute! “I finally fell
for your cheesy lines, and that’s what you say?”

Bianca
pressed her lips and averted her eyes. After a second, she turned back, and
kissed Eliza.

They had
no idea how long they were in the hammock for, but at some point, the hinges
broke, and they fell on the ground.

“Ouch,”
Eliza said slowly, rubbing her butt.

“Damn it!
It rusted again. And we were in such a good mood,” Bianca complained. They
looked at each other and laughed as they stood up.

“We can
continue this inside,” Eliza said, offering a hand.

“I wanted
to say that,” Bianca said with a sheepish smile. She took Bianca’s hand without
hesitation.

Chapter 10

“No way.” Eliza still couldn’t believe it. Her breakfast remained
untouched as she stared at the newspaper, reading the headline for the fourth
time.

“It’s
hard to believe,” Flavio said in a weary voice. He rubbed his eyes and shook
his head as he ate. “My phone’s been ringing all morning. Eduardo says the
department is packed with reporters even from the capital. Never seen so many at
once. He says they’re interviewing everyone.”

Eliza opened
the newspaper so fast she almost ripped it. Chief of Police suspected of
corruption. That alone made her tremble with rage, but the words underneath
were even more infuriating.

Chief
of Police, Djalma dos Santos Silva, is suspected of
forcing the investigation of corruption towards the mayor and the town’s
council away from himself. An anonymous source said the investigators had
direct orders to ignore anything that could lead to the deep corruption inside
the police department…

That’s
a lie! Eliza trembled so much she had trouble reading
the rest. She handed the newspaper back to her father. She didn’t have to read
the rest to know it would only make her even more enraged. There’s no way he’d
do that. That mayor… Though she only had talked to him during and a little
after the poker game, she still remembered. Bianca said the party was a
bribe party. I thought it was a joke. Bianca…

Imagining
what her girlfriend could be going through right now was enough to make her
stomach tighten. She raced to her bedroom and turned in the direction of the
redhead’s house as she called her. C’mon, Red, pick up…

Eliza focused,
but nothing happened. With deep breaths, she stared at the wall. This time it
became transparent. But no matter how much she tried,
she couldn’t see more than a few meters. I can’t focus right now, she thought,
clicking her tongue. All she could think of was Bianca and her family. Pick
up, pick up, pick up.

But no
matter how much she waited, there was only the dial tone. She tried again. C’mon, Bianca, pick up. I
wanna hear your voice.

“Bianca!”
she shouted when the redhead finally picked up.

“Hey, Liz.
Good morning.” Though she spoke in a normal tone, Eliza could tell it was
forced. “Hearing your voice first thing in the morning is the best way to wake
up. But you know I’m not a morning person.”

I
doubt you could get some sleep with all that’s happening. “Yeah, I know. I also know that you snore. A lot,” she joked to
lighten the mood.

“I told
you it wasn’t me! Maybe when you got your powers, your hearing became sharp too,
so you keep hearing someone else snoring,” Bianca replied in her playful tone,
though it was stiff.

“That
doesn’t make sense. According to all those movies you made me watch, you can
only enhance the other senses when you lose one.”

“You got
me there.” They both chuckled, but they soon stopped, and the silence grew. “Did
you see the news?”

“Yeah,”
Eliza said. “I know it’s not true! Your dad would never do something like that!”

“Thanks.
You have no idea how much better I feel hearing that. And not just because it’s
coming from you.”

Eliza
heard a weak chuckled. Then a sniff. Red is crying, she realized with a
pang in her heart. She opened her mouth, but then closed it, biting her lips. What
can I say? Is there anything I can do for her?

“I don’t
have any supernatural powers, but I know what you’re doing right now. You’re in
your room, sitting on the bed, biting your lips, and thinking of something to say
to comfort me. Am I right?”

Eliza couldn’t
help but smile. “Yeah, you’re right. Surprisingly.”

“Yay. How
many points do I get?”

“Hm…” She
pretended to think. “Since I’m not on my bed, seven.”

“How are
you grading? I protest. That’s my lowest grade this semester,” Bianca
complained and booed in the cute way Eliza had grown to love.

“It’s not
my fault you got it partially wrong.”

“If
you’re not on your bed, you’re standing facing the wall and looking at me. But
since I don’t feel your gaze, I’m guessing you can’t concentrate right now.”

“Full
marks,” Eliza said with a sheepish smile.

“Then, for
extra points, I’ll say you’re thinking of skipping school to see me.”

“Are you
sure you don’t have the power to read minds?”

“You
found out. Yes, it’s true I have that power. But I can only read your mind,”
Bianca said. It got a weak laugh from Eliza. “I don’t know why you’re laughing.
What kind of girlfriend would I be if I didn’t know what was on your mind?”

“A normal
one.”

This time
Bianca laughed. Though it was happier than the last ones, it was nowhere near
her cheerful and full of joy laugh. “I’d say sorry you’re not dating a normal
girl, but, in my defense, you knew that from the start.”

“Yeah, I
knew that. And I’m glad. I doubt I’d fall for any other girl.” They both
laughed again.

“Thanks
for calling. I really needed to hear your voice. Even a not-so-normal girl like
me is happy hearing her girlfriend’s voice after the night I had.”

“How is everything?”
Eliza asked.

“Bad.
Really bad.” Bianca’s tone said it all.

“I…”
Eliza started but had no idea what to say. “I can’t do anything to help, but I wanna be by your side.”

“You can’t
imagine how happy I am to hear that.”

Eliza
could imagine Bianca lying on her bed smiling, the lips she loved to kiss
showing a bit of tooth, her red hair loose. I wanna
see her, she thought with a pang in her heart as she held her tears. All
I can do for her is to be by her side, and I can’t even do that.

“I—”

“As much
as I wanna see you right now, I don’t want you
getting involved with this. My house is surrounded by reporters right now. We’re
stuck inside and I don’t want anyone going after you or your dad.”

“Bianca…”
Eliza wanted to rush to her girlfriend. Even in this situation, you’re thinking
about me. But I wanna be there for you. She knew,
however, even if she said it, the redhead wouldn’t change her mind. I had to
fall for someone so stubborn, she thought, smiling despite the turmoil
inside her. “What do you mean stuck?”

“Mom went
out to see our family’s lawyers, her business’ lawyers, and accountants to prove
there’s nothing shady going on. But after that, we’ll avoid leaving the house
while Dad sorts out the situation,” Bianca explained. Then let out a huge sigh.
“This sucks. Mom can run her business from here for a while
and I can study from home, but I can’t stand not seeing you.”

“For how
long?”

“Too long
without you,” she whispered. Then her tone changed. “I’m glad you feel the same
because now all I can think about is you touching me. If you look over my
bedroom right now, you’ll see—”

“If you
can say those embarrassing things, it means you’re doing better than I thought.”
Eliza blushed. Even without seeing it, she could tell Bianca had on her sly
smile. We’ve been dating for over a month, and I’m still affected by that
kind of joke. Maybe I am a prude deep down.

“After
everything you’ve done to me, you still say it’s embarrassing? I thought I’d
changed my prude girlfriend.”

“And I
thought you had learned some modesty.”

“That was
all just to make you think I had.” Bianca chuckled. “But I mean it, Liz. You
have no idea how much I wanna see you right now.”

Eliza bit
her lips to stop herself from saying she felt the same. It won’t do any good.

“When
this is all over, let’s go to the beach again.”

“That
sounds good.”

“I say
beach, but you know it’s just a plan to lure you out. What I really want is to
spend the entire day with you in the bedroom. Going to sleep in your arms
around me, waking up by your side, seeing the top of your head between my legs
as you make me lose my mind with your tongue.”

“That
sounds even better.” Eliza smiled, but felt another pang in her heart. It’s
almost like we won’t be seeing each other for a long time. “After that, we’ll
tell my parents about us. The sneaking around has been fun, but I wanna come out to them. They won’t be as understanding as
yours, though. Dad might be, but Mom will definitely freak out and pull the
religious thing. Hopefully, she’s already used to you and your good
influence on me.”

“Don’t
say that. Don’t put more pressure on me. Do you have any idea how nervous I am?
Your parents might like me but reintroducing myself as your girlfriend is
completely different. I need to prepare my heart.”

“You
nervous? I can’t get enough of that.” Eliza smiled. When she imagined Bianca
pouting her smile broadened. “Besides, that’s a good thing. They’ll be shocked
enough to find out their daughter’s a lesbian. They need to… How can I say this?
They need to take our unique sense of humor in small doses.”

Bianca snorted.
“Like you don’t love it.”

“Yeah, I
do,” she admitted, blushing slightly. “But you hit on me for so long I grew
used to it. It needs to be dosed out like medicine. The lesbian daughter and her
girlfriend, who happens to be Dad’s boss’ daughter, will be plenty. They don’t
need the extra shock.”

Eliza
could still hear Bianca’s laugh after they said goodbye. She pressed her lips
and squeezed her phone. Even though the redhead joked and teased her to sound
as normal as she could, she could tell her girlfriend was more scared than she sounded.

Red… She closed her eyes and breathed slowly. I
wanna see her, I wanna see
her. Repeating those words, she turned in the direction of Bianca’s house
and focused. It took much longer than usual, but her powers worked.

“Yes,” she
muttered under breath. The transparent wall became solid again, and she cursed
herself. With the image of Bianca in her head, she focused with all her
willpower.

But when
she saw Bianca’s house, she almost deactivated her powers. Reporters and photographers almost blocked the
entrance. From what she could see, they questioned and took pictures of the
house and anyone who entered or left. Even cars had trouble getting in and out.

No
wonder she can’t leave home. There’s no way I can get in without them taking a
bunch of pictures, she thought. Despite the distance,
she winced; the constant flashes of the cameras hurt her eyes. Where are
you, Red?

Bianca
was in her bedroom, lying on the bed and running her hand over her face and
hair. She picked up the book next to her, but barely opened it before putting
it aside and running both hands over her face. She got up and took another book
from the bookshelf but put it back before she even opened it.

Eliza
watched with a pang in her heart as her girlfriend paced around with her arms
crossed until she raised her head and dashed out of the room. There’s
nothing I can do for her now, she told herself. She closed her eyes and let
her sight go back to normal as frustration consumed her. Nothing…

“Where’s Dad?”
she asked her mother when she returned to the kitchen.

“He went
to work early. He said he’ll gather up supporters for the chief,” Carla
answered as she washed the dishes. “Anyone who’s met the chief knows he’d never
so much as take a pen from the PD.”

Eliza
smiled and felt much better as she said goodbye to her mother. Dad and the
others can help the chief.

Though
she had grown used to the whispers when she was in school, they had mostly died
out over the past months. Everyone thought Eliza had stopped doing drugs, so she
became a boring topic. After mid-year vacation, no one even seemed to remember
she had almost died at the beginning of January.

When she
heard the whispers, she was ready to ignore them just like before. However,
though she wasn’t the topic, she was furious. Everyone was talking about Bianca
and her family.

You’re
a bunch of vultures. These latest rumors are just carcasses for you, Eliza thought. She breathed hard through her nose as she sat on her
usual desk near the window.

“Did you
see the news?” Someone spoke, but she didn’t bother to see who it was.

“Yeah, Mom
and Dad couldn’t stop talking about it,” another person replied.

“Can’t
say I’m surprised. There was no way her family would be that rich without
taking some on the side,” a third voice jumped into the conversation.

“I know.
I bet all that charity was just to launder the money.”

Eliza
closed her fist so hard it lost its color. They’re just trash, she told
herself, breathing hard. It’d just make them happy if I scream at them.

“It was
about time. Mom always said there was something fishy.”

“Yeah, that
store’s, probably a cover-up.”

“Yeah,
there’s no way that store could be making that much money selling those clothes.”

“At least
Bianca will lose some of that arrogance. I was getting annoyed at the way she
walked around like she owned the place.”

“I’ll bet
when she shows up, she’ll act as if nothing happened.”

“Fuck you
all!” Eliza had reached her limit. They’re just pathetic people who needed
someone to gossip about and make themselves feel better! She knew that, but
she couldn’t take it anymore. I won’t let anyone talk that way about Bianca!
“What the fuck do you know about her or her family? You’re all just trash who
feel better badmouthing someone else!”

She
stormed out of the classroom.

“What’s
up with her?”

“I bet
she’s angry because we’re talking about someone else for a change.”

“She
really loves the attention. Didn’t she get enough when she was on drugs?”

Eliza
heard everything as she shut the door and went to the bathroom. I know they’re
trash, but how can they talk about Bianca like that? They all admired her, she
thought. She wished their annoying voices and laughs would go away.

It
didn’t. I wanna see Bianca. I wanna hug her, she thought. She buried her face in both
hands and let her tears fall.

“Hey.”

Eliza cleaned
her face before looking up. Standing against the closed door was Raisa,
Bianca’s childhood friend.

“Hey…”

“That was
quite a scene you made,” she said. “Everyone’s saying you’re either a lesbian who’s
into Bianca or knew some dirt on her and was blackmailing her for drug money.”

Eliza snorted.
“That might be the first time they get something right.”

“They’re
all idiots.”

“And me
bursting out like that must’ve been the highlight of their lives.”

“Don’t
worry about it. Bianca never tried to hide who she is. She doesn’t make a big deal
about it because it’s too bothersome,” Raisa said, walking to the sink. “Thanks
for defending that idiot. If you hadn’t, I would’ve done the same thing.”

“I couldn’t
stand them talking about her like that. They don’t know anything!”

“You’re
right. But I’m not much better either.”

Guess
she still feels guilty for believing the rumors about me, even if she didn’t
talk about it. Eliza watched as Raisa washed her
face. She looked exhausted. She must’ve been worrying about Bianca too. She
might not like me, but she’s closer to her than me in certain ways, Eliza
thought, remembering when they talked for the first time.

***

“I want my
friends to meet my girlfriend,” Bianca had said at the time.

The
meaning behind those words were clear; Eliza was avoiding the idea of telling
Amanda about their relationship and had been running out of excuses. It’s
too soon. We’ve just started dating. I just started talking to Amanda again. It’s
too soon to drop a bomb like that on her. Is there a right time to tell your
friends you’re a lesbian?

Bianca
settled on Eliza meeting Raisa, her childhood friend. Her first time coming out
of the closet wasn’t what she expected. Mainly because Raisa already knew about
them.

“I had to
be an idiot to not realize you liked her, Bianca. I should’ve known by the way
you spoke about her whenever we talked, and all those times you ditched me to hang
out with her.”

Things
were going better than she expected, but something Eliza could have never
predicted happened when Bianca left them alone.

“I’ll be
honest. I believed her when she said all those rumors about you weren’t true.
There’s no way she’d pester me that much if she wasn’t certain. But it doesn’t
make me any less worried. We’ve known each other since we were little, and I
know how much of an idiot she can be when she falls head over heels for a girl.
She’s suffered because of that, and if you do anything to hurt her…” Raisa left
the threat in the air.

“You like
her,” Eliza said without thinking.

“I love
her. She’s almost a sister. But I’m not in love with her if that’s what you
mean.”

***

“Did you
talk with Bianca today?” Raisa broke the silence and brought Eliza’s mind back
to the bathroom.

“Yeah.
She said she’s staying home until things quiet down a bit,” she answered,
squeezing her elbow. How long will that take?

“From
what I heard from Mom I don’t think it’ll be so easy.”

I
forgot her mom’s one of the biggest journalists in the area. She might know something. Eliza felt her stomach tightening
again. Bianca…

“As much
as I want to do something, she needs her girlfriend more than she needs me,”
Raisa said before heading towards the door. “Please, be there for her.”

You
don’t even have to ask.

They had
talked less than a half-hour ago, but all Eliza wanted was to hear her girlfriend’s
voice again. But all she got was the dial tone when she called. With
frustration twisting her insides, she headed back to the classroom, vaguely
aware of the stares and whispers.

She didn’t
pay attention in any of the classes. She didn’t understand what she copied from
the whiteboard and barely noticed when the teachers taught something important
for the ENEM. All she did was check the time as she waited for the next break
so she could call Bianca.

Is
this shit even working? Even though it felt like
hours, no more than two minutes had passed since the last time she checked the
time. To be sure, she rebooted her phone. It made no difference; time was
simply passing slowly.

When
school was over, Eliza rushed to Bianca’s house as she tried calling. But like
all day, all she got was the dial tone.

There
were still many reporters and photographers outside the house, but it wasn’t as
chaotic as this morning. They didn’t block the entrance or the driveway anymore.
Most just talked and laughed between themselves while a few others recorded
something with the house in the background.

Even with
her powers not working, she saw a few tabloids and gossip magazine reporters
among them. With her mother’s business and charity and her dad’s job, they’re
sort of like local celebrities. Even Bianca is a little famous because of her
modeling work. But these idiots don’t care about the truth. They just want something
to show. They’ll have a field day if they found out about us.

With a quick
search inside of the house, Eliza realized her girlfriend wasn’t there and
headed back home. She tried eating but had no appetite and gave up after a few
bites. She couldn’t do anything other than call Bianca with no success. Her
eyes hurt after using her powers to check if she was home all afternoon. I’ll
lie down a little before trying again…

It was
night by the time she woke. She rubbed her eyes with one hand and reached out
the other for her phone to check the hour. But no matter what buttons she
pressed the screen remained lifeless. Stupid battery, she cursed as she looked
for the charger.

Ignoring
the prickling in her eyes, Eliza turned to the wall and focused without much expectation.
When she saw Bianca lying on her bed, she jumped to her feet and lost her
concentration. Red!

“C’mon,
turn on!” she muttered. She pressed the button of her phone with all her force,
hoping it would work faster.

“Finally,”
Bianca said before Eliza could say anything. “How do you think I feel after you
called me all day, but didn’t answer me when I called back?”

“My bad.”
She couldn’t stop smiling because she was finally hearing that voice. “Where
were you, by the way?”

“Talking
to my accountant.”

“You have
an accountant? Since when?”

“As of
today.” Even without seeing, she could tell Bianca was mad and tired. “The
lawyers say people will investigate me too. Apparently, it’s strange if
a girl this young and beautiful has a little money of her own.”

“I wouldn’t
call all that money little.” Eliza tried to lighten the mood. “But since
everything’s legit, there should be no problem. You’re a model, after all.”

“Hope so,”
she said and grew quiet for a while. “Liz… Could you do something for me?”

“Anything.”

“Could
you come here right now? Please.”

After a
quick shower and practically swallowing her dinner whole, Eliza rushed to Bianca’s street. Won’t these idiots give it a rest? It’s
been all day, she thought as she passed by the journalist and paparazzi.
Though there were considerably fewer people than in the afternoon, it was still
impossible for her to get in without being noticed.

If she
was entering through the front door, that is. Instead of her girlfriend’s house,
Eliza went to the neighbor’s. It was an impressive house with three stories but
next to Bianca’s, it looked small and humble.

With a
quick peek, she confirmed that there was no one inside. Thank goodness they’re
still on vacation, she thought, glancing to the sides to check if anyone
was paying attention to her. Trying to not look like she’s trespassing, she
pushed the gate open and entered. When nothing happened, she breathed out in
relief. I’m not asking why or how you know the alarm’s only in the house,
Red.

Eliza went
to the back yard and walked to the lonely tree. It was so tall she had to look
up to see the top. At once, she called Bianca. “Are you serious? This is a little
tall to you?”

“Yes.” The
redhead didn’t hide her joy. “Don’t worry. I’ve done this way more times than I
remember.”

“Can I
ask, why you were using the neighbor’s tree to sneak into your own house?”

“I have
the right to remain silent. You shouldn’t ask a girl her private business.”

Eliza
could tell her girlfriend was smiling, which made her both annoyed and
relieved. Glad she’s smiling, but I wished it wasn’t because of something
like this, she thought, glancing up at the tree again. “It’s… so tall…”

“Wait a
minute. Are you afraid of heights?” Suddenly Bianca sounded excited. “My
tomboy?”

Eliza
opened her mouth but gave up halfway, sighing. I wished I didn’t like this
teasing and mischievous side of her so much. There must be something wrong with
me. “And here I was hoping you’d never find out.”

Bianca
laughed, and it was her normal, cheerful one. “But I wanna
know everything about you,” she said in her teasing voice. “Hurry up. I’m
waiting.”

Eliza put
her phone back in the pocket of her shorts and focused. Bianca was in her
bedroom just on the other side of the tree, wearing a black and transparent
baby doll that emphasized her ample breasts.

She
blushed and grinned, doing her best to avoid blinking as she called to her again.
“When did you buy that?”

“You
finally looked! What do you think?” Bianca smiled, turned towards the window
where the tree was, and twirled. “I changed into this when I called you. I
wanted to surprise you, but you had no reaction so, I knew you hadn’t looked. I
bet you’re all red right now, aren’t you? That’s my prude tomboy.”

Eliza couldn’t
stop her smile from broadening. Her face was indeed reddening even more as she
looked at Bianca. She’s so hot!

“I… ah…” She
had lost her ability to think at the sight of Bianca.

“Hurry,”
Bianca said with the tempting smile Eliza could barely resist.

With
effort, she took her eyes from her girlfriend and turned to the tree when her
powers stopped working. After taking many deep breaths, she climbed. Just
don’t look down, don’t look down, Eliza told herself over and over. With
the image of the redhead, she managed to reach one of the top branches, though
she froze as she stared at the distance between it and the window.

It’s just
a little jump, she says. How the hell does she think this a little jump? If I
fall, I’ll be lucky to come out with just a broken leg!

She
forced herself to focus on the window. She was about to use her powers to see
through it when her girlfriend opened it.

Bianca
opened her arms and the beautiful smile Eliza had grown to love was plastered
on her face. “It’s just a little jump. I’ve done it countless times.”

Because
of her smile, Eliza gained more courage than she ever remembered having. She
looked down one more time, took a deep breath, and jumped. Her heart didn’t
thump wildly anymore; it had stayed on the tree.

After
what seemed like an eternity, she passed through the open window safely. Bianca
caught her in the air, and thanks to the momentum, they fell and rolled on the
floor together.

“I never
thought you’d actually do it!” She laughed and hugged Eliza tighter. She buried
her head on Eliza’s breasts.

“Only
because… it’s you… I’d never… do this for… anyone else…” She had trouble
breathing. Her heart was back, and it was pounding as if she just had a
near-death experience. However, even before she calmed down, Eliza wrapped her
arms around Bianca and kissed the top of her head. “Please don’t ask me to do
this again. I’m not sure my heart, or my legs, can take it.”

“No! I’m
not making that promise,” Bianca said in a spoiled voice. Then she dropped to a
whisper. “I’m gonna ask you to jump many times for a
while.”

“Red…”
Eliza caressed her head. Even with the light makeup, Bianca couldn’t hide that she
had been crying.

The only
thing she wanted was to freeze time so they could embrace each other forever. She
had no idea how long they stayed that way, but suddenly Bianca kissed her.

“Wait,” she
managed to say when they parted their lips. “Don’t you wanna
talk?”

Bianca rolled
up Eliza’s shirt and unhooked her bra. “I spent the entire day talking. I need
this. I need you.”

Eliza wanted
to say something, but then she understood. What Bianca needs right now is to
forget her problems. And I can help her with that, even if for a moment.

To her
surprise, Eliza kissed her back and switched positions. Now it was the redhead
who was on the bottom. With a quick move, she stripped her girlfriend of the
baby doll and kissed her bare breast.

As Eliza
kissed, nibbled, and sucked one and caressed the other, Bianca’s nipples
hardened. She heard the gasps and felt a hand on her back, the fingers digging
hard. Damn it, Red. Thank goodness you don’t have long nails. The pain
didn’t stop her from untying the lace of her girlfriend’s underwear and going
between her legs.

Bianca
was already wet when she slipped one finger inside. Still kissing her bosom,
Eliza moved her hand gently. The redhead’s breathing became rapid and shallow as
Eliza put a second finger inside.

She’s
starting to lose her mind. Eliza moved down to Bianca’s
belly. She played around her belly button before finally going down between her
legs.

Bianca’s
entire body shook with pleasure when Eliza used her tongue. She let out a moan
and bit her lips. No matter how much she tried to hide it, her reactions were
obvious.

It’s
useless, Red. You can try as much as you want, but I’ll hear that horny voice
of yours, just like always. I know all your weak spots, Eliza thought. She moved her tongue inside her girlfriend the way
she knew the redhead couldn’t resist.

Eliza
became wet too. She was about to pleasure herself when she stopped. No. Right
now, I need to focus on her.

Bianca
tried her hardest to resist and prolong the pleasure. Eliza knew she was
reaching her limit. Her moans were louder as her gasps became shallow. Her body
was hot and glistening with sweat. Out of reflex, she placed a hand on the back
of her girlfriend’s head and pressed her legs around her.

Eliza smiled
in her mind. She could never get tired of making her redhead squirm and lose
her mind.

With a
loud moan, Bianca reached her climax and only let go of Eliza’s head when her
body lost all strength.

As she
swallowed, she looked up. Her girlfriend had a hazed expression as she panted.

“That
was… that was…” Bianca tried to find words but had trouble breathing. Even so,
she flashed a completely jubilant smile. “What I… needed…”

“I’m glad
I can do something for you.” Eliza hugged and caressed her.

“Idiot,”
Bianca mumbled, hugging her back. “You know, you just being here is enough.”

Eliza
kissed the top of her head. “How’s everything?”

Bianca was
somewhat back to normal but said nothing. Eliza didn’t press.

“Bad,” she
finally answered. “There’s a bunch of fake evidence appearing out of nowhere,
and they all lead to Dad.”

Eliza
felt her stomach tightening. “Who do you think is behind this?”

“Probably
the mayor. Dad said he was investigating him since before the election. But now
that he’s the mayor, he’s been trying to mess it all up.” Bianca let out some
of her frustration and anger, along with her tears. “All the real evidence Dad
got has been questioned by the lawyers, and everything is a mess.”

There’s
nothing I can say. She simply hugged Bianca. “Everything’s
gonna be okay,” she whispered, even if she had no
idea if it was true.

“Liar,”
Bianca joked, sniffing. “But I’ll forgive you if you come again.”

“You’re
not coming to school?”

“Mom said
it’s best to avoid the media. You saw how they are. I’d never care, but if they
go after you…”

Even
now, she’s thinking about my wellbeing instead of her own. “For how long?”

“I don’t
know. A week, maybe two. At least until the circus outside leaves.”

“That’s…
a long time…” Eliza managed to change her words in mid-sentence. That’s too
much for me, she meant to say. But saying that won’t do any good. “Aren’t
you worried about school? The second semester is too important for us with the ENEM
right around the corner.”

“Please,
like I cared about missing school.” She snorted, and Eliza chuckled weakly. “It’s
a long time to bear without you,” Bianca whispered.

“Red…”

“That’s
why I’ll forgive you if you come again.”

The
memory of the tree popped into Eliza’s mind, and she winced. But the idea of
not seeing her girlfriend, of not touching her, not feeling her warmth, the
softness of her lips and skin, the firmness of her breasts, or hearing that
voice whispering and moaning in pleasure, of not seeing that smile up close, of
not spending time with her. All that made the image of the tree vanished from her
mind.

“Y-yeah,
I’ll j-jump,” Eliza said, though she meant to say it with confidence. Or at
least without faltering.

“That
inspires zero confidence,” Bianca joked and smiled.

“I’m
finally seeing your smile up close after so long,” Eliza said, cleaning the
single tear in the corner of Bianca’s eye with a thumb. “I had no idea I’d miss
it this much.”

“Then you
better come every day!”

“For you,
I can jump that huge distance.” Eliza kissed Bianca gently.

“It’s
just a little jump.”

“For
Olympic athletes, maybe.”

They both
chuckled. When everything was quiet, Bianca looked at her. “Can you stay with
me tonight?”

“You don’t
have to ask.”

Chapter 11

Eliza’s eyes felt like they were on fire, as if someone had plucked
them out, dipped them in sulfuric acid, and put them back in her head. But this
pain wasn’t what made her curse.

Shit!
How long are they gonna stay in there? She took deep breaths and rubbed her temples, making the friction
marks redder. Still, she managed to suppress her urge to smash her fist against
the desk. Again.

Hope
this can be useful, Eliza thought, glancing down at
the latest pocket notebook she was using. She flipped through the pages filled
with dates, notes, and serial numbers on various bills. She had hastily written
down anything she believed that could help prove the conspiracy against the
chief of police.

Hope
people can read it. She squinted her eyes to understand
what she had written. She let out a heavy and frustrated sigh. With everything
I’ found, I can bring down most of the town, but it’s not enough to save Bianca’s
dad. I need to find the evidence that disappeared from the PD yesterday. That would
prove the chief’s innocence.

In a
matter of days, the situation had gotten worse. There was more false evidence against
the chief. Even the national news had taken an interest. It was impossible for
Eliza to see Bianca up close now. Due to a failed home invasion by some
journalists who wanted a scoop, the security had increased.

Eliza had
climbed the tree a few times, despite her shaky legs. But when the neighbors
got back from vacation, jumping the fence wasn’t an option anymore. She hadn’t
felt or touched her girlfriend for too long. To make things worse, the chief believed their phones were tapped,
including Bianca’s. Since she refused to involve Eliza, they hadn’t talked in a
while.

Eliza
could only see her girlfriend through her powers now. The Post-it notes Bianca
wrote of missing and longing that were hidden around the room felt like a stab to
her heart.

Eliza’s
dad was doing what he could to help the chief, but there was little help from
his colleagues. Though Flavio had no proof, he knew that some were part of the
corruption. But most of his colleagues simply didn’t want to get involved
because they were afraid to stick their necks out and get fired.

With her
frustration, feelings of injustice, and the urge to do something other than
just wait, Eliza decided to use her powers and do an investigation of her own.

Her
initial goal was to get the evidence that was stolen from the police station. However,
with so many people involved, it was impossible to find where it was. So, she cast
her eyes on the mayor and followed those close to him in the hopes of catching
anything.

From the
safety of the public library, the city hall, the city council, and their
private club were well within Eliza’s sight limits. Because of that, she discovered
a lot about the town’s general corruption, which could help Bianca’s father in
the future.

Red… When she thought of her girlfriend, she closed her eyes to stop
the tears from flowing.

Besides
the mayor, she followed his wife, daughter, and son, who were all town councilmembers,
and his main assistant. Now she was following his main bodyguard, Jairo, who
was off duty. To her surprise, she had met him before. He had been chief of
police over ten years ago but had long since retired.

Ignoring the
pain in her eyes as if ignoring a throbbing headache, Eliza focused on the
wall. No change, she thought when she saw Jairo still swimming in the
club’s pool and his bag untouched in his locker. But no matter how long she had
to wait, she wasn’t feeling discouraged at all.

I know
he’s getting the evidence today. There’s no way the mayor would hand his
bodyguard a bag full of money for no reason other than this. Jairo’s at the club with the money to make the payoff, I’m sure.

When a
man entered the locker room, she watched if he would go to the locker thirteen
where Jairo had placed the bag. But when he only got a towel and left, she
groaned out of frustration.

With the
pain in her eyes growing, Eliza closed and rested them for a while before
opening her backpack and pulling another identical pocket notebook. In capital
letters, she copied down the latest information. If I don’t find the
evidence, I’m gonna need more notebooks, she
realized. She glanced at her backpack, already filled with similar notebooks,
and groaned again. The idea of copying the same information again made her left-hand
throb with pain. I’ve never written so much in my life. All writers are
masochists, she thought, snorting at her own joke. But for Red, I’ll be a
masochist. When she realized what she thought, she chuckled. If she ever
finds out I thought this…

With Bianca
in mind, Eliza breathed deeply and concentrated on the wall again. Everything
she didn’t want to see became transparent. When she saw Jairo talking to
someone, she was so happy she lost control of her powers. Buildings, trees,
people, cars, and much more blurred. About damn time, she thought as she
focused on him again.

When her
eyesight settled, she watched the bodyguard leave the pool and go to the locker
room with the man, who she also knew. Maybe Luiz has nothing to do with
this. Yeah, it could be a coincidence. How many times he had dinner with us? He’s
Dad’s friend.

As they
talked, Eliza read their lips, but the only thing she picked up was something
about last night’s football game. Though Jairo opened his locker, he didn’t
touch the money. He only took a towel and went to the sauna. She almost shut
her eyes when Luiz undressed and went after him. Shaking her head, she focused
on locker seventeen, which he had used.

Inside
was a bag identical to Jairo’s, and when she looked into its contents, she
almost laughed in victory. There were papers, disks, and flash drives. That’s
it! The missing evidence! That’ gotta be it! She
hastily wrote down the time and Luiz’s name and watched them.

There was
no one besides them in the sauna. They sat facing each other, still talking
about the game. Then they talked about the weather and other small talk, as far
as Eliza could tell. Is that code or something? I don’t remember anyone else
using it. Damn it, I should’ve worked harder on this reading lips thing. As
she decided whether to write this all down, Luiz covered his mouth with a hand
and seemed to clear his throat. Shit!

He had said
something, but Eliza couldn’t tell what it was. But when Jairo spoke, she
managed to read his lips. 1-8-99? What’s that? August first, 1999? 1899? She
had no idea what it was but wrote down. It doesn’t matter. Now all I need is
to trace the evidence and get this information to dad and the TV.

And
then I’ll finally see Red again…

Her
longing to see the girl she had fallen in love with made her powers waver. Just
a little more… Just a little more, and I’ll see her smiling again. She
rested her eyes for a moment and thought of Bianca. Drawing energy from that
smile, both her real and teasing one, Eliza focused again.

Jairo was
still in the sauna, but Luiz had left. She pulled back her vision to keep them both
in sight. The strain was almost unbearable, but she still forced herself. Shit.
This is like trying to look right and left at the same time. If only I could
take photos with my eyes, she complained, but even so, she couldn’t stop
smiling in triumph.

Luiz took
a towel from locker seventeen, dried himself and put on his uniform. Eliza didn’t
know if he was nervous or if it was the sauna, but he was sweating so much he
seemed sick. He looked around before walking towards locker thirteen and put
the code in the padlock. So that’s what 1-8-99 meant! His eyes shone as
he looked at the money. With his breathing heavy, he took the bag, put his own
inside, and left as if he was running away.

To
Eliza’s delight, Luiz hid the money in a fake compartment in the trunk of the
police car. She knew other cops—like her dad—could search it without any
warrant since it belonged to the department. There’s
no way people can dismiss the stuff I wrote in the notebook when they find the
money.

Jairo
remained in the sauna. Hope he doesn’t leave any time soon, she thought.
Her eyes were burning, and closing them barely made a difference. She got her thermal
bottle and winced after drinking the rest of the herbal tea. Helps you calm
down my ass. It’s like I’m drinking grass. And it’s not working at all! Isn’t
this shit supposed to make me calmer?

Rubbing her
eyes, Eliza tried to relax as much as she could. When her eyes weren’t as
painful, she focused.

Jairo
remained in the sauna for almost ten more minutes. Unlike Luiz, when he
returned to the locker room, he was calm. He dried himself, put on his suit,
and only then did he open the bag. Without giving any hint of doing illegal
business, he looked at its content and went to his car as if it was the most
natural thing in the world.

He
can’t leave my limit. I need to see where he’s taking the evidence If I lose
track of it… Eliza closed her left eye and put a
cold bottle of water from her bag against it. With her right eye, she watched
Jairo. But the pain became too much to bear so she closed it too. I didn’t
think I’d force them this much.

As the
bottle helped sooth the pain, the memories of what happened at the beginning of
the year and the rehab filled her mind. Eliza trembled. There’s no way I’ll
let that happen again. I have Bianca now. It’s not like before. I’m
doing this for Red, for us, she told herself over and over as she pulled
the eyedrops from her pocket. She hated putting it in her eyes but still forced
herself to do it. It helped much more than the tea.

It’s
already empty, she thought, shaking the little
plastic vial. How much money did I spend on these? After buying the
eyedrops, pocket notebooks, and a few other things, the little money that was
left from the poker game was practically gone.

When the
pain wasn’t as bad, she used her powers again. After a few seconds, she found
the silver car driving through the town and almost smiled. Jairo seemed to be heading
back to the mayor’s huge property outside the town, just as she had hoped. If
everything goes right, I’ll track the evidence and make sure the cops get it.
Hope I can see the inside now.

Eliza had
checked the mayor’s mansion while following him. However, the most she could
see at the time was the driveway, and that was while standing at the south
corner of the mall. Not only was it hard to concentrate with all the people, but
she attracted too much attention. At some point, one of the security guards
came to talk to her.

My
limit has grown since I started this investigation. It must be because I’ve
been using my powers all the time. I can probably see the inside now. Hopefully.
But it won’t make any difference if I can’t see what he does with the evidence.

Jairo was
driving so fast he would soon leave Eliza’s sight. After throwing the
notebooks, bottles, and everything else in her backpack, she dashed out of the
library. With one eye on the bodyguard, she ran to the bus stop.

By the
time her bus stopped, he was almost out of her sight limit. When she arrived at the mall, he was
coming in and out from her sight. If he doesn’t go to the mayor’s mansion,
I’m screwed!

Eliza ran
to the girl’s bathroom on the southeast side of the mall. It was the closest
place she could stand for a long time staring at the wall without attracting
attention. Facing the toilet with both hands on the wall, she became completely
still as she concentrated.

Out of
my reach… She almost pressed her forehead against
the wall and strained her eyes. It made no difference; she saw the car heading
to the driveway of the mayor’s mansion, but her sight wouldn’t go any closer.

Shit,
shit, shit! Why is that farm so fucking huge!
Fuck you, mayor! Without closing her eyes, she searched her backpack for a
new vile of eyedrops. She resisted the urge to shut her eyelids, wincing as the
liquid dripped into her eyes. I really hate this. But if it helps, I’ll do
anything.

It didn’t.
Her eyes still throbbed, and tears mixed with eyedrop rolled down her face. For
Red… For Bianca… Eliza smashed her fist on the wall and breathed deep. C’mon,
just a bit more, just a bit more… Please…please…

Jairo
parked the car in the driveway and took the bag with the evidence from the
trunk. Just as he was about to enter the house, little by little, her sight
zoomed in on him. The pain grew, her head throbbed, and her eyes burned more
than ever, but she never blinked.

Then, for
the first time since she started the investigation, Eliza finally saw inside
the mayor’s house. You’re this rich and still steal! You’re a bastard, she
thought, screaming in victory in her heart. She banged her fist hard on the
wall. The pain in her hand was a welcomed distraction from the pain everywhere
else in her body.

The only
time her power had gone past the limit for this long was when she had no
control over it. But this time, she prayed it would never stop. She kept her
eyes open, afraid to lose track of the evidence.

Jairo was
talking to the mayor’s eldest daughter. Eliza held the notebook against the wall
and wrote as fast as she could. You’re wrong, sweetheart, she thought
with a strained smile as she panted. Thanks to me…everything isn’t…about to
go…smoothly… I’m gonna…make you all pay…for keeping
me…away from Red…

Eliza knew
she wouldn’t simply get rid of the evidence. Even though it implicated her
entire family, it also implicated a lot of the town councilmembers, both new
and old. With the evidence in their power, the mayor could blackmail almost everyone.

He’s
risking all to save a few hundreds of thousands of dollars in bribes for
himself. Oh yeah, that’s right. He’s a gambler.
Even though he could just get rid of everything, he wants to keep it as a guarantee
no one will try to make a plea bargaining. And that will be your end, mayor.
Just so you know, I didn’t vote for you.

After
they finished talking, the daughter took the bag to a room on the second floor.
Where’s she gonna hide it? Eliza was losing
consciousness because of the pain. Thinking was becoming harder. C’mon… That’s…
the last… thing I… need…

The
daughter dragged a chair underneath the ceiling fan and climbed up. Avoiding
the wooden blades, she pushed a hidden panel on the ceiling. She hid the
evidence, put the panel back where it was, and turned on the fan. The hiding
place was nearly impossible to find unless you knew it was there.

Just
like… in the movies… Eliza watched her leave the office.
Apart from the daughter, there were only employees in the house. She wrote down
everything in the notebook and closed her eyes.

The back
of her eyes throbbed so much it felt as if they could explode at any moment.
Her body was heavy, sweat poured down her face, she couldn’t think straight, breathing
was hard, and her head felt as if it was about to split. Even so, she wore a victorious
smile. With this, everything will go back to normal… and Bianca… Bianca and
I…

She didn’t
finish the thought; she had to puke.

I need
to…get this…to the right people…now, she thought
after cleaning her mouth and flushing the toilet. Using the wall as support,
Eliza dragged herself out of the bathroom.

During
her sleepless nights and countless hours of spying and getting nothing useful,
Eliza had come up with a few ideas to get the information out. As a cop’s daughter, she knew an anonymous
source wasn’t enough, especially when it involved someone as powerful as
the mayor. If she made her notes reach the news, the police couldn’t just
ignore it or make it go away.

To get
the information to the press, Eliza had a few ideas. The first was to
give the information to the reporters in front of Bianca’s house, but she
discarded that right away. There was no way she could give the information to
them in an anonymous way. She also hated the thought of any of them getting the
scoop. It was partially their fault she couldn’t see Bianca.

She could
give the information to Raisa’s mother. She knew the reporter would try to help
the chief since they have known each other through their daughters for years.
Or so Eliza hoped. She would put her notebooks in a trash bag, put it before
Raisa’s house, and make sure she got it.

Hopefully,
she’ll show her mother. I’m sure she will. She cares about Bianca just as much
as I do. Hope this works. I
don’t have, time or energy, to think of…anything else…

A few
people looked at her as she staggered to the mall’s exit. She called for a cab
and gave Raisa’s address. Luckily, Bianca made us hang out in her house once.
As the car drove, she copied down the latest entry in another notebook. It’s best if dad doesn’t get the originals.
It’s almost impossible, but if he recognizes my handwriting… But he’s gonna see it anyway if it makes it to the news.

A
head-splitting pain coursed through her, and she threw the copied notebooks s
in the black trash bags, glad she had prepared everything beforehand.

The cab stopped
at the corner of Raisa’s house. She doubted anyone would ever connect the dots.
But since there was a chance, the fact that the notebooks would be found in the
trashcan and show up in the news, she didn’t want anyone seeing her doing that.

Taking
much longer than she should to walk to the house, Eliza put the plastic bag in
the trash and walked away, hoping no one had seen her. She managed to drag herself to the nearest cabstand and gave her
home address. Almost done, she told herself when she opened the front
door.

“Dad,”
she said when he picked up the phone, hoping her pained and exhausted voice passed
for fear.

“What is
it, baby girl?” He sounded just as tired as she did.

“There
was a strange guy walking around the house.”

“What?” He
became alert. “Did he do something?”

“He left
notebooks in the trash bin. I took a look and—”

“You
what?!”

“Wait,
dad. It’s about the chief of police.”

“The
chief? Lock the door and windows and stay in your room. I’m coming home now.” He
hung up before she said anything else.

That
went great. Glad he didn’t ask anything. Now for the last part. Hope it goes this
well too, she thought as she called Raisa.

“Eliza?”

“Hey. Are
you at home?”

“Yeah…
Why?”

“I know
it’ll sound too weird, but can you take a look at your trash bin right now?”

“What?
Why?”

“Someone
just left a trash bag here with a bunch of notebooks. It’s about some sort of
investigation about the mayor. I think this can help Bianca’s dad.”

“Really?”

Just as
Eliza expected, mentioning Bianca made Raisa more interested and ignore the illogical
parts. “Yes, and on the
first page it says this information is going to your mom too. Maybe you got
something at your house too. Check the trash can.”

“Why”

“A guy
was walking around my house and left one here, so I thought he could’ve done
the same at your house.”

“Wait a
sec.” Eliza heard her running and doors opening. “There’s a bag here filled
with notebooks too! Holy shit! If this is right, it’ll help the chief!”

“Take it
to your mom. I’m gonna show it to my dad too.”

“I’ll
call her right now!”

Excellent.
Now to convince Dad to do something. Eliza washed
her face with cold water as she waited, ignoring the growing pain in her eyes. Five
minutes later, she heard police sirens and chuckled weakly. Did you really
need that, Dad?

“Liz! Are
you okay?” He came rushing inside with a gun in his hand.

“I am. The
guy didn’t show up again. But look what—” She stopped talking when she saw her dad’s
partner coming in after him. There could be other cops involved too…

“Hey, girlie.
Is everything alright?” he asked as he looked around with his gun.

Eliza
hesitated. She had known Eduardo for a long time and knew her dad trusted him. He
even came to my birthdays when I was a kid. Her head hurt too much to think,
but she couldn’t waste any time. If the news said anything, the mayor could get
rid of the evidence.

“Look
what the guy left.”

She
handed her father the latest notebook turned to the last page with today’s entry.
Both cops read, their eyes widening as they reached the end. Flavio picked up another
notebook and flipped through it. Now I need to get them to act.

“Do you
think it’s true?” Eduardo asked Flavio.

“Could
be. Look.” He pointed to an entry. “The hours match our investigations.”

“Luiz was
acting funny today. What do you think we should do with these?”

“It’s
hard to think a judge would give us a warrant with only this. Not even one who
likes the chief…”

Read
this.” Eduardo showed the notebook with the number one written on it to Flavio.
“They’re gonna show this to the media. If the mayor gets
word of this, it’ll be harder to get to him.”

Flavio grew
still as he looked at the notebooks. Eliza knew her dad was considering
everything, including her and the rest of the family’s safety. C’mon, Dad.
Please. It’s to help the chief… to help Bianca…

“Let’s check
Luiz. If he has the money and if the serial numbers matches,
there’s no way a judge can this miss this notebooks. If they do, I’ll be taking
responsibility,” he said in a firm voice. Eduardo smiled, nodded, and ran to
the car. “Liz, don’t go out today. Lock the door and… are you alright? You look
sick.”

“I’m okay.
Just a little scared,” she lied. “Please, go. Go help the chief.” And your daughter’s
girlfriend.

He bit
his lips as he looked between the notebooks and his daughter. Then he nodded
and kissed Eliza on the cheek before going after Eduardo. The younger cop had
already turned the siren on.

Now it’s
up to them. Please, please, let everything go okay, Eliza prayed. After the siren had faded away, exhaustion hit her.
She lost strength, and her legs almost caved in.

I feel
like shit… Just breathing hurt, and her body felt
hot despite the cold afternoon. My head’s about to explode. But that
wasn’t what scared her. My eyes… No matter how much she closed them, she
could still see through her eyelids.

She took out
a cold bottle she had used to ease the pain, but it was already warm. When it
didn’t help, it slipped through her weak fingers and fell on the floor. She
didn’t pick it up. She was too sick for that.

It’s
just like before. Maybe a painkiller would help…

Without
thinking, she dragged herself along the wall to her parent’s bathroom. Thank
goodness they’re not home, she thought as she looked through the medicine
cabinet. With everything
blurring, Eliza found what she was looking for.

All the
memories flooded her mind at once when she picked out the painkillers. For a
moment, everything felt like they were spinning. She puked in the toilet and
supported herself on the wall. Her breathing was short and irregular. Can’t believe
I need this shit again.

She took
one pill from the bottle. She meant to put it back, but her hand trembled, and it
spilled on the floor. I’m not gonna overuse  again,
she told herself. It’s just this one time. I used my powers too much… I need
it just this once…

The
memories became vivid; the day she took a lot of pills when and it wasn’t
enough. The day she stole morphine from the hospital where her mother worked.
The day she woke up in the ICU with her parents crying by the bed. The days in
the rehab. Everything came to her mind at once.

Then she
thought of Bianca smiling. That’s right. It’s okay. It’s not gonna be like before. I have Red now… yes… Bianca…

Thinking
about her girlfriend made her hand stop midway to her mouth. No. Even if
it’s just one, I might end up back there again… I… I can’t bear to be away from
her any longer. Bianca…

Eliza cried
without restraint. She ignored the tears and the head-splitting pain and picked
up the plastic bottle. With difficulty, she placed the pill back.

She
looked at herself in the mirror. The reflection looking back seemed as if it
belonged to someone else.

Then she
lost consciousness.

Chapter 12

Eliza didn’t remember ever feeling this awful. Not even when she
almost overdosed. Her head was heavy and her body was numb. She tried to take deep
breaths but was too weak for that. She had no idea how long it took, but with
great effort, she managed to open her eyes.

Everything
was blurry, even if she blinked or squinted. The thought of using her powers
crossed her mind, but she gave up at once. There was no way she could even try.

Once she
got used to the light and managed to distinguish a few shapes, she realized she
wasn’t in her room. An unknown ceiling, Eliza thought through her groggy mind. That line reminded her of one
of those Japanese animation movies she had watched with Bianca a long time ago.
Despite feeling sluggish, she couldn’t help but chuckle.

As she
remained still her vision came a little into focus, and she looked around. Even
blurred, she didn’t recognize anything, but could tell there was a strange
beeping machine next to her. Oh yeah, Mom brought me to the hospital.

Eliza had
some idea of what happened after she collapsed in the bathroom. She was coming in
and out of consciousness when her mother found her lying on the floor with all
the painkillers spread around her. She had vague memories of the ambulance, the
loud siren, and the crying and praying.

A shot of
pain crossed her body when she shuddered. She had overheard her mother talking to
a shrink and their priest about Eliza trying to kill herself. At least this
served for something, she thought as she gently touched her belly. When she
regained consciousness for a while, she was in the ER and about to have her
stomach pumped.

Thank
God I fainted. I never imagined I’d have to go through that again. At least
they stopped with the suicidal talk when they realized I hadn’t taken any
painkillers. Too bad I have to come up with some excuse for why I was in the
bathroom with painkillers scattered on the floor around me. If I hadn’t dropped
the bottle… Ah, screw it. What’s done is done, Eliza
told herself, closing her eyes and drifting into sleep.

She woke
a few hours later when she needed to use the bathroom. She had to use all her strength
just to get out of bed. Everything was still blurred, so she touched her way to
the bathroom slowly as she dragged the IV hooked to her. After they had taken
the contents of her stomach, she had tried to eat, but solid food was
impossible. Wished I didn’t need this. I’m hungry…

After she
washed her hands, she looked at herself in the mirror. Even with her eyesight blurred,
she could see how terrible she looked. I didn’t think I’d feel this bad from
overusing my powers. And somehow, I was lucky. According to the
doctor, her eye pressure was so high they thought she had glaucoma or something.
If I had used my powers even more, maybe I could’ve become blind…

Concentrating,
she closed one eye and focused, but nothing happened. The fact that she couldn’t
use her powers, or that her eyesight wasn’t getting any better, didn’t worry her.
I think it’s like exercising too much. The fatigue will go away with time,
and everything will be back to normal.

But
what if it doesn’t? The thought of losing her
powers had crossed her mind a couple of times. Would it be so bad? I’d lose
the thing that almost ruined my life. But it’s also because of this power that
I’m with Bianca. If it wasn’t for my eyes, we wouldn’t have talked. And I’d
never have found the evidence the chief. Even if I never use it again, even if
I have to wear glasses again, I still want my power.

The idea
put a smile on Eliza’s face. I bet Red would like that. She must have some glasses
fetish. Now that I think about it, she’d look sexy in them, like one of those
teacher and student stories. Wonder what she could teach me? If I made a
mistake, would she punish me?

She
entertained herself for a while before splashing water on her face. Since I
don’t have the power to see the future, I’m just wasting my time worrying about
it now. All I can do is wait, she thought as she dragged herself back to
the bed.

Through the
curtains, she could see the sun rising and the sky turning blue. Mom will
probably check on me before her shift. With any luck, I can be released today.
I wanna see Bianca. If I at least had my phone, I
could call her. With her girlfriend in mind, Eliza laid on the bed and went
back to sleep.

***

“Liz!”

She was
looking out the window when someone entered the room and said her name in a
hushed voice. Before she turned, she felt two arms wrapping around her.

Even with
everything blurred, there was no way Eliza wouldn’t recognize the red hair in front
of her. Smiling, she caressed her girlfriend’s head.

“Hey, Red,” she said meekly. She was dying to see the smile she
grew to love. “You have no idea how happy I’m—”

“You
idiot!”

When Bianca
raised her head, even blurred, Eliza could tell there was something strange. Is she so happy to see me she’s crying? That was the first thought that crossed her groggy mind.

Without
warning, Bianca flicked her on the forehead.

The room
spun. When the pain subdued, Eliza winced and looked at Bianca. “Ouch. Why
would you strike your bedridden girlfriend?”

“That was
for making me worry so much!” she whispered and kissed her.

“You’re sending me mix signals.”

“These
last few days without hearing anything from you… When I heard you were in the
hospital, I…” Bianca cried and hugged her tighter than before.

That’s
right. I wasn’t the only one… I’m an idiot. After so long without seeing each
other, not knowing anything… If it were me…

“I’m
sorry for worrying you.” Eliza kissed the top of Bianca’s head, caressing her. She
loosened her arms a bit. “I love when you touch me, but please, could you let
go? I might die if you keep this up.”

At that, Bianca
put more strength into her arms. “Idiot! Don’t even joke about that!”

Eliza
chuckled and smiled. When she realized Bianca was crying, she stopped and
hugged her back. “You’re right. I’m an idiot.”

It took a
while until she stopped crying. Then Bianca dried her tears, climbed on the bed,
and rested her head against Eliza’s chest.

“How are
you feeling?”

“Like I’ve
been struck by a truck and haven’t reincarnated in another world.” She told the
truth and joked at the same time. How many of those cartoons, sorry, anime
she made me watch with that plot? “It’s hard to move, my eyes sting, and I
feel like I was punched in the stomach from the inside.”

Bianca
listened to her girlfriend’s request and loosened her arms a little. “Did you…”

Eliza
didn’t need to hear the rest to know what she was asking. “I didn’t take any
painkillers. I was about to. The pain was too much,” she admitted after a
while, remembering everything against. She pulled Bianca closer. “But then I
thought of you. The idea of going back to that place… It wasn’t as scary as
losing you.”

“That’s
not fair,” Bianca mumbled and blushed. “It’s hard to keep being mad if you say
stuff like that.”

“Good.”
Eliza smiled. “Though you’re cute when you’re mad.”

“Shut up.
Stop looking at me.” Bianca covered Eliza’s eyes to hide her red cheeks.

“Don’t do
that,” she said, taking the hand off her face. “I wanna
see your smile even if it’s blurry.”

“Blurry?”

Eliza hesitated
for a second. There’s no reason to hide from her. “Yeah. My sight is all
blurred.”

Bianca watched
her for a while, then waved her hand a few inches away from her nose.

“I’m not
blind,” Eliza said, chuckling.

“What
about your powers?”

“Can’t
use it. It’s just temporary. Probably,” she added when she sensed Bianca’s
worry. “I think it’ll come back when my eyesight is better. I hope it’s like
fatigue from overuse, so I probably won’t need glasses.”

“If you
say so.” Bianca leaned her head on Eliza’s chest again. “I wouldn’t mind seeing
you with glasses, though. You’d look hot.”

“I knew
you’d say that.” She grinned. “And don’t worry. Even without seeing, I still know
where to touch you.”

The
little part of Bianca’s blurred face Eliza could see became almost as red as
her hair. “When did you learn to talk like this?”

“Isn’t
that why you fell for me?”

Bianca covered
Eliza’s face again. Smiling, she grabbed the redhead’s hand and kissed her
fingers.

“More,” she
whispered.

Eliza kissed
and caressed her hand for a while, sensing Bianca’s heartbeat through her ring
finger. Someday I’ll put a ring here, she thought. She imagined how it would
be to live with her. The idea seemed wonderful.

“What
kind of codename is My Eyes Only?” Bianca asked when Eliza stopped. “Did
you really think I wouldn’t realize the anonymous source was you?”

“You
picked up on that, huh?” Eliza gave her a wry smile. I knew she would.

“After hearing
Raisa’s mom on TV saying your dad searched the mayor’s house, I knew it had
your fingerprints all over it. How could I not realize? Are you doubting my
intelligence?” She pouted and turned her face.

“I’d
never do that.” She’s too cute! “Was the name that obvious? I thought it
sounded kinda cool.”

“Not even
if you had eighth-grade syndrome,” Bianca muttered.

“What’s
that?”

“Even
without the lame name, I knew it was you. There was no way a normal anonymous
source could’ve gotten all that information. Not even the mayor himself
could’ve known all that.”

“I have
nothing to say. At least you’re the only one who can figure it out,” Eliza said.
“My girlfriend is the smartest in the world.”

“Don’t
try to flatter me.” Despite her words, she could tell Bianca was suppressing a
smile. “When I realized it was you, I was so happy you did all that for me. Then
I thought you had overused your eyes. I wanted to talk to you right away, but
no matter how much I called, you didn’t pick up, so I called your house and…”

Bianca cried
again, and Eliza knew why.

“When
your brother said you were in the ICU because you almost overdosed again, I…”

Eliza had
no idea what to say. There’s no way I could handle that if I was in her
place, she thought, kissing Bianca gently on the forehead. “I’m sorry I put
you through that.”

“Don’t
get me wrong! If not for you, Dad would have probably ended up in jail. There’s
no way I can thank you enough, but you better be sorry for what you put me
through!” she said and wrapped her arms around Eliza again.

“I
promise I’ll never overuse my powers. Unless someone needs a pair of extra
eyes,” she said with a faint laugh. “H-hey, my arm’s starting to get numb.
Could you—”

“No,”
Bianca pinched her cheek. “When I heard you were here, I thought the worst had
happened…”

“I just
wanted to help…”

“And you
did! All the charges were dropped and Dad was reinstated immediately! I can’t
thank you enough!”

Eliza
chuckled and patted her on the head. “You need to decide if you’re happy or mad.”

“Both!”

“Don’t
shout at your hospitalized girlfriend. You need to be gentle.”

Bianca reluctantly
listened and loosened her arms. Eliza closed her eyes,
feeling the warmth from the embrace. This is better than any painkiller.

“I’m glad
you’re okay,” she whispered. She smiled as she looked into Eliza’s eyes.

I want
to see that smile in high definition, Eliza thought.
She whiped a tear from Bianca’s cheek with her thumb.
“And I’m glad you’re here with me.”

“Hey,”
Bianca mumbled, fidgeting and blushing slightly. “Are you really in that much
pain?”

“I can
barely move.”

“So, we
can’t… you know?”

It took
Eliza half a second to understand. “I’m bedridden and all you can think of is
sex?”

“It’s not
my fault! We haven’t seen each other for over two weeks. I haven’t touched you in
so long,” she said, her finger circling Eliza’s bellybutton through the
hospital gown. “Do you have any idea how I was? I was worried about Dad, but I
was wishing you were by my side.”

Eliza leaned
closer to Bianca’s ear. “I was the same,” she whispered.

The redhead
became redder than her hair and struggled with her embarrassment. “You’ll take
responsibility!”

Before
Eliza said anything, Bianca sealed her lips with hers. She forgot about her
pain, about her exhaustion, about everything. All she cared about now was her
girlfriend.

Still
kissing, Bianca touched Eliza’s breasts, and her breathing became faster. How
can she make me feel like this with just a kiss and a touch? she thought
before her mind became hazed with pleasure…

“Holy
shit… that…was…incredible,” Eliza managed to say through her short breath when
Bianca’s head resurfaced from under the blanket. The redhead was smiling too,
and just as breathless. They laid on the hospital bed, hugging and embracing
each other.

Bianca
wasn’t satisfied with just one. She made Eliza lose her mind three times before
she was satisfied.

Hope
no one asks why the bet is wet and sweaty, Eliza
thought with a wry smile. If Mom found us like this…

“What
exactly happened after I passed out?” Eliza asked once she had recovered her
senses.

“From
what I heard, your dad gathered those he trusted, cornered the dirty cop, and
found the money. After that, he led them to the mayor’s mansion and found the
evidence exactly where you, I mean, My Eyes Only said it was. Meanwhile,
Raisa’s mom forced the TV to broadcast your information as breaking news and
even managed to film your dad in action, this way they couldn’t annul the
evidence.” Bianca explained after she recovered her breath, though she was
still panting slightly.

Everything
went according to the plan and no one suspect I was involved, Eliza thought. She was surprised how well things went, considering
there were a few holes in it.. “What happened next?”

“Your dad
brought the mayor’s daughter to the police station. He wanted the mayor, but he
lawyered up. The governor stepped in and reinstated my dad, who got back on the
investigation right away. The media circus at my house stayed for couple of
days, but then they left. They were mad they’d lost the scoop.” Bianca smiled
and let out a mean laugh. But then it died. “I was trying to call you all the
time, but nothing. I talked to Amanda, but she didn’t know anything, either.
That was when I called your house.”

“I never
imagined my brother would tell you where I was, but I’m glad he did,” Eliza said.

“I think he
knows about us,” Bianca said in a low voice.

“Ah. Well,
he graduated last year, but he still has lots of friends at school. If he heard
the rumors, he might’ve figured it out. But if that’s true, he hasn’t told Mom
and Dad. That’s good because it’s something I need to do myself.”

As soon
as she finished speaking, she knew what was coming. I had to bring that topic
up. Ever since Bianca had introduced her to Raisa, she had been dropping
not-so-subtle hints about Eliza coming out of the closet to her parents.

“And when
will that be?” Bianca raised her eyebrows.

I knew
it, Eliza thought with a wry smile. “Soon. I mean
it this time,” she added under her girlfriend’s suspicious gaze.

“Yeah,
right.”

“I’m
serious.”

“But…?”

Eliza
grinned. “But, it’s best to wait until the situation cools down a bit. I mean,
they thought I tried to kill myself. I even heard them talking about getting me
back to rehab. They dropped the idea after pumping my stomach and not finding painkillers,”
she added quickly to reassure Bianca. “But I think they’ll make me talk to a shrink.
Or at least with the priest. If I tell them that I’m dating a girl, it’ll be
too much at once.”

“You
always say that,” Bianca mumbled.

“You’ve
met my mom. She might seem acceptable and all, but she’s really religious.”

“That’s
just an excuse. Coming out to your parents is like ripping off a Band-Aid. Just
one pull, and that’s it.”

“Easy for
you to say. Your parents already knew you were gay when you came out to them.
From what they said, they suspected ever since you were a kid and made your
dolls marry each other.”

Before Bianca
could reply, the door opened. “Liz, look who came to visit you.”

Everything
seemed to move in slow motion as both girls turned. Eliza could do nothing as
her mother entered the room. Even blurred, she could
tell the nurse wasn’t alone. Her father was behind her, and behind him was a
tall figure dressed in a dark suit holding something that looked like a heavy
book. Dad and the priest.

“Eliza!” Carla
exclaimed when she saw the girls naked on the hospital bed.

“Mom! Dad!
Priest!” Eliza was thankful she couldn’t see clearly. Oh, god!
Oh, crap! She looked between the three people at the door, then at Bianca,
then simply gave up. “You guys know Bianca, right? She’s
my girlfriend.”

Epilogue

Eliza was lying on Bianca’s lap and covering her face with both
hands.

Bianca
beamed and stroked her hair gently as if it made her the happiest girl in the
world. “What’s done is done.”

“I can’t
believe we got caught like that.”

As soon
as the words left her mouth, Eliza relived the memories. It was as if her mind
didn’t want to forget. She shook her head, trying to stop the scene unfolding
inside her head. Again. But no matter how much she tried, as Bianca said, what
is done is done; she had been caught with her girlfriend naked in bed.

Thank
goodness we’re in the hospital. Mom wouldn’t make a scene here. But why did she
have to bring the priest at that moment? Talk about bad timing! He’s
good-natured, but he likes to gossip almost as much as Mom does. He’ll probably
end up telling everyone at church, she thought. She
let out a frustrated groan. The idea of people knowing she was a lesbian before
she was ready to tell them made her stomach tighten up in a knot.

It’s
safe to assume everyone else knows. I’ve never seen a group of people more
interested in gossip than churchgoers. School is gonna
be annoying again. At least I can be open with Red.

“We can
safely say that was one flashy way of coming out of the closet.” Bianca did her
best to suppress her laugh. “But even I have to admit that was slightly
embarrassing. Now that’s all your mom will think about when she sees me. But what’s
done is done. Let’s just be happy they know now.”

“Slightly
embarrassing? You call what happened slightly embarrassing?
That was literally the worst way for them to find out!” Eliza said through
gritted teeth. She closed her fists, took a deep breath, and pressed her
temples. “Let me explain the level of embarrassment. Getting caught by your
parents or friends flirting with your crush is embarrassing. Getting caught
making out is worse. Getting caught masturbating is almost dying of
embarrassment. Getting caught after having sex with your lesbian girlfriend and
coming out of the closet in the process is beyond that!”

“You were
caught masturbating?” Bianca couldn’t hold the laugh. “You never told me that.
When did it happen?”

“Will you
stop saying nonsense and be serious?” Eliza tried to display all her anger
without screaming. “Ah, damn it. All my plans are wasted!”

“Oh,
yeah, you did say you had a plan. Was that actually true?”

“Yes. I wanted
to make you a bigger presence. Like hanging out in my house, studying with me,
having dinner with my family. That kind of stuff. Then I’d come out to my
parents. Something like ‘Mom, Dad, I’m in love with Bianca.’”

“You’re
in love with me?” She beamed and blushed.

“I was
working on the details,” Eliza went on. “But all that time is wasted. What do I
get instead? ‘Hey, Mom and Dad, do you see this hot and naked redhead lying in
this hospital bed with me? She’s my lesbian girlfriend. I’m a lesbian too, and
we do lesbian stuff together. We just had sex, by the way!’” She let out
another frustrated groan.

Bianca’s
smile broadened. “You think I’m hot?”

Though her
vision was slowly getting back to normal, she still saw everything blurred. Even
so, she couldn’t stand Bianca’s grin, and covered her face with her hands. “Stop smiling. I’m serious.”

“I can’t
help it. And you still haven’t told me about the time you were caught
masturbating by your parents.”

“There’s
no way I’ll ever tell you about that. It took me a long time to suppress that
memory!” Eliza pulled her hands when Bianca kissed her fingers. That would
mellow her out, and she didn’t want that now. “And why are you acting like this
doesn’t concern you? It was your fault we got caught. Instead of laughing, you
should be apologizing!”

“My fault?”
She smiled and laughed. “I wasn’t alone in that bed, so why should I be the only
one apologizing?”

“Because
you were the one who couldn’t wait until I was discharged. No, you simply had
to get naked and under the—” Eliza stopped talking and blushed when she
remembered they weren’t alone in the small hospital garden. As her girlfriend grinned,
she averted her eyes.

“That’s
not quite right,” Bianca whispered in a sweet voice as she touched Eliza’s lips
delicately. “I was the one who got naked and under the blankets, but I don’t
remember you complaining or telling me to stop. In fact, all I remember is you
moaning and wrapping your legs around my head. For a moment, I thought you
wouldn’t let me go.”

“We…remember
things differently… Other points of view, or something like that…”

Actually,
I can barely remember, Eliza thought. Her face grew
warm. Though she wanted to forget and pretend that getting caught never
happened. What she wanted to remember was what happened after Bianca’s head
went down. She did, however, remember the feeling of ecstasy of finally being
together after so long. I really blanked out with pleasure.

What she also
couldn’t forget was her mother’s blurred but shocked face when she opened the
door and saw the two naked girls embracing each other. I’d never seen her like
that, Eliza thought, sighing. She could barely form a sentence. And
whenever she comes to check on me now, she knocks on the door loudly and waits
before opening. At least she hasn’t brought up the incident since then, only lunch
tomorrow. My religious mother invited her lesbian daughter’s girlfriend to the
Sunday lunch of the traditional Brazilian family.

“Sure,
different points of view. Let’s go with that.” Bianca stroked Eliza’s hair
again. “For argument’s sake, let’s say getting caught like that was a little more
than slightly embarrassing. I still don’t get why you’re so agitated.
Everything ended well.”

Eliza
opened her mouth, but then held her words with some effort and let out a huge
sigh. Instead, she stared at the blue sky. “I give up. I can’t get worked up
about this anymore. What’s done is done.”

“Yay!”
Bianca beamed like a kid who got the toy she wanted. Then she tilted her head
with a fake innocent expression. “But instead of saying you give up, shouldn’t you say I’m right?”

“There’s
no way I’d ever say that. Your ego is already big enough.” Eliza muttered the
last part with a smile and getting a chuckle from her girlfriend.

“Then
tell me why you postponed your discharge until tomorrow morning,” Bianca said
after a while. She playfully poked Eliza on the cheek. “You’re afraid to be
alone with your mom at home, aren’t you?”

“If you
know, why ask?”

“To see
your struggling face,” she answered with a shameless grin.

Eliza wanted
to be mad, but at Bianca’s expression, all she could do was smile. “Could you
stop looking so cute? It’s hard to get angry at you when you act like that.”

“Good. Then
you won’t get mad about what happened at school yesterday.”

“What did
you do?” Eliza had a bad feeling.

“It wasn’t
my fault,” Bianca said defensively, though her smile didn’t help.

“Just say
it. I promise I won’t get mad.”

“Everyone’s
been saying they always knew that my dad was innocent and how they were worried
about me.”

“Yeah, as
I expected. Vultures.”

“They
were also saying that I should watch out for the coke addict lesbian that was
trying to get dirt to blackmail me.”

“I knew
they’d add lesbian after I screamed at them. And since I missed a lot of school
days to investigate, they probably think I was doing drugs.” Eliza let out a
hollow chuckle. “What did you do? Wait, never mind. I already have an idea.”

“I got
mad and told them you weren’t a drug addict, and that I was the one chasing you
for weeks until you finally fell in love with me,” Bianca said proudly.

Eliza let
out a weak laugh. “That’s what I thought.”

“You’re
not mad?” Bianca seemed surprised.

“I told
you I wouldn’t get mad. Besides, I don’t care about those idiots. It’s gonna be a pain in the butt, but I wanted to keep it a
secret until I told my parents.”

“So, that
means we don’t have to hide our relationship anymore?”

“Yeah.”
Eliza couldn’t help but smile.

So,
everyone knows now, huh? She closed her eyes and
enjoyed the breeze as Bianca hummed and stroked her hair again. I wanted to
tell Amanda, but the cat’s out of the bag now. Or better yet, the lesbian is
out of the closet. She laughed in her head. I’ll talk to her on Monday.

“To be
fair, my parents were way more understanding than I had imagined,” Eliza said
after a while. “Probably because I’m still hospitalized. Mom wouldn’t make a
scene here.”

“What did
you expect?”

“I don’t
know. Her crying and asking where she went wrong. Or maybe getting on her knees
and praying for my soul. Something like that.”

“I always
said you liked to exaggerate. You should give your parents the benefit of the
doubt.”

“You’re
thinking about your parents.”

“There
you go again. Are you saying you weren’t surprised when your mom invited me to lunch
tomorrow?” Eliza mumbled something
unintelligible and averted her eyes, making Bianca laugh. “I’m happy she
invited me, but to be honest, I’m super nervous. It’s not the first time I’ll
face my girlfriend’s parent, but it doesn’t make it any easier.”

“Good. Be
nervous. I doubt it’s anything near what I’m feeling, though.”

“Hope
they don’t ask me about college and my plans for the future. I’m not ready to answer
those questions at all,” Bianca said, shaking her head.

“To make
you a little less nervous, though you don’t deserve it at all, I’ll tell you
this. I doubt they’ll ask anything like that.”

“Why?”
Bianca tilted her head for a moment. Then her face lit up when she realized. “Because
you haven’t decided, and they don’t wanna bring it up
now.”

“You’re
right,” Eliza said grudgingly and Bianca flashed a smug smile. “Don’t give me
that ‘praise me’ look. That subject has been a taboo this year at my house even
though we have the ENEM in a couple of weeks. With rehab and all, we haven’t
had a real conversation about my future.”

“But
what?” Bianca pressed when she sensed Eliza’s hesitation.

“I’m glad
they’re not pressuring me. I’m not ready to have that conversation either in
case you’re wondering. But it doesn’t mean that I can’t handle a serious talk once
in a while.”

Bianca
narrowed her eyes. “You’re hiding something.”

Eliza
blushed and looked anywhere but at her girlfriend.

“To be
honest, even though I was in pain and pushing myself way over my limit, part of
me was excited to find this town’s dirt. D-don’t get me wrong. All I
could think of was helping you and your dad, but that thrill…”

Bianca
poked her on the cheek again. Eliza looked at her through the corner of her
eyes. “I think you’d be an awesome journalist.”

“You know
exactly what I was thinking.” She couldn’t help but get excited. “Don’t you
think it’s perfect for someone with my power? Imagine what I could, I mean,
what My Eyes Only could bring to light?”

Eliza
raised her arm towards the sky. Breathing slowly, she focused on the back of her
hand. Though it was way slower than before, the skin, muscles, vessels, blood, and
bones became transparent, and she looked at the sky through her hand.

It’ll come
back. Eliza was sure of that. As her eyesight got
less blurry, her powers came back little by little. It’s just a matter of
time.

“You can
make a difference with that power,” Bianca said.

“What
makes you so sure?”

“Have you
forgotten that you have the smartest girlfriend in the world?”

“Yeah, I
do have the smartest girlfriend in the world.”

“Wait! Instead
of a journalist, you could be a spy!” Bianca was suddenly thrilled. “Yes! That
would be awesome! You could use your powers to be the best Brazilian spy in
history!”

Eliza
couldn’t help but laugh at the idea. Then she became curious. “We have spies?”

“You’re
kidding, right? We have one of the best secret services in the entire world!”

“Really?
I never knew.” She shook her head in disbelief, though she couldn’t stop
smiling at the idea. Only my Red would have such crazy ideas.

“Exactly.
Everyone has heard of the CIA or MI6, but has anyone ever heard about
Brazilians spies? No!”

“Right. Sounds
more like we don’t have any, but okay.”

“If we
don’t have any, then you could be the first.” Bianca flashed the smile Eliza had
grown to love.

“That might
be fun. But only if I have you by my side,” she said, and then moved closer to
kiss her.

Afterword

Thanks for reading My Eyes Only 1.

Hope you enjoyed. If you did,
could you please leave a review? Even a short “I liked” helps me a lot and also
makes me want to work harder on the next books XD

I wrote My Eyes as a web novel a
long time ago. As I rewrote, I saw a lot of grammar mistakes and a few loose
ends. Hopefully, I fixed most.

I don’t remember when I came up
with the idea, but I remember one of the first things I thought was a scene
where a girl looked through another girl’s clothes and saw that… eh… the carpet
matched the drapes, if you know what I mean.

Hope you didn’t think Brazil’s difference
were too much.

If you want to check my future
works, please like my page on facebook.
I still plan to write a lot more of supernatural and fantasy stories with girls
and women falling in love with each other.

Preview

My Eyes Only 2 available.
Here’s chapter 1 preview

It was the most awkward Sunday family lunch Eliza had ever been to. There
was no conversation between the six people around the table; the only sound was
of chewing and drinking.

I knew it’d be like this. A religious and conservative
mother would never be thrilled about her lesbian daughter’s girlfriend after a
couple of days. She needs more time. Maybe a few weeks…or years, considering
how she found out.

One of the most embarrassing moments of her
life unfolded in her mind like a movie again. No. I don’t want to remember. Not only did she not want to go
through that again, but it wasn’t the time to relive it either.

I need to do something to make this less awkward. But
to think no one would say anything, Eliza thought
after she suppressed the memory. She glanced at Bianca, her only worry now. She
knew her mother wouldn’t accept their relationship so fast, but she didn’t want
her girlfriend suffering because of it.

However,
unlike Eliza, Bianca didn’t seem bothered by the awkward mood at all. All she
did was eat the feijoada as if immune to the heavy silence around her.

Despite having
trouble chewing and her stomach churning, Eliza couldn’t help but feel
relieved. I know it’s not only her
fault but technically, she’s the cause of this. We both are. She sighed in her mind.

I’m glad she’s being cool about this. I’d hate if Mom
made her uncomfortable or unwelcomed. I just wished she treated Bianca like she
treated my ex or Fabio’s girlfriend.

Eliza
glanced at her mother between forced bites. The nurse was solely focused on her
plate as if the food was the most interesting thing in the entire world.

C’mon, Mom. You make this like twice a month. Is the
food really so delicious that you can’t make a single comment? This might be
the first time I see you quiet during Sunday lunch.
Eliza sighed in her head again. I’m being
too greedy. It was already amazing that you invited my girlfriend—which you had
no idea I had—after catching us naked in bed. In the hospital where you work.
B-but can’t you at least try a little more? Please? Remember, you love me.

She knew that
asking more from her mother was beyond hopeless at this point. Inviting Bianca and not forcing me to have a
conversation with the priest was a huge step. It’s like Bianca says, baby
steps. Baby steps. Freaking baby steps.

As she
ate, Eliza couldn’t help but glance at her brother and his girlfriend on the
other side of the table. He’s so lucky.
He can be with her and Mom won’t say anything. He can go out and hold hands
with he, and no one even bats an eye.

Eliza
knew she couldn’t reach out for help from him either; he had his own worries.
She didn’t know what it was, but he wanted to ask their mother something and
wouldn’t risk irritating her to help his little sister.

The last
person Eliza could rely on for help was her father. Dad will help his little girl, won’t he?

“Dad,
h-how’s everything at the PD?” she asked, hoping it was enough to start a
conversation.

“Busy. Too
busy,” he said. He stopped his knife and fork. Even though he slept in late on
Sundays, he still looked tired. “The press’s been asking Eduardo and me for
interviews every day.”

“Because
you two were the ones who found those mysterious notebooks left by My Eyes Only
that helped my dad?” Bianca asked.

Eliza choked
on her drink and coughed. As her girlfriend patted her on the back, she widened
her eyes at Bianca, hoping she could transmit her thoughts. Why are you bringing that up, Red? Do you wanna give me a heart attack?

“Yes. It
was actually Eliza who found them, but we left her name out of this whole thing.”

“It was
for the best, honey,” Carla finally spoke. “After… after everything, Eliza
needs to rest. Take a break.”

Glad you recovered your voice, Mom. I was almost
hoping you’d never lecture me again, Eliza thought
sourly.

“I agree,
Dad. I know you don’t like taking credit for something you didn’t do, but I
didn’t do anything. That guy lurking around was the one who put the notebooks
in the trashcan. There’s nothing interesting for the press there,” she said,
hoping she sounded casual.

Through
the corner of her eyes, Eliza saw Bianca suppressing a smile between bites of
food. Under the table, she pinched her on the thigh, getting a strange high
pitch squeal from her.

Bianca
pretended it was a hiccup when everyone looked at her and picked up her drink.

“Dad
wants to give you and Eduardo a promotion.” Despite the strange sound, she
acted with the dignity of a rich girl. “He says he can now put the mayor behind
bars and even found corruption inside the PD thanks to you two.”

Flavio
flashed an awkward smile as he scratched his recently shaved face. Carla
insisted he kept a clean look for the interviews. “Yeah, the chief keeps saying
something about a promotion. Insisting on it. But I don’t know.”

“C’mon,
Dad. You have to take it,” Fabio jumped in. “It’s a great opportunity.”

“I agree,
honey. You should accept. You’d get more time at the desk than patrolling,”
Carla added. “God knows how many sleepless nights I had when you were on night
duty.”

“Worrying
about what? We live in a small city. We have our problems, but it’s not
dangerous like the capital.”

“Even so,
I’d feel much better if you were behind a desk.”

“C’mon,
honey. The patrols aren’t dangerous. We just drive around town wasting gas most
of the time. It’s boring, but we do get funny dispatches from time to time.” He
laughed and flashed a juvenile smile.

“Like
what?” Bianca asked. “Dad doesn’t have any funny stories about his job.”

“Let me
think…” The cop’s smile grew as he rubbed his beardless chin.

“Dad,
Dad! Tell Bianca about the monkey!” Eliza jumped at the opportunity.

“Ah! That’s
a good one. A great one.” Flavio was already laughing. “It was a normal
Saturday afternoon. Eduardo and I were patrolling when we received a drunk and
disorder dispatch in a bar. When we got there… the one drunk and causing the
disorder… was a monkey!”

He
laughed even more. Eliza, Fabio, and Danielle laughed too. Bianca smiled, eager
to hear the rest. “How on earth did that happen?”

“Someone
had the brilliant idea of giving cachaça to the owner’s pet monkey. After
one shot, he was so drunk he took a huge fishmonger’s knife the size of my arm
and chased people around at the bar. When the owner went to catch him, he
climbed on roof and threatened anyone who tried to take the knife away from him!”

Everyone
around the table roared with laughter. Even Carla cracked a smile as she shook
her head.

“What
happened then?” Bianca asked.

Flavio had
to take a deep breath to stop laughing and answer. “We offered another shot of cachaça
to the monkey!” Everyone laughed more. “He downed the glass and passed out
right away. We took the knife and called animal control.”

“I can’t
believe this happened in our town and I never knew!” Bianca exclaimed when she
recovered her breath. “I never heard anything like this from Dad.”

“There’s
no way the chief would ever hear about the underground stories of the PD. If
you want, look it up on the internet. Someone filmed the whole thing.”

“I’ll
definitely look it up.

Eliza
couldn’t stop smiling, but part of her was more relieved than happy. Thank goodness Red is smiling. That’s the
only thing I wanna see today, she thought,
suddenly hungrier. Under the table, she touched her girlfriend’s leg with her
foot.

Bianca
smiled at her before turning to the police officer again. “Are there more
stories like that?”

“Tons!”
Flavio ate as he thought. Then his face lit up with a smile. “Ah! This is a
good one. We were patrolling when we heard a woman screaming. It wasn’t just a
scream, though. She was bellowing at the top of her lungs. It took a while, but
we found where it was coming from and why.”

“What was
it?”

“The
woman had her leg stuck on a tree with a pit bull barking and trying to bite
her.”

“My god!
How did she end up like that?”

“She
tried to sneak into her ex-boyfriend’s house and beg him to take her back. But
she was so drunk she snuck into the neighbor’s backyard instead. The pit bull
tried to attack her, but she managed to climb the tree and couldn’t get out.”

Eliza and
Fabio laughed. Danielle and Carla shook their heads with somber expressions.

“What did
you two do?” Bianca asked.

“We tried
to get in, but the dog came at us right away. Then we tried contacting the
owner, but the woman’s friend, who was as drunk as her, wanted to scare the dog
and give her time to escape.”

“How?”

“She
threw a brick!” Flavio was doing his best to tell the story without laughing. “Guess
what happened? She hit her friend instead! Even the dog stopped barking to roll
around and laugh!”

The
siblings laughed more. Even Carla chuckled.

“She
didn’t get hurt, though. I think she was too drunk for that.” The cop ended the
story, but his smile remained. “It wasn’t our fault, honey! The drunk friend was
the one who threw the brick. Luckily, the owner got home ten minutes later and tied
his dog up. We called the ambulance and when they were taking her, the ex-boyfriend
showed up and went with her. They got back together.”

“A happy
ending,” Bianca said, getting more laughs around the table.

Yes, everything’s going fine, Eliza thought, grinning and relieved. But,
she could tell her mother was shifting in her seat. Mom wants to change the topic.

“Tell
Bianca about the day with the thieves, Dad!” she suggested quickly.

“Ah! That
was a crazy day. Over twenty years as a cop, and I’ve never seen anything like
that!” He smiled and shook his head as he drank his beer. “I was on desk duty
when a robber came into the PD to file a complaint. Guess why? He wanted to
have another thief arrested because he had stolen his loot!”

This time
even Carla couldn’t suppress the laugh, and her voice joined the others’.

“And that
was just the morning. After lunch, I went on patrol with Eduardo and we found a
group robbing a bakery. Before they got out, another group of thieves came in
and tried to rob the bakery too. While they were arguing, reinforcements
arrived, and we managed to arrest them all!”

“I can’t
believe such things actually happen,” Bianca said after she finished laughing.
“It sounds like those comedy cop academy movies.”

“Those
movies aren’t crazier than real underground cop stories. There’s no way the
chief would ever have a story like this.”

“No sir,
he doesn’t. The most my dad’s stories got out of me was a yawn. Ah, please
don’t tell him I said that.”

The cop
chuckled and flashed a fatherly smile. “Don’t worry. But don’t share my stories
with him. I doubt he’d like to hear what I’m telling his daughter.”

This is going great, Eliza
thought, trying to remember another story to keep the mood up. “Dad, tell
Bianca about the woman and the theme party!”

“Ah!
That’s a good one! I was working at the desk when this woman came in and—”

“No,
honey. That’s not an appropriate story,” Carla said suddenly.

Flavio
was surprised. Then he nodded with a wry smile. “You’re right, honey… I’ll tell
you later, Bianca.”

“Yes,
sir!”

After the
conversation ended, the only sound was of them eating again.

I was too greedy. I know that story wasn’t the best
for the moment Mom, but you didn’t have to kill the mood completely, Eliza thought. Thank goodness
we’re almost done.

Soon the
plates were clean and no one could eat another bite. Fabio and Danielle said
they were going out to meet a few friends, and Eliza took Bianca to her
bedroom.

Please don’t make a fuss. Please, Mom, she begged as she led her girlfriend by the hand. She could feel her
mother’s stare, but they left the room without any comments. Only then did she breathed a sigh of relief.

“That was
some lunch,” Bianca said when they were alone. “Your dad has some awesome
stories.”

“Yeah. Sorry
about the awkward mood.”

“What are
you talking about? I thought it went better than expected. You said your mom
would never invite me to lunch.”

“It
wasn’t an excuse. And you know she did it just because you’re Dad’s boss’s
daughter.”

“Even so,
we should be glad she’s making the effort.”

“You’re
right,” Eliza mumbled grudgingly. Then she sighed, pushed her mother from her
mind, and took off her glasses. She smiled and placed her arms around Bianca’s
waist and pulled her closer. She had been wanting to kiss her all morning but
had restrained herself until now.

Bianca
kissed her back, but before things could get more intense, she parted their
lips. “Wait. Not with your mom in the house. I want her to like me.”

“That’s gonna take a long time,” Eliza said with a wry smile. “And
she already caught us naked in bed. It literally can’t get worse than that.”

She
pulled her closer and tried to kiss her again, but Bianca turned her face away.

“Still, I
want her to like me. Remember, baby steps.”

Eliza was
too weak against that sweet voice. Then she groaned and sighed. “Fine. I’ll try
to restrain myself. But I can’t promise anything.”

“You’re
the best!” Bianca beamed and kissed her on the cheek.

Eliza
blushed and pouted, touching where she was kissed. “Stop tempting me! You know
it’s hard already with you doing this.”

“What?”

She
gestured to her. “You know, breathing and all.”

Bianca
laughed. “Hey, what was the last story your dad was gonna
tell? I’m super curious.”

“Mom’s
right. That story wasn’t appropriate for a meal.” Eliza grinned. “A woman came in
to file a complaint. She was furious because her neighbors created a theme
party.”

“A theme party?” Bianca raised the eyebrow. “Was it too loud or
something?”

“It
wasn’t the party. It was the theme.” Eliza had trouble suppressing her laugh.

“What
was?”

“Take it
out ‘cause I need to crap!”
Eliza laughed while Bianca flashed a puzzled smile.

“I don’t
get it.”

“The
theme was her. She was having anal sex with her boyfriend and suddenly shouted ‘take
it out ‘cause I need to
crap!’ so loud the entire neighborhood heard!”

Eliza
laughed louder while Bianca shook her head.

“That’s
not funny.”

“Then why
are you smiling?”

“Shut up.”

When she
stopped laughing, Eliza sat on the bed and pulled Bianca by the hand. They
looked at each other, their smiles growing. Then, she lowered her gaze, staring
at those lips she loved to kiss. Before she could even think of restraining
herself, she leaned closer. When they were about to kiss, Bianca turned her
head and Eliza ended up kissing her cheek instead.

“Don’t
you have any self-control?” she complained, though she seemed to be struggling
herself.

“I lose
all of that when I look at you,” Eliza admitted in an embarrassed voice. “And I
don’t wanna hear that from you. You couldn’t even
wait until I was out of the hospital!”

“That was
different,” Bianca mumbled. Her cheeks had turned a shade of pink. She pushed
Eliza onto the bed and laid her head on her chest.

“How?”

“You’re
the responsible one in this relationship. You should’ve stopped me back then.”

Eliza
shook her head, laughing and embracing the girl she loved. “If I’m the
responsible one here, we’re screwed.”

“I have
faith in you.”

“You
shouldn’t.”

“And why
is that?”

“Because
right now, all I want to do is undress you and make you lose your mind.” Eliza
whispered in the most seductive and alluring tone she could muster.

The
reaction was immediate. She could feel Bianca’s body jolting with the idea. She
flashed a teasing smile, but before she could step closer to undressing her
girlfriend, they heard a noise outside the bedroom.

At once,
Bianca got off Eliza and the bed and sat on the floor. A second later, Carla
opened the door. She looked at them and seemed relieved as she flashed a forced
smile.

“Hey, Mom.
What’s up?” Eliza tried to leave all the frustration out of her voice. If she hadn’t interrupted, I’d be sucking Red’s boobs by now.

“I just
came in to check on things.”

“Everything’s
fine.”

“We’re
deciding what movie to watch,” Bianca said, smiling.

“That’s…
nice… Have fun you two.” She left the bedroom, but instead of closing the door
all the way, she left a little creak before walking away.

Eliza
exchanged looks with Bianca. “Baby steps?”

“Baby steps.”

If you want, you can get volume 2 here