Chapter Theme Music: Daijoubu ~ Doki Doki Literature Club OST109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6IcH3dT9JP
<12/05/2011 - 08:55 | Saffrin Middle School (GA Studies), Austell, GA, USA>
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzFulhnnj6J
As expected, Lumina managed to make a full recovery two days after the wedding. As amazing as her abilities were, I told her to hold off on using any special tricks until we better understood how it all works with energy consumption, and she agreed.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsj5302CWea
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK3zXBE5BRN
I didn't get to spend the weekend with her properly, but I knew there was still plenty of time ahead of us. After all the time I spent with her in the past, it was easier for me to come up with new and exciting ideas for us to have some fun. Whether it was walking around at night, watching movies, playing board games together, or going out to eat together, I knew my long list of things to do would wind up being infinite in length.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO8Tak9yddj
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7W9ygnW0VZ
As I sat by the usual gang in my Monday classroom, I let the familiar gaiety wash over me from my fresh memories of the ceremony, as did Lumina. We were at that fun phase now of staring deeply into each other's eyes with her mirror, chanting each other's names over and over until we ran out of breath. Our love made us crazier, but I wasn't crazy for loving her. I wished I could be there with her in person now, holding her, telling her over and over how much of a cutie she is. Just the thought of being with her in person made my heart soar, my mind sinking into the vice of new infatuation.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXvoPtSlQLZ
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQhmuFaOHNV
"—And he was just staring dumbfounded."109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm4SxC1v04U
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡo66UR4hFP8
"Did you ask him why?"109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡl0P9joxtFc
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLVwQO8Srhh
While Laura and Banarus conversed with each other, I knew I could get away with letting my dreamy and spacy expressions show a little. The class day might have been boring, but Lumina was all my mind could think about, every aspect, every detail, every concept; it all equated to the essence of Lumina.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgRrjAeLwb6
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlU1xpsQPFe
Lumina sighed after realizing there was nothing within the class to talk about. I would normally let her listen in on interesting topics of discussions, though Georgia Studies was never-ever interesting to either of us. "Another day, another snore fest in class."109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡazHCch2XXx
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ26IWni4cm4
"Yeah..." I didn't care. Hearing her speak to me at all right now meant the world to me. Every breath she took, every gesture she made, and that amazing blushing smile she made every time I complimented her in the mirror ranked top on priority. As I reminded myself that she was now my wife, I felt like partying so much in the excitement that my body shuttered a little.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMk5sQO8tNz
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9u5xIBW1Q0
"I just wish your friends would talk about something more interesting."109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1jzoyTzhqu
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH5HLDhBjy5
"I wonder if there are any other fieldtrips we could go on."109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFs6kdfoAqR
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGwioMMCtFA
"I see. Had enough fun on the last one?"109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrBvzdse7AZ
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡukvYJK4gao
"More than you realize Lumina. This winter has been so perfect." I couldn't stop the watering love reflecting through my eyes as I thought back and considered how lucky we both were. Wahsega was the best moment of my life, and then it was followed up by the next best moment of my life. I enjoyed all of it because of her, because of Lumina, because I got to be near Lumina and synchronize my feelings with her. "Wahsega was so amazing! And I guess I did kind of enjoy pretending to be a girl for the whole day."109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE2t2xpTvoe
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcb1QcYODdP
Lumina laughed loudly at my response, mainly because the mention of it brought back every single memory of Wahsega so strongly, as if it happened today. "It's a strange system. Your wife loves getting off on humiliating people, and my husband is a cross-dresser... There's a statement I can never take back."109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡepv0VIiUj3
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6zi1v6IExX
"Now that we're married, what do you think we should do next?" I started tracing and scribbling my finger on the flat surface of my desk, getting more into the mood by the thought of our possible honeymoon.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcr4rRjVuCO
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgDqaOAJN1p
"Like what? Us being married is really the best thing, but you don't actually expect us to have a physical honeymoon, do ya? I wasn't kidding when I told you we can't have sex while you're down there."109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDFH26BPJUI
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdE5lWi9oD2
"Well, I understand the problem with that..." Really, I do. Even though I was thinking about it more and more, becoming less embarrassed about the idea of having sex with Lumina, I knew it was a physical impossibility for us until I'm up there with her someday. "But Lumina, I still want to have some fun going out with you. I want to try several new places, have lots of new experiences with you, and spending all the time I have with you. Maybe we can have a month of super romantic dating."109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrTsg3iQhCU
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡp96ARa22c9
"You really mean that?" Lumina got even more excited, reminding us that given the circumstances and differences of our worlds, I would have to be the provider and inventor of our new moments.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLxfPpQzVpN
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsIsgz0gYU3
"We should go on another date very soon, just for the fun of it. We can consider that to be our honeymoon, just the two of us."109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1CQp20gDHU
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgPiwLeEEvz
"You always have the simplest ideas Reed. Nothing's too complicated for you to work out." I knew now I made her happier, and we both started shifting our voices to be lovelier than before, in the mood only for romance. "Okay. Let's figure something out after school gets out today, okay?"109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2SZhl8FstH
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxO9hz969vP
"It's a date... Wait, you want to phase out the connection like before?" I want to keep looking into her eyes, into her soul for as long as I could, to get lost in her never-ending beauty until I could become one with her in every manner.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwKVswsBfrq
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZhwLWLoeKu
"Just until this worst class ends. I can't stand it here."109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKevMfVs8NU
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDhOMefcgwn
I guess Lumina gets bored of these classes as well. Even mighty Altiri are no match for the desolate, spirit-crushing annoyance of public school. "Very well. I'll call you right back if you doddle though."109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7HpCoAKEIY
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1i7qGaw3oT
"You know I won't." Lumina left me with those words as she phased out the connection, promising to see me again very soon within the same day.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡi9wnEOmRln
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4oD1lX787X
I knew the connection was phased after getting used to the different sensations of how the telepathy feels passively, but even though she was only leaving me for a moment, my mind couldn't shake the thought of her away. My lips curved into the strongest smile of bliss ever; my eyes might as well have become heart-shaped. Lumina... My love. My wife. My soul mate. Lumina. Lumina, Lumina, Lumina. Just invoking her name brings me to life inside, an energy so certain and electric.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYsnDoT6Y2J
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWg7aisBTze
"You seem quite happy today." I didn't realize until many seconds after - that Zero was talking about me.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgnX4OFRoDO
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡE8vxqpdHTy
"Nah, he's just staring off into space."109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7f17oTp9Db
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXJi3cyez4n
I have to give it to Banarus on this one. She doesn't know the difference between the instance and when I'm talking to Lumina, but this time, I really was letting my mind wander. Why wouldn't I? Thoughts about Lumina are the best thoughts I can have. "As a matter of fact, I am." There's no sense in my lying about how I feel inside. I think I might be the happiest person on Earth.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7bpZ4j4k5r
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3AUQVDc9iX
"Oooh! Did something happen with you and Lumina?" Suddenly hyper and excited, Laura floated off her seat by squatting halfway, trying to get up in my face as usual.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0GhliwMNWN
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1ls4IliNAi
Her question came at me out of nowhere, so she did catch me off guard. Who knows whether I was still blushing from earlier or not? "What do you mean did something happen? Things have been happening. Lumina and I have been an item for a while now, but you already know that." Why are they picking on me all the sudden? Now I have to make sure I don't say anything crazy or suspicious.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH4ZzjkfxHC
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtrDl606SiI
"I still have not seen this Lumina though." At last, Banarus let us all know how skeptical she was of Lumina's entire existence, and she wasn't afraid to show it. "It's kind of hard to believe you found someone so special when you won't even show her around."109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡP0iH8vzpQU
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQC3L6rjISg
She's not for someone to gawk at! "I'm sorry, but I have my personal reasons for doing that. Lumina's life is a bit more personal than the average person." I knew it was the right thing to say, but my ammunition didn't carry the same kick it had before.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡApd3goMvTB
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKCTvFv5lW4
Laura played the role of detective right beside Banarus, so much that I imagined her in a Sherlock Holmes outfit. "Didn't you say you were going together with Lumina at Wahsega? Somebody has to know her from there."109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOkWFIm3N9i
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPfSo1kjwZJ
At least they waited a full month to say something about it. "Well, I only said that Lumina was arriving to Wahsega at the same time. I didn't say anything about her enrolling or registering in any of the official classes and other activities."109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1QXCUJA5Vv
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡq6qmmMYOuB
"So she was just there illegally, and nobody knew it but you?" Zero sounded the least bit convinced. I had told her before that I was sneaking Lumina into Wahsega behind the backs of all chaperones, and on a few technicalities, I did do exactly that, in our own special way. So I don't see why she's bringing it up again. "Cause I was watching pretty closely when you went to the dance, and I didn't see you hanging around anyone outside the ordinary."109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA14A6G76jR
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA8tF2hXMeZ
This is getting out of hand. I have to change the subject before they decide Lumina is too interesting to ignore. "Look. Everything about the situation is more complicated than you can understand. Yes, Lumina was there with me. No, nobody around here got to actually meet her. And yes, I did my best to keep her presence out of sight and mind from all the teachers. Really, it wasn't that hard for me to sneak out of the cabin Saturday night."109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZmcpfGwXFk
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxes875Y8z7
Before I could realize the mistake I just made, Laura and Banarus both shared their sudden blushing expression and outburst, loud enough for everyone to hear, though thankfully without sufficient context. "You snuck out to be with your girlfriend that night?" Both spoke at the same time with the same words.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJkQZzUON82
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGtHOYRnywv
I decided to just go with it, since that's actually what happened. I mean, is it really unbelievable for a guy to sneak out of a cabin to meet his girlfriend outside, assuming that's how they're envisioning the scenario? "Well forgive me for spending one night with Lumina under some different scenery."109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBrWzKLCbp1
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIO6Jjt0U5p
This time, I didn't know why, but all three of them gasped at once, Zero with the most shocked expression. "You and her spent the night together? Reed!"109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmJXsxfEr0A
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvVeXcQB8U4
Talk any louder, and the whole school will jump to conclusions! "Jesus! It's not as if I walked out there and started banging." Just saying that was too embarrassing, and it had Banarus laughing too hard to keep up with the conversation, but I focused on the reactions of everyone else, whom seemed less interested after that tiny clarification... Zero, why would you think that's what I meant? "I meant what I said literally; it wasn't a euphemism." I was glad to have the extra understanding Lumina gave me that night though. If it weren't for her one-day boot camp on mature language, I would have never survived this long under their pressure.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvs3o5CjEuy
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzKsmLlYLIi
"Awh, still a virgin!" Banarus tried to tease me about it, under the assumption that I would have been embarrassed to admit it...109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6lQjsFwHPd
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhnBBKzaIyx
Okay, so maybe I am a little, but it's not as if Lumina and I actually can do those things together anyway. Since when is it uncool to be a virgin at my age though? "That supposed to be a bad thing?"109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxdsgXiusAz
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9mzUnOuEC2
They ignored my question, with Zero patting me on the back instead. "I guess we should just be happy that you have someone like that."109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvAJWSGpEb5
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡb72WRIwR3p
"Yes, you should." I finally got to relax, sensing that the worst of their prying was over. When I answered Zero, it brought my mood back to where it was moments ago, how dreamy Lumina is. "After all said and done, I know that she's the one I'll be with forever."109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEa653BCIXy
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwAm8RNe6eC
"Aawwh!" Laura, Zero, and Banarus all gave me the same response, looking at me and the mysterious woman like we were a cute couple.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ64rJ2tpyDD
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgSYLPhKDos
Then, Laura threw another curve at me. "Are you going to marry her one day?"109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkUypFkx38T
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH7bx6unghq
If I had been drinking water, I would have instinctively splashed it back out, with my eyes wide with the ironic surprise. "Why are you so passive about saying that...?" Wait, how do I answer this question? I can't just let them know I'm already married to Lumina, or they would wring my neck for answers. At the same time, I don't want to lie to them.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXfo5OQvV1a
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkGsqhuwNCR
"What do you mean? I think it's a fair question. Right Banarus?" Laura glanced to Banarus for confirmation, and Banarus gave all of us two very slow and certain vertical nods.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡR6GLkMNtrP
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGMBnuOld3L
I was pinned to the wall now, granting myself the little time I didn't have to think about this. If I simply lie to everyone right now and give them the most expected answer of 'Maybe one day,' then it would be a total fib. I can't just come right out and admit that we are married already either. I'm sure that would cause issues; I was warned that it would already. Plus, even if I did let it slip, they would then want to see the proof, which is sitting in a computer on the opposite end of the universe! "I... Where I go and what I do isn't anyone's business." I knew that wasn't my best line, but I was getting too nervous to come up with anything but a simple evasion.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6tO9ZSVS9Q
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡleVhkdqfJm
Laura just stuck to her guns and kept giving me that annoying teasing face of doubt. "Oooh, that sounds like honeymoon secrets to me. You probably got married in secret already while we weren't looking."109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKfZAqS7T8V
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2FzQcTTE5N
"No way! How do you already know about that?" Without thinking, I stood up out of my seat to gesture my panicked response. I couldn't figure out how Laura was able to see through me this easily!109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjekyTlOzvt
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUE2OFSsZ3q
Mirroring my panicked surprise, all three of them jumped their hands on their desks for lift off, screaming their shock right into my face. "Whaaaaat?!"109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡogdwLoB07I
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkMj1Xdx9u0
"Keep it down, girls!" Ms. Hill wasn't happy about the huge disruption to our independent classwork, but she didn't beat them over the head either.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2KkFzLbFfv
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6Cjij9yNgs
"Eh?" I didn't understand what was going on right away. It made no sense for them to be this shocked at something I said if Laura figured it out already— Oh, you gotta be kidding me!109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdVCMSE5GF1
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQFAlM2Xl0c
"So then, you are married to her already?" Banarus wasn't her usual cheery self anymore. She wasn't really upset by the news, just too shocked to crack any more jokes about the moment.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF8HUuGzUEU
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8bmC9yKEUH
What the hell just happened? How did that just happen?109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIM6dcEzNqz
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrhk63XchFl
"You're holding out on us!" Laura's eyes got crazy, reminding me of some of the scarier sides to a few anime flicks I've seen. She was smiling too, desperate and crazy for the details. "I was only kidding about the honeymoon thing, but to think you already have one in progress? Give me all the juicy details!" Nobody had seen Laura this energetic before, but who wouldn't be after hearing someone in eighth grade getting married to an unseen sweetheart?109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZUXB8VTram
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZN34bmk7xE
"Hold on a sec," Zero interrupted, now turning to directly ask to my face. "Are you actually married to Lumina?"109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgqOySekFTD
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY4HY7Q0qDD
Zero is skeptical, but that's to be expected. She wouldn't ask me the same question even knowing I slipped up if she believed it to be true. She's sharp as always... But I didn't mean to let it slip like that; it was an accident! What do I do now? If Laura and Banarus actually suspect that there is more going on between me and Lumina... There's no reason to try lying only to Zero... But I have to find a stopping point fast! What to say... Come on, think of what to say! "Well..." My face started burning red with embarrassment, and I couldn't look her in the eyes. Part of me wants them to know, even though I know where it will lead, but I don't know what to say anymore. I can't tell them I'm not married with a poker face.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEHHykkYR5W
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCwo56IFMrV
"But..." Zero's expressions contorted a little, as she finally came to the same reaction her other two friends made. "How?! You're only fifteen! Marriage isn't legal at that age."109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA10hrx5JP4
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡszQMuyfdTY
Hit with that small epiphany, Banarus put her finger on her cheek to think, with Laura to follow. "Oh yeah, that is true."109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5AKAgFeXVI
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtKHJcomK8c
"Care to explain?"109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTdBkpOWd6X
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtDwMgVKuqA
The three of them all started looking at me, staring in wait for me to explain the impossible! Their mix of surprise and skepticism scrambled my mind... I've been ambushed! Do I call Lumina back now and have her freak out with me? If I did let Lumina know about this now, she would slap me on both sides of the face asking me how I could be this stupid, so I won't be doing that. But I have to say something... "Look... Marriages for people of different ages do exist. They're just not common." I'm screwed!109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcLo3L38Aie
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKzoZQh8ER1
Sharing her confusion with me, Banarus tried to unravel the mystery with her gang. "But I thought you would have been married over here."109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXQLNenAAtT
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKlSTSQ5U2R
"Hell no!" This is it! This is my way out! I read somewhere that people of younger ages can get married in other countries. In some cases, it's forced marriages. The point is, this didn't technically happen in the United States. My body might have been left in Georgia to rot, but all of my entire essence and attendance was elsewhere. "I wasn't lying when I said I hated Georgia, so I really didn't get married here."109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡFgzyINR9JK
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXiKLUCQhci
"When did it happen?" Zero was totally zoned in on me too, desperate for the clarification she could wrap her head around.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAt6TNVx334
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7wI2Fq77c5
"December first, this year." There's no going back now. I just literally admitted to the three of them by my own volition that I was married to Lumina. However, I still have a chance to make this seem more normal than they realize.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaSlcHGl9SS
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvtaSs0Bfxc
"That was five days ago!" Ignoring the limit on the noise, Laura couldn't help herself in pointing out the shocking revelation, one I didn't really care for.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡu1OygS5uzr
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQMWH06g9cC
"Getting to my point, Lumina and I went to a different nation for a while. Over there, the marriage in full legality has been declared and documented, even though those documents are not going to be made public. Lumina has to keep some of those things secret from most people."109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3fRfuIe0g8
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgWDfqdHgzQ
Still not convinced, Zero tried to level with me by learning more. "But, that doesn't make any sense. What country would even allow somebody your age to marry?"109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡLYTjguIj1R
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXqv5U1Xqu3
Country, country... "Ehheem... I'd rather not say." I'm up against a wall here! Now they know Lumina isn't from the U.S. That leaves many other nations up for guess, but they're never going to get it right anyway, which means I can't tell them anything.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2moAsDZmP7
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuyFaFameGo
"Oh, why not?" Banarus crossed her arms with some disappointment. "This is all sounding like a lame excuse to pretend like you are married."109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbtEVtyA9rZ
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgoJOCZYSBM
"What would I ever have to gain by pretending something like that?" I had to quickly shut up and calm my breathing. I shouldn't be this upset to hear her say that, but it was similar enough of an insinuation that everything about Lumina and her world wasn't real. Nothing about that wedding was make-believe for me; every moment I've spent with Lumina has been the most real thing to me in my entire life! "Come on guys! I'm trying to be truthful here, but there are just things about the two of us we can't talk about. I'd rather just leave it at that than to try lying to you." If they can't respect that, then I'll have no choice but to start setting up an emergency story of fake information for them to feed off of.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5SwMnez7TZ
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtclwuGimR0
Banarus and the others stared at me in silence, obviously trying to get a read on what motivations I would have for being so secretive about everything. At the same time, I could see the struggle of doubt fighting within all of them.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD0ZdwfgRpm
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmudBXVfzvT
"I can't talk about where she is from. All I can say to you right now, is that we really are married; nothing about this is pretend."109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjt40d0MREU
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0mHva2EDjh
"That's so amazing Reed!" Laura grabbed my own hands as a means of congratulating me, leaving me to believe she had less trouble believing all of this.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡximvORp9SL
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsqs63VBUSR
"Yeah..."109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSkvCJVFGll
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwHOJhim0wV
"But where exactly is she from? I take it she's not from the United States?"109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKBJ7Cz4uRj
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡO8AUTozx3t
Oh Zero, I'm so sorry about this. "Not exactly..." It's cruel. I know it's cruel. But I haven't technically lied to them yet. I want to keep it that way.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQ8LVtc1wbq
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqKBVjzxqjA
"Mexico?"109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuf99R2ShVA
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtzjTjaozGR
"Eh, no." I'm pretty sure I would know if Lumina was an el Latino.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUWs9Nvnlwk
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9aEBZ3H6ft
"Britain?" Laura got in on the action too, taking wild guesses of random counties.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEKikuenCsK
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzzDdMqpZId
Banarus wanted to be more precise however, and reminded Laura of the other detail. "No. Think of countries that have loose marriage restrictions."109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtMw5X0IsJm
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUmA40jPaJV
The nerve of them all... I let out a fair sigh to get their attention before they would waste any more of their time. "It's no use guessing all of them. I'm not going to rule out each option for you. That would just be stupid on my part."109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBhgq7ryzFy
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNUOH6gjyfr
"I don't get why it has to stay a secret though. Is she like, a space alien or something?"109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVzU7I7BHDj
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡs43kqMfXX9
While my face started turning white, Laura laughed at Banarus's idea, imitating what her idea of an alien was by putting fingers on both sides of her mouth. "That would be the best! I – am – from – planet – Neptune. We come in peace." They all started laughing at the mockery Laura was making.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxd3KK7e2uC
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1ZL0RzQlr3
I on the other hand wanted to sink down into a hole and die. You've got to be kidding me. I'm so glad Lumina isn't here to see this right now... Don't panic! Don't even react! It would be suspicious if I reacted to it now.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUEOhmDbA72
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWwWefu63YS
"Oh, I get it now!" With the blazing buzz of a breakthrough in the mystery, Zero seemed so happy with the answer she thought of on her own, while all of us waited on her silently to elaborate. "Think about it. A foreign nation, keeping secrets... Lumina is either an international spy, or, she's enlisted in some kind of military branch."109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkqdDchgRqT
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmd2CCuNSde
What did I say earlier? She's the sharp one. Zero might have missed over the crazy accurate guess Laura glossed over, but she managed to put enough pieces together to get one thing right. Altiri aggressor groups are essentially deployable units of the Altiri military. In essence, Lumina is in the military, even though it runs different than other armies on Earth. But now I have to admit some of this in order to make it more believable... Actually, military secrets might seem more plausible to some of them.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8W94ZwdwVq
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIyKKEdUptI
"Well, I would feel really stupid calling her a spy. She's not some kind of secret CIA agent from another country."109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqbjLe2Ziw6
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfg0TT7zqjB
"But she is in the military, right?" Zero didn't second guess herself, and she waited on my confirmation before going with the theory.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVn25dyyVck
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwrLYd2zKnN
"... She's in a military... I just can't say which one." I'm sure nobody has ever heard of the Altiri military before, and these girls are sure to Google anything I say at this point.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSpikSsuCd1
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQpHkon28kI
"So that's why you're so protective of her!" Satisfied with enough for Zero to draw the rest of her own conclusions, she sat there with her head turned in deeper thought.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTLAOn4jLhy
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZi39xcXLov
Again, it's not technically a lie; just a colossal misdirection.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAn71qdK1LK
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN8gTFCJHAG
"Whaaat?" Banarus wasn't happy to hear it, but only because she didn't guess correctly first.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfUaqDdy0sH
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNKnuJrenNH
"That was good thinking Zero." In fact, Laura's appraisal of Zero must have gone up twenty points based on how impressed she sounded. Then she turned her attention back onto me. "Still, Reed, come on! So what if she is in the military? Don't you at least have something like a photograph, or something else to describe to us what she looks like?"109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHTaOcE4B9Y
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwRiSSdnrhE
"No, I don't." Telepathy just doesn't work that way. I can't ask everyone to form a circle and link hands to share my perceptual senses with the others during my link with Lumina, because it just doesn't work that way. I asked her those kinds of questions until I ran out of breath long ago, so I would know, depressing as the truth may be. "I'm not allowed to keep a photograph of Lumina in public anyway. Communications between us are severely restricted as well. So I can't just dial her up and have her speak to you."109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDgWv5iXVw0
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqscM0rCeoB
"Aoh!" Laura deflated, disappointed.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsnB8AFtqOc
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡF0pn8rKYT4
"And if that weren't bad enough, try to imagine the usual physical distance between us. Lumina and I aren't able to be together all the time. She gets called back to her home so often, I only have the winter each year with her in Georgia. Once it's April or May, I don't get to see her or even hear from her at all, until it's late September, or even mid-October, maybe August if I'm really lucky. Things are still great between us, but it already isn't easy for me to handle what I have, to..." My voice slowed down to a stop when I saw the growing distraught and despair in all of their faces. I didn't understand why they were looking at me like this, as if I were explaining to them how my cat died.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYnowTg1qQX
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡG7Nun7EHnz
Laura conferred with the others before turning back to me, her sour expression unchanged. "Long distance, and only less than half the entire year? I'm sorry Reed. I didn't know things were that messy."109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1dvFghQtOA
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpKFUBQNVSA
Even Zero seemed visibly upset. "No kidding. One moment, you're having fun. And the next, you're separated for such a long consecutive amount of time..."109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdn5eF8YwAA
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBy5cDoyRsd
Well, it certainly is quieter now... At least they finally stopped asking me questions. If I knew sharing the most painful aspect of this would shut them all up, I would have said so sooner. Still, they don't need to be all down and depressed on my behalf. "There's no need to feel bad about it. Sure, the summers are not going to be fun, nor will they be easy for me to deal with. But I'm willing to endure it, because I love her more than anything in the world. Six months of solitude and longing are not going to break up what we have."109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfTtiI7cpsE
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡD3KLkSVVWW
"Still, that's some rough shit dude. Even I couldn't put up with something like that." Banarus got all serious on me, enough to freak me out a little, but this time, I felt like she was actually speaking to me on a real level unlike ever before.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9HE3kihBBB
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡavTFjEFLRz
Still, it is weird. I wasn't expecting them to feel bad for me even a little, considering what I wasn't telling them. I wasn't trying to make them understand the hardships of all this... But I guess it works. I just hope they don't ask to see Lumina at least. Thoughtography isn't a power anybody has. "I..."109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeIpWhWGlF2
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8wYeTUxGnG
"You don't have to tell us about this if you don't want to." In a full reversal, Laura wasn't curious to learn more about us anymore, having presumed I was torn up about everything inside.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3pYC2Cpbr3
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsczX7wZT0f
Unable to say anymore, I just let my stare drift down to my desk, following their desolate moods. I kind of feel guilty about this. I know I'm the one who upset them by keeping everything all hush-hush, but... I kind of want to tell them anyway, deep down. Man, this sucks! Here they all are, a wonderful band of friends I could have, if only the real truth could be delivered to them, even just one of them...109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB2Bo8xgMxK
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwzVg0nPz53
But what happened between me and Maddison can never-ever happen again, not under any formats, not under any circumstances! Besides, I got so lucky with that situation. Because Maddison didn't blab my secret to the world after all, my reputation here didn't budge in any direction. If she did share it, I wouldn't even be sitting with these three right now. Instead, I'd be alone, isolated in a corner with the school constantly laughing at me, as the others who used to know me pretend I don't even exist. I don't think Laura, Banarus, or Zero would ever behave that way, but I can't be sure anymore. So, this is just the way things have to be. I'd rather get the chance to hang out with them on some level than to be ostracized from their presence entirely.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf3SYx4GnGO
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1kNj8Iditb
"Tell Lumina, whenever you can, that we're all happy for you." Banarus's concern wasn't unexpected given how I made her and the others feel, but I didn't challenge her on it.109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPg2t5GFeeV
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡphE4mebztJ
"Sure, but, will she be okay with us knowing what we know?"109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfjgpDRyFQC
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2fawZtqsfW
Zero? You're so far away from knowing anything, that I feel terrible for keeping it from you. Still, they have a point. I don't want to let rip to Lumina that I accidently slipped to these three that I was married to her, but she's going to find out anyway. Even if I tried to pretend like the conversations never happened, sooner or later, someone like Zero or Banarus is going to bring up the concept of our marriage, thinking it's only a private chat between them and myself, when it will actually be between them, myself, and Lumina. In either case, I'm the one who's going to get grilled for it anyway."Well, she might have a few questions towards me, but she should be fine with the amount you all know. After all, she isn't some crazy person who would kill me for this much." Or so I hope.
109Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtGPzmJyiQW
