Chapter Theme Music: Daijoubu ~ Doki Doki Literature Club OST108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9NRBrSGOBW
<12/05/2011 - 08:55 | Saffrin Middle School (GA Studies), Austell, GA, USA>
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnJXJw7nKMX
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.108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK4S7naI8Wf
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDUVWj1Un0R
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.108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ98Vw2G6mhg
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd0gYM23UzK
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.108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8dHrrc08lU
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWLgSMJ36oC
"—And he was just staring dumbfounded."108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbV6RDGL2k2
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOPLYONHijQ
"Did you ask him why?"108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkdo1twgyb5
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9j8wkkFubG
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.108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvgDgsn04d1
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡWDMDhRYOR1
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."108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhYPGCzzJhS
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcuYK4gM6BE
"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.108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡknMvhl6cJv
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlKNLAk94AE
"I just wish your friends would talk about something more interesting."108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzvP1xsR0PA
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBPWKfPn9am
"I wonder if there are any other fieldtrips we could go on."108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPqctafeiC3
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPqNB9pbves
"I see. Had enough fun on the last one?"108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRLKqSHkB5k
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHBDUp6egiJ
"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."108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAr6uLKDPth
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcbg0S3wUMg
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."108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRN6oWMUNSM
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaQMPcYTtS0
"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.108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDraIdojzYf
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSlpWqhTvTA
"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."108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPcfOYUZzQg
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCAZl8NyYNE
"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."108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxarR1iTCaX
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡROJhuyxWWV
"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.108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI2q587LppZ
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSMzHJPaUef
"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."108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZASSczc3gm
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡumRgYkrVXr
"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?"108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡInq6ugt2rR
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡIPSqnKpv5M
"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.108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNR4h7e8XPO
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡICGfDtuQxa
"Just until this worst class ends. I can't stand it here."108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUdBtvqT2tV
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpLdgSekhSt
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."108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡVINjQCUbOK
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjZfddOdUVs
"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.108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNn5cpuzWAj
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfZE78867gv
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.108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyDarUjSR6c
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡesCjEreRtL
"You seem quite happy today." I didn't realize until many seconds after - that Zero was talking about me.108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ98DZ3tRnhp
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡUzXasR9bh0
"Nah, he's just staring off into space."108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8Zkalm4DRq
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ1CCozqDWDv
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.108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsH8ICQTZeH
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA7PU7ihi8f
"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.108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2IGz7R234c
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6U1XvLP0Rw
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.108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQW0dGIV1og
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXXdlV3JM2m
"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."108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsc7nH3KFPQ
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡA8S6Rlv0C8
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.108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡJLBuBhWbE5
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnCY28E06WO
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."108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcJDPMgho18
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI6DzHBFCGI
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."108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwqiTG7MUU1
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXSquGBSrha
"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."108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOIKLllTa7M
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXpiwzdVQrg
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."108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZosGuuCdkl
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtUZ2fYNyiV
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.108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡd6ODXyWnwf
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡX4tCZ74wth
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."108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡY26EW5lstG
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7j3kI06wQf
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!"108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTucb0Tyecl
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqzWWare62G
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.108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6lXtlYcDoQ
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRzfuW8Dub2
"Awh, still a virgin!" Banarus tried to tease me about it, under the assumption that I would have been embarrassed to admit it...108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡw5I0UJsNRG
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnC7ANj3L8J
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?"108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmu8W3h0ncv
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPqw6OAZIc2
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."108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAAZ44g001n
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjBTW7XJ7la
"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."108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6LwnUF8J9N
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbPHeKU3G2S
"Aawwh!" Laura, Zero, and Banarus all gave me the same response, looking at me and the mysterious woman like we were a cute couple.108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOjlNr049mC
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡORaNBDN8j8
Then, Laura threw another curve at me. "Are you going to marry her one day?"108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtA8WAnYFai
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡcAhmbVXcuJ
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.108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZSUELHACUA
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnJRXzVqx4O
"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.108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4Ed76dA9z2
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwkCTRuPd8u
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.108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmax3fEoqD1
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡnEsVyXEYM7
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."108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡST56C7nDcD
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoBnN7Rlzv3
"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!108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqKKGfJ1uk1
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsmG2vd986H
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?!"108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡuVKqQSYi9P
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡtmz3k1RFEJ
"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.108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlkWzqC3Nqv
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbucFlsdSt6
"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!108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡAmWnTj12qL
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZR0mxQ0aoV
"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.108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7GmVl56nwG
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzUtpC6Xd5f
What the hell just happened? How did that just happen?108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡedS420hNfC
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡODspmegxK2
"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?108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡK0fq2j5KVU
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡorAoQCcdOC
"Hold on a sec," Zero interrupted, now turning to directly ask to my face. "Are you actually married to Lumina?"108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0mAFlWyWGN
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQno5okNbtv
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.108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡyWZMDCOIaq
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡxXtiW22c7N
"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."108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ5kzGjnVdNz
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡH2ph6K9pPk
Hit with that small epiphany, Banarus put her finger on her cheek to think, with Laura to follow. "Oh yeah, that is true."108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡYQnnVoWMje
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN6Zd2ZLsl2
"Care to explain?"108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQjizI9OV6o
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBQAXyPGm5q
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!108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡm9PlDQksGd
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡmLgD6nM76a
Sharing her confusion with me, Banarus tried to unravel the mystery with her gang. "But I thought you would have been married over here."108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡutCVLc2pSr
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPm0k2XJaiP
"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."108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgU9YLQ8nTQ
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbgoucVX1mf
"When did it happen?" Zero was totally zoned in on me too, desperate for the clarification she could wrap her head around.108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQsFZgOyoQG
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9CwgTGDtz3
"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.108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjaDKz4JlEb
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpd4qiXGtZP
"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.108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzPqGK8pYSA
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS0ot276BlU
"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."108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡupT3IkEGIx
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡB9g0ufvYy5
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?"108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡaCyjVdtHja
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZZbtBGqOyq
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.108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlz9ZH6edpJ
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡMphI2H9Zc4
"Oh, why not?" Banarus crossed her arms with some disappointment. "This is all sounding like a lame excuse to pretend like you are married."108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqpGomNMIyF
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3jGFqZKxx2
"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.108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡwFwcGm0pIt
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡC47hbWgXjz
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.108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXkI5d2rciy
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡDzLaCoSBZ3
"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."108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡS4X89LtMKP
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡeVKJkxMvql
"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.108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpQ2vJlsGsv
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡttM9QN9tlg
"Yeah..."108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9Y2we1c9bz
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡjoMQRp2Ava
"But where exactly is she from? I take it she's not from the United States?"108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡpTKTBZBnl1
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCzhxZaF0aS
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.108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPP6oUc6rMP
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ9YE11AHJRu
"Mexico?"108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKXEKursY1H
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡoxcWCf5puT
"Eh, no." I'm pretty sure I would know if Lumina was an el Latino.108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOV2OySvoWG
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhwYuBGimgL
"Britain?" Laura got in on the action too, taking wild guesses of random counties.108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ66QBSHjGwr
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2HaUBVTjhE
Banarus wanted to be more precise however, and reminded Laura of the other detail. "No. Think of countries that have loose marriage restrictions."108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKUyY2WiFaj
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQo6wndgUEX
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."108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡNvzmxpHxJz
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfB4lPayIOl
"I don't get why it has to stay a secret though. Is she like, a space alien or something?"108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPLudyrZH3C
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKjJ54yeWbx
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.108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGAG6sXgEr7
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSldjSwpmuZ
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.108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡlROU9S9saY
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡGag52nFcyI
"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."108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡe29VbCYmtT
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPDnxBOCIzF
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.108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzOmPsovKl7
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ3mHAHElLQf
"Well, I would feel really stupid calling her a spy. She's not some kind of secret CIA agent from another country."108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRijhjC3IqZ
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡiQ1S6AHmwI
"But she is in the military, right?" Zero didn't second guess herself, and she waited on my confirmation before going with the theory.108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ6drk4FCmhv
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡKT3QlSfaIb
"... 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.108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCTNrAQljXe
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡPz8efrKxfJ
"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.108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡHtZiRLN8aR
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ7ZWK4UWP0T
Again, it's not technically a lie; just a colossal misdirection.108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡf7VzgtEBqu
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQNgc7DyhC4
"Whaaat?" Banarus wasn't happy to hear it, but only because she didn't guess correctly first.108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ0OuvbXfJXN
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdV9rr5tvcX
"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?"108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡSnwgFDPaYG
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡhxu00CCDAg
"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."108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡN9CWPJpuLj
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡqccPI8j6Ga
"Aoh!" Laura deflated, disappointed.108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡkwO8cdfyXG
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡdg9vq94WUG
"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.108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡTNGhaolsOv
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8FPTavbiQQ
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."108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡI3dhKQmmK1
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrg3tNqk5Ez
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..."108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZFoymnMZz1
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ4fges8r1qu
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."108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡsbfUSKbLQL
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡCbDWWrNCAg
"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.108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡgqWvlOlgc0
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡViNytbSXum
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..."108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡRhjJDrgNfx
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡfslWQbDHmz
"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.108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡOLgLtDUtfS
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡrjrgnrXust
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...108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡEE3XN1DLvz
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvxzHmPOVcm
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.108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡBQu7brZq6n
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡbPOlIJxsu7
"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.108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡQPA3hOV3jw
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ2kskj1CvmA
"Sure, but, will she be okay with us knowing what we know?"108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡzokuApGCWE
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡejnpAVBRaG
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.
108Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡ8O6k5fPUeh
