KL with a system) Chapter 11
«Live with a system) Chapter 11
Riley felt a pang of panic. The system had helped her so much. It was mysterious, seemingly omnipotent yet limited. It never revealed its origins.
Tears welled up in Riley’s eyes. After a long silence, a sound came.
“Host, don’t cry, I’m here.”
The system sounded tired. Riley breathed a sigh of relief.
She sobbed.“I thought you were gone.”
“If you need me, I’ll always be with you.” Its weak voice
was comforting.
Riley’s nose tingled again.“I’d always need you…”
The system seemed to be chuckling.
In an abandoned warehouse, Mark lay on a hammock, staring at a hole in the ceiling where sunlight streamed in. This had once been his and Riley’s secret hideout. Riley had made it cozy, with cushions and beanbag chairs.
She had
bought even
two hammocks.
He glanced at the empty hammock beside him. Life without Riley was uneventful. Nothing seemed to have changed. He’d skipped school again today.
he
He thought about college or the army- pre–planned life choices. His grades were average; didn’t care. He always had a backup plan. His life was the same with or without Riley. Except…he thought of her more often.
He used to hate Riley because of Chase. He felt unbalanced by her different treatment of them. He wanted her attention.
Then Chloe appeared. It was an opportunity. He was deliberately nice to her in front of Riley until it became a habit. But Riley was too oblivious to find out what he was really thinking about He didn’t really care if Riley bullied Chloe. He just wanted to see when she’d beg for his attention. Mark smirked, picking up a rock. It shimmered in the sunlight. He and Riley found it at the beach when they were kids. Riley’s surprised expression was still vivid. Her big eyes, small nose, and mouth… she hadn’t changed much.
Mark felt bored and tossed the rock away.“Clang!”
Riley was so stubborn that she would never give in. She just left.
Left?
Mark sat up and jumped off the hammock. As he was leaving, the warehouse door burst open. “I knew you were here, you brat!”
* ik will valem Chander 19
