This is where she lives?

Riarshi stood at the gate of an enormous apartment complex which stretched from one street corner to the other.

To the right of the pathway leading to the front door was a huge in-ground pool, its motionless water glistening in the moonlight like a mirror. Hexagonal glass tables and metallic beach chairs littered the surrounding star-lit grass. To the left of the path sat a poolside bar, with tall wooden stools lined up along a bamboo-bordered tabletop. The roof had strands of fake tropical leaves draping over the sides.

This place differed vastly from his small town apartment, which was lucky enough to have a community dryer that stole socks and a washer that leaked every other week.

Shaking the jealous thoughts from his mind, he pushed open the gate and carried his inebriated classmate to the front door of the towering complex.

There was a white sign with large black text hung in the top window of the door.

To unlock door, resident must place magic onto handle and turn knob for it to open.

"Are you freaking serious...." Riarshi hissed, wrinkling his nose.

Not only did alcohol dull one's magic power, but the babbling, drooling, and sniffling sack of dead-weight clinging to his back was barely conscious enough to do anything magic related.

His tired brain begged for sleep, longed for the release of consciousness, but his night was far from over. He had to get her inside.

Pulling together the barest of plans, he turned his head and whispered directions.

"Okay, Hara, I need you to put a bit of magic into the door so I can get you in and get you to bed... all right?"

Her head rocked back and forth like a pendulum, tipping on the edge of consciousness, ready to fall to either side. Her eyes were just thin slits of blue.

"Oh... okay."

She slowly inched her left hand toward the handle while clinging onto Riarshi's shoulder with the other. Overshooting the knob two or three times, she finally got a hold on the gold-colored metal.

At first it was a flicker, but then it promptly solidified into an even glare. A blue light shone from her eyes, and Riarshi's bulged in response. He stared at the knob, now a deep glowing blue, in disbelief.

She can STILL use magic, even in that state? How much power does this girl have?

Hara, however, couldn't turn the knob properly. Her little hand clumsily slapped across the metal, unable to find the coordination for the otherwise very simple movement.

"Jeeesh, this door ish broken or that... Stupid door..."

Riarshi began to sweat. The blue shine from her eyes was starting to dim and flicker once again, reflecting off the door window. If she ran out of magic, they would be locked out for good.

He couldn't have that happen. He wanted to go home as soon as possible, and there was absolutely, positively, zero percent chance he was bringing her home.

Riarshi had no time to think. He had to act on impulse. His hand instinctively wrapped over hers and helped her twist the knob. An audible click rang through the small passageway and the door magically opened.

"Ohhhh, trying to hold my haaand?" Hara jeered, sending Riarshi a smug look from over his shoulder. She brought her lips close to his ear and blew into it, sending a violent shiver down his spine and a tingling sensation on the back of his neck.

He scowled. "Not even close."

Riarshi carried the babbling girl up a flight of stairs and to the front door of her apartment. After one more fuss and another blast of magic, her apartment door opened.

Riarshi blindly slid his hand up the wall and flicked on the light switch. The light blinded him for a second, but when his vision cleared, he found himself in a luxury studio apartment.

Shining black-granite countertops and stainless steel appliances stood side by side in the kitchen. A single leather couch and a wide, flat screen TV sat in the otherwise bare family room with a dark wooden floor. Moonlight, piercing the blinds in multiple slanted rays, sparkled from spotless surfaces. The air smelt like a freshly burned cinnamon-scented candle.

The apartment was, simply put, beautiful.

Another burst of jealousy flooded his veins and burned the tips of his ears, but he again shook the feeling away. He tiptoed around the massive suite with Hara clinging onto his back and pulling playfully at his hair with a pincer-like grip.

Making as little noise as possible, Riarshi scooted along the hallway and peeked into each room. The first was a bathroom with a sparkling white-marble sink and a glass-panelled shower. Piles of cream-colored towels were folded neatly and stacked in a metal-framed shelving unit.

The next was a spare room which appeared to be used as storage, since boxes and clothes were thrown about wildly, a vast contrast to the perfection of the bathroom.

Riarshi closed the door and continued on. There was one final door at the end of the hallway. He crossed the hallway, slowly pushed the door open, and poked his head in. An odd sensation suddenly shot through Riarshi's body - a foreign invasion of realization.

It was then he understood, with raised brows and parted lips, that he was in the apartment's lone bedroom.

Hara lived alone.

Riarshi knew Tabito lived with his father and sister, but Hara's living situation had been a complete mystery - a mystery he never cared nor dared to solve.

Moonlight snuck through the window at the back of the room, sending slices of pale-yellow light across her navy-blue rug. In the far right corner was a small bed with a wooden footboard, its sheets tucked neatly along the sides. A dark-stained wooden desk was pushed up flat against the back wall, right below the window.

Riarshi carried Hara across the room, and with a grunt, tossed her onto the bed. Her limp body flopped onto the baby-blue sheets and her hair sprawled across the pillow in multiple directions, creating a tangled mess of midnight-black.

Riarshi left the room and fetched her a glass of water from the kitchen. But when he came back, Hara had already passed out, drunkenly babbling to herself in her sleep. He could have sworn he noticed a line of drool fall from the corner of her mouth to her pillow, glistening in the snippets of moonlight.

He shook his head and placed the water on her nightstand. Blinking his heavy eyes a few times, he fetched his phone from his pocket and glanced at the time.

2:45 AM

The annoyance he repressed earlier finally bubbled over. He had spent almost an hour taking care of someone who would return to her bitter ways the very next day. The obnoxious but joyful girl he carried across the city would soon disappear, and he'd return to being the dirt underneath her feet. His brain and stomach craved food and sleep and he was miles away from home. His irritation boiled over.

He spun on his heel and stormed toward the bedroom door.

I'm done here. She'll figure the rest out herself.

When his feet met the wood of the hallway, a soft whimper floated to Riarshi's ears through the cool, moonlit room like a strained whisper.

"Hey, Riarshi..."

Riarshi screeched to a halt. He turned around.

Hara was awake, and had sat herself up in her bed. Her eyes were open, but tears now soaked her star-lit face, dripped from her eyelashes, and fell onto her lap.

"Please don't go... I don't wanna be alone...." she sobbed, slightly louder this time. She hiccupped and her breathing quickened, pulling at Riarshi's heartstrings.

These words froze Riarshi in place. He didn't know what to do. He went to move, but instantly stopped. What should he do? 

"You hate me."

"No I don't," he said gently. "Now go to bed."

"You're just gonna leave me all alone here," she whimpered. "Just like my dad."

"Your dad? What?" he blinked. He walked over to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. "What are you-"

The rush of despair took him by surprise. It was sudden and unexpected, but in that instant, the one memory he had from his childhood flooded his mind. All he could see was the dark, cold dream taking over his vision.

The house. The field. Thousands of blood-red eyes. The sound and smell of magic hitting flesh. The sensation of something warm splattering over his face. The taste of metal on his tongue.

The images and words replayed over, and over, and over again in his mind like a never-ending loop... His dad's scruffy face, the way his smile warmed... His mother's crimson hair, her calming voice, her blood-red eyes... Both flashed through his mind... His father's deep, brass voice echoed louder, and louder, and louder... It felt as though ice was flooding throughout his body... He was cold... He felt alone... The sounds and sights crashing throughout Riarshi's brain kept flashing and sparking until a bright green light blinded him, scorching the back of his eyelids.

A shock wave took Riarshi off of his feet, planting him onto Hara's bedroom floor with a thud. The sharp, searing pain in Riarshi's brain faded as he rubbed his head. He grunted, rolled over, and slowly sat himself up.

What the hell just happened?

He glanced at Hara, who was now sound sleep. Loud snores had settled into a light, nasally whistle. 

Tears still wet her cheeks and smeared her red lipstick across her face. Despite her unattractive state, the light from the window next to her bed illuminated a girl in a deep, peaceful sleep.

Riarshi remembered Hara's statement at the club.

"I guess they help me take my mind off of things..."

"So, she really is dealing with something..."

Tabito and his mom, and I guess... her too...

Running his hand through his hair, Riarshi crossed his legs. He supposed he could wait a bit longer to make sure she was all right before he left.

***

The next morning, light pierced through Hara's bedroom window. Her alarm clock had struck noon, buzzing loudly, when she finally rose from her deep, alcohol induced slumber.

Her midnight-black hair was tangled in a heap of messy knots, with a few strands sticking to the smears of her red lipstick. Groaning painfully, she clenched her eyes tight and rubbed her throbbing forehead with her hand.

"Oww... How much did I drink last night?"

Her tired eyes, searching the walls, flicked open when she found herself in her own apartment. A concerned wrinkle formed between her brows.

"Wait, how did I-"

In the corner of her eye, she noticed a tiny piece of paper lying on her nightstand. Written at the top in black ink were the words: "For Hara."

She stretched, groaned again, winced, and grabbed the paper. Flipping it over and unfolding it, she read it with bloodshot eyes.

Drink that water. It might help with the headache. Now you owe me two.

Her shoulders went heavy, and she released a lengthy sigh. The pain in her head subsided slightly as she grinned.

"That orange-haired idiot helped me again, didn't he?"