Episode 10

I continued to stare at my phone screen, reading the message sent by Kaivan.

["Cafeteria, campus"] I texted back to Kaivan.

My fingers tapped the table impatiently, waiting for another reply from Kaivan, but none came, even as my order arrived.

"Seriously, they were right about not getting your hopes up about people. This is what happens, heartache," I muttered, stirring my orange ice.

"What's wrong?"

"Oh, it's nothing," I replied.

"Then why are you grumbling to yourself?" Nana prodded.

"It's fine, let's just eat."

Nana and I enjoyed our orders, although for some reason I ate slower than Nana, or maybe she was just famished. She had finished and was already engrossed in her phone, while I was still leisurely chewing.

"Ra ..." Nana called out.

"Hm," I responded without looking up.

"Ra, that ..."

"What?" I said, taking a sip of my orange ice.

"That ...."

A chair was pulled back, and I felt Nana's leg kick mine.

"Jeez, what is it?" I asked Nana.

Nana's sideways glance implored me to look. Eventually, I turned and saw Kaivan already seated, watching me.

"Kaivan! You didn't reply and here you are all of a sudden," I exclaimed.

Nana kicked my leg under the table again. "Good grief Nana, what now?"

Nana pointed at my phone. I quickly checked it and indeed, there was a message from Nana. I glanced briefly at her before reading it.

["What's your deal with Kaivan? ]

[I'm suspicious, really suspicious ]

[You owe me a story, you know]

I sighed after reading Nana's texts, and she seemed ready to leave.

"Where are you off to?" I asked her.

"Going ahead, I've paid and remember what I said," Nana said, nodding at Kaivan and waving to me before leaving the cafe.

"Finish up soon," Kaivan pointed at my food.

"No, I'm full."

"Look, someone's eyeing your plate, they'll be over soon to scavenge your leftovers."

"What, really? You're just trying to scare me, right?" I asked, dubious of Kaivan's claim.

"If you don't believe it, just wait."

I didn't dare to look and continued eating, making sure to clear my plate and downed the rest of my orange ice.

"You don't have to finish the drink, I'm full," I said, patting my stomach.

Kaivan chuckled softly at my antics, making me even more puzzled about why he was laughing. Was there something odd about my appearance? I scoffed and diverted my gaze to a table where students from the public relations department seemed to enjoy their meatballs, sometimes even bursting into laughter.

My eyes widened at the sight of a figure, clearly not human, with its dirty hands rummaging through their food, moving from one bowl to another.

I quickly turned to Kaivan, "Kaivan, that..."

"Shh, let's go," he suggested.

I quickly shouldered my backpack and followed Kaivan's lead without looking around. Other students, still in the cafe, teased and called out to Kaivan. It wasn't surprising, given that Kaivan was one of the campus's most wanted, even though I found him annoying for his sporadic attention where he would send messages and then disappear, only to appear suddenly like now.

"Kaivan, what was that?"

"Probably didn't say grace before eating," he said casually.

"Really? So, if we don't say grace, we consume leftovers tampered with by those creatures?"

"Well, maybe. I haven't interviewed them."

*I see why Aunt warned me to say 'bismillah' before eating\, claiming that demons would otherwise partake. Is this what she meant?*

"Kaivan, where are we going now?"

"Do you have any appointments?" Kaivan asked, not answering my question and equally annoying (as annoying as Jeff in the neighboring story. Lol, always promoting.)

"No," I replied, looking back toward the cafeteria.

"Don't stare. If they see you panicking, they'll come looking for you," Kaivan teased.

"I'm curious, it's hard to imagine eating food that those creatures have tampered with." I shivered at the thought.

"I'll take you somewhere," Kaivan told me.

"Where?"

"Just wait and see. How did you get here?"

"I drove," I said, still unsure about where Kaivan was taking me. I wondered if he would take me to a mall or some special place, eager to get going.

"Hmm, then let's take your car. I came on my bike, and it might get late or rain, so it's better to use your car."

"Wait, worried about getting late? Does that mean we'll be out until evening?"

"Hm."

"No, I'm not brave enough to drive alone at night," I complained, making Kaivan glance at me.

"Why?"

"I've seen someone in the back seat before," I murmured.

"Don't worry, I'll ensure you're safe back home."

"But ..."

"Where did you park?"

I indicated where my car was neatly parked, still skeptical of Kaivan's promise to ensure my safety back home. Safety, in his terms, might only mean physically, but what about my eyes and heart that suddenly felt unwell after seeing something odd?

Kaivan seemed to have more experience with the paranormal than I did, but I was still a novice, hoping this ability would vanish and allow me to return to a sane life.

"Kaivan," I called out to him when we were not far from my car.

Kaivan did not reply but turned and extended his hand for my car keys. I finally took them out of my purse and handed them to him. Once we were seated in the driver's seat with seatbelts fastened, Kaivan drove off, slowly leaving the campus area behind.

I could only guess where Kaivan and I were heading. I figured we might end up at a mall or another interesting place, but I was wrong.

The car was heading into a residential area. To my surprise, it was like a village with big trees among the houses. To my knowledge, we were now on the outskirts of Jakarta.

"Kaivan, where are we?"

Kaivan mentioned the name of the area I had never heard of, let alone visited.

"Kaivan ..."

"We'll arrive shortly. I'll introduce you to someone," said Kaivan.

I stayed silent, refraining from asking more questions, as it was useless; Kaivan wasn't the type to provide detailed explanations. Throughout the drive, he remained mostly silent, speaking only when necessary. I looked out the window, observing the neighborhood. Finally, the car pulled into the yard of one of the houses.

"Whose house is this, Kaivan?"

"Get out first. I'll introduce you."

I followed Kaivan to the house door, where he knocked.

"Just a moment," a voice from inside responded, and then the door opened.

"Brother," Kaivan greeted and then shook hands with the man. I was taken aback to see the man stepping out from behind the door, staring at me in astonishment.

"God forgive me, who is she, Van?" the man asked.

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