XIII – I have no eyes and I must blink (Part 1)

Previously on ‘Yu-gi-oh!’:

Sammy, the creepy girl who blackmails Edward, has joined forces with GEO, the member of the Skulls who orchestrated the mutiny against Thief Queen Elizabeth Shao!

Ruthless, Sammy takes a photo of Adela and threatens to hurt her in yet another blackmail letter to Edward.

Will Edward finally fall for it and go meet her—and her new powerful senpai—, or will he discover the plot? Find out now!

- / Glitch - /

“No class today, kids! Go home!” said Dr. Welsh, Edward’s eccentric teacher, waving his arms at a crowd that blocked the entrance to St. Michael’s High school.

Yet the students gossiped and partied, drowning out the teacher’s voice.

“Excuse me, excuse me,” uttered Edward as he snuck into the crowd, confused about what happened. He found Macro standing idly amidst the sea of people. “Good morning, Macro,” said the boy, feeling like a stranded sailor who found a port for finding a familiar face.

“Sup.”

“Any idea of what is going on in the school?”

“The pigs closed all the public repartitions for today.”

“The pigs? How?"

“That’s thug life for cops, dude”—Macro rolled his eyes and cleared his throat—“The point is: Mayor Marchesi must be after some Glitcher or something. It is standard procedure.”

Elizabeth Shao, yet again trapped in Edward’s mind, chortled at what she heard. She explained, “It’s the infamous Marchesi Protocol—or ‘Stop and Glitch’, like we used to call it: spot a supposed Glitcher, suddenly close all the repartitions and then interrogate the public officers who already showed up. No one would bother to talk otherwise. It is one of the ways that he found to witch-hunt glitches, look,” she said, guiding Edward’s attention towards a police car that parked on the other side of the school. “They’re already getting in.”

Edward suspired. “Well, I’ll go back to bed,” he told Macro. “Have a nice day.”

“See you, dude.”

The boy left the whereabouts of the school and headed home. “Thinking about that, it’s been a while since I have seen Sophie Marchesi,” Edward remarked to Elizabeth.

“That is good. Her name made the tables.”

“The tables?”

“’People to get Mourgiana’d’. I wonder what punishment I will choose for her...”

“Seriously? You keep tables just for that?”

“I must find something to do. There are way too many names for just a list.”

“Are you serious? Who is on that list already?”

Elizabeth cleared her unexistent throat. She began, “Your sister Hermione, your mother Joy, your father because he married Joy; the landlord Mr. Mouriarty, Macro, that fat kid with a German name who squeaks when he eats; that wannabe French classmate with a bloody obvious Quebec accent; the school principal, Ms. Pershing, Brad, Brad’s jock friends, Macro again…”

“B-But that is everyone! You think all of them should get Mourgiana’d? You hate everyone?”

“Not everyone should get Mourgiana’d,” she faltered. “Dr. Welsh entertained me.”

Edward chuckled. “You are the salt of the Earth, Elizabeth.”

“I’m just British.”

Police sirens colored Edward’s pupils. “Wait, what is going on?” asked the boy, raising his head. Police cars flooded the street. Police officers stood on the sidewalks and interrogated the citizens.

“Isn’t that the landlord?” asked Elizabeth, guiding the boy’s attention to Mr. Moriarty. “Go ask him what is going on.”

Edward approached the landlord, who stared at his phone like a hungry dog faces a warm meal.

“Mr. Moriarty?” asked the boy, glancing at the police officers. “You know what is going on?”

“Hey, son. How is the arm?”

Elizabeth spoke in the boy’s head, “it only hurts when you breathe.”

Edward held his laughter and answered the old man’s question, “it’s great. Thank you, Mr. Moriarty. But can you tell me what is going on”—he glanced at two people in white vests who collected evidence from the sidewalk—“what are they doing?”

“Some people reported strange activity that could be a Glitcher.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. Just be happy you’re seeing the cops, son. Only time they show up around here is to give fines and find Glitchers—”

Elizabeth bargained, “Maybe Mr. Moriarty should not get Mourgiana’d…”

“—Oh crap, I lost a match of Sweetslam!” protested the man, furiously pressing his phone’s screen. “I meant to click the purple gummy, damn it!”

“Never mind. Back to the tables he goes.”

Edward rose his head. He heard a familiar voice talking to a police officer on the sidewalk. “Wait, is that mom?” he asked, walking closer to her and listening to their conversation.

The officer wore a nametag signed with the word “Haig”. He blinked at the woman. “Maybe we can grab some coffee later today. You can get a break from the job, right?” he asked, smiling. “A break. Know what I’m talking about?”

“I’d love that—”

Edward interrupted them, “Mom?”

Officer Haig grinned and walked away at the sight of a son.

Joy, Edward’s mother, narrowed her eyes at the boy. She snorted, “What is it, Edward?”

“You’re home?”

“Yes, I am. But they won’t allow us in yet”—she gave him a box—“and that is for you.”

“Is it a gift?” asked Edward, excited.

“I don’t know, it was in the mail.”

Edward unwrapped the box and recoiled at what he saw.

“Judy Park, Hughes Road, 222. Come, Edward. I do not want to hurt her,” said a message that was written on a picture of Adela.

The boy gritted his teeth. He felt his heart pounding like a hammer. The thought of Adela suffering for him was like torture for Edward.

Elizabeth noticed his agitation. “Toothpick, wait,” she pleaded, “don’t just do anything insane—”

Adela’s voice crept in the boy’s ears. She had a phone in her left ear and said goodbyes to a friend, “Bye, I’m gonna go meet Brad right now. He’ll drive me there,” she announced.

Edward’s mind went blank. He dropped the picture and ran at the girl as she climbed down the stairs of her apartment. “Adela, we gotta talk!” he yelled, jolting his arm at her. “Adela, wait—”

Officer Haig walked between him and the girl. “Loving is setting free kid,” he mocked Edward, holding a clipboard between the hands. “Care to answer some questions?”

“I can’t”—the boy sobbed, looking at the girl as she walked around the street corner and disappeared—“I think I love her.”

Tables for the Table Gods:

Spoiler: Spoiler

Edward's Stat Cards:

Edward (Thief King Mode)'s Stat Card: