🖍-Kenny

The bright afternoon sun stung my eyes as I approached the top of the escalator leading up to the rooftop of NeX Mall. I pushed the glass door open and navigated my way through this airy, open space. Wah piang eh. Why must so many schools in Singapore use white uniforms? The only way to tell which one was Yu-chi was from looking at the number of silver buttons on the shirt.

And there he was, sipping away on fresh bubble tea as he leant against the railing. I called his name out and he placed his tea on the floor, extending his arms. We hugged me tight and rubbed my head.

“Walau, eh. You know I don’t like that. Only ze-ze is allowed to pat my head like that,” I pouted.

“Paiseh! I’m just so fucking happy to see you again! You know, you were the only thing from SG that I missed when I was happily partying away with my family back home. Oh, speaking of which,” he said as he bent down and unzipped his backpack.

I looked down and saw that it looked relatively empty except for the sloppily packed duty-free bag. He handed it over to me with a smile. While the pineapple tarts and packet of nougats were the main highlight, it was the smaller plastic bag with the word 9x7 that caught my attention.

“The treats are for your family. The 9x7? Aiyah, see for yourself, lah,” he said as he nudged me by the side.

I opened the plastic bag and saw a tin of drawing charcoal and assorted inking pens. I grinned and gave Yu-chi yet another big hug.

“Gam sia! I was running out of ink for my last ones anyway,” I said.

Now there was only the matter of making sure that Sok-ann did not finish the snacks that Yu-chi gave us, considering what happened to the batch given by Yu-hsuan.

Yu-chi offered me the half-full cup of bubble tea. I thanked him for the treat and sucked up a few pearls. Then came the hardest question of the day. The afternoon sun was too hot, but there was nothing that bubble tea couldn’t solve. Not even that question.

“Orientation, ah? Well, believe it or not, I made a female friend! Okay lah. Yesterday I kena caught playing truant with her, but she explained that she got this thing called…what? Agora something, and the teacher let us off sia! Wah, she really saved my skin,” I said, recalling that incident with Mei.

Yu-chi’s eyes grew even larger. There was a momentary silence, and then, he broke into laughter. He crushed the sides of the cup again and patted me on the shoulder.

“Please lah. Playing truant is nothing compared to what I did. Wah, you think you can usurp me, is it?” he joked. “That being said, I’d love to meet this girl. Seems like the rebellious type.”

“Well, she isn’t actually rebellious. She really has a problem with crowds. She was recovering from a panic attack when I found her at the library,” I said.

Just like that, our playful banter took on a more sombre atmosphere. Or maybe it was the fault of the greying clouds looming over us as they shielded the sun. Ah, some shade at least. Luqman and Mei’s magic? I decided to keep that a secret from him for now.

“I’m sorry that she had to go through that. Agree with her though. Orientation can be really overwhelming, even if you know 40% of the students around you,” he said before heaving a dreaded sigh.

Yu-chi turned around and decided to face Serangoon instead. Before us were rows and rows of HDB flats, along with the occasional commercial development or condominium. His sharp profile looked oddly glum, like he was defeated.

“They still look at you like that?” I asked, back still facing the view.

He nodded his head. He rested his forearms on the parapet and inhaled a deep breath. Were his eyes starting to water?

“Aiyah. No matter what I do, I will still be Huang Yu-chi. The FT who’s also a criminal. Yet, when I was home, I could forget that I had that stain to my past. Gan lah.”

I placed my pale hand over his lightly tanned, rough ones. The surgery scars still lined his knuckles, but I quite liked the rugged appearance it gave him. Yu-chi looked up at me, and I just nodded my head.

“If those guys won’t accept you, I’ll introduce you to my new friends then. I think you’ll like them,” I said.

🌟-Mei Xing

Min laid out the souvenirs that Yu-hsuan bought for us from Kaohsiung. The thought of those sweet potato-flavoured nougats in my mouth was enough to make me salivate. Mak nodded in approval.

“Bee, ayo. Bisah membuat teh untuk kita?” asked Mak as she handed me the tin full of oolong tea.

I nodded my head and started boiling water in the electric kettle. Min and Mak glanced at the array of snacks that he brought. If his family had financial matters, surely they wouldn’t have the resources to buy this many snacks and souvenirs, right? Watching the curled-up oolong leaves unfurl as the water hit them was almost like magic. The water turned into a warm shade of yellowish-green. Now that it was settled, I placed the kettle in the middle of our rectangular dining table and invited everyone to help themselves.

“Wa simpan sikit untuk Bapa?” I asked Mak.

She nodded her head. Ah, I could imagine Bapa’s eyes sparkling once he set eyes on those snacks. My half-finished hoodie hung on the chair where he would usually sit, waiting for the embraided embellishments to be completed. Was my needle tucked into the pockets? I checked and puffed when I realised it was in there.

I took it out from its temporary holding spot and continued my sewing project from there, not caring that I had not changed out of my pinafore yet. Min on the other hand munched away on the snacks while he flipped through his A. Math notes.

“Bee, lu belum ganti baju,” said Mak with what I assumed was a disapproving stare.

“Aiyoh. Nanti lah, Mak. Wa mau habiskan projek ini. You know, before class starts,” I said as the needle navigated through the lilac fabric.

Sometimes, I wondered if I was like a needle indeed – in need of someone to push me through this stubborn fabric called life. My left hand glimmered with that hint of starlight again. Mak placed her hand over it and looked at me with concerned eyes.

“You’ve been using magic again, haven’t you?” she asked.

“Mak, I used it for self-defence. Look, this boy could have been hurt, so I just did what I thought was the right thing,” I replied.

She brushed my bangs aside, letting that ugly scar on my forehead show through. I put my needle and hoodie down and let her hug me. Maybe that was what I really needed after all, after having almost been killed by a crazy blonde girl. And I was lucky to be alive in my mother’s arms. No, Bee. Don’t cry. Don’t let the tears show.

“You weren’t seen by anyone else, were you? I don’t want you to get into trouble with Divyane again,” she said.

“Mak, ini tidak sama dengan membuat Kuching terbang. Dia boleh mati! Wa tak da pilihan,” I confessed.

Min dropped his pen and stared at us. He mouthed a soft ‘wow’ and gave a slow clap. If only I could steal his chocolate bar and wipe that smirk off his face.

“For once, you used your magic to do something useful instead of making your clone do PE for you or making Kuching fly. Or even better: cleaning your room!”

And with that, Mak let go of me and gave me a disapproving shake of her head. I only gave her a sheepish smile back and secretly cursed Min for busting that secret out.

“I know that once an Anima Magi bonds with you, you’ll be abusing your magic too for silly things like creating a barrier for our bathroom or that jar of sugee cookies,” I said, folding my arms.

The whole table erupted into laughter. I glanced up at the photograph of the four of us where Mak and I were clad in kebayas, while Min and Bapa donned their best batik shirts. My eyes were listless, uncertain of my own place in this universe. But maybe, just for this moment, I might have found it.

🦜-Nora

“Well, you’re the more athletic one, so you go carry the dry-cleaning!” Adik protested as we walked out of the laundromat.

He lugged out the bag of suits and blazers from behind him, cursing Abang Faisal for always ditching his clothes in the laundry even after wearing them just once.

“Look, kau tak mahu masuk ke STOMP, betulkan?” I asked with a wink. “Besides, I’ve been solo-tanking the dry-cleaning for the past two years already!”

And just like that, Adik surrendered and conceded defeat. The aroma of freshly-baked bread from the heartland bakery was heavenly. Same goes for the sweet nectar from the fruits at the stall nearby. Adik paused and looked at the packaged jackfruits and jambus.

“Anyway, Kak, you really sure you don’t want to appeal to RJ?” asked Adik as we went past the hairdresser.

“Come on, SJC is also a top-tier JC, what. I mean, what difference would it make? Besides, if I go back there, the RGS girls will know me as the one that bailed out,” I said.

A strange sight caught my attention though. The banyan tree in the middle of the town square was still in place, its roots dangling from above. Was there a balloon stuck within its branches though? A young girl kept hopping up and down like she was trying to reach for something. I told Adik to wait there while I approached her.

“Hey, what’s wrong?” I asked as I bent down to reach her.

“There’s a baby bird stuck up there. I want to help it, but I don’t know how to climb trees,” she said as she pointed at that particular branch with her grubby finger.

I peeked at the branch and the faint cooing of a chick spurred my attention. Perhaps it was a job for ACRES. Still, it wasn’t right to just leave it there. I put my backpack down and planted my hand on the tree bark.

“Alamak! Kakak, what happened to ‘do you want to appear on STOMP’? You don’t even know how to get back down!” Adik screamed from his waiting spot.

And he was right. I looked down and gulped. I had no idea how to get back. No, saving the chick was more important. It shivered in the corner, a very distinct dot of pink against the brown branches. Judging by the lack of feathers, it seemed like a relatively newly-hatched chick.

“Hey, little guy! It’s okay. I’m here to help you, okay?” I coaxed it.

It hopped towards me, but there was something off about the way it moved. It was limping. Definitely a matter for ACRES to handle. Worst of all? It was bleeding in its right wing. The little guy nestled itself in my right palm, nuzzling my fingers. I let out a soft chuckle, basking in that moment until I heard voices from below.

“You got it?” the girl cried out again.

I gave her a thumb up. And Adik was right. I had no idea how to get down, especially when there was a fragile life in my hands. The girl said that she would find some help. Adik rushed to the base of the tree and got his arms ready.

“Kau gila ke? Your arms will break!” I protested.

“Aiyoh, Kak. Just…trust me with this. And hey, look! You’ve got another pair of strong arms to catch you!” he said as he pointed to the new arrival who stood by his side.

It was another boy who, judging by the way he stood beside Adik, was maybe only slightly taller than I was. His honey-bronzed skin combined with his chiselled facial features made him an unforgettable sight. The sharpness was balanced by his soft, downturned eyes though. They were gentle but brimming with nervousness. He rolled up the sleeves of his white shirt, revealing toned biceps underneath.

“Okay, I trust the two of you to break my fall, okay?” I said.

The two of them began the countdown. On the third count, I let go and let gravity do the work, trusting my twin and some VS guy with breaking my fall. The bird squawked as we landed on the ground with a thud.

I could hear Adik groaning and the other boy laughing instead. His red Nike shoe lied in a corner. Man, was the impact of the fall that bad? We got back up and dusted off our secondary school uniforms. The chick? Still safe and warm in my hands.

“You guys alright? No broken bones or pulled muscles?” asked the VS boy with his chirpy boyish voice.

Adik pulled me up to my feet and asked me to let him see the chick. The girl peered over and stroked the chick’s bare forehead. The other boy’s eyes sparkled as it made tiny cooing sounds.

“It’s so cute! And hairless! What are you going to do about it now?” he asked.

“I’m taking it to the vet. It seems like it’s injured,” I said.

“There won’t be any need for that,” came a new voice in the area. This time, it sounded deep and velvety.

🌊-Minori

“Are you from ACRES? Because if not, then you can’t have…him?” said the ADSS girl as she peeked at the chick’s genitals.

Well, that was one way to make a first impression on me! Or maybe the man standing before us made a bigger impression. I mean, who wears a full business suit out in the Singaporean afternoon? He slicked his gelled hair back and asked her to hand the chick over to him.

“What? Are you a qualified vet? It needs medical attention immediately! Can’t you see its wing is broken? Its limping too,” she said.

Then, the boy with the huge bag of laundry nudged me by the side. He adjusted his spectacles and grinned at me.

“I’m Andi. That girl is my twin, Nora. And you are…?” he asked as he extended his hand towards me.

“I’m Minori. Nice to meet you!” I said as I shook his hand, not caring that the context was super inappropriate for self-introductions.

Then, there was a deep rumble in the earth. The man bellowed at Nora, sending her bangs flying. She stood still and turned around to face us instead.

“Aiyoh, Adik. We’re leaving. Bring the girl with us. I don’t trust this guy one bit,” she whispered to the three of us.

Andi nodded his head. He asked the girl to hold onto Nora’s hand, but before she could even move, Nora shrieked in pain. Golden pulses of electricity radiated all over her before she collapsed onto the ground. I brought the girl into my arms and shielded her from the sight. The chick fell to the ground, lying limp beside her.

“Lari! Lari dari sini! Go!” I begged the young girl so that she could escape from whatever on earth was attacking us.

She nodded her head and ran straight towards the void deck. Some passers-by watched on, their faces frozen in fear. My heart was racing. The moment Andi let out an ear-piercing cry, I could almost feel it rocket straight out from my ribcage. This was not safe for anyone. I ran towards the people watching us and begged for them to stay inside the shops. To my surprise, the girl helped out as well, dragging an ah-ma into the bakery.

“How dare you hurt my sister!” Andi cried as he tackled the assailant head-on.

I shook my head. This was not good in the least bit. He just kept screaming as he swung that fallen branch in the air, failing to hit whoever it was that was circling them at super speeds.

“Kau boleh jaga orang-orang di sini?” I asked of the girl.

She nodded her head and saluted me. Then, she told me that her name was Hafizah. I smiled, glad to know that we had a little leader in our midst. And just like that, I took off, humming along to lighten the many thoughts that were swirling within me. The man…the man who pestered Nora for the bird was gone.

I swooped the chick into my hands and returned it to Hafizah before darting straight back into the battlefield, still humming so that I could muster whatever strength and courage I had in me. I couldn’t let this happen to them, even if I had just met them.

“Stop!” I shouted as I stomped the floor.

Light resembling ocean waves radiated from beneath my feet, travelling across the brick floor until it I heard a deafening shriek. Andi dropped whatever makeshift weapon he was holding and ran straight for his twin. I turned and saw the assailant and what greeted my eyes made me stumble backwards.

Those green eyes met mine; the same green eyes that I saw this morning. Why? There was a distant clapping and that shady man stepped out from behind the banyan tree again. She stared at me, evidently just as confused as I was as she covered her ears.

I helped Andi with Nora and watched as the man made his way towards us. Nora’s round eyes fluttered open, and once she caught sight of the blonde, there was a rage that I had never seen before.

“Hand the bird over to me. Now,” he said.

“And why do you need it so badly? So much so that you’re willing to attack us?! We did nothing to you,” Nora spoke back.

“That bird is a vessel for insanely strong levels of magical energy. Letting a mere ordinary person like you near it could kill you.”

For a moment, there was silence. And Nora just proceeded to start laughing so hard, a snort emerged from her throat. I wish I had found it adorable but right then was the worst possible moment!

“Magic? Magic? Are you for real?” she said.

And Éclair’s hands emitted light. She brought her hand back before thrusting it forwards straight for Nora. I stepped in front of her and just shouted ‘no’ again, sending a solidified soundwave colliding into the projectile that Éclair created. Thunder crashed through the sky, like my voice had just created it.

“Oh? I see you do have a mage friend with you. Éclair, fight him. Don’t waste time on that girl and her…lackey,” he instructed.

I stammered and shielded the twins with my arms outstretched. She…she was working for him? But she seemed like such a sweet person when I met her this morning, creepy question aside.

“I can’t,” she said.

His tenuous yell vibrated across the town square, hitting every HDB flat and shop-front. Then, he glared back at us. Yet, when he looked down at her feet, his frown transformed into a cold smirk.

“This isn’t over yet, you three. You will hand the spirit messenger over to me soon. It’s for the good of this world,” he said as he grabbed Éclair by the wrist.

Her eyes never left mine, even when she tried to protest against his strong grip. Something was strange though. A dome above us began to shatter. Since when did that exist? The three of us took cover under the banyan tree and watched as the glass shards rained upon the town square. They just dissolved into sparkles once they hit the brick floor.

Everyone was back to doing their regular business. Uncles were still chatting at that coffeeshop. Aunties were waiting for their perming appointments. It was like everything that happened around the perimeter of the banyan tree never happened.

“Abang!” Hafizah cried as she ran towards us.

She glomped all three of us, thanking her god that we were all safe. Nora looked really pale and her body was still trembling, but she tried to force a smile.

“The bird is safe! It was so weird though. You guys were there one moment, and when I looked out again, you all disappeared. Then, you’re back again!” she said.

I only ended up raising an eyebrow. What did she mean by that? I mean, I could certainly believe in the existence of magic. I mean, I just saw Éclair almost electrifying Nora.

“What do you mean we ‘disappeared’?” asked Andi.

He must have strained his voice too hard because his eyes became even more bloodshot than they were a few seconds ago. He held on to his sister, not wanting to let go as her eyelids were getting droopier. The chick on the other hand decided that some questions were better left unanswered.

It hopped out of Hafizah’s palms and perched itself on Nora’s broad shoulder. Oh wait, she did say it was a boy, right? He nuzzled her cheek and rested his bald forehead against it.

“What is it doing?” I asked.

The chick began to glow with a warm light. I could feel its warmth from where I was kneeling. The light swirled all over us. It looked like little clouds drawn in smoke. Andi and I ended up huddling each other, watching as it took the shape of a ball and sank straight into Nora’s chest. Hafizah let out a soft ‘wow’. Maybe Nora shouldn’t have laughed when that guy talked about magic. If this wasn’t magic, what was it? Alien technology?

Even Nora just stared as the light filled her body. She sat up, as though she wasn’t electrified a few moments ago. Like the rest of us, nothing came out of her lips. She just blinked and stared at the chick. And she just screamed.

🚲-Yu-chi

When I reached the staircase landing of the sixth floor, I headed straight to the parapet to soak up the view. It wasn’t much of a view, honestly speaking. All it faced was the HDB flat opposite ours, the playground, fitness corner, and badminton court. It was like looking into a gated community. I sighed and headed straight for my unit.

Yu-wen and Yu-hsuan’s shoes were sprawled all over the steps leading into our house. I shook my head and unlocked the door, putting their shoes on the respective racks. The dim light from the altar to Mazu and our ancestors brought a soft smile over my face. It was the closest reminder that I had of home here.

“Li ho! Chiak pa buey?” I asked as I closed the door from behind me, slipping out of my shoes.

“Chiak pa!” Yu-wen shouted from her bedroom.

She eventually stepped out, dressed in just a singlet and shorts with her shoulder-length hair in shambles after undoing her braids. Yu-hsuan came out of our bedroom, still wearing his Dunman High shirt but with his just his boxers.

“Oh, Ah-bu called. She said she’ll be OT-ing again tonight,” said Yu-wen.

I groaned. That meant that it was either take-out from Old Airport or forcing one of us to go on cooking duty. The three of us sat on the couch and decided to settle this with a game of scissors-paper-stone.

“Wait. We’re really going to go with ‘loser cooks’?” asked Yu-hsuan as he turned to face me with a grimace.

“Fine. What if the loser gives up their pocket money to buy dinner for everyone tonight?” Yu-wen proposed.

Yu-hsuan pouted. I guess I would have to talk about him constantly borrowing money from Wei Min later. Oh, and his many ‘outings’ with him and Souk-ann too.

We flung our gestured hands into the mi of our circle. Yu-wen groaned upon seeing that she was the only scissors against two rocks. She leant back and propped her feet on the glass-top coffee table, wondering to herself what to get for dinner.

“Oe, I-hian, this doesn’t mean that you can go borrow money from Bin or go for your fancy dates together with Souk-ann, okay?” I warned him after he pulled his hand away.

“What? But he said that the snacks and gifts were sufficient payment,” he protested.

I looked at Yu-wen, who was contemplating our dinner options with a game of toss. With that, I dragged Yu-hsuan into our bedroom and sat him down on my lower bunk bed. I took my place beside him and placed my hand on his shoulder.

“I-hian, I’ll be starting my part-time gigs this year. We have to be tight with how we spend our money, okay? Ah-bu earns a lot, but it isn’t enough to sustain all three of us. We still have to send money to our grandparents back home, remember? Why not for a change, ask Min to try living like yourself and Souk-ann?” I suggested.

He turned away from me and looked at his handphone’s wallpaper which displayed all three of them doing funny faces for the camera. Then, he hugged me tight and thanked me for being a good ah-hia. He eventually left our bedroom and headed straight for the dining table to study. Me? My lectures haven’t even begun yet.

I collapsed on that mattress and hugged Piyo-chan. At least I would still be meeting Kenny, right? I closed my eyes and let myself enjoy what could be my last afternoon nap.