Chapter 100 – You Know You Can Call Him

Mia came out of her room several hours later.

She was walking slowly, headphones hanging around her neck and her hair a mess after spending too much time sitting in front of the computer.

"I'm free…"

What had originally been going to be a quiet afternoon of chess had ended up turning into almost seven hours of games, arguments with chat, donations trying to force her into Lotta2 and an absurd number of people making fun of her every time she lost.

She had also ended up playing Lotta2.

Only two games.

For a hundred dollars.

Mia maintained that this did not mean she had been bought.

She had simply made a responsible financial decision.

'Damn Lotta2…'

Mia reached the living room and was about to let herself drop onto the couch when a fairly good smell caught her attention.

Meat.

A lot of meat.

Mia turned her head toward the kitchen and Julieta was standing at the stove. She had several pans going at the same time. In one there was meat cut into thick pieces. In another, a batch of chicken wings.

Further back, some already-cooked pieces were resting on an enormous tray.

Mia stood there looking.

There was enough food for a family.

A big family.

Julieta picked up a piece of meat with tongs, checked one of the sides and put it back in the pan.

SSSSS!

The oil reacted immediately. Mia looked at the tray. Then at the pans. Then at Julieta.

"Are you feeding an army?"

Julieta did not take her attention off the meat.

"More or less."

Mia dropped her whole weight onto the couch.

"What a complicated way to eat."

Julieta turned a wing.

"What's complicated about it?"

"All of it." Mia pointed at the kitchen from the couch. "Buying the ingredients, prepping them, cooking them… and then cleaning all that up."

Julieta let out a small laugh.

"And your alternative?"

"Delivery." Mia raised a finger with pride.

Julieta looked at her over her shoulder.

"I don't want to be handed a squashed burger, a horrible salad and wings that taste like dirt."

Mia sat up.

"Hey!"

Julieta went back to the pan.

"What?"

"Don't come after what I order."

"You're the one who started by criticizing my cooking."

Mia shrugged.

"I… was joking."

Julieta was smiling as she moved the meat around.

"Do you really intend to eat all of that by yourself?"

Julieta looked at the food.

She seemed to be calculating it.

"No."

Mia waited.

"It's also for the girls outside."

"Ah."

That made more sense.

There were several sorceresses watching the area around the house. Mia almost never saw them.

That was, apparently, the point.

She knew some of them stayed in nearby houses.

Others changed position during the day.

Julieta never explained too much.

When Mia asked, she got some version of:

"It's for security."

And then she stopped answering.

Julieta picked up another wing.

"You can eat some if you want."

Mia looked at the delivery bag that had been sitting on a table for several hours.

There was still half a burger left. Some fries too. She thought about them.

Mia looked back at the chicken, and got up.

"I'm just going to try it…"

Mia got to the kitchen and took a wing. It was hot. She held it by one end for a few seconds until it stopped burning her fingers.

Julieta watched her.

Mia bit into it.

CRUNCH!

The skin was lightly crisped. Inside it was still juicy. It had salt, garlic and a mix of spices Mia couldn't identify.

Julieta smiled.

"Well?"

Mia kept eating.

"It's acceptable."

"Acceptable?"

"Yes."

Julieta raised an eyebrow.

Mia finished the first wing and took another.

Julieta looked at her hand.

"You were only going to try one."

"I need a larger sample."

Mia bit into the second one.

'Damn it…,' Mia thought.

It was very good.

Much better than the ones she'd ordered, and that annoyed Mia because now Julieta was right.

And Julieta being right was one of the worst versions of Julieta.

Mia ate some more before asking:

"How much did you spend?"

Julieta turned the meat again.

"On what?"

"On all this."

Mia pointed at the absurd quantity of food.

"Meat, chicken, vegetables, seasonings…"

She looked at another tray.

"Whatever that is you've got there."

"Sausages."

"That."

Julieta thought for a few seconds.

"I'd say it was a lot less than your order today."

Mia made a face.

"Don't start…"

"Those burgers are terrible."

"It was not terrible."

"And your wings that taste like dirt."

Mia pointed at Julieta with the chicken bone.

"Don't insult my wings again."

"You're eating mine."

Mia lowered the bone.

"That… is unrelated."

Julieta laughed again and Mia left the bone on a plate.

"Besides, I can spend a bit more this month."

Julieta looked over at her.

"Oh, can you?"

"The streams are going well."

Mia went back to the couch and let herself drop.

"I made a decent amount today."

"How much?"

Mia smiled.

"That's private information."

Julieta set a large piece of meat on the tray.

The tray vibrated against the counter.

Mia lifted her head.

"Huh?"

The vibration came back. Clearer this time.

The glasses inside one of the cabinets knocked against each other.

CLINK! CLINK!

The living room lamp flickered several times. The television went off for less than a second.

Mia got up off the couch.

"Julieta."

The light came back.

It flickered again.

BEEP!

A device near the main cabinet switched on.

Several small lights changed state at the same time as the electrical backup system isolated the house from the grid.

BEEP! BEEP!

Then everything held steady.

The lamp stopped failing. The television started working again. The refrigerator stayed on.

Mia was already next to Julieta.

She didn't remember crossing the living room that fast.

Mia was holding Julieta's arm with both hands.

Julieta had turned off the burner. The relaxed expression she'd had at the stove was gone as she watched the windows.

Julieta took out her phone.

The screen was still normal.

No alerts.

Mia looked toward the window.

It was dark outside. The nearby houses were barely visible under the streetlights.

"Is there one nearby?"

Julieta checked the phone.

"No."

Mia gripped her arm a little tighter.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

Julieta opened an application.

She waited.

Nothing.

"If there were a strong presence anywhere near this area I would already have gotten an alert."

Mia looked outside again.

"Then what was that?"

"I don't know yet."

Julieta typed something.

"It probably happened in another area."

"And it shook this?"

"It can happen."

Mia did not look very convinced.

Julieta got an answer.

"The girls outside aren't sensing anything either."

Mia loosened her grip a little.

Only a little.

Julieta put the phone away.

"We're fine."

Mia was still pressed against her.

Julieta looked down.

"Mia?"

"What?"

"You're hugging me."

Mia looked at her own hands. One was still around Julieta's arm. The other had ended up gripping part of her clothes.

"Ah."

She did not let go.

Julieta did not comment on it either.

Mia let out a small laugh.

"I don't think I'm ever going to get used to this crap…"

This time her voice came out much lower than it had during the stream.

Mia rested her forehead against Julieta's shoulder.

Julieta raised a hand and put it on Mia's head, fixing her hair a little with her fingers.

"I'm here. Nothing's going to happen to you."

Mia did not answer.

Julieta kept her hand there.

Outside there was no alarm.

No explosion.

The sorceresses watching the house hadn't come in either.

That helped.

It took Mia several minutes to let go.

When she did, she went back to the couch and sat down. She rested her head against the back of it.

"Ugh…"

Julieta turned the burner back on.

CLICK!

The flame appeared.

"Feeling better?"

"Yes."

Mia watched Julieta go back to the food as if the floor hadn't vibrated a few minutes earlier.

That helped too.

Mia looked toward the window. There was a question she had been avoiding for a long time.

Several, really, but one of them showed up every time there was an attack, or every time she heard about monsters, or every time she saw the news about some damaged area.

Or every time Julieta got a call and left without explaining much.

Mia looked at Julieta's back.

"Julieta."

"Yes?"

"Where Matt is, do these things happen too?"

Julieta stopped moving the tongs.

Mia waited.

Julieta turned a piece of meat before answering.

"Right now they happen almost everywhere."

Mia looked down.

Julieta put the cooked meat on the tray.

"But you shouldn't worry too much about him."

Mia lifted her head.

"Why?"

Julieta looked at her.

"Knowing your brother, the problems should probably be worried about him."

Mia let out a laugh through her nose and looked outside again.

Matt.

It had been too long since she'd seen him.

Too long since her life had stopped being normal.

Mia moved one foot against the floor.

"How much do you know?"

Julieta picked up a wing.

She was about to bite into it.

She stopped.

"About what?"

Mia looked at her.

"You know perfectly well about what."

Julieta held the wing in front of her mouth.

Mia waited.

"About where Matt is."

Julieta lowered the food.

"That's classified."

Mia rolled her eyes.

"You always say that."

"Because it is."

"But you know."

"Yes."

"A lot?"

Julieta thought about the answer.

"Enough."

Mia sat up a bit.

"Then tell me."

"No."

"Julieta."

"No."

Mia frowned.

"Not even one thing?"

"No."

"Is he in another country?"

"I can't answer that."

"Is he in this country?"

"I can't answer that."

"Is he on this planet?"

Julieta looked at her.

Mia raised her hands.

"That was a valid question!"

"You can call him."

The suggestion stopped Mia.

Julieta raised the wing again.

"If you want to know how he is, call him and ask him."

Mia made a face.

"No."

Julieta bit off a piece of the wing and chewed.

Mia looked away.

"I don't want to talk to him…"

"Then you don't want to know that much."

"I do want to know."

"Then ask him."

"But I don't want to hear that crappy attitude of his again…"

Julieta let out a laugh.

Mia went on:

"He's going to answer the same as always." Mia imitated a deeper voice. "'I'm fine.'"

Julieta smiled.

"'Nothing's wrong.'" Mia raised a hand. "'You're a nuisance.'"

Another one.

"'Leave me alone.'"

Julieta finished eating.

Mia shook her head.

"I'd rather ask a friend."

Julieta looked at her.

Mia smiled.

"A good friend."

Julieta went on looking at her.

"A friend who cares about me a lot."

Julieta did not answer.

Mia tilted her head slightly.

"And who surely doesn't want to see me suffer over not knowing where my poor missing brother is."

Julieta set the chicken bone down on the plate.

"You're trying to manipulate me."

Mia's eyes went wide.

"Me?"

"Yes."

"How ugly of you to think that about me."

"Mia."

"I'm just talking."

"Call him."

Mia lost the smile.

"You're so mean."

"Orders are orders."

"You could make an exception."

"No."

"A small one."

"No."

"A microscopic one."

"No."

Mia crossed her arms.

Julieta took another wing.

Mia watched her eat.

It wasn't going to work like this.

She needed another strategy.

Mia uncrossed her arms, got up off the couch and walked over to Julieta.

Julieta watched her approach.

Mia put her hands together in front of her.

"Oh, mighty sorceress."

Julieta stopped chewing.

Mia lowered her head slightly.

"Have mercy on me."

Julieta started to smile.

"I am a simple human."

"Mia."

"Incapable of using magic…"

"Mia."

"Defenseless against horrible monsters…"

"You just spent seven hours screaming at strangers on the internet."

"That requires a different class of skill…"

Julieta laughed.

Mia continued with absolute seriousness.

"So, pretty pretty please…"

She drew the last word out as long as she possibly could.

"Can't you make an exception this once?"

Julieta finished her wing and took a napkin to clean her fingers.

Mia was still waiting.

Julieta looked at her.

"Orders are orders."

Mia lowered her hands.

"I hate you."

Wow...

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Chapter 100!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And I just realized something else...

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IT'S ALREADY BEEN FOUR MONTHS SINCE I STARTED THIS NOVEL!!

Σ(°ロ°)

Seriously, thank you so, so much for all the support you've given this story during these four months. Every comment, like, follow, rating, and every single person who keeps coming back to read another chapter means more to me than you probably realize.

(´｡• ᵕ •｡`) ♡

I've never taken a novel this far before, so reaching Chapter 100 honestly feels kind of insane to me...

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Like... 100 CHAPTERS?! HOW DID WE EVEN GET HERE?!

Σ(ﾟДﾟ；) Σ(ﾟДﾟ；) Σ(ﾟДﾟ；) Σ(ﾟДﾟ；)

And we're definitely not stopping here.

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I'll be uploading another chapter in a few hours, so don't go too far... hehe.

(￣▽￣)ノ

See you very soon!

ヽ(>∀<☆)ノ

And seriously...

Thank you for these four months, everyone. I love you guys!

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