Encounter

Three days ago

"The main plot is good. This story got me hooked from the very beginning. The female lead has a charismatic feature, and the relationship with the male character is also good. The author seems to convey something by writing this story. This story got me interested, and I wanted to know the epilogue already." said a 17-year-old young man named Eleanor Bryson while reading a new book.

"Hey, bibliophile! It's 7:00 A. M, and you still have time to read a book? Don't you have school?" a magical fairy suddenly leaps out from a novel on his bookshelf.

"You better go to school so you won't be late for class."

"Shut up, Belle! I'm reading a novel, you know?" he shouted.

"You read a contemporary novel! So you're having an affair with another book!" she suddenly smacks his head with her magic wand. She pouts at him while making cute in front of him. She doesn't want to get replaced by another novel.

She's Isabelle Adair, his imaginary friend, and a magical fairy from his most favourite novel titled, 'Wishing Upon a Star'. She helped the lost princess to fight her vicious stepmother to be with her genuine love. It served this book to be the first book that he read so he became a 'Bibliophile'.

That novel became so popular, especially for young teens. It had received much praise from the readers, and it became the most sensational novel for young readers. The young teens can relate to the story, and the relationship between the male and female protagonists was spectacular. Ellie bought all limited collection figurines and posters from the merchandisers of that book.

"Listen, you don't have jealous about that, okay? I'm having an affair with another novel, and this story is better than yours," he said while he's putting his uniform on. Belle stares at him like she wants to be a lousy fairy to eliminate him by waving her wand.

"How dare you talk to me like that, you bibliophile?! You became like that when you first read my novel. Where's your indebtedness?" she shouted him angrily.

"Don't worry. You will always be my favourite character and my favourite novel." Ellie said something sweet saying to Belle, and she suddenly blushes.

"S-Shut up, will you? Y-You better be! Hey! hurry and get some breakfast!"

"Okay, okay."

As he heads down to the dining room to have some breakfast, he was restless to finish the book he was reading. Even while eating breakfast at the dining table, he could not keep his eyes off the book. His family accepts him no matter what. His parents, together with his younger sister, are staring at him.

He left his seat to get some boiling water while his mother is already serving him some. He bumps into her because he didn't notice her, and the boiling water spills out to his shirt.

"O-OUCH! IT'S HOT!!" he exclaimed in pain, and he suddenly knocks down on the floor.

"What's wrong?!" his father also shouted and called out to his mother. "Are you okay?!"

"I'm fine! I'm glad this glass didn't break." she properly caught the glass when she bumps into Ellie.

"Oh, this stuff burns!" Ellie seemed that his parents are more worried about the glass that they purchased from a limited store than their son that is still screaming in misery.

His misfortune begins and continues as he goes to school. A construction site blocks his way to school. There was a truck suddenly passes to him, and he's almost run with it. Yup, he's so unlucky.

"We apologize for the inconvenience," he said as he read the sign beside the construction site.

"You're so unlucky, Ellie. Are you going to be late?" Belle said as she suddenly appears to him.

"I still have some time..." He took the smartphone out of his pocket, and he looked. The time is 8:10 A. M, but his class starts at 9:00 A.M.

*Beep*

His smartphone suddenly shuts down because it has no more percent of its battery.

"I'm so unlucky!" he suddenly shocked.

"You're unlucky. Don't you know that accidents happen to you all the time? Like the boiling water spilt on you?" she said, as if teasing him.

"It feels like my unluckiness is on another level today."

He turns away to walk on another way to school and then and it suddenly surprised him at what he saw.

"W-WHAT?!"

"Hey... Please, help me..." an old woman lying on the floor is calling out to him and asking for his help.

"Please save me! I'm so worthless," Belle mocks in front of him.

"Hey, that's imprudent!"

His mind suddenly shocked when he also saw a crying child that he's looking for his mother.

"You're so unlucky!" Belle teases him.

"Who I'm going to pick? An older woman? Or a crying child? Older woman?! Crying child?!" He panicked because he did not know who to choose. The worst-case scenario is that he will be late for his class.

"Stop it! You don't care about actual life, right?"

He finally decided. He quickly carried the older woman on his back, and he also brought the child, and he runs away quick to the police station and the hospital.

"Excuse me! Excuse me! Coming through!" he yelled while running as he encounters some people that are blocking his way.

"I'm sure that you're going to be late. Time's running out, Ellie." Belle teases him as she looked at Ellie's priceless reaction about his trouble.

"SHUT UP!" he shouted.

Following the time of his running, his troubles were immediately solved, and he almost got to be late for class. He drenched in sweat, and he feels that his body is going to be falling apart. He grabbed his seat while he's breathing heavily.

"I made it in time..." he said with relief.

"What happened, Eleanor? Why are you like that?" suddenly asked by his only friend named Theodore Brooks. They possess the same interest in reading novels, and just like Ellie, he is also a bibliophile. People don't even know that they have existed and their classmates are avoiding them because they think they are strange.

"Nothing Teddy... It's just an ordinary day."

"Did you get involved in non-fiction? You mustn't do that. Let's live quietly in our fictional world. We live under the guidance of Aoife." he whispered to him while he's looking at the window. Ellie just nodded at him.

Aoife is a goddess from 'Wishing Upon a Star' where she was the mother of Isabelle. Aoife is the goddess of peace and joy so that people can enjoy happily with their own lives.

"It's them! Finally, I see them!" someone shouted and laughing the two of them.

It's Riley Cherington and his acquaintances. Riley is the coolest man at their school. A complete opposite of Ellie. He always fouls mouths him and criticizing their personality. Ellie, somewhat, can't stand up to him because he doesn't want to get involved in any trouble. Riley comes closer to them while he's saying nasty things to him.

"Don't touch him!" Riley suddenly shouted at his friend.

"Why?"

"So he will not infect you with his disease."

"What disease?"

"DORK DISEASE!" the two of them shouted and laughing synchronicity. Ellie and Teddy don't react to what they are saying.

"What do you think about the joke? Isn't it funny?" Riley asked Teddy while he's laughing heavily. Teddy just ignored him, and he stayed quiet.

"Bro, he didn't laugh, so the joke is not funny!" his friend said to him.

"Damn!, he didn't laugh!" Riley shouted, and he sits on a chair in front of Ellie. He stares at him like he wants to bite him. Ellie just stayed quiet.

"Hey, what's your name again?" "E-Elea.... nor...." his voice is breaking because he's scared to talk to other people, especially him.

"What?" "E-ELEANOR!" he shouted, and he pushed his table to him like he was angry at him.

"E-Eleanor..." he mocks his name at him.

"You know what? I got called to the office today. Can you go instead of me?"

"And who are you?"

"I��m Riley Cherington."

The two young men are staring like they are about to fight. Ellie's blood boils because he doesn't want to become a slave to him.

"Are you busy?" Riley asked, and he stares at him like he wanted to punch him in the face if he doesn't obey his wish. Ellie doesn't want to start another trouble, and he doesn't have the confidence to fight him.

"No..." he whispered.

"THANK YOU! Thank you very much! Another win for me!" he shouted at the entire class, and they cheered for him. His gang leaves his classroom, and Ellie feels disappointed in himself that he got himself in another trouble.

"You've done it, Ellie. You got yourself into trouble." Teddy said to him.

Ellie lays down his head on his table as he accepted defeat.

After their class hours, Ellie went to the principal's office as Riley's replacement to apologize to Riley's classroom adviser for being late. He doesn't care about whatever happens because he wants to get off the hook.

"I'm sorry for being late," Ellie said to the teacher with full of pride. The teacher stares at him like he is seeing an idiot.

"I didn't call you here!" the teacher replies.

"I'm sure you did. Please don't change the topic I was late earlier for class,"

"Well, whatever. Hey, come here!" the teacher calls out a student behind me.

As he turns back, the time went slowly when he saw a beautiful girl from a non-fictional world that is coming to him. It surprised him, like he was looking at a princess from the novels he read.

"Alexandria Madrigal. Please clean up the storage room with this guy!"

"Okay!" she said with a lovely voice.

His heart pounds, and he can't keep his eyes out of her. She looks at him and she seems that he's still looking at her.

"What?" she asked.

It shocked him when she looks at him. He seems that he has another trouble again.