9: Evergreen

His eyes adjusted to the light as his surroundings began to become bright again. Soon, the environment turned into the cabin but in day time. The walls and furniture weren't covered in dust, and there were actual sounds of nature: birds chirping, insect buzzing and the sounds of footsteps. The best part was the cabin no longer smelled like rotting wood and dust, instead the aroma of baked potatoes and roasted chicken wafted in the air.

Despite being in the cabin, Jay still felt as if he's being suspended in the air. Out of curiosity, he lifted up his hands in front of his face.

No more baby hands; there weren't any hands at all.

System! What the hell is this?

[ USER JAY IS IN ARMANI WOLFWOOD'S MEMORY. USER JAY CAN MOVE AS PLEASED, BUT USER CANNOT INTERACT WITH ANYTHING. ]

Okay...

The first thing that Jay did was going against the System's warning by touching the wall. Despite not being able to see his hands, Jay felt the texture of the wallpaper beneath his fingers.

He threw his hands against the wall, and eventually his entire body. The collision didn't make a sound when Jay passed through the wall, and his eyes landed on the trees outside. He recognized those trees, and they're the same ones standing outside the cabin where his caregivers are sleeping.

A sigh left his lips as he walked straight back into the wall. As expected, he arrived safely back inside the cabin. Then, he flinched when he heard footsteps coming down the stairs.

His eyes landed on a beautiful woman wearing a sundress, and she seemed to be in her late twenties at most. The silky fabric hung on her curvy body, and her dark skin gleamed gold in the sunlight coming from the living room window.

Above her head, a System interface screen appeared.

[ EVERGREEN ]

Oh, so that's Armani Wolfwood? The only problem Jay has with her is that she's walking barefoot through the cabin. The transmigrator watched in amazement as she walked through him as if he's not there at all. Well, technically, he wasn't there with her because this entire situation is just a memory.

As soon as she entered the kitchen, the basement door was slammed open. A lady with almond tanned skin and long black hair in a ponytail held the door open as she walked upstairs into the kitchen. Her eyes were a supernatural shade of purple, and she's wearing a leather jacket and jeans.

The System interface screen above her read:

[ LADY BLUE ]

Lady Blue? She's Kaon's aunt?

Jay's eyes landed on another person walking upstairs behind the woman; the child was taking small and quiet steps. A closer look revealed that the girl was dressed in oversized striped pajamas, complete with flipflops almost twice the size of her feet. Her messy light brown hair didn't go past her shoulders, and overgrown bangs covered most of her eyes. Compared to the two women, the girl was as pale as the dishes left to dry on the kitchen counter.

JJ looked... Innocent and ghastly at the same time. Deep dark circles made their home underneath her beady blue eyes, and when she turned her head to Jay's general direction, he felt as if those eyes were staring into his soul.

"Armani!" Lady Blue grinned at the dark skinned woman. "Guess what? Red let me have her prodigy for a day!"

"Jay Pleng the boy?" Evergreen looked away from the oven after she turned it off. "I don't remember him being this small."

"No, the girl." The woman's grin widened as she pointed at JJ, showing off the child.

"Oh..." Jade green eyes scanned the young girl for a bit before a soft smile came on Evergreen's face. "Are you also Jay Pleng?"

JJ responded with a single nod.

"How old are you?" Evergreen asked as she wiped her hand with a kitchen towel.

"Twelve." The girl's voice was barely a whisper.

"She stayed in the hideout with Red throughout her pregnancy. The little guy came out healthy, by the way." Lady Blue casually spoke while she unbuttoned her leather jacket, revealing a white tank top. "This kid needs some sun. She's been underground for too long."

"Besides helping Red, what did you do underground, darling?" Armani made her in front of the girl. With a friendly smile, she leaned down to make eye contact.

"I make things." JJ deadpanned.

"Jay Pleng, show her your crystals." Lady Blue ordered with a smug smile, as if she's showing off a piece of art. "We didn't walk all the way here for nothing, kid."

Evergreen frowned a little, but she nodded in acknowledgement. The girl's hand left her pajama pocket, and when she opened her palm, a white crystal laid in the middle.

"I only brought one." The girl whispered as she handed the crystal to Evergreen. "Lady Red said I should give it to you for protection."

"Awe, that's kind of you, dear." The dark skinned woman seemed to melt under the girl's charm. "I'll make a necklace out of it."

Keeping to her word, Armani's fingers moved as she grew some plants on her hands. Green vines turned older and darker until they were a saturated black. In less than a minute, Evergreen tied the thin rope around her neck with the crystal, making it a necklace.

A small smile graced JJ's lips, but it was short-lived when Jay heard something running in the basement. Heavy footsteps were climbing upstairs at an alarming speed, and once again, the basement door was slammed open by none other than the Red King himself.

Despite being fourteen, Red King was built like a man who went through military training for years. His tank top revealed his biceps where scars of various sizes made their home, and his black sweatpants hung loosely over his hips. Also, he's wearing ill fitting red boots that definitely belong to an adult woman.

"Jay! Give me back my stuff!" The teen boy yelled even though he's still breathless from running. His red eyes glared daggers at the girl, but he quickly put on a smile when he saw the women. "Hello, Armani! Hello, Lady Blue! Can I talk to her for a sec?"

"No, you can't talk to me." JJ didn't move from her position, but her wide blue eyes were now on the teen boy.

"Ah, Evergreen, that's Jay Pleng the boy. Those hero scumbags call him Red King." Lady Blue chuckled as she pointed her gloved hand at the teen boy. Despite being younger, the Red King was already a few inches taller than Lady Blue.

"Did you run through the tunnels to get here? From Lady Red's lab?" Evergreen's voice held genuine concern as she looked at the boy.

"I did. It's only a few miles." Red King smiled at the woman before he snapped at JJ. "Jay! Where did you hide my stuff?"

"They're mine." JJ didn't even flinch as she faced him. "The box has my name and birthdate on it."

"We have the same name and birthdate for fuck's sake!" The teen boy's voice was harsh as he continued shouting. "The contents are obviously mine! What makes you think these..." His hands gestured at her clothes, which were obviously too big on her. "Are yours?"

"They're comfortable. First person to claim it, keep it. Eat shit and die mad about it, fucker." The girl's monotone voice was enough to earn a laugh from Lady Blue.

"You—" The Red King snarled, but he was cut by Lady Blue.

"You two are adorable." The woman clapped her hands together. "My only concern is Kaon's first word's gonna be 'fuck'. Jay, since you're already here, why don't you join us for lunch?"

"Thank you, Lady Blue!" The teen boy nodded in gratitude, but his deep red eyes still stared daggers at the girl.

Jay didn't know how to feel about the scene, so he watched Armani Wolfwood taking something out of the oven instead. Fresh baked potatoes and chicken.

"Armani, I'll be right back." Lady Blue stretched her arms before she walked towards the basement. "Start lunch without me. I just remember I forgot something in the tunnels."

Without much thought, Jay decided to follow the woman as she walked down the basement.