"I still have no clue what you are trying to say."
"Think of it as a… umm… spirit. Like… you know… uhh… how should I explain this." Rebecca scratched the back of her head and muttered, "WWRD?"
"Hmm…?"
"What would Rudy do? He always comes up with the best examples and ways to explain complicated things that even a kid would understand," she chuckled softly.
"Even when he says he sucks at explaining things," Angelica added.
"I was expecting you to understand it since you must have seen many bizarre things as you are living with Rudy."
"I know what you are trying to say, but I don't understand how it works. I mean, I just saw everything, so you don't need to explain what happened. I want to know why and how it happened."
"Magic. Let's settle with that. This town has a guardian spirit that protects its people from any lethal harm. Of course, it protects itself too."
"Are you sure about that?" Angelica asked with a judging look on her face. "It could be that the Hel's Spirit is simply protecting 'you' from the possible dangers."
"I used to think that when I witnessed that happen for the first time, but that's not the case. Otherwise, this town wouldn't be as peaceful as it is. It's not that no major crimes happen in this town, they happened— but the Hel's Spirit took care of everything and removed all the traces of something ever happening."
"But… if someone saw what I just saw… wouldn't they freak out and tell everyone. I know no one would believe them, and I wouldn't either, but there is always proof."
Angelica pointed her finger at the camera and said, "These cameras, for example. They must have recorded everything, right?"
Rebecca turned to the side and said, "Follow me."
She took Angelica to the manager's office, where all the recorded data was stored. She inserted the password and placed the recording from before the robbery occurred.
In the recording, a few vehicles stopped in front of the store, and the same people walked out, but they didn't have any weapons with them.
"...what…"
Angelica watched the recording closely and saw the thugs buying things from the store and leaving without causing any ruckus.
"What?!" she exclaimed.
"When I said 'no traces', I truly meant it. And as for the people who witnessed the happening, their memories get erased and replaced with something else. No one has ever realized the truth."
"What about me?! I remember everything!"
"You are a ghost. Not technically alive."
"Then why do you know all this? Shouldn't you be the same as others?"
"Yes, maybe it was like that before. But after I was exposed to the truth— that is, after Rudy came to the past and then left a year later. I started to see things no one else could. I thought I was going insane, and it was… tough to act normal when one after another anomalies were happening around me."
Rebecca said with a distant look on her face.
"But then I got used to everything," she added with a shrug.
"When was the first time you witnessed this… Hel's Spirit?"
"Not long after Rudy left. Elena was taking care of baby Rudy, and I was at school. When I was returning home, on my way, I ran into a few wild dogs. It was the time when dogs go crazy and bite anyone they see.
I was always careful and never crossed paths with them, but that one time… it was one of the scariest experiences of my life…" she trembled as though she suddenly felt chills after remembering the incident.
"Don't keep me in suspense and continue the story already!" Angelica puffed her cheeks.
"Hehe!" Rebecca grinned a little and said, "Now that's very Jessica-like. Demanding things for no reason."
Angelica puffed her cheeks even more and turned her face to the side after saying, "Hmph! I don't care anymore."
"Aww~ Rudy is going to love your new reactions. I can't wait for him to return from wherever he is."
Angelica frowned and glared at Rebecca as she still wasn't continuing her story.
"Fine fine~ But let's go back to the counter. I can't leave the register unattended."
"Why are you alone, though? I thought there were a total three employees for the night shift at this store. At least, that's what you told Rudy. You could be lying to keep him at ease."
"Oh, no. I had never lied to Rudy about anything, except for when I didn't know anything myself or had to keep it a secret. It's like a delayed… answer. I have now told him everything. Even my… feelings and secrets."
Her face flushed.
"Oh, come on. Don't act like a maiden in love. You are too old to act cute. Just get laid before wrinkles start to appear on your face," Angelica commented with a short scoff.
"Wha—! Hey! I am not that old! I will turn thirty soon, and that's the normal age to get married!"
"I didn't say a word about getting married. I was talking about getting laid. And you know that you are just using that reason as an excuse to reassure yourself. You didn't have the guts to make moves on Rudy when you had the chance and waited for him to make moves on you," she shrugged.
"Are you sure you want to anger me?" Rebecca asked with a knowing look on her face.
"What can you do? Just so you know, Rudy won't always take your side. Especially when I am Jessica. He liked me more than you, even in the past."
"No, you were just annoying. Always demanding things from him. Maybe he will kick you out of his harem once he learns that you got your memory back," he commented.
Angelica and Rebecca began to exchange blows at each other, but verbally. They were taking out their pent-up feelings and behaving like real siblings. However, their remarks changed over time until they got tired and stopped to take a breath.
No one could tell it was the same Angelica who was hilariously nervous to talk to Rebecca after she regained her memories.
In the end, Rebecca never answered Angelica's questions, nor she continued telling her story, and Angelica forgot about it, only to never ask again.
