Concealed no More

"Ah, I am, that is, my name…” Silva struggled to form her own name. Once it was out, there was no turning back. “Silva, my name is Silva.” She finally managed.” And then remembered Steven’s words. “Ah, yes, alright, I am alright." She was in full-on panic mode. 

Silva tried her best to calm her heart but failed miserably. It continued to beat faster and faster, threatening to climb out of her mouth.

To be fair, the current situation was the biggest disaster of her life! Not only did Silva make contact with Steven and Mika in a terrible and uncontrolled way, but she also had very likely seriously hurt someone.

That this someone was knocked out and bleeding next to Silva’s feet did not help her at all. Even if Steven claimed that the victim was not seriously injured, she still felt stressed about the possible consequences.

And worst of all? She was sure that Mika had seen something she would have wanted to reveal in a more planned way. "Great, not only I fucked up the social interaction part, but I also, quite possibly, probably, for sure, showed her my ability."

"Nice to meet you, Silva,” Steven gave her a reassuring smile. “You have great timing. We were in trouble here, you know?” He tried to make Silva relax by ruefully shaking his head.

The remark finally stopped Mika from staring at Silva as she jabbed Steven’s side, which did nothing to deter the guy. He continued to lead the conversation despite the lack of input from Silva’s side.

“But for now, how about we change the scenery?” Steven gestured at the beaten men and the trash that surrounded them before continuing, “And then talk some more? There is a nice teahouse nearby, where we could sit down and relax. Tea has a nice calming effect, you know.” He tried to usher them away from the mess.

"Are they... Will they be alright?" Silva felt her head spin. She appreciated Steven's attempt at sidetracking her thoughts, but she couldn’t help but worry. 

Only after Silva received another affirmative answer did she move. She decided to trust Steven's judgement. Mika also curtly commented they were fine, which Silva found strange. From the admittedly limited observations, Mika didn’t strike Silva as shy. The girl was daring, if anything.

In the end, moving away from this place was sure to improve her mental state. The ‘corpse’ in her peripheral sight constantly made Silva’s stomach spin."Then…” She tried to sound composed. “That would be good? Lead the way?" And she failed, making herself sound like she was asking for permission.

At least it made Steven laugh, "Why were those questions? Okay, how about this. I will show a teahouse to you. It's called "Shan-Tea", the owner has a very unique taste, and you won’t find tea like you can get there in no other place," he continued to speak as he started to lead them away.

Silva could only gawk at how easily Steven took control of the situation. He smiled and joked, downplaying the seriousness of what they had done. And even when Silva didn’t respond, Steven could find something to continue talking and make it sound natural.

After one last glance at their victims, Silva was back on the busy street she had been on just a couple of minutes ago. She felt lost, failing to say anything.

But it didn’t look like it was an issue for Steven. He appeared to not expect her to say anything and continued endless small talk. Mika meanwhile joined in with occasional remarks, mostly sending glances Silva’s way. She had clearly noticed something.

Silva, meanwhile, fell into a short dance of confusion. She had to decide where to position herself while walking. It had been years since she last walked with a friend. Having to decide next to who to walk was taxing for her.

In the end, Silva settled on Steven’s left while Mika hesitantly took the right side of him. The boy was more approachable, and Mika’s stare unsettled her.

Silva hid behind Steven’s back several times to avoid the incoming traffic. In her mind, they were taking up too much space on the sidewalk and tried to escape well before someone could bump into her.

Each time she did, Silva glanced at the new acquaintances, searching for signs of the fight that had just happened on their bodies. They were too casual about all of this mess.

Where Silva had expected to see some kind of a wound. Steven had taken a blow or two, but there were no signs of it. Even his knuckles were not injured as one would expect after a fistfight.

As for Mika, she only had wrinkled her clothes, and by now, she had already straightened the crevices. Steven still had some dirt on him, but it did seem like he cared about it. 

Or maybe he just forgot. Mika tersely reminded him about the dirt, and he absent-mindedly brushed it off, never stopping conversing.

While wondering how Steven had not hurt himself, she considered that maybe Mika had already healed him while she was not looking, or maybe his ability allowed him to avoid injuries?

And that was the main reason Silva had followed them. She had finally found people like her. Silva didn’t understand how or why, but it seemed Mika was a healer of sorts. They both had eluded Steven had an ability as well, but she didn’t know the details.

Silva clearly remembered the time she had walked home after school when she had caught sight of those two walking off to a remote place in a nearby park. She almost dismissed them as another pair of lovebirds.

At that point, Silva lost interest in school romances or, to be more precise - romances in general. It just didn’t seem like something that had anything to do with her.

But before turning away, Silva had noticed that Steven was bleeding from a cut right above his eyebrow. It looked to be nasty, and there was a lot of blood. 

Curiosity had gotten the better of Silva. The duo didn’t act the way she expected people to do. They weren't in a rush or looking for medical attention. Neither were there any signs of worry or distress.

There had been none of that.

Both of them had been walking at a measured pace. Mika had berated Steven for his recklessness while checking for anyone nearby and seeking a quiet place.

It had been too strange. Silva had found herself tailing them almost against her will. She had done so until they found themselves in a gazebo under trees and in the middle of overgrown bushes.

Despite their caution, the duo missed Silva’s approach. She crept ever so closer, trying to listen in on their conversation and spying through the foliage.

And while Mika and Steven had been cautious, they hadn’t expected someone like Silva to exist. Despite their effort, they were not hidden enough, and what Silva saw had left her breathless.

Silva had found someone like her. People who were not normal. The more she saw, the quicker her heart started to beat. Even holding her breath didn’t help. She trembled while avoiding blinking, fearing it all was just an illusion.

After a moment of complaining about his stupidity and how she wasn’t his personal doctor, Mika put her hand on Steven's cut. She reminded him he wasn’t indestructible despite his talent and how it wasn’t easy for her to heal him.

For a few minutes, they had just sat there. Nothing was indicating that anything was changing or happening. Silva did not know what she had expected, but there was just silence that bordered the line of being awkward. 

After Mika finally removed her hand, the cut was gone. 

Silva hadn’t moved for a while, even after both of them had left. It was the simple disbelief of her finding people so similar to her so close. It wasn’t that she thought she was so unique that no one else with strange powers existed. It was just that they had been so close to her.

And the chance meeting had made Silve feel a myriad of emotions. She was elated to find peers, someone she could connect to. Scared of what changes it would bring and excited to finally speak about herself and what she could do with others.

The emotions continued to swirl as Silva tried to recall everything she had learned. First was the names, then what Mika could do. She had learned Steven’s ability had something to do with his body.

But even above all of them, Silva had found a goal - befriending them.

Only after an hour of fantasising had Silva realised she was in trouble. She had no idea how to make friends. She didn’t even know if both of them were locals.

So, for the next few days - whenever Silva had time, she had patrolled the park, waiting for the duo to reappear.

It took three days for Silva to find them again, strolling through the park carefree, oblivious of their observer once more.

After that day, Silva started to follow them whenever possible, plotting, gathering information and trying to figure out how to get to know them. In the end, all of her actions had led to this day.

Now, at the destined moment, Silva finally could make her move. All she needed was to speak - about anything, just to say something.

Several ideas came and went. Silva frowned while trying to figure out what to say. "Think, girl!” She tried to rally herself. “That's what your head is meant for! Ask them - 'Are you hurt?'”  No, no! Don't be stupid! how about… Why were you attacked? Or maybe where are we going? No, no, I already know where! How about..." The more she thought, the more indecisive she became.

"Is there something wrong?" Mika cut Steven's prolonged monologue and Silva’s growing panic short.

To which Silva gave the most logical continuation. "Are you two dating, like dating?" Her mind stalled, and her inner voice screamed in horror.

“Are we what?" Steven tried to clarify. It was hard to tell if he hadn’t heard or just pretended he hadn’t.

Silva waved her hands in front of her, "Nothing! Everything is fine! I said nothing!" She vehemently shook her head.

Steven’s perplexed gaze turned into a shrug shrugged. “We have arrived!" He proceeded to open doors to what Silva could only describe as the most ridiculously decorated place she had ever seen.

Inside, bright colours threatened to blind Silve. Orange, yellow and white were the dominant, with blue and violet hues splashed in between. There were colourful animal figurines and pots full of plants she did not recognise all around her. Every crevice seemed to be stuffed with some knick-knack or other.

Silva carefully navigated between the tables with Mika behind. They found one of the more concealed tables and sat down while Steven went to make an order - his treat, he said. 

The eyepopping colours continued to blind her, reminding Silva why she had always marched past this place.

"I hate this place. It’s too gaudy," Mika muttered just loud enough for Silva to hear. Not that there was anyone nearby who could take offence in her statement. The place was without any customers besides them, and just one person worked behind the counter.

"Ah, it's certainly eccentric." Silva hesitantly nodded. She tried to not fidget in her seat, but… It was impossible to stay still with the penetrating regard directed her way.

"We are not dating." Mika finally looked away to check where Steven was.

"Eh?” Silva kept squirming in her seat and did not quite catch what Mika had meant - Until she remembered her attempt at conversation before they had entered the teahouse.

"You asked if we are dating. We are not. I wouldn't date him." Mika stated with finality.

"Ah, that's, huh? I thought you got along really well. Aren't you both always together?" Silva tried to puzzle out the best way to respond before belatedly realising the slip of her tongue.

"It seems like you know about us. Strange, I don't seem to recall you seeing around. Are you from our school?" Mika's gaze had intensified.

The judging sare made Silva’s anxiety spike. "Ah, yes! No, I meant no! We are from different schools!” She stumbled on her words. “We have not met before! A year younger than you... I should not have said I know your age, should I? Or the other stuff." Silva sagged in her seat. It was over for her.

There was now only silence at the table. After a few seconds, Silva could not take it anymore, and she risked looking up to see Mika's reaction. 

Seeing the girl squint at her made Silva wish she could find a hole to hide in. It did not help that she could do just that. Simply vanish and never be found by Mika. Luckily, a small part of her still had the common sense that stopped her.

Mika tapped on the table with a finger. "And I would wager you also know Steven's age. I can't say I am surprised, considering you can walk around invisible.” Silva flinched, but Mika did not see the reason to stop. “Is that why you were there? Were you following us because you knew about us? About what we can do?" The last sentence came out almost in a whisper.

It was a disaster. Silva had planned for this secret to come to light, but not right away! She considered leaving once more, even if that would make her goal unattainable. But that was not what she had decided. She had to be brave now.

The right time to speak was now. Silva took several breaths to prepare while Mika waited. But before she could come up with an acceptable answer, Steven arrived with three cups of tea in his hands.

As Steven joined them at the table, he gave them a wide smile, oblivious to the blunder that had happened.

"Here, houses special, ‘Kaleidoscope’! Nice name, huh?" he slid the cup towards Silva. "And as for you, you can have your boring peppermint tea. You really should try some of their speciality teas again! As for me, I have my favourite ‘Morning Glory’!” 

Mika did not deign to answer Steven, electing to silently accept her drink.

"So, what were you talking about?” Steven keenly noticed the strange atmosphere at the table. “Did I miss something? You didn't bully her, did you?" Steven glared at Mika.

Not that it impressed her. "About our lack of relationships." Mika dryly noted.

The answer made Steven frown. "You were not badmouthing me again, were you?" He questioned. “Stop slandering me at every oportunityuinity!” He was now pouting.

To put it mildly, Silva was surprised. Just a moment ago, she was being interrogated, but now… Now, it seemed like Mika had lost all interest in the topic. She was hesitating, making a decision. “...they do deserve an honest answer from me.” Silva braced for what was to come and took a deep breath.

Silva opened her mouth to make everything clear. "No…” She swallowed. “Actually, we were talking about- ugh!" A pain shot through her leg. 

The moment of honesty was stopped by a kick hitting Silva’s shin. It wasn’t almost a poke, but it completely disrupted her thoughts. She looked at Mika, baffled by what the girl was thinking and received a pointed glance in return.

"Ugh?" Steven furrowed his eyebrows. “Already keeping secrets from me?”

While Silva was reflecting on why Mika had interrupted her, the girl seemed to be unperturbed by the situation. "You don't need to defend me." Mika regarded Silva before addressing Steven’s accusations. "I gave her advice not to speak with you more than necessary. It would be too sad if she caught you stupid." Mika gave a tragic sigh. “So she won’t.” She nodded along her words.

It was too sudden. Silva closed her mouth, realising it was hanging open. She didn’t understand what was happening.

Steven did not look surprised by the barb in Mika’s tone. He simply rolled his eyes. "Anyway! Thank you for your help, Silva. We were in quite a hard spot there. It was very brave of you to take on someone twice your size. But you should be more careful, you could get hurt easily. You should be mindful of your safety. It would be sad if such a pretty girl would get hurt." He smoothly chided her while sipping his tea.

It was Mika's turn to roll her eyes. "Wouldn't be the first or last time you found yourself under a man with another eager to join in. Aren't you experienced enough to handle them properly by now?" She was merciless.

Steven almost choked while drinking, then glared at Mika. “What did I do to you today to deserve your scorn? Is it because I took your sandwich?” He complained.

 

“So it was you!” Mika jabbed a finger at him.

While the man himself muttered something along the lines of 'So that was not it'.

It was oddly calming watching the strange pair bickering. Silva felt almost comfortable, finding herself wondering if she could join the conversation. It was impossible for her, but…

"Still, be more careful, young lady!" Steven finally turned back his attention to Silva as he winked.

"She is only a year younger than I. Don't patronise her." Mika inserted.

"Huh, really, I would have guessed sixteen at most. Well, one year off is not a bad guess! All kids look the same these days." Steven shrugged. “I think I am getting old. But you are already a looker, I bet you will look gorgeous when you grow up.” He ignored Mika’s reminder that he was only nineteen.

Silva looked down at her cup, noting the whirling mass of colours that was her tea. She smelled the blend before tasting it. 

While the aroma was bearable, the taste was far too sweet for her. The compliment made by Steven went over her head.

"Tough crowd, isn't it, Mika?" Steven sighed.

Mika wasn’t entertained either. "Stop that right now. It is making me nauseous and her uncomfortable." She admonished.

Silva only then caught up with Steven’s words and blushed, somehow worsening Mika’s mood noticeably.

It seemed Steven noticed it as well. He coughed in his hand before continuing. "Anyway, Silva... I was not joking when I told you to be careful. I don't think any of those guys saw how you look. Still, run if you encounter them again. And if necessary, give me a call, and I will come running. Can you give me your number so I can give you a call and you can add me to your contacts?"

“There is no need for that!” Mika was already taking out her phone, “Don’t give a random guy your number. Their goals are always nefarious, guaranteed. How about…” She almost dropped her phone in a hurry. “How about we swap our numbers. Just in case. You did smack the guy good. It would be better to be careful.” She reasoned.

"Hey!" Steven protested. "My intentions are pure as the morning dew! Or summer sky or something something! Unlike someone’s…” He grumbled.

Finally, Silva tried to contribute to the conversation once again. “Shouldn't you inform the police? It seemed like they were targeting… Um, you...” Silva's voice petered out.

Steven shrugged. “I may have some dealings with them, but there is nothing for you to worry about. Also, don't tell me you forgot my name? It’s not ‘you’. It's Steven, or Steve, or Big S.”

“That's short for Big Stupid,” Mika murmured just loud enough for Silva to hear.

But Steven heard. He sharply pointed his finger at Mika. “Hey, aren't you meaner than usual today?”

“Am I? Must be your imagination.” Mika deflected.

Silva almost laughed. This felt comfortable. This was what she imagined friends to be like.