-*| The Cursed World |*-

Chapter Fourteen: Less Alone

(A few days later...)

I find that sulking does me no good. I just feel more alone. I really have no one to go to, now. If I stay in the past, then it will only make this all worse.

So, I decide to go back to that dirty-coat.

Sure, this may be a dumb decision. A really, really stupid decision. I just can't take being by myself anymore. I need to be around others.

So, here I am. I'm watering the flowers, like the dirty-coat I hide from being. I wait for him.

Again, it is early. Real early. Weariness keeps me up. I cannot sleep, so why not just do some good?

I hear someone coming. For a moment, I think it is one of those children. It's Bean. I let out a breath of relief.

"What are you doing up so early?" He asks. His brows are furrowed in concern.

I shrug. "I can't sleep, so might as well get something done."

He walks over to me, "This is a dirty-coat's job, y'know,"

I point to my eyes, "Dirty enough for me,"

I really don't understand why I'm so down. I just feel so useless. Those emotions from events broken down like puzzle pieces aren't helping. Another thing that makes me useless. They're stupid and nothing but heavy weights to carry.

Bean looks me in the eyes. He comes a bit closer.

"Your eyes are beautiful," He tells me. Honesty shines through him, and tells me that he really meant that.

I duck my head and smile. "Thank you,"

"Well, it's the truth, so there's no need to lie and say they're not," Bean adds and smiles back.

I turn back to him, "How can you stand being so sweet? You're a dirty-coat."

I want to slap myself, hard, from saying that last part. Bean takes a step back.

'Stupid, stupid, stupid girl,' I hiss to myself.

Bean shakes his head. His dark brown hair gets more ruffled up. "Dirty-coat or white-coat shouldn't make a difference on anything,"

My eyes widen more from how embarrassed I get. "I am so sorry, I didn't mean to say that last part."

"It's okay," He says, "this is just the world we live in,"

I nod. He's really so sweet. Something on another sweet dirty-coat comes back to me.

' The dirty-coat that is cleaning up the glass gives me a smile. Awkwardly, I smile back. I'm not too sure what to do, so I kinda half-close the door.

Clover is starting to get up. She props herself up on her elbows, and looks around with sleepy eyes. I run to her.

"Clover! Clover!" I murmur quickly.

She looks at me before blinking her eyes. Then she blinks them again, and then again. I laugh. Finally she rubs her eyes, and can see me.

"What is it?" She asks.

I point to the door. "I looked outside to find Mom and Dad, but I didn't see them anywhere."

Her eyes widen, and she pulls me in for a hug. "I— I'm so sorry that you had to see that,"

I hug her back, but I am confused. "I'm confused. Where's Mom and Dad?"

Clover shrugs, and starts to make the bed. I help her, but I'm still confused. After it is done, she goes to check outside again. I trot up with her, but she puts her arm in front of me. I duck a little lower, and still see that dirty-coat cleaning up the glass.

"We should help her," I say to Clover, and she shrugs again. What is with all of the shrugging?

She stays quiet for a bit, and I swear I could see thought-gears moving inside her head. Then she replies with, "Yeah,"

So we go over and help her. She has long grayish hair streaming over her eyes, and chocolate brown eyes and skin. I can tell she is a bit older by the way her skin is wavy like a wrinkly blanket.

I don't think she can hear us. I am seated right next to her, but she doesn't notice until we start scooping the shards into her little pan. Then she gives me another toothy smile, with several of them missing.

"She is so sweet," I whisper to Clover, but she doesn't hear me either. She is scanning the room more of the time, rather than helping to clean.

I nudge her. "What's wrong?"

Clover looks at me; startled. Then she replies, slowly, with, "Nothing. Don't worry about it."

"Alrighty, well then why don't you help to clean until Mom and Dad come back?" I say.

"Mhm," she says, but still is looking around like crazy. Clover looks antsy more than anything. Probably just.. thinking about yesterday. Granted, I am too, but I am trying my best to just —not.—

There is a lot of glass. Not only from whatever this used to be, but also from the glass covering the front of the shattered painting. Also some sort of pottery, too.

My eyes keep going back to the red near the stairs. I believe I have a good idea of what it is, but I will just hope it isn't what I'm thinking of.

I'm getting a little bored, and Clover still looks antsy. I start talking to help get her mind off of it. Better to just... forget. Forget it, and forget everything like it.

"What is your name?" I ask the elderly dirty-coat next to me. Unlike what Mom said, she does not seem uncivilized at all.

She pauses, and starts to do signs with her hands towards me. I tilt my head, and scrunch up my eyebrows. I'm confused again.

She just smiles at me again, and shakes her head. It goes quiet again as we continue the work of cleaning up the glass. I remember there being so much noise yesterday.. However, just being out here is a lot worse. '

Then the rest is all fuzzy. I remember hitting the wall with a sharp —bam.— Dad got upset. I don't know if I will ever remember why.

"Hebe?" Bean waved his hand over my face. "Hebe? Hebe? Hebe?"

"Huh?" I snap out of my daze.

He starts laughing, "Sorry, you weren't responding; I was worried you, like, fell asleep while standing!"

I join in the laughing too. I feel less alone now. Bean is a good guy.

I can't help but feel like I'm making the same mistake as someone else before me.