When No One's Looking

"Wait up, Miss! I'm a talent agent and you look perfect for the modelling job I'm scouting for." A man in his late 30s approached Sage in the bustling streets of New Georgedain. The young lady's footsteps hastened as she crosses the 4-way intersection of the metropolis. It's the darkest of twilight. Most of the people are at the city square, crossing the road from all sides and going home from an exhausting day at work. Sage's grip on the plastic envelope she's carrying tightened. She can't get a good hold of it and it would be a nuisance if she drops it now that the talent agent has crossed the street too in persistent pursuance. "Dang it." She bit her lower lip. "I've been running away from these scammers all day. They really know how to spot a newbie in this huge capital!" She doubled her pace but in return, it worsened the pain on the back of her heels. The discomfort brought by her swollen blisters just wouldn't let her walk fast for too long. "Miss, this won't take long." the talent agent caught up to her. "Let me treat you a cup of coffee so I can discuss my proposal." "No, thank you. I have an appointment and I'm running late." Sage tried to get away from him but he didn't let her escape this time. The talent agent held her by the wrist and with a hint of intimidation, he spoke in a low voice, "This will be quick I promise." "I'm not interested, Sir. Now, if you would just let me go. " Sage struggled to release her arm from the talent agent's tightening grasp. "Sir, let go of me or I'd have to call the cops," she snapped. There was no sign of the talent agent giving in so Sage forcibly pulled herself out of the restraint and accidentally threw her plastic envelope in the process. The papers in it are marked in red, and all of it flung and scattered in the air before it reached the ground where it got crumpled and stepped on by the passersbye. "No, no, no." Sage rushed and knelt on the asphalt, her knees bruising in desperate attempt to pick the papers one by one in that position. The city square is filled with industrial workers but mostly of white collar employees and persons of high social class. Nobody gives a d*mn for someone who grew up in the outskirts and that's the reality Sage has to live in. She was a about to pick the last red-marked paper on the ground when the talent agent beat her to it. "Resume, huh?" he discourteously reads through it. "Give it back, Sir." "A 25-year old woman without any prior real-world experience. Your job applications were rejected and you have the audacity to turn my offer down?" He threw the paper in Sage's face which left her traumatized. "Go back to the dumpsters where you belong." He contemptuously lit himself a cigarette and puffed on it. "New Georgedain has no place for failures like you. It's infuriating enough that our taxes fill you bottom feeders' plate. Get the f*ck outta here." Sage rose, smoldered with resentment. Before she could even answer, the talent agent has exited the scene with his cigarette stub burnt out on the cemented sidewalk. An old, humpbacked man wearing a ragged shawl gathered the cigarette stub and stored it inside his half full basket of trash. "It must be for garbage collection," Sage thought. "The only subsistence for the paupers in the capital." if she doesn't want to end that way, she has to ace the interview tonight no matter what. Sage eagerly gave the old man her lunchbox before she go. "Here, take this. It should be enough dinner for you." he didn't utter a word of gratitude. Sage noticed that the pauper's lips are chapped— his throat must be too dry that he couldn't speak. That realization further broke her heart. "I'll be back tomorrow for your breakfast." SAGE WAS OUTSIDE the HR office waiting for her turn to be assessed along with 15 other applicants who were also shortlisted for the position. Her hands were cold seeing the shiny closed toe heels, neat business attire, and stylish hairstyles of the females in line. The competition was tight for the job vacancy and these candidates put her in a disadvantage. "I'm just gonna catch some air." Sage apprised her co-applicant whom she had built camaraderie with. "Be back in 5 minutes. You might miss the call." the woman of color cordially reminded her with a strong Jamaican accent. The gesture put a pleasing curve on Sage's lips. "We're practically rivals for this position. Why are you helping me?" "If we don't play fair that ain't rivalry— that's sabotage. You better be here on time, Girl." the woman's natural curls bounced in full volume as she signalled Sage to leave. "Go." "I'll be quick." Sage excused herself and left the lobby. Her shoulders immediately softened upon the absence of tension in the air now that she's outside. She went straight to the corporate skyscraper's balcony. There, she checked the pencil skirt her grandmother gave her if there's any wardrobe malfunctions. She couldn't help but heave a sigh of relief when it didn't rip on places she thought it would. "I can do this." Sage was appeasing the anxiety building up in her chest when a bird suddenly perched on the balcony handrail. Its legs and bill is as bl*ck as coal, and that acts as its camouflaged in the dimness of the night. "How do you thrive in this big city?" Sage asked the crow. "Would you tell me your secret?" The crow flapped its wings and dove off the handrail, plummeting into the air before it proudly spread its wings and soared to its highest reach. The crow's flight led Sage's eyes to the mystical view of the total lunar eclipse she didn't notice was taking place. Her lips parted in awe. The moon was painted crimson red— almost like a fresh bloodstain smearing across a white tee, only that it is on the freckled surface of the moon. Sage was sent into trance; she couldn't take her eyes off the astronomical phenomenon for who knows how long. Even when the woman of color finally rushed to tell her that her presence is now being requested for the interview, she remained focused on the blood moon as if it has a hypnotizing effect on her that she coudn't break free from. "Sage?" the woman of color called out to her once more. It's only a matter of time before she's disqualified for the interview. Next thing she knew, her world turned 360° and darkness has swallowed her until she completely lost consciousness. The next morning, confusion crossed Sage's face when she looked behind her but saw no one. "Who's this girl on the mirror?" She poked the cheek of the unfamiliar girl on the reflective glass. Her eyes grew bigger when she had felt her touch on that area as if it's her own skin in contact— the sensation sent chill down her spine. "W-Where's my own reflection?" Sage fought a rising panic. She grazed the girl's pointy, straight nose and felt its smoothness. "T-This can't be real." Her fingertips proceeded to feel the polyester fiber of the girl's fake lashes and the elegantly penciled eyebrows which left smudges on her hand. "What's happenin— oh cripes!" her unusually voluptuous bossom bounced from the sudden jerk upon shrieking like a rubber duck that releases a high-pitched sound when stepped on. "T-This is me? I-I'm trapped in a different body!?" TITUS CAUGHT A glimpse of the tall serviceberry plant beneath him. It reminded him of his bad temperament which like the branches, are volatile and labile. He was crossing the skybridge to enter the academy's science and music building on the other side. From above, the plant's branches can be seen proudly expanding like an inverted umbrella of white blooms that block a fair amount of sunlight—the only reason why he tolerates its existence. "Hey! I told you to wait for me!" Richmond caught up to him with every steps clumsy and accident-prone. "Come on, My Friend. Stay close!" The gingerhead's lax thin forearms carry a disorganized stack of books of physiology, human anatomy, and the likes. His feet can barely carry the whole weight yet he kept following the hearthrob. "Don't leave me behind!" Irritation pricked Titus. His hawkish stance turned to face the annoying class nerd. "Report the bullies to the principal." "There's no need for such extremity." Titus' lips curled into a more apparent frown. "You're the apex predator of the academy— the specie on top of the student chain! The d*ckheads won't harm me as long as I stick with you." Titus showed contempt to the idea. "In other words, you are taking advantage of me." "What? No! It's what you call 'mutualism', My Friend." Richmond's hands playfully gestured like a stage curtain in the sky that grand reveals an imaginary glittery rainbow. "Our symbiotic relationship is that I benefit from you and you benefit from me. Like all the organisms on Earth, we will co-exist and survive highschool." Titus unblinkingly gave him a hostile glare. "You can even barely enter the classroom without mustard and ketchup splattered on your suspenders. How can you be of any 'benefit' to me?" "In that case, let's treat it as commensalism. I benefit from you while you remain unbothered." Richmond was feeling himself, waving his hand in huge swings to greet the highschool girls on the end of the skybridge. Titus roughly wore the hood of his windbreaker and went on his way, leaving the self-absorbed airhead. "Hey! Wait for me!" Richmond chased his only friend across the skybridge and all the way to the cafeteria. The stack of books he carries sway from left to right, and back and forth thanks to the long, roundabout hallways Titus intentionally took to mislead him. Upon entering the cafeteria, Titus slammed the door in Richmond's face whose quick reaction had held the swinging door, saving himself from a scath. "Ha! Always happens!" Titus purposefully strode to his seat like he owns the place. The students on the canteen in submission gave way, dividing themselves into two to give the apex predator a passage. "Oh, man, oh, man this is awesome!" for the first time in his life Richmond didn't have to walk with his head down. "Are you mad because I actually have the potential to steal the spotlight from you, Mr. Hearthrob Sir?" "How about you leave my sight?" "Worry not. You can have Ava Pedregon, My Friend. I'll take good care of the rest of your fangirls for you." A spark of mischief shone through Titus' eyes. "Well, you might as well take the trash with you." "Trash?" only he was clueless. The student body's voices filled the cafeteria with murmurs of controversial whispers. "You can have the annoying bitch." Titus patted the gingerhead's shoulder, his lips in an unusual occurrence, curved into a mocking smirk. "Y-You mean I can also have the queen bee?! Are you being serious right now?!" "By all means." Titus' simper perfected into a conceited smile. "My Man, you're the best!" Richmond choked him in a tight embrace which he immediately broke off with apparent distaste. "A piece of advice though, why don't you stop talking Jurassic and try speaking with contractions? Maybe then you'd be half as handsome as I am." "It is not in my interest to look disgusting." "How old are you again? 500?" Titus' eyes widened. He mistakenly took Richmond's banter differently. That triggered a pulse of raw power surges through his veins. His fangs sharpened and it inadvertently scraped the flesh of his tongue which bleeding he had to swallow. The gingerhead's skull is more fragile than anything he has devoured. If he really has to, he's certain that he can rip the class nerd's neck like a cougar pigging out on its prey. "Oh my days!" Richmond's pole-thin arms are at its limit. The stack of books he has been carrying had landslided onto Titus' table, creating a collective thud noise. That distraction cleared the tension in the air, snapping Titus' out of his innate predatory instinct. "This highwaist pants is hindering my movements!" Richmond retorted. The students in the canteen dissolved into a scornful chortle with the redhead as their object of ridicule. "What a loser." some of them mock him in an undertone. "He would never. Titus should teach him a lesson and beat the crap out of him." "Right? How dare he breathe the same air as Titus." Richmond in close proximity can hear them clearly. He gathered his books haphazardly, ignoring the jeering crowd. "Hey, Man? Do you mind giving me a hand here? The reading materials are all over the place I could use some help." "There's no way he's Titus' friend for real, right?" the group of sassy, young girls seated by the window deliberately spoke loudly this time. "He's not gonna help him." "Duh, that's not even a question." "Yeah, he's just saying they're friends so he could ride Titus' coattails. So desperate." Titus didn't move a muscle nor utter a word of refusal to Richmond's request for assistance. He owned his seat with a tenacious bearing. The student body in reverence, scampered and went back to their places following his initiative. Their eyes remained glued at him whose fist was now crushing the can of soda he found loitering on his table. "Who dare left that there of all places?" everyone was in a state of discreet panic. Their voices were lowered to prevent the hearthrob from hearing their conversation. Little do they know that he can hear the faintest noise from miles and miles away. "I don't know. But I thought I saw someone sat there a while ago." "Hold it! That's mine!" a female voice echoed throughout the cafeteria's entrance just about Titus was to throw the can of soda in the trash. She burst the door wide open. "Give it back! That costs me two budget sandwiches!" The highschool girl sprinted to take the soda from Titus. Her pasty, horribly done makeup caught everyone's attention. The student body has never seen her this unpresentable— not the campus queen. What more, her hair's sticking out from the rest of her messy bun looking like it was a week ago since she last showered. Just as the queen bee was about to reach for the can of soda, Titus lengthen his arm to evade her reach. "Give it back!" she yelled once more, hopping and persistently extending her limb to retrieve the drink. Her lack of grace had everyone wondering. "You do not drink soda, Pedregon. What has gotten into you?" Titus eyes' narrowed in suspicion. "I-I don't?" She stepped back and froze. Noticing that she harbored the intrigued looks of her schoolmates, her hands instantly felt cold in a force of habit despite being in a different body. "This is full of artificial sweeteners and additives. Everybody here knows you would not drink this garbage." Titus popped the can broken. Sage flinched, gawking at the soda oozing from the cracks. Titus' hand is drenched. "W-Well, I just started drinking cola for a change. We only live once so why not try all sorts of beverages? There's no harm drinking it occasionally. And since you squashed mine, I'll have to take yours." She quickly snatched Titus' carbonated drink on the table and chugged it like a parched quarterback from the football team. There was a cumulative gasps from the student body. They know exactly what disaster will transpire after this. "There is harm to it, Pedregon," Titus asserted. "Have you forgotten that one time you got red bumps all over your face because you are allergic to caffeine? Do I have to mention that the cola has about a hundred gram of caffeine in it?" The campus queen panickingly spat the beverage all out. "I-I know about cola containing caffeine but nobody told me about this allergy!" she, a grown-up woman in the body of an 18-year old girl, can't accept that this highschool boy was talking down on her. "Dang it, Sage. You should have checked Ava Pedregon's medical record first," she thought to herself. "I am humored. That is amusing of you to forgot about your own hypersensitivity." Titus closed the gap between them and stared down at her with hostility. "Where is Ava?" Sage's lips trembled. "W-What do you mean? I'm Ava Pedregon." "The real Ava wouldn't stop obsessing over me." Her face instinctively turned red. Being Ava for a while now, she couldn't help but think that Titus doesn't feel like a teenage boy at all. "You hated it so I stopped. Aren't you glad there's one less nuisance for you?" "Respecting one's personal space is not in your vocabulary. What are you scheming this time?" "I owe it to myself to withdraw from my attachment to you. You're not the only boy in the academy, Titus." A muscle in his jaw twitched. "You did that obscenity last week and now you are saying this?" "What obscenity?" Sage glanced around, perplexed by the sneering crowd. "I have no idea what you're talking about." "Ava!" The clique of sassy highschool girls mostly consisted of the campus' cheerleading group members rushed to the queen bee's side. One of them seized her by the arm. "What?" Sage snapped, twisting herself out of the grasp. "Let's go," the girl with eyeglasses who took a hold of her said. She apologetically turned to Titus afterwards. "We're very sorry about this. Ava suffered from a mild head injury so she couldn't clearly remember anything that happened a few weeks back." "Wait, I've been meaning to say this," Richmond jumped in, his mischievous beam reveals the wisecrack he's on to. "Did she hit her head or something?" he chortled, buying his own joke. Everyone gave him a deadpan look but his laughter just turned into gleeful wheezes. Sage bitterly unshackled herself from her friend's clutch and faced the heartthrob with an open chest. "What obscenity are you talking about?" "You cannot seriously forgotten." "What did we do?" she probed once more, her tight-lipped frown conveying warning. "We?" Titus contemptuously lifted his chin and spoke in a lower voice, "You crept up on me by yourself, Pedregon. That lace strap lingerie? I bet that felt raw on your nipples." Sage froze. Her eyes were wide open staring at the jerk who just casually revealed the vulgarity of who she is right now. It's already given that Titus is one problematic teenager but Ava Pedregon? She's something else! Glancing away from the gossipping student body, Sage strode the distance towards the cafeteria buffet where Titus went. He just finished hand-picking lunch meal on his food tray and is now headed to the vending machine for a yogurt milk drink. "H-Haha, I think I was possessed by an evil spirit that day. Listen, I'll pay for your lunch and we'll call it quits. You won't tell anyone about this. Deal?" Sage negotiated. "And I just want to make it clear. Nothing happened between us, right? No penetration or whatsoever?" She persistently followed him around. "You may be a jerk but you wouldn't find me attractive." "You cannot be so sure about that," Titus crowed teasingly.