Later that night, Sherry carefully drove back home. Apprehension filled her heart as she neared her house. Her heart beat furiously and she gulped with fear. She hadn't even been like that when she fought against monsters, so why was she so scared now? Sherry shook her head and pat her chest to calm herself down.
"It's okay Sherry. You've slayed a dragon, you can face your parents." She muttered in self-persuasion. Exhaling, Sherry got out of the car and unlocked the front door. Her sweaty palms turned the doorknob and she crept inside. Sherry looked left and right. There was no one there. Phew, she breathed a sigh of relief. A little more relaxed now, Sherry walked leisurely into her house and hummed to herself with joy.
She walked into her room and flicked the light switch open, freezing in horror. Inside her room, her parents sat stoned face, silently watching her every move.
"(M-ma, Ba! What are you guys doing here?)" Sherry asked, terrified. Her face was pale with fear and shock.
"(Where did you go?)" The taciturn Ping opened his mouth and asked. His voice was level and calm but his dad aura made it sound terrifying and threatening.
"(I told you, that I was going to Janine's.)" Sherry's voice was shaking, she didn't sound confident and convincing.
Ping narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms. An started to interrogate Sherry in his stead. "(This late at night?)" She raised one eyebrow and questioned.
"W-what's so wrong about that?" Sherry was panicking so much that she accidently spoke in English instead of Chinese.
"(Shi Ming! What did I say about speaking English at home?!)" Ping scolded, his voice reverberating in Sherry's ears.
"(That was just an accident. Anyways, I just talked to her for a bit.)" Sherry grumbled.
"(You can do that over the phone. Tell us the truth. What did you go over there for?)" An softened the tone of her voice, clearly trying to play good cop bad cop with Sherry.
"(We were just talking, no big deal. You two are thinking too much.)" Sherry whined.
"(It's because we're worried about you.)" An exclaimed, anger in her voice.
"(Well, aren't I fine? You don't have to worry about me. I'm already an adult.)" Sherry's voice was noticeably more stable and calmer.
"(Adult?)" An scoffed. "(If you're an adult, I'm a grandma.)
"(Ma!)"
"(Anyways, you're grounded. No leaving the house for three days so you can reflect on your behaviour.) Ping stated, leaving no room for negotiations.
Sherry looked at him, feeling wronged. Ping winced and felt his resolve waver but looked away just in time.
"(Next time just inform us beforehand. Do you know how worried we were? I'm was almost going to die with anxiety!)" An cried. Sherry hang her head low, feeling apologetic. At that time, she was so worried about Dylan that she completely forgot about her parents. She reflected on her behaviour and acknowledged that she was partly wrong.
"(Sorry.)"
"(As long as you know)." The Chen couple left Sherry's room satisfied.
As soon as they left, Sherry lay flat on her back. She leisurely gazed at the ceiling, happy that she had gotten away with it so easily. Really, she thought that she would have been reprimanded by them more severely. For a moment, Sherry felt proud of herself for conceding so early, resulting in a rather lax punishment.
Sherry quietly giggled, telepathically calling Dylan with a good mood. The line connected in just a second and Dylan's somewhat tired voice was heard.
"Sherry? What's wrong?" Dylan enquired. They were talking to each other just before, why would she be calling him again. Of course, he didn't mind and actually was excited for it but Dylan was also curious.
Sherry answered him telepathically, sounding giddy. "I just got home and my parents were really angry. Haha."
"Then why do you sound so happy?" Dylan was puzzled. If his father, Marquis Kaiser were to ever get angry at him, he would usually go without food for two-three days. As an avid lover of eating, this was the worst punishment for Dylan and he would usually do all he can to please his father into revoking the ban. Just thinking about gave Dylan a heart ache.
Sherry giggled. "You see, I thought they would be angrier because I kinda just stormed off but they weren't. All I did was apologise and boom! They stopped being so angry. If I knew being cooperative was so useful, I would've done it long ago."
"So, you are not in trouble?" Dylan was relieved. "That's great. If you were, I would have been so guilt that I wouldn't be able to see you for days."
"Ahaha." Sherry laughed. "Well then, I guess you don't have to."
"???"
"I'm not allowed to leave for three days. And that naturally means that I can't go to see you. Sorry buddy, is the guilt killing you yet?" She playfully inquired.
"…I'll miss you." Instead of answering question, Dylan clutched his heart and spoke with sincerity. "No, I think I already do. I miss you, Sherry."
1…2…3…Poof! Sherry's face flushed with a deep red. She was not prepared for that, she was definitely not prepared for that!
"Sherry?"
"Uh, ah, I'll miss you too." Sherry calmed herself down and tossed it out of her mind. He's just a friend, he's just a friend, he's just a friend, a really close and affectionate friend, she recited in her mind.
"I want to see you already." The flirt continued to say.
However, Sherry had already expected that. She flawlessly put up her barrier and filtered out the suggestive meanings within the words. "Me too."
Feeling that the conversation had grown stagnant, Dylan changed the topic. "When my contracted spirit wakes up, I'll let you know."
Sherry perked up. "What's your contract?" She asked.
Dylan chuckled. "It's a spirit bird called Sylphice due to its utilisation of wind and ice. They are quite rare and generally do not get close to humans. However, due to the beauty of their species, many poachers attempt to hunt them for their feathers. And so, they have been even more recluse and out of touch with human society." He smoothly gave a brief history on the bird.
"Hmm, what's its name?" Sherry was amazed by their history and also how rare they were but she did not question the fact that Dylan was able to encounter and even form a contract with this rare creature. Not only was he loved by all animals, he had an unbelievable amount of luck. Good grief, it was as if he was some kind of protagonist in a novel or something.
"It's Fir." Dylan whispered.
"Fir…Those are evergreens, aren't they? Christmas trees."
"Mhm, it's always bright and cheerful so I gave it that name." Dylan softly hummed.
Sherry giggled. "It's similar to my Chinese name, Shi Ming. Shi as in lifetime and Ming brightness. A lifetime of brightness."
"It suits you." Dylan laughed. Sherry was always smiling and she brought colour and warmth back to his world. She truly lived up to her name.
"Really? Thanks." Sherry bashfully giggled. The two chatted for awhile until it was too late. Sherry was slipping off to sleep and couldn't keep her eyes open anymore. "Goodnight, Dylan."
"Goodnight, Sherry."