Suddenly, my sister appeared out of nowhere. She just popped up. She was inside my body, raising an eyebrow and looking all snappy. I really didn't like what my sister was doing to my body. It made me come across as a snobbish kid.
"C-Carmen? W-Wait, aren't you Charlotte?" Mr. Valdez kept shifting his gaze, utterly confused by the turn of events. "Can someone please explain what's happening here?!"
Mr. Valdez raised an eyebrow, just like my sister. We explained everything to him—the curse, the alternating exchange of our souls every night, and the only remedy for the curse.
"What?!" Mr. Valdez shouted in disbelief. "I can't believe it. Carmen, your sister cursed both of you?" He looked at me.
"S-She's... She's..." I pointed to my body where Ate Carmen's soul resided.
"Oh, for heaven's sake! Alejandro! I didn't want this, you know? That Switch thing is the reason for all of this!" my sister snapped.
"But you are Carmen, with that snappy and captivating presence, my beloved Carmen!" Mr. Valdez said affectionately.
It felt uncomfortable, knowing that someone else was staring at my body. I became even more embarrassed. Suddenly, something crossed my mind.
"Wait, why are you all here? Are you following us?" I asked curiously.
Ervine and Ate Carmen exchanged glances. "Because of this annoying pest! He suddenly charged at you, so I said we would just follow you!" my sister explained irritably.
"Huh? Charged? Why?" I innocently asked.
I noticed Ervine stealing a glance, quickly shifting his gaze in another direction.
"Hmm... since you're already here, and we still have plenty of daylight, why don't we continue with the date, a double date!" Mr. Valdez suggested.
"What double date?! We're going home, come on, Lottie!" Ate Carmen grabbed my hand.
"Sis, wait, there's nothing wrong with it, right? It's just once in a while," I tried to restrain her.
"I'll leave you guys then." Ervine excused himself, but I stopped him and stood in his way.
"Wait, don't leave yet! Come along too!" Now it was Ervine whom I restrained.
"Hey! Pest, stop staring at my body!" Ate Carmen interjected.
"Excuse me, I'm talking to Charlotte. I don't care about your body!" Ervine replied rudely.
"Pff! Hahaha!" Mr. Valdez burst into laughter, and we all looked at him.
My sister gave him a glare. "What are you laughing about? Hmph!"
The two of them couldn't do anything about it and reluctantly joined us for the double date. Mr. Valdez was amusing; it was the first time I saw him laugh like that, completely different from his demeanor in the office. Perhaps he loves my sister so much because he can truly be himself in front of her.
I observe them now, thinking how perfect my sister and Mr. Valdez are for each other. I hope my sister realizes just how cherished she is by Mr. Valdez.
"Hey! Are you daydreaming there?"
"Oh, it's nothing. I was just thinking, if my sister also loves Mr. Valdez, would the curse be lifted from us?"
"I don't know. Your sister doesn't seem to know how to love."
"Come on, that's too harsh. At least she loves me to some extent! Even if she doesn't say it, I can feel that she takes care of me."
"For you! But what about others? Her world doesn't revolve around just you. Besides, haven't you forgotten that both of you need to experience an act of true love? It can't be just one."
"Oh, by the way, Switch said that both of us should find someone to show us an act of true love." I let out a deep sigh. "That's so difficult! It's already impossible for my sister - how much more for me?"
"Stay strong, don't lose hope!"
Ervine is better at staying positive, unlike me, who is losing hope in my heart.
"I hope everything turns out well. By the way, thanks for the medicine potion you gave me. It worked effectively, and my fever disappeared quickly."
I remembered the medicine potion he gave me, so I thanked him again. As we walked, he seemed uneasy and couldn't look at me.
"It's good that the medicine potion took effect quickly. Usually, it takes two or three days before the medicine works, but for you, it only took a day for your fever to go away," he explained. It made me wonder if there was something special about me that made it work so fast.
It made me curious, so I asked, "Does the effect of the potion also depend on the person?"
"Ah, yes. Like I told you before, if a person has good intentions when using the potion, there's a higher chance of it being effective. If your intentions are bad, it might not work."
As I observed Ervine while he spoke, I couldn't help but feel a sense of sadness. Here it was again, my heart aching. I remembered what he said about not being able to fall in love with me. The incident at the clinic flashed through my mind, and I found myself asking an unexpected question.
"Ervine, who are you really? I asked the nurse about you, and she didn't even know I was talking to you. I also noticed that our classmates don't pay attention to you inside the classroom. I've never seen you talk to anyone in school. Who are you, really?" I asked, puzzled.
My mind was filled with questions, and I wanted clarity.
"First of all, let me tell you that I am a real person! Didn't Mamita already tell you about me?" he replied.
"That you were abandoned as a baby and Switch took you in? That's all I know. But why don't they notice you? It's like you're invisible to everyone except us."
He didn't answer me; he just gave me a cold stare, then turned around and walked away.
"W-Wait, where are you going?" I called out. But he ran off, and I couldn't follow him because I felt disconnected from my own body.
My sister noticed that I was just standing there and not following them.
"Oh, what happened, Lottie?" Ate Carmen asked.
She approached me and looked around in confusion.
"It looks like your date left you hanging?" Mr. Valdez joked.
"Oh, he's probably going back to his witch mother!" I retorted, annoyed at my sister's comment.
"Come on, don't say that to Ervine. You're even using my body!" I scolded my sister.
"S-Sorry, I didn't mean it," Ate Carmen reluctantly apologized.
I didn't know how long we would have to endure this situation with my sister. I really wanted to go back to my old body, where we didn't have to alternate. I also wanted to learn more about Ervine. I wanted to enter his world, but he himself was pushing me away.