THE GATEKEEPER

Chapter 2

Drake crossed the road out of curiosity and joined the other people gathered around the girl.The wind carried her clear as a bell voice further down the street.A sizable crowd had gathered to listen to her before she closed her mouth and stopped playing the guitar, spilling onto the road and causing traffic issues.People began depositing cash into the open guitar case that was lying on the ground next to the girl after there was a brief moment of silence and loud applause.Drake stayed to try to speak with the girl as the crowd began to disperse.She had already put the tips in her purse and was carrying her guitar case over her shoulder when he got close to her.When he began to clap once more, she stopped and turned to face Drake.That was actually pretty good," he said.Despite the fact that most people in this city are American, you heard them singing a Japanese song.That simply goes to show you don't need to comprehend the language to like the melody."

The young lady smiled and said a brief "thank you."Drake recognized that she lacked any resemblance to a typical American when he took a closer look at her face.

She abruptly inquired, "Are you getting ready to propose to me or something?" while he was standing there.

Drake retreated and stared at her in shock at the unexpected question.Wha- no!That is completely untrue!”He mumbled something and crossed his hands in front of him like an X.

The girl replied, giving the impression of being discouraged for a moment before returning to her normal demeanor.Since I am frequently proposed to in public here, I kind of expected you to do the same.

Drake shook his head violently.I am not, believe me.I don't want to start a relationship in my lifetime.There is no interest at all.I just assumed I recognized that song from the anime's opening sequence.Has anyone seen it?

She replied, "Yeah, I know the one you're talking about."While we were supposed to be studying for an exam, a friend of mine made me watch the first ten episodes all at once.I thought I'd like to try doing it myself after hearing it so many times, so here I am playing it from memory.

When the sunglasses he had just purchased that morning slipped and fell off his face, Drake stared at her in awe.Drake backed off when he realized Alice had a good look at his eyes and turned around. He was about to go home before the insults started, but a hand grabbed his wrist and stopped him.Her hands were placed on both sides of his head while she held it in place as she forcefully turned him around to examine his eyes. Their faces were just an inch or two apart.Intellectually setting himself up for the put-downs he was expecting, Drake recoiled again when the young lady gave him a splendid grin and delivered him prior to making a stride back.

"I think your eyes are really cool!"She stated,You look like a character from an anime!Is there a genetic condition or something?”

“Hah!?”Drake was taken aback by the girl's reaction to his gaze for the third time as he stared at her.He had a very difficult childhood due to the fact that no one had ever complimented his eyes before.He was called names like "freak" and "monster" by schoolchildren, who were mean to him and kept their distance.Also, the adults didn't really say anything about it;They would just try to ignore it and treat him like the other students in their class.He had taken up to wearing shades toward the start of center school, however it didn't significantly benefit him definitely as everybody around him definitely had some awareness of his eyes.Drake had his eyes covered all the way up until that point, but moving to Atlantis City gave him a chance to start over.When he awoke that morning, he discovered that he had broken his other pair of sunglasses by rolling on top of them while he was sleeping. This forced him to purchase a new pair.The pair didn't fit him very well because the store he stopped at didn't have any left in his size.When Drake considered that day, he realized that it was almost a miracle that they hadn't fallen off earlier.

Drake was able to regain his voice after some more stunned silence.I've never been offered a commendation on my eyes previously.You are the first person I've met who hasn't shunned me or been afraid of them after seeing them.

“Huh?Really?”She responded by slightly slanting her head to the side.They don't seem to have anything wrong with me;If you ask me, there is nothing wrong with your eyes.It is not as though simply having them makes you evil or something like that."

"It's true, right?!For years, I've been telling people that!Drake was so eager to have a normal conversation without worrying about his eyes that he almost shouted back.Before cracking a joke, the young woman gave off an unexpected look.

"Incidentally, my name's Alice.Who are you by name?

“Drake.”

“Drake?”She agreed.I've never heard of that name before.

"Yeah, well, that's the only name I've ever had," I replied.I don't even have a first or last name;I don't have any relatives."

Alice said, "Oh, I'm sorry about that," glancing down at the ground as she heard this.

"For what reason are you apologizing?"Drake inquired. "Apologizing for something I have never experienced is pointless.It won't affect you.

"I suppose you're right,"Before moving on, Alice took a moment to pause.Need to plunk down and talk for some time?I'd like to discuss some other anime songs I want to try singing with you.

Drake responded, "Alright, that sounds good to me."They then crossed the street and sat down at the outdoor café that Drake had passed earlier.After receiving her iced tea, Alice placed her order, and the two of them began chatting.Before Alice glanced at her watch, the cup was quickly empty and all of the ice had melted.When she saw the time, she hesitated.

Oh my God, it's already 6:30 p.m.She yelled, "If I don't run, I'll break my 7 p.m. curfew!

“Seriously?Do you have a bedtime?”As Alice got up and began to pick up her belongings, Drake made a comment and rolled his eyes.It sounds like your parents are really controlling."

Alice pulled the receipt from the chilled tea towards her and began composing angrily on the rear of it. "Well, my father won't be home yet, but our butler will definitely tell him if I break my curfew.

"His butler?"Drake echoed as Alice presented him with the receipt bearing her name and phone number.Is your father a business owner or something?

"No, but because he is the mayor, one was given to us when we first arrived here."

“Mayor?!”Drake yelled.

Yes, my father is the mayor of Atlantis City.In any case, I must run right now; please call me tomorrow.Let's try it again as soon as possible because the conversation was enjoyable for me.Later!”Drake was left standing alone at the table in shock as Alice quickly fled down the road.He took a moment to examine the piece of paper that Alice had given him.A name was displayed above the given number:Tyrion, Alice.

“Drake?Do you still exist, Drake?”a voice inquired.Drake snapped back to the present and saw Alice standing in front of him with a slightly worried expression on her face.

"Are you ok?"Alice questioned,You were gazing vacantly at nothing a little there."

Drake replied with a smile and returned his sunglasses to his face, "Yeah, I'm fine."There, I was merely contemplating for a moment.He began leaving Alice, waving his hand at her. "Hold on!We must hurry up or we will miss our talent show slot.

Alice said, "Yeah, we do need to hurry," checking her watch as she caught up to Drake.Already, it is 10:10;Before registration closes at 11 p.m., we must act quickly.

Drake noticed that Alice's hair wasn't in the usual braid as they were walking.Normally, it was tied in a French braid crown around her head, but today, all of her hair was loosely tied around her shoulders.I see that someone didn't have time to properly style their hair this morning, right?”He said that.