Sophie and Abigail talked as I tapped my pencil on my notebook. Focusing on the conversations of other students during Lunch gave me a sense of tranquility. It was a nice break away from all the hectic events happening as of late. Still, I felt like I was missing an important detail. Why do I go through this phenomenon?

"Ow! I told you to stop flicking my head, dammit." Abigail sat next to Sophie, rubbing her forehead to comfort a red spot. Her t-shirt and jeans clung to her figure with ease.

Sophie covered my ears with her hands and snapped, "I'll stop once you stop cursing in front of Ziv. She's too pure for your vulgarity. Isn't that right, Z?"

"Um, it's no problem. I'm used to it by now." I smiled to reassure them. "She's been doing this for ages."

Sophie didn't agree. "That's not the point. Cursing is like cancer. If you hung around someone who smoked 24/7, eventually you'd get second-hand cancer." She crossed her arms, turning to Abigail. "Same thing with cursing. Poor Ziv'll be a sailor by the time we graduate."

"Hey, I don't curse all the time!" Abigail huffed, slamming her balled up fist on the yellow table. "I only do it when it's necessary."

"It's never necessary." Sophie shook her head and stood. "I'm going to the bathroom."

"Thanks for the report," Abigail grumbled.

"No problem."

After she walked away with a smirk, Abigail turned to me. Her cheeks were red with what I assumed to be anger as she bit her lip. "Ziv, do I curse too much?"

Contrary to Sophie's belief, I didn't care about Abigail's choice of words. "I'm fine with it, Abi. Just don't do it around adults, okay? It's rude." I lifted my hand up to ruffle her crimson locks.

"I get it, jeez. I'm not a hooligan." She waved her hand, dismissing my advice playfully.

Regardless of our light conversation, my mind was still riddled with doubt. I couldn't keep this secret in any longer. If my curse was as powerful as I thought it was, then I wanted to know their taboo words for the future. Sophie and Abigail were important friends, and I didn't want to lie anymore.

I spun my pencil in my hand as a distraction from the headache I knew would come. "I think it's about time I told you guys the actual truth."

"What do you mean?" Abigail pushed her hair back, sitting up to fix her posture. "We already know."

What? The pencil flew out my hand and slid across the table before plummeting to the floor on the other side. My hands found their way to my lap, folding together until my knuckles pounded. "Y-You mean, you can see them?" All of this time, my words were visible? I looked up to see them swirling around my head. I refused to eat them, so they were squeaking against each other in a ball of swirls and curves.

Abigail frowned, popping a fry into her mouth. "Of course. You make it pretty obvious with the way you stare at him."

My throat tightened up. Sweat beads rolled down the back of my neck when I stuttered, "Really? I didn't think―wait, what do you mean 'him'?"

"Hm? You like Kyle, don't you?"

At the mention of him, a cough rumbled out of me. I hacked up day old ink―ink which remained unnoticed by anyone else. It landed on the paper, then floated up until it attached to 'function'. My face burned. "No! I mean, not like that. He's a good friend, that's all."

A smirk curved her lips as she raised her eyebrows. "Sure, sure. That explains why you were so close to him the other day." She nudged my shoulder, adding, "Oh don't worry, I think it's cute. As long as he doesn't try to pull any shit."

My mouth hung agape. Words slithered out of me before I could stop them, tripping over each other to be heard. "It was hard enough getting him to open up as a friend, but imagining him as anything more? That's ridiculous. Especially since I'm not..." My chest tightened at the unspoken word. Normal.

"If you mean pretty, that's nonsense." Abigail shook her head, then put on a grin. "You're wonderful."

Her vibrant eyes stayed locked on mine with such consistency that I was forced to avert my own. She always seemed like she knew what to do without fail. While I continued to hide beneath her intimidating aura. I pursed my lips as my fists tightened once more. My nails left crescent marks on my skin by the time I let go. "You think too highly of me," I whispered.

"Huh?" That woke her out of whatever trance she was in, her head leaning to glance at me. "You say somethin'?"

I masked my worries with a cloak of hollow joy, putting on a forced smile. "Nothing at all. Listen, do you two have time after school? I want to tell you something."

Unlike me, Abigail didn't bother to hold back her feelings. Instead, she scrunched up her nose with visible distaste. "Can't you just tell us here? We've got like twenty minutes left."

I laughed while glaring at my folded hands. "I'd... rather say it in privacy." They've waited long enough.

"Say what?" Sophie snuck up on us, sliding back into her seat.

Now they were both watching me, eyes wide with curiosity. I guess it didn't matter where I told them; the result'd be the same. "I ran away from this moment so many times because I wanted to believe I had a chance at returning to normal." I took a deep breath. My mind scrambled to put the pieces together, even if it was all just excuses. "But, after finding out what stuffing myself did to others, I-I couldn't take it anymore."

Sophie placed her hand on my shoulder when I trembled. I didn't deserve her comfort; it wouldn't last long anyways. My eyes stayed on my hands, their field of vision blurred by oncoming tears. I didn't dare look at either of them. It was as if every sound in the cafeteria ceased, apart from my heart slamming against my ribcage and the words I uttered next. "I'm sorry if this is a burden but...I eat words."

Abigail was the first to react. She laughed, probably thinking I was joking. "You mean like the idiom? What was it, 'Chew your words before you spit them out'?" Her finger tapped her chin while she looked up. "Or maybe it was 'I'll make you eat your words.'"

"No, I don't mean that." I paused to dig out another pencil from my bag. "Here, let me show you." A word tried to force its way in my mouth, but I plucked it up and threw it back into the pile hovering above.

I pressed the pencil's lead tip on my notebook. The dot grew darker as I circled it in to stall for time. What word should I eat? It has to be something that won't cause them any harm. Then I remembered the conversation I had with Sophie just last night. It sounded strange to say, but I had to confirm: "You two don't know what an 'apple' is, right?"

Abigail's eyes widened. For a second I thought she remembered, but that hope was shot down when she shook her head. "Is that some kinda band? I didn't take you to be into that stuff."

Blood drained from my face. Even after hearing Abigail confirming my suspicions, I still couldn't grasp the concept. My head fell onto the notebook. The thin blue lines widened until they were fuzzy. My tears only made it worse by creating blotches of ink. I was a thief. It didn't matter if the sins I commited were by accident; if I wasn't possessed by my selfish greed then the world would be okay. I should just starve.

After a few silent moments, I wiped my eyes and lifted my head up. Sophie opened her mouth to say something, but I cut her off by shaking my head. "I'll spell it for you, so watch closely."

With each crooked letter I scraped onto the paper, my gut sunk. I wanted to crawl away from confrontation; it only caused pain. Still, I had to do this.

When I finished looping the letter 'e', I tucked the pencil in the notebook's spiral binding. Just as quickly as it had appeared, it lifted itself from the paper. The letters were shaking, as if staying bound together was the most painful moment of their short existence. Then, without warning, they broke apart. I reached up to catch the scattered letters. They shrivelled up in my hand until they were nothing but small periods.

"What was that? Why didn't your pencil work?" Abigail's hand fell from her chin to the table. "Where'd your writing go?"

I used to ask myself the same question. I gave a bitter laugh after I crushed the word in my palm. "That was my lunch. Although, I ate an apple before so I guess it's pointless to eat another one." In a way, I felt sorry for the word. I didn't think it would destroy itself like that. Does that mean I'm getting greedier?

"Hold on. This is crazy, Ziva. You don't honestly think this is real, do you?" Sophie's hand caressed her forehead as her other one left my shoulder. "You're being weird. This could've been a trick! Let me see the pencil."

I handed her it without hesitation. She scribbled on the blank sheet, smirking at the results. It read, 'I am a hero!' in big letters. "Your pencil works fine. Try it now."

Her confidence only made me feel worse. Regardless, I took the pencil and wrote again while my free hand covered my mouth. Both of them stared at my hand while I wrote the same sentence. "See?"

"But that doesn't make sense. How is this possible? And what the hell's an 'apple'?" Abigail's voice rose an octave higher, which caught the attention of the students sitting near us. I shushed her in warning.

I closed the notebook. It wasn't like I was going to eat anything. "It's been happening for awhile. I only told my parents recently, and made up some injury to get out of bombing all of my classes."

"What about the gifts we gave you on your birthday?" Sophie spoke slow, processing every syllable before it slipped from her mouth. her deep brown eyes glistened with tears, making me wonder if my crying was contagious.

I looked down to avoid their eyes. "They're on my dresser. I wanted to at least preserve them. If I eat them, I'll just puke them back up." My lips curved into a grimace before I turned to Sophie. "Please believe me. I didn't mean to keep it from you guys."

When I extended my hand out to touch her, she flinched back. Once she realized what she did, she stammered out, "Ah, s-sorry! I didn't―"

"It's okay. You're scared, right?" My throat was dry when I spoke. It tightened every time I exhaled, as if punishing me for living. I gathered my things and stood. "Just, tell Mr. Johnson I'm sick, okay?"

Neither of them responded, so I stepped away from the table with a smile. I muttered, "Thanks for listening," just as the bell rang.

Once I got farther away, I clenched my chest. The weight of my sins made my body heavy. All of the students here lost something important to them. Of course they'd be scared. Who wouldn't be?

My feet led me out of school. First in small steps, then in bursts of energy until I was sprinting away from my responsibilities and ultimately, the truth. A voice called my name, but I ignored it.

I'm sorry.

The moment I stopped running, I found myself surrounded by flowers. It was the garden behind school; my favourite place. The cold winds of February were exchanged with March's comforting rain and the refreshing scent of spring. I plopped down in the field of grass. My stomach grumbled again in an attempt to get my attention.

Eating wasn't an option. Instead, I rolled on my side. The sun warmed my back while I regained my breath. I'd never cut before; the relief of not being stressed to take notes was new. Then again, what's the point of going to class if I'd just be in the way? Sophie was there... she wouldn't want to see me.

With that thought, I sniffed. Despite holding it in, tears still rolled down my cheeks. "I'm sorry," I cried, wrapping my arms around my knees to pull myself into fetal position. I had to do something to fix this. If eating meant taking away memories, I'd rather starve.

A gust of wind blew as I sniffled again. Petals floated with the wind, yet my words stayed put. I glared at them. "Why can't you go away? I won't eat you!"

They remained hovered over me no matter what I said. My stomach growled again. Still, I resisted the urge to eat my words. I laid like that, watching the clouds until I heard doors opening. Students stampeded out the building to their homes.

One set of feet grew louder with every step. Curious, I sat up after quickly rubbing my eyes. "Sophie? Abigail?" I called, the sun partially blocking my view.

"Ziv!" the same voice that called out to me earlier yelled. I recognized it to be Kyle's. Why's he here?

I shielded my eyes from the light. Lo and behold, it was Kyle who came running around the corner. He stopped to catch his breath, then slowed to a walk.

When he got closer, he frowned. "I saw you with Abigail and Sophie at lunch. What happened?"

In the back of my mind, I wondered if he heard what Abigail teased me about before that. I tugged on my blue sweater and patted the spot next to me.

He rose his eyebrows, then obliged. An empty space separated us once he settled.

"We uh, had a fight." If you could call it that. But it was the only excuse I could think of. "It normally doesn't happen but... it was my fault." I looked away, bringing my knees to my chest. "I don't think I can fix it this time."

Kyle smiled, then picked up a flower. He spun the stem in his hand before tossing it to the brilliant field of tulips. "I'm sure they'll forgive you. You're a great person."

"I'm not as good as you think I am!" I yelled with tightened fists. "I'm always hungry. But I didn't think anything of it until I learned the truth." Grass blades rested between my fingers, brushing the white lilies nearby.

"What do you mean?" He scooted closer before placing his hand next to mine. His eyebrows were knitted together closer than my sweater would ever be.

There was no use hiding it. Everyone else I cared about knew. "Do you remember the secret I told you about?" I questioned while staying eye level with him. Once he nodded, I sighed and held my knees tighter. "I... I told them. Sophie and Abigail, I mean. But they didn't take it well. I guess that's to be expected, but I was hoping they'd understand." Who was I kidding? My parents were having a hard time because of my problems. What made them any different?

His hand reached for my cheek to wipe away the tears I didn't notice were falling. "Tell me." He brought me into an embrace, nuzzling his chin on my head. "Tell me everything."

I tried pulling away, struggling to escape his hold. "I-I can't! You'll just be troubled―"

He only held me tighter. "I won't. You've done so much for me despite all the things I did before. It's the least I can do."

More tears blurred my vision. The overwhelming burden on my shoulders was too much to bear, but I didn't want to bother anyone else with my problems. What if I ate something important to Kyle or Sophie like I did my parents? "Why're you so intent on being involved with me? It's not sa―"

Before I could finish, he lifted my head up and leaned forward to place a soft kiss on my lips. "Because I like you, you idiot!" he yelled afterwards. Under the sunlight, his face resembled a rose. With cheeks coloured scarlet, he turned from my bewildered face. "Your stupid kindness rubbed off on me and now I'm like this. You helped me when I didn't deserve it. So just rely on me for once. Stop holding it in, Ziva."

That was the first time he'd ever called my name without malice. The way he said it reminded me of how much I used hate him making fun of my Greek background. I sighed, ignoring the warmth dusting my face after I realized what he just did. "Relying on anyone after everything I've done to this world...it's too cruel. I need to carry this burden on my own. I need―"

"No, you don't," he interrupted, "It's okay to ask for help, idiot."

"You called me an idiot again." I turned to him while tears streamed down my face. "That's not nice." Dealing with starvation was enough trouble without his insults. Kyle's bipolar antics only heightened my anxiety.

"Sorry," he muttered before ruffling my hair. He couldn't look me in the eye, so he opted to hug me again. I didn't protest.

We stayed like that for a few moments. "I think you're mistaken. There's no way you'd like me after... everything." He was like the spring. Sometimes warm and fuzzy, other times stormy and cold.

He clicked his tongue. "Don't try to change the subject. We can talk about that later. What's been bothering you?"

I lowered my hands from his back and brought them in front off me to push him back a little. He was too close. "I'll tell you, but don't laugh. This is important to me." I stared at him for a sign of confirmation.

He nodded.

My shaking hands tugged on his shirt. "I don't eat... regular food. Or rather, I can't. That's why I gave you the cake even though it was my favorite." Well, one of the reasons.

Kyle tilted his head, furrowng his eyebrows. "I don't follow."

Even as more tears threatened to fall, I didn't falter. "You were right. I really am a freak, and I can't be normal anymore because of this stupid curse." I didn't want to see his reaction, so I stared at the grass instead. "Why does everyone leave me behind?" The image of Sophie's fear-stricken face reminded me of the reason.

If this goes on, I'll scare him away too. That thought snapped me awake. "Actually, n-nevermind. Ignore what I said." I sniffed, then pushed myself further back. "I'm probably talking too much."

He grabbed my hands and gritted his teeth. "You aren't a freak! I'm sorry for making you think like that."

I tilted my head at him before sighing. "Why're you being so nice? I don't deserve it."

"I already told you why. Anyways, about this thing that's been happening to you...explain it so that I can understand." He handed me a tissue.

I took it and blew my nose. "B-But I don't understand it myself. I'm not even sure if I'm human anymore. Humans don't eat words." I'm just your good ol' fashion misfit.

"Wait, what? You mean you eat literal words? Don't you think that's a bit far-fetched...?" Kyle combed his hand through his hair, then let out a shaky laugh.

I sighed, turning my head to the field of vibrant bell flowers. "It's true. That's why I fought with them. It's also why I was so distraught when you ripped my drawing on my birthday." I pulled on some grass as a distraction.

His grip loosened once he connected the dots. "That was your birthday? Oh, shit, I messed up. Listen, I'm sorry―"

"It's fine already. What's done is done." The hatred I felt when he ripped my drawing was long gone. There were bigger things to worry about. I let out a ragged breath. "But yes, I eat words. I don't really want to though; it's bad for the environment."

"'Words'? That sounds dangerous. You aren't actually eating anything deadly, right?"

I gulped. I didn't eat anything that could cause global panic; in fact, I didn't eat at all that day. Remembering when I almost ate the universe made me shiver. Thanks for saving the world, Mom.

"No. Not yet, anyways." Just then, my stomach growled.