บท 4: Phase 4: The Gardener's Luck

Ally rubbed her eyes and stared intently at the young man as he moved about. Her elderly neighbours are people she could trust. Mr Kent has a military background and Mrs Kent has medical skills that are sure to come in handy in this apocalyptic world. It she isn't mistaken, that young man… should be her neighbour, Mr. Kent. He is a man in his fifties hired to maintain the small greenhouse at the rooftop of their apartment! But, how did he turn back into a young man with such a youthful appearance?

She knew that face from looking at numerous pictures collection of her neighbours including the time when he was in the military service, the days of their honeymoon and other sweet memories of the then newly married couple. Dismissing any chance of danger befalling her neighbour again, Ally returned to her own business.

She looked around for her roommate, H20 and found him perched on top of the highest wardrobe she had in the house. Ally gestured at the fluffy furball to jump down and come to her. The agitated cat hesitated for a while before complying. Ally let H20 up onto her shoulders and planned her next move.

She grabbed and packed some essentials into her backpack. Food, medicine, nutrient solutions, her cat's kibbles and some clothes. All the while, H20 was stably perched on her right shoulder secured by a customized strap from her jacket. The backpack would be a hindrance when she fight but she was sure she would gain an inventory space sooner or later and did not bother to worry about the extra weight on her.

Then once again, taking in consideration the extra weight she had on her, Ally calculated the best distance to accelerate and made her jump across to her neighbour's balcony.

"Ally?!" Upon seeing the petite teenager jumping onto her balcony in the middle of the night, Mrs Kent showed an amazed expression, especially after noticing her get-up. A black cloak covering herself and a wooden staff in her hand, a cat on her shoulder and a backpack on her back, she looked ridiculously funny!

"Aunt Marie….and... Uncle Kent?" Ally shifted her eyes towards the young man who currently had one hand on Mrs Kent's (Aunt Marie) shoulder. He held a small potion in his other hand that contained a rainbow-coloured liquid.

The stoic-faced man widened his eyes when he heard her words then smiled triumphantly at his wife. "See this? See?! Even Ally knows that it's me! Why won't you believe me? Just drink this! It's bitter, but it would let you return to the peak stage of your life! I got this as a reward after fighting with my life at stake!"

Ally's eyes brightened when she heard that. Marie stared at the weird crystal bottle in her husband's hand. In the end, she had already been through so many bizarre things today. Why should she be surprised at another? Thus, she uncapped the potion and let the liquid in it flow down her throat.

Then, in front of both Ally's and her husband's expectant eyes, Marie started to regress back to her youthful appearance! Her hair became long and luscious and the wrinkles on her face disappeared, replaced by a smooth, fair skin that was envied by many. She has miraculously reverted back to the time where she was in her prime!