Chapter 42: The bullet shot

Chapter 42: The bullet shot (Wattpad)

No more sounds and voices were heard from them. But after the shattering silence, Imah laughed. It was nothing like the warm, comfortable sound that I used to hear and it made my blood curdle. It made me see red. She speaking, “It’s a wonder actually –the fact that they had no idea I was putting a tracking device on the dog since the first time I met Cavanagh. You people are so blind.”

“You betrayed us.”

“That I did. It’s a pity you haven’t realized that sooner. Not very good with guns,” she scoffed, “I’m better than you at that. Look at you now, no weapon, no anything. Once I got acting, you gave me your trust immediately. You are so stupid. Ryne didn’t even realize why ushered her to get closer to Sky. Ice knew this would happen – ”

“She’s dead. And you’ll be with her soon enough – ”

The next thing we heard was scuffling and the sound of metal hitting – something. Then I’m sure, so sure, it was a body that could be head falling to the floor. The instant we heard the footsteps, Sky got ready to battle as he clicked his gun and I followed suit. When her silhouette can be discerned from the black drape and her hand swept it to her side, Sky fired.

“Fuck!”

She drew cover automatically and retaliated – multiple times. There were splinters of floorboards and wood flying everywhere. Sky threw the table nearest us to its side and used it as a makeshift shield. It faced the source of the bullet shots and we did our best to keep our head low, the thick oak wood protecting us from dangerous injuries. 

I looked at the gun in my hands. I took a deep breath. Just fire, don’t think. Thinking is what makes you fall dead on your feet. I adjusted my position and pulled the trigger. Quickly, I pulled myself back before a bullet can graze my arm and I avoided the pieces of wood falling from the ceiling. I breathed in hard, and then felt Sky’s hand gripping my arm.

“She’s not alone. I know it. There are others with her behind that partition.” he said that as best as he could under all the noise around us, blanketing us. It was deafening. 

“What do we do?” I asked with my eyes wide. He shifted closer to me and got out his phone and stuffed it in my hands. “We call for help too. Now.” He started firing again and my breath drew in realization. I started rummaging through the contacts with my both hands shaking, still holding the gun. I pressed call and placed it in my ear immediately. 

It picked up.

“Hello?”

“Grandpa? It’s me! We need – ”

“On our way.”

The call ended and I turned to Sky. I gestured yes and started shooting. I love my grandpa. The never-ending stream of gunshots still rained upon us between seconds. Minutes. It could’ve been years but all we needed to hear was the grenade explosion to recognize their arrival.

The floor shook and my ears hurt. I closed my eyes shut for a few seconds, unbelievably disoriented. This is fucking insane. I heard men shouting then, giving orders and bullets were being fired again, but this time, it was aimed at the opposite direction; not at us.

“Ryne.” Familiar hands shook my shoulders, I opened my eyes and my gaze landed on Sky. And the two people beside him.

They were crouching on the floor as well, keeping their heads low to avoid damages from the commotion and they held their firearms out. “Ryne, my dear.” The older of the men put his hand on my shoulder, his brown eyes darkening. “Act now, talk later. We have to get out now.”

Sky was right. He must’ve been handsome once and he looked as if he just had a hard-fought battle. His grey hair was in a buzz cut and he looked ready to kill someone.

I nodded soundlessly in response. The younger, handsome guy turned to me then but he didn’t say anything. He came closer to me and pecked me on the cheek.

“Hi, sis. We have to get going.” Mark said urgently.

George Cavanagh spoke to the three of us after my brother had his greeting. “My men are few. If we go now we can all – ”

He was cut off from completing what he was saying when something caught flame, and the endless piles of woods are already burning and releasing chocking smoke into the room. It crept up quickly, catching everything it can and turning it into black ash. It was hot already but the bullets never ceased. 

“Let’s cover Ryne, and get the fuck out of here.” he finished, coughing.

What?! No! 

“I don’t need to be covered – ”

“Not now Ryne.” said Mark. They started taking positions around me and I saw – 

“Fuck it, Sky. Why are you covering out front? Are you fucking insane? You’ll get shot – ”

A pillar gave in and crashed to the floor, almost shattering our eardrums and the fire rose higher and roared louder. The heat was intensifying. The experienced leader now said, “Go.” The four of us stood up, we sped through the entire space of the room, shooting at visible enemies and avoiding the shots they fired. The fire made it hard for us to see and the smoke made us cough violently. Everything seemed to go in slow motion. We were halfway across the other side – the exit – when it happened.

Underneath the sounds and disturbing visions, I saw a mane of blonde hair. I had no trouble figuring out who that person is.

She was holding a gun, which seemed to be gleaming in the light of the fierce fire and it was pointing straight at me. Before anything else registered, the bullet shot she fired seemed to drown out all the other things.

The bullet shot that changed my life.

That ruined my life.

My world turned blank and all the other things in the world became impotent as Sky fell down to his knees and unto his side. Blood was already seeping through his shirt and his breathing was ragged, even as he pulled the table down and used it as a cover. And nothing made sense.

I ran to him but felt iron grips stopping me and pulling me away from him. I struggled as I never had in my life.

“Get off me! We have to go back – we have to – ”

I felt myself being put down on the floor hard and we used the table as a shield again. We were almost to the exit – just mere meters – but I won’t go out. I can’t. I clicked my gun furiously and started standing up but they held me down, and wrestled the gun out of my hands.

“NO! Get back! I have to go back – ”

“You won’t make it – ”

“I can! I can get him! I can – just let me fucking go – ”

“You can’t do anything, Ryne.”

No. That’s not true. Not true. I searched with my eyes through the smoke and I – I found him.

He’s there. Still on the floor, but now he’s sitting up with his back on the table he’s using for defense and he was looking at me.

His chin was dripping with blood and his hand was covering his chest and as he pulled it away, it was smeared with blood as well. Blood. He looked at me like never before but his breaths were becoming shallower, his eyes getting blanker. I never noticed it, but anguished sobs tore at me and unstoppable tears were streaming on my face. I unconsciously struggled, but deep down I knew. I knew. But I don’t want to believe. 

The fire behind him crept closer. Closer and closer, but he reached out for me.

No.

“Sky.”

No.

 My heart. I can feel it dying. I feel it. His hand fell to the floor right then and his eyelids fluttered. I saw him take his last breath and I remembered. I remembered.

“Have you ever thought of Britain?”

Whoa. Where did that come from? I faced him, saw that he was still paying attention to the road and then I replied, “Sometimes. Why?”

He never took his eyes off the road as he said, “I’d like to take you there someday.”

His green eyes lost their light and he closed his eyes.

Chapter 41: Traitor in the midst

Chapter 41: Traitor in the midst (Wattpad)

Part I:

“Jacket?”

“Check.”

“Dog food?”

“Check.”

“Clothes?”

“Duh, Sky.”

“Books?”

“Check.”

“Anklet?”

“Is that even a question?”

He squeezed my hand after zipping his backpack close. “I’m being thorough.”

“You can be thorough when pigs fly.”

“Insult me all you want. I know you love me.” I laughed loudly as I carried my bag and held Dash with the other hand. We’re just about to get out of this hotel – no more hotels, praise the Lord – when suddenly, a thought occurred to me as I looked at my anklet. Then at the bangle on my shoulder. “I never thanked my own grandpa for giving me the birthday present, haven’t I?”

“Yeah.” He paused in thought but took my hand and dragged me headfirst. “You’ll meet him anyway. Let’s go.” I barely got enough time to look around for the last time in the room where thousands of memories are when we were already outside of the room, all out valuables in hand. It’s another day again – another agenda.

But my thoughts keep coming back to what happened yesterday. Good God, he really –

“Checking out aren’t you, dears?”

I turned my neck so fast I cricked my neck. Ow. Sky responded to the unknown person in a friendly tone. “Yes, we are. We’re headed to the beach.”

We are facing an old woman. And you know what the freaky part is? She seemed to know us. You know what I’m talking about, right? When there’s this old woman and then suddenly she turns into a huge snake who is incidentally a Horcrux – ahem, ahem, Harry Potter – I was still ogling like a goldfish when she replied in her raspy voice. “Ah, the beach.” she nodded like what she just said is incredibly vital. “So this is your wife?”

Shit.

I knew there was something fishy. I turned to Sky with my devil-from-hell stare as he fumbled for an explanation. “Yes, uhm. This is my wife Avery.”

Avery?

“What the hell are you – ”

“Yes! My wife Avery.” Sky almost shouted as he put a firm arm around me. “Honey, I met this kind person when we were checking in – you were asleep though.”

Aargh. That explains it. But it doesn’t erase the fact that it’s quite weird to talk to a stranger in the hotel hallway when you’re expecting them to turn into Nagini. She then hobbled down the direction of the stairs, but not before saying, “Well, goodbye now, Anthony.” We stood still in the hallway, directly in front of our door until she was out of sight and earshot. 

“Anthony and Avery.” I turned to Sky and continued my rant. “Should I clap my hands and give you a Nobel Prize?”

He only laughed as he adjusted the bags on his shoulder and got Dash’s rope from my fingers. “The old woman crept on me from behind. To be honest, she scared the living daylight out of me.”

I burst into a fit of laughter as we made our way to the lower floor, already eager to be outside of walls. And in what seemed like a second, we were already speeding through the road, after dealing with a sleepy receptionist and an unwilling Dash.

“Where are we going?”

He winked at me from the driver’s seat and keeping his hands on the steering wheel. “It’s a really charming place. And your brother came along, too. So you’ll have two people waiting for you.”

“Really? So which charming place is it?”

He deflated suddenly. “Uhm, actually, I lied. It’s an abandoned factory.”

Wha – this is just unacceptable.

“So a former Mafia Lord decides to meet his long-lost granddaughter in an abandoned building. And oh right, he’s insanely rich.”

“You know Ryne,” he said, stepping on the brake as the light turned from green to red. “Once you’re in a Mafia, you never really get out. You watched those Mafia movies, didn’t you?” That made me pause. That must be a hell on earth situation. I clicked my tongue and stayed silent all the way to our destination. Our lack of conversation was more than made up by his arm comfortably around me.

Part II:

Who knew that a completely useless building would be hours away?

“I’m – ”

“Tired, I know.”

Sigh.

“When – ”

“Two hours, Ryne. And a half.”

I almost cried in despair. “But I’m practically drained. I can’t even lift my head – ”

“I must’ve really exhausted you last night.” he replied with a slight smile and a sparkle in his eyes. Predictably, I blushed. “You’re such a prick.” Hu chuckled but then his tone turned serious as he replied,

“I’m glad that happened.”

I felt his arm tighten around me. All I could do was close my eyes and relax. 

“Me too.”

And right there, with my eyes closed, I felt him kiss my head and I drifted off to a peaceful sleep.


           Two hours later. And a half.

I never ever slept like that in a car before. And it feels really, really comfy. Blinking my eyes open, I found myself on the backseat, complete with a blanket and a pillow.

So that solves the comfy issue.

I looked at my side and sure enough, he’s there. As always. My head was on his lap while I was sleeping and now he met my gaze after looking out of the window.

“Morning, sunshine.”

I blinked several times more and tried to look outside as well. As much as I could figure, we’re in the middle of nowhere.

“Where are we?”

“You slept seven hours straight, you know.”

“Seven?”

“Yes. It’s almost 5pm.”

I gave a little laugh. “The sleep feels good.” He chuckled and resolved himself to rubbing my shoulder with his other hand across my stomach. I can’t help looking outside again. “So where are we?”

“Where we should be. The factory is just around the corner. But it’s still quite early to go there.”

My brow creased as I looked at Dash on the front shotgun seat though my thoughts were zeroing in something else entirely. “What time are we supposed to be there then?”

“Around 5:15 or 5:30. Why’d you ask? Are you nervous?”

“No, it’s just that…wouldn’t it be more convenient to meet in the morning?” I actually wanted to use the word ‘safer’ but I changed my mind. I continued speaking before he could open his mouth, “You know, because there’s a lesser chance of an attack or something?”

He just looked down on me, his green eyes clouded in concerned thinking. Deep thinking. “He had business to take care of before going here. And the building was searched five times before he chose the location.” he bit his lip and asked, “Do you think something bad will happen?”

Well, that’s just weird. It’s just a feeling. It’s probably nervousness – I haven’t laid eyes on the man in my whole life and now boom. He’s my grandfather. “It’s just a feeling. I’m nervous, that’s all. You did say that he’s extremely intimidating.”

He smiled slightly at my response and kissed my forehead soothingly, but the tension in his eyes didn’t fade. But in a matter of seconds, I saw him shrug it off. That’s more like it. I sat up with minimal difficulty and faced him, legs crossed.

“I was thinking, Sky. When I meet my brother and grandpa, where will you go?”

He held my hand and said, “Do I have permission from you to make your life hell a little bit longer?”

Happiness overwhelmed me as I laughed uncontrollably. “Absolutely.” I happened to glance at the dashboard and I looked at the time. 5:10. Sky noticed this too and I looked at him. “Shouldn’t we go now?”

“One second.” he started grabbing our stuff at the floor of the car, but the car which he’s rummaging through is mine, not his.

“What are you doing?”

He didn’t answer but pulled out the snow globe. He said, “I found out about this when I was awake two nights ago.”

“Found out what? It’s the snow globe you gave me.” 

“It’s surprisingly more special than I thought.” How the bloody hell can that thing be more special? “Does it uhmm, I don’t know,” I chuckled, puzzled. “Does it have laser or something?” He grinned amusedly. “Close, but no cigar.” He started bundling up the blanket and shifted closer to me. I have no idea, absolutely no idea, of what he’s doing. He said, “Look.” then he put the snow globe inside of the dark, think blanket, but left enough space for us to see it. The globe was entirely covered in darkness but when Sky shook it once, the snow fluttered like mad.

And the snow was shining. Sparkling like stars. You can see and distinguish it from the darkened castle – it’s absolutely wonderful; like real snow. He shook it again, harder this time, and my name at the bottom of the globe lit up like the little snow did, only it’s not white, it’s blue.

He turned to me again, his profile braced for my reaction. “Well?” I shook my head wordlessly and kissed him on the cheek. He laughed delightfully and said, “That was for you to keep your chin up.” He started stuffing the blanket and the present back into the bags. “Now, my dear, we introduce you to your life.”


           Part III:

It’s normal to be nervous, right? I mean, you’re not just meeting your long-lost relatives – you’re meeting a Mafia lord and his…sidekick. The Mafia lord and his sidekick aren’t really helping anything to soothe my nerves.

“What if they don’t like me?”

“They love you, Ryne.” he said, rolling his eyes. Easy for him to say. He’s not the one actually meeting them for the first time. In seventeen years. With absolutely no recollection of them. Ever.

Stop it.

Sky pulled up in front of a humungous abandoned factory and it’s just the same from my imagination of how it would really look like. It’s really old, and a little bit historical. It could pass for an old landmark.

I wanted to run.

I faced Sky, biting my lip. “Maybe we should go back. I don’t like what I’m feeling.”

“It’s okay to be nervous, Ryne. It’s understandable. I’m sure they would say the same thing, too.”

“But – but – I can’t.” God. I know I’m being a whiny, little spoiled brat but who the hell could blame me? I gazed at the door of the building, wondering what could be inside and I felt my worries triple.

“I don’t like what I’m seeing, too. So, in a way, we’re in the same boat.”

“In a way, yes. But in every other way, absolutely no way.” I heard beeping right then and Sky took out his phone, which is lighting up and vibrating like a little bug and I noticed that it was different from the one I used yesterday. 

“They’re inside already. Let’s go.”

“No! Just – just let me breathe, okay? And is it exactly smart to do that? I mean, you said they are incredibly influential people, but they’re inside that place without any protection?”

“They brought guards with them. And they’re really eager to see you.”

“What do you expect from me? Do I just waltz inside that place or something?”

“Ryne,” he released a sigh, “what do you want me to do?”

“I don’t know!” I replied hysterically. “Sweet talk me or something. Say something nice.” He chuckled amusedly. “Something nice?”

“I thought you wanted me to calm down?” I replied wringing my hands. He replied to me, “Okay, something nice.” He looked at me deeply. “Your eyes.”

“What?”

“Your eyes are nice.” then he twirled a strand of my hair. “Your hair is, too.” I chuckled when I realized what he’s doing and he cupped my face with both hands. “Your face is nice.” Then he leaned towards me and whispered. “No. It’s fucking beautiful.” Then he kissed me.

I kissed him back and I felt the tension slowly desert my shoulders as he backed me towards the window, his lips so soft against mine. When I started to tighten my grip on his hair, he pulled away, smiling.

“I did calm you down right?”

I chuckled. “That was really effective.” I giggled some more, then he gave me a quick peck on the lips and held my hand. He opened the car door. “I think you’re ready now.”

Wait. “But how about Dash?” we both looked at my dog at the backseat and he looked back at us with blank eyes. “I think,” Sky said, “he can stay right here. I’ll lock the door.” He interlocked my fingers with his and then we both got out through the driver’s side. We started walking.

My feeling of unease was quieted down by our little escapade earlier, but now as we continued our steps, I felt it bubbling below the surface again. It’s the nerves, I told myself. It’s going to be fine. Sky’s hand on mine did a lot to relax me as we pulled the heavy metal doors open. We were greeted by a miserable sight.

The pillars were still sturdy and dependable around the front room, but the floorboards were obviously in need of repair after all the years of neglect. There was a pile of rubbish on the side – all scraps of metal and splinters of wood. The ceiling was very high and – fortunately – it looks like nothing would fall down on us.

“Well. This is rather…”

“Splendid?” he supplied, raising an eyebrow.

“Yes.” I nodded. “Just splendid.” Then I took the first step forward and he followed my lead. “This place has been searched right? Five times?”

“Yes. It’s going to be fine.”

We opened the creaking door on the opposite wall – the only door, I mean – and as we opened it, a larger room lay in front of us. There were rows and rows of tables up to the other side of the room and there was a very thick partition on our left side, the only entrance to the other side being the thick, black and tattered draperies. 

I don’t like draperies.

Sky closed the door behind us without so much as a sound and I shifted closer to him with my hand clasped on his arm. With my other hand, I felt for the gun, which is inserted at the back of my jeans. He shot me a look, with his eyebrows drawn together. He opened his mouth to speak but before he can utter a single word, a female voice sounded through from the other room – the drapery room.

A familiar female voice.

“Fuck you. I don’t even know who you are anymore – ”

“Hold your tongue. If you value your life, do as I say.”

No. But – but that voice is – 

Sky covered my mouth and he stealthily led me far away from the partition as possible. He never hit as much as a piece of metal or anything for that matter, and then he pulled out his gun and gestured for me to do likewise. I did as he asked and looked at his face. My eyes searched his green ones.

They were burning in pure-white rage.

His jaw was clenched and he made the effort of mouthing two words to me – stay here.

Bloody hell no.

I gave him a look of strong defiance and grabbed his wrist before he can even take a single step back. This concerns me as well as him. And he knows it.

He took a silent, deep breath to calm himself down and to keep his remaining composure. But then there were more words coming from the pair of people on the other side.

“You can’t get away from this. The building will be searched again in 10 minutes and Sky will kill you. I know he will.”

“Sky? I don’t care about Sky; I have all the protection I will ever need. The same cannot be said for you, though. What shame.”

No, no, no! I can’t believe this. It’s not possible! That person is – 

            “Imah, you filthy traitor. I can’t even look at you.” said Xavia.

Chapter 33: Session one

Chapter 33: Session one (Wattpad)

It turns out that Sky had a new car - Mercedes Guardian. Couldn’t he have stolen a more conspicuous vehicle? I turned to him as the four of us made our way to it – four, including Dash – opening my mouth to voice up my opinion but he somehow knew what I was thinking. 

“I didn’t steal it. It was a backup.” 

“Exactly how many cars do you have?” 

He grinned slyly. “A fair few.” Imah then joined our conversation as we went into the interior of the car. “We have seven! There’s the old Ferrari, this one, a Porsche, and then there’s my favourite – ”

“We only use them for special cases.” Xavia said. “The Ferrari was my favourite. But apparently, it has been abandoned by someone – ”

“I didn’t abandon it. Why are you all hounding on my back?” Only Imah responded brightly, “I wasn’t!”

“Do you want a round of applause, Imah?” Xavia started. “No, it’s okay. I’m covered.” She grinned in return. I was going to seat beside the two of them – Xavia and Imah – when Imah suddenly piped up, saying, “Oh! No more space left, Ryne!” They are so toast. She continued. “I’m sorry.” but she didn’t look sorry at all. I blast out,

“What are you talking about? There’s – ”

Xavia whistled and Dash bounded in the backseat between them. Leaving no space for me.

How wonderful.

I huffed then said, “Fine.” I turned to Sky, who was supressing a smile, pursing his lips as he climbed in to the driver’s seat. I went into the other side, the shotgun seat. He said as he started the engine, “Now let’s just hope that nothing goes wrong.”


             30 minutes later

“The Pheonix firing range?”

Sky smiled at me. “Awesome name, right?”

Xavia spoke, “It’s not that grand, but with you two around, we’ll have to need anything but grand.” 

“What the hell do this people want from me?”

Sky pursed his lips as he parked the car discreetly on the quiet street. “A good lot of things. Starting with you dead.” Oh. Okay, that was refreshing. So crazy people who wants me dead and a Mr. Mafia waiting for me… somewhere. Imah sensed my discomfort and said, “They won’t touch you Ryne. With Sky and Xav around – ”

“What about you?”

She grimaced. “I’m not a fan of guns and I’m certainly not a fighter like Xav – ”

“Yes.” Sky joined in. “I wonder why she’s here.” Her lips puckered at that and she scowled. “I know to handle those things. I just don’t want to actually do it.” Sky shrugged. “Same thing.” 

“No, it’s – ”

“Shut up, you two.” Xavia said. “You’re so childish.” Imah rolled her eyes as she opened the door on her side. “He did it first.” Then we all followed her, started to move out with Dash in tow. I had to admit, hearing their banters felt nice. It’s normal and it sounds like we’re just a group of friends. Going out. To shoot guns. I felt uncomfortable.; I never do this sort of thing in my life and never have I thought that I would need to. Sky was in front of me, leading the way, Imah by my side holding Dash and Xavia at the back. 

Great, Ryne. You can’t run. 

Sky pushed the glass doors open and entered the front room. It looks ordinary and unremarkable. Nothing special. But I know there would be people shooting at targets later. How encouraging. The guy at the desk looked up and raised an eyebrow. Just raised an eyebrow. People here are so tough and mysterious, ugh. Sky said,

“La Brea reserved three spaces here an hour ago.”

“Are you La Brea?”

He just nodded his head. When the guy turned around to get a signing form though, I heard him mutter, “Obviously.” I giggled. Sky grinned at my direction. “Sometimes rudeness is a virtue.” I laughed aloud, then the guy turned to us again, a slight frown on his face. I pursed my lips to keep from smiling as he said,

“Everyone just signs here.” he said as he passed us a form on a clipboard. As I stepped forward to sign, I felt Sky’s hand on my waist. Not really touching, more like hovering.

I pretended not to notice.

Once we all signed, we went to the direction of the only other door inside the room but then the mysterious dude halted us.

“Dogs aren’t allowed, ma’am.”

I licked my lips, whistling to Dash. “C’mon, boy.” My three companions waited for me as I tied Dash’s leash to the metal bar in front of the desk. Such friends.

Then we went inside through the door. We found ourselves inside a kind of compartment. A glass compartment. There were several white cabinets stacked up high to the right of the door where we came through and on the other wall were grey cabinets of similar size and stacked the same as well. But the attention was on the space visible beyond the glass, where dozens of people are wearing protective gears – goggles and earmuffs. Others were using earplugs which are more difficult to spot. And they’re shooting as if they’re just chilling out on a Monday.

I turned to my colleagues – I don’t know what to call them, okay? – and I saw that they were already opening the drawers.

“Are – are we going to – ”

“Relax, Ryne.” they all said in unison.

“I’m not panicking – ”

Imah laughed. “Yes, you are.”

“That’s why I’m bringing this.” Sky said, waving a first-aid kit. Of course. Xavia stepped forward then, hands filled with a safety goggle and a pair of earmuffs. And a handgun. “You’re going to defend yourself sometime, Ryne. Better start now, what do you think?”

“Yeah, you’re right.” I said meekly as I got the items from her. “As long as I don’t end up like the guy outside.” They all chuckled. Imah smiled widely and said, “His name is PJ Hastings. He and his sister owns the place.” I looked at her, brow creased. She’s such a computer. “How do you know that?”

“I checked it! I told you my job was to keep you safe, didn’t I? The sister’s name is – ”

“Phia Villamore?” Xavia asked.

Sky raised an eyebrow, closing the drawer of one of the many grey cabinets. Xavia just shrugged. “They’re both here.” she pointed to a framed certificate on the wall. Shooting fest award for just a few years back.

I feel absolutely out of place.

I finally gave up my façade and faced them with a defeated look on my face. “Look, do you really expect me to just – ” Xavia patted my shoulder. “Really, Ryne. It’s fine. Now, here’s your number.” She gave me a laminated number 17. Sky faced us.

“Let’s go.”

I sighed and put on my earmuffs and transferred the goggles and handgun to one hand. No one ever listens to me. We passed through another door.

This is insanity.

I never ever thought handling a gun would be a major necessity later in life. Never. We moved on to find our space number. People weren’t paying attention to us, much to my comfort. When we reached the 13^th, Imah grabbed Sky’s arm and showed her identically laminated card. Turns out that we’re in a row. Imah, Xavia, Sky and then there’s me.

How the hell are they supposed to teach me? 

I faced Sky, a skeptical look on my face. He winked at me reassuringly and turned to his target. There were glasses – like, extremely thick ones in front of us and only a square hole to put the bullet through. Beyond the glass was a circular target, not unlike what is used for darts. I hesitantly took off my glasses and put on my goggles then looked at the gun at my hand unsurely.

Why the hell am I here again?

Sky turned to me, biting his lip and finally putting his own gun down. Xavia was already starting, shooting several bullets perfectly through the square hole and into the target. Imah was having a little trouble, as predicted. As she pulled the trigger, she’ll jump a little from the movement.

Sky moved towards me, sanding a little behind my back. He slowly removed one earmuff from my ear and I heard the continuous gunshots, but he spoke in my ear, instructing me.

“Stand in proper firing stance.” then he nudged my foot. “Your feet should be shoulder-width apart.” I followed what he said then he continued. “Stand with a slight lean forward. That’s right.” This feels really different. But this is necessary, I reminded myself. Sky placed his chin on my shoulder, still speaking in my ear, “Make sure you’re firmly balanced.”

“I think I am.”

He gripped my right shoulder. “Make sure that you are – ”

“Okay, okay. I am.”

He grinned. “Good. Now point your gun.” Now, this part. I sighed a little and raised the handgun on chest level. Sky approved, saying, “Yes, that’s what you do when you’re facing your enemy point blank. But if you don’t know where they are yet, your right arm should be really straight,” he bent my arm to make it straighter than it already was. Then I said, “What now?” he bent my other arm in, making it look like a letter V. “You keep that stance, okay? And when you’re not about to fire yet, make sure that your fingers are outside the trigger guard. Outside, okay?”

“Uh-huh.”

“And also, the barrel should be pointed downrange. Just like that.”

“So, err, do I shoot now?”

“Your position is wrong. You do the one when the target is point blank.” I fixed my position, returning to the first one. He lifted his chin from my shoulder and held it instead with his hand. “Yes. Now – ”

“I shoot?” I said, turning to him. I’d like to admit, learning this is so fun. I mean, this stuff isn’t on the school curriculum! He still put his mouth near my exposed ear to better make me hear him as he said, “Aim good, okay?”

“Err, what happens if I don’t?”

He chuckled. “Just squeeze the trigger, Ryne.” he paused and then said, “I’m going to place your earmuff now, the sound is kind of, uhmm, annoying.” then he did as he said and I found myself facing the target through the thick sheet of glass. I bit my lip and then squeezed the damned trigger fast.

Too fast.

I felt the gun jerk back from the force and the bullet hit the glass. I heard it ricochette off. I jumped violently, forgetting everything Sky said earlier. Now I know how Imah feels.

I instantly turned to Sky, who was already taking a step towards me, a guilty look on his face. He took off one earmuff like he did earlier and spoke to my ear. “I sort of forgot to tell you that – ”

“Sort of?” I glared at him.

“I’m sorry! See, you have to squeeze it slowly. When you jerk the trigger, it will throw off your aim and – ”

“You tell me this now? Oh, that’s really – ”

“I said sorry already! You know, we should just get going.” I faced the target for the second time, already in position. Sky put his arms around mine, holding the handgun as well. He was behind me, his front torso touching my back and even his forefinger was hovering over mine. He said to my ear, “You aim for the centre mass.” he guided my shaking hands with his warm ones and said, “Stop shaking.” then he chuckled, “Now, just let me control it first and you can do it on your own later. You do this slowly…” he slowly squeezed the trigger like he said and boom.

Bull’s eye.

I looked at the hole in the target where the bullet zoomed through a second ago, my lips pursed. Sky withdrew his arms and stood to the side. I gritted my teeth and steadied my feet. I’m awesome. I can do this. 

I squeezed the trigger slowly and boom. I brought down my safety goggles, looking at what I did. I passed through the hole and hit – well, not the target – but at least I got in the target board. I turned to Sky, eyebrows raised.

He gave me the thumbs-up and a dazzling smile then gestured me to continue. He picked his own gun and started firing at his own target. Glasses in his pocket, safety gears on. I put on my goggles again and faced the dart-like thing, a smile on my face. I started shooting, only one at a time, not getting ahead of myself. My results were sometimes good, at times incredibly lousy, but I’m actually getting the hang of it. I reloaded my gun for the third time as I had learned from the D.I.Y. when I put down my earmuffs and I heard someone say on my opposite side, 

“You’re a fast learner.” I turned to the person, and my first impression was black. The guy was in and all-black attire but he honestly looked good on it. His hair and eye colour were also black and he has spiky hair. The contrast with his skin colour made his aura comfortable. I smiled shyly and said, “Thank you”

You’re not the one who hasn’t communicated with selected people for seven freaking days, okay?” He smiled in return and offered his hand. 

“I’m Chris.”

I smiled genuinely this time and shook his hand. “My name’s…Ryne.” 

“You say that as if you’re not sure.” he chuckled. Damn you, Ryne. You couldn’t be more obvious. I just chuckled along with him. “I’m awkward when I first meet people. It’s completely…normal.” He started responding to what I said when I noticed Sky moving out of the awesome vision I had. I turned to him and saw that his face was scowling as he looked at me, then at Chris. Then he looked away, returning to his shooting. I stared at him. That was – 

“Is that your boyfriend?”

I distinctly heard Chris ask the question and I turned to him immediately. 

“Ye – no. No.”

He chuckled again. “Okay, Ryne. So, what do you say to a game?”

“Game?” I repeated nervously. Friendly strangers are okay, but I’m a newbie! He smiled, assuring. “I’m new at this, too. Just the first one to get a bull’s eye. So you up to it?”

I chuckled. “Why not?”

           “It’s been fifteen goddamned minutes.”

My new friend laughed. “Last round. Then we can give up.” I stretched my arms as the both of us got ready again. I fired a shot. Fail. Another one – not bad. Then I got serious. Hands down, Sky and Xavia were the best shooters I’ve ever seen – not that I know many – but I’ll try my best. I positioned my feet and arms.

You aim for the centre mass.

The voice in my head sounded like Sky and I took aim confidently. I fired.

Bull’s eye.

I took off my gear and faced Chris, a huge grin plastered on my face. “I did it!” He looked at me, then at my target board. “I knew I shouldn’t have boosted your ego.” I laughed. I feel so accomplished. At least I know I have something. “So,” I said. “Do you get to be my slave or something?”

He smiled. “How about I get your number?” The next thing I heard was the bullet from Sky’s gun ricochette off the glass and him swearing. He clicked his gun violently and resumed his shooting, as if the target board had done him a personal wrong. Chris turned to me again,

“You sure he’s not your boyfriend?”

I shot him a withered look. “I would know f he is, or if he isn’t okay?” Someone tapped my shoulder then. I turned around and saw Imah and Xavia. “Time to go.” Imah said, sounding relieved. “Sky’s becoming a bit of a loose cannon.” she added in a hushed tone. I nodded and turned back to Chris. “It was nice meeting you.”

He grinned. “Same to you. Hope we meet again.” We won’t. Imah lead the way out his time and she almost jogged back to the glass room, seeming eager to get away. We laid down our protective gears and I noticed as we made our way to the front room that Xavia kept on glancing at Sky, who was at the back of the group. I licked my lips and matched up my steps with Imah’s as we were greeted by the different air on the front room.

The mysterious dude was reading the newspaper and just lifted his eyes for three seconds, looking at us. He put four small checks in his clipboard and then went back to his paper. I untied Dash as he barked at us in recognition and as a group, we came back to the car. Imah started,

“Well, that was good. Ryne, you learned quickly! That was really good – it’s like your natural flair. I don’t – ”

“You’re exaggerating.” I interrupted as I grimaced. “I’m not!” she argued and Xavia shot her a warning look as they both got into the backseat with Dash. That was odd. But aargh. My shoulders and arms are sore and I need relaxation. I climbed into the shotgun seat. As Sky quietly started the engine, Xavia said, “We can’t stay there for far too long though. I’ll find another place for you to practice, maybe tomorrow.”

Imah responded. “Can it wait for the next day? I’m all sore and I’m sure Ryne is, too – ”

“Are you, Ryne?” Xavia asked.

“A little bit, yes.” I didn’t mention the word a lot.

She just nodded. “That happens. Let’s just see tomorrow.” She glanced at the back of Sky’s head but reverted her gaze. I chewed my lip as I watched Sky sideways by my eyes. He wasn’t scowling anymore, but there was still a stubborn crease between his brows. I slowly turned to the people on my back, and shot them a look that plainly said, What the fuck is going on? Help me.

Imah looks about to burst from…something and Xavia was pursing her lips to keep from laughing; it was getting uncontrollable that she had to bury herself to Dash’s fur. They’re so helpful.

Imah’s eyes suddenly widened and she then sat up straighter. “We still have to drop by Mark and Colleen’s by the way.” I scrutinized her. “We? And who are these Mark and Colleen people?”

  Xavia seemed to be tickled pink by the news but she made an effort to answer my queries. “Mark and Colleen are cousins and you should, err… it’s best if you don’t know much about them.” she added hastily. My eyebrows drew together. “But aren’t we meeting them?” And I had a sneaking suspicion that Xavia and this Mark have a something going on. I mean, she looks excited already.

Imah said, “Me and Xavia are meeting them first.” I stared at them, then at the person driving the car. Oh, no.

“You mean, I get to meet them as soon as you – ” Imah interrupted. “You’ll meet them soon, Ryne. But right now –”

“I’ll go home? I mean, go back?” I shook my head. “To the hotel?” Xavia nodded approvingly. “Pretty much.” My shoulder slumped and I faced the dashboard of the car again. Then Sky asked, voice devoid of emotion, “Where do you drop off, Xav?”

“You can drop us now, actually.”

“But it’s drizzling.” 

Imah shrugged her shoulders and reasoned, “We better get out now before it gets worse, I think.” So without further ado at the next second, Sky parked the car on the pavement, splashing a bit of water in the process. As Imah and Xavia started to go out, Dash started barking and I had to restrain him from jumping off with them. Why the hell is he leaving me alone? 

“Bye, Ryne.” Xavia said. “You too, Sky.”

“Have fun!” You already know who said that. The rain pounded down hard then, as they closed the door of the car and we drove away. They’re going to get soaked. My brow creased as I released Dash and stared at the place where they were just moments ago.

“Don’t you think we should – ” I looked at my seatmate then and realized who the handsomely scowling face was and fell into an extremely awkward silence. I chewed my tongue and pursed my lips. A minute later, the weather outside changed and immediately, it was raining cats and dogs. And the thing is, I really liked the rain a lot, especially the violent ones – the sounds are so comforting and my view from the window is sort of therapeutically relaxing, with the continuous falling of precipitation from the clouds. It reminds me of one time, when I was ten years old and I’ve been sick as a dog because I stayed out on the rain for far too long.

I relaxed my head on the headrest and sighed deeply. Today had been a productive one, in a sense. I got the hang of shooting but I’m not exactly mastering it like the people do on television. They make it look so easy! But at least I’ve started, right? I stared at the green trees passing us by. I have absolutely no idea which city we are right now – I don’t recognize any of the landscapes from anywhere but I have a feeling that we are somewhere on the countryside.

Then I noticed the road where the car’s tires are flashing through, slowly gaining speed. The clouds were dark, and the glass made it hard to see because of the water pouring from above.

And it’s not exactly safe.

Maybe I have paranoia, Maybe I don’t. But the tires could easily slip on the watery road and…I shivered.

Sky’s scowl of annoyance – I think it’s annoyance – changed to one of concern. 

“Are you cold?” he asked, audible through the patting of the rain through the vehicle’s exterior. “No, it’s just that you’re running a little too fast. Could you please slow it down?” He nodded and did as I said. I just felt like avoiding something that might be an entire catastrophe later. I fidgeted nervously. Nothing’s going to happen, I reminded myself. I’m only cautious. Sky flickered his gaze towards me.

“We could stop over until the rain calms down if you want.” His statement was followed by a violent flash of lightning and a horrible thunder. I almost gulped. I like rains, but not this rain. I told Sky, “I might fall asleep.” I do that all the time. I mean, the constant pounding sound of the rain and everything. It’s perfect for dozing off.

Sky smiled. “You always do.” 

I gave a smile of my own. He has a point. “That’s encouraging.” I said as I drew my knees up to my chest and put my forehead on my knees. Then Sky parked the car and turned the engine off, putting the keys safely in his pocket. He rested his own head on the back of his seat. I closed my eyes, not bothering with my glasses – it’s just a small nap anyway. My sore arms and back gave in and I drifted to sleep.

-

The insider put off their binoculars. They have absolutely no idea. The person smiled. Ice had been right. 

            -