Navier's lashes slowly fluttered open. However, to his surprise, the face in front of his wasn't Mad Dog's but Rem's. He looked around, confused to find that he was lying on his bed in the hostel room. "I had a weird dream," he said aloud.
With the pad of his fingers, he brushed over the area where Mad Dog punched him in his dream but flinched at the throbbing pain it brought along. Was it not a dream?
Joan looked at him from the floor. "Dream?"
Navier nodded. "Yeah, Mad Dog kidnapped me in my dream."
"That wasn't a dream."
Navier cocked his head to the side. "It wasn't."
"Look in the mirror, kid," Joan said.
Navier pulled a minuscule handheld mirror from under his bed. The person staring back at him, nearly made his heart lurch out of his chest. Just who was he looking at?
The boy in the mirror had a black eye, dried blood under his nose, and an inconspicuous lump on his head. Gently, Navier brushed over the bulge and winced at the sting.
"What happened?"
"He took you away, so I brought you home," Joan frankly said. Unknowingly, her words made Navier's heart flutter. His respect for Joan soared through the roof, and he looked at her with unwavering awe.
"Thanks," Navier humbly mumbled. He rubbed the back of his neck as he admired Rem from afar.
Joan, who was completely oblivious, rushed through the pages of homework she had procrastinated until now. Although she breezed through the sheets of derivatives and integrals, she couldn't help but scowl at the tedious work.
***
King bit his nails as he read through the district forums. Shit had gone down, and now M High School was entirely out of their jurisdiction.
He ruffled his hair as he hurriedly texted the reluctant Isaac Louise to meet him at his house.
Thirty minutes later, Isaac rang the doorbell, and King rushed down to greet him.
"Hey, Isaac, glad you came," King nodded.
"Thales." Isaac nodded in greeting. "Your house seems to be getting bigger every time I see it."
Although unknown to most, the two were childhood friends that grew apart once they graduated elementary school. Even though they weren't close, Isaac was the only person King trusted to not run his mouth all over the place.
"Come in," King gestured to Isaac.
Isaac complied and took a step into King's house. For whatever reason, King lived apart from his parents in a three-story villa. Every time Isaac visited, he couldn't help the seed of jealousy that stirred in his stomach.
Wouldn't it be nice if he was as rich as Thales? Would he have to worry about paying rent on time?
Thales's life seemed so carefree in Isaac's eyes. Harboring such feelings of jealousy made Isaac feel immensely guilty for being jealous of a childhood friend.
Isaac shook the thoughts and followed Thales to the dining table, which was much too large for just one person. It could fit roughly eight people, and that was a conservative estimate.
"I need your help again," King confessed.
Isaac rubbed his palms together. "With what?" He had a feeling he knew where this was going.
"I need to reclaim M High School from Rem."
Isaac frowned at the mention of her name. Did Thales plan on ganging up on her again? Isaac refused to allow such a thing to happen.
"I'll pay you generously," Thales continued. "Just send a few of your best guys to help me out, yeah?"
Isaac gritted his teeth in annoyance? This again? Was everything to Thales just money? Did he think Isaac was that desperate? In a way, Isaac felt ashamed when Thales extorted his desperation for cash. Additionally, annoyance twisted his mind when he thought of Thales hurting Rem, the girl who had helped him when he needed it the most.
"That's what you called me here for?" Isaac scoffed as he stood up. "No, thanks."
King immediately stood up to prevent Isaac from leaving. "How much do you want? Five hundred? A thousand? I can give you anything."
A faint red flushed Isaac���s cheek as he realized King only viewed him as a disposable, money-hungry freak. And although the large sum of money was tempting, he couldn't bring himself to betray Rem's kindness.
As Isaac walked away, King latched on to his wrist. "Is that not enough? Two thou-"
"It's not about the money," Isaac interrupted.
King huffed. "Then what is it about? Do you plan to become homeless? I know you're struggling. You can't afford―"
Furiously, Isaac yanked his wrist from King's iron grip. "No, I don't plan to become homeless. Stay out of my business."
"Why are you like this?" King scowled. The confusion was evident on his face, but he failed to realize how insulting his words had been to Isaac.
"I'm not about violence anymore," Isaac said. It had been a request from Rem, and there was no way he could refuse her―not when she looked at him so expectantly. Somewhere in his heart, he desperately wished to live up to her expectations.
"What? Not about violence? Did you forget the reason why the Immortals, Dragons, and White Snakes were formed in the first place?" King screamed, ignoring the dryness in his throat.
Isaac shook his head as he strode toward the door, but before his hand could turn the handle, King rushed in front of him and blocked his way to the door.
"We formed as a response to the Eagles. Did you forget?" King reminded Isaac.
"I didn't forget."
"Then, are you giving yourself up to the Eagles? You're going to let them expand their influence and let us become a drug zone?"
Isaac growled as he shoved King away from the door. "That's not what I meant. I believe in Rem. She'll find a solution," were his last words before he slammed the door in King's face.
King huffed in disbelief. How had that bitch pulled Isaac to her side? Just what dirty tricks was she playing? If it weren't for her hideous appearance, King would've believed she was sleeping and seducing boys to back her.