AUSTIN'S POV.
Her elegant hand brushed against mine as we walked side by side. She nudged a bit to the side away whilst I cringed. The cool evening breeze tinkled our skin- me gracing and relishing that alone moment with her, nevertheless, the lack of words made it awkward, so I decided to speak up, "Communication is essential, you know sweetheart?"
"With jerks? I can barely agree." she scoffed.
"C'mon, you can't deny how much I'm a gentleman nowadays, don't you think?"
"By gentle, if you mean a poxy wanker who is arrogantly calm only because he's a chicken, then yes."
"Oh, I'm chuffed to bits!" I retorted.
"That wasn't a compliment."
"A gentleman would make it sound like one, without getting offended. Oh, am I not the perfect partner?"
She chuckled hesitatingly, and rolled her eyes, "Well funded, dick."
"Don't forget you kissed me like grim death, and might I say I enjoyed to you the most." I laughed, getting a buzz out of the conversation.
"That's not funny! And that dark magic loves you, not me. Oh oh! Remember when the pixie queen was love-struck by you? Hah!" A wide grin etched to her cheeks, eyes lit up while my face balanced out.
"And that's not funny!" I tilted my head to the opposite direction in an attempt to hide the look of embarrassment.
"That wasn't a sad sight, either." She shrugged.
"She tasted like pink bubblegum mixed with dry mint, and I hate mint."
"You wish." She shook her head in denial, but the offense went off from me when I watched her hair fluttering like a flurry, beautifully tousled in the wind rate increasing down the ocean-blue sky. A small, wonder-filled smile crept up to her face and I knew I loved her curves of softness, her words silver-thread and the only knockout in my world of glamour.
And as I knew, the slight excitement followed by the realization of what it means. It meant only hopeless dreams, expectations, and broken hearts.
"You're one hell of a cynic."
"No. Am not. Except I make it an exception when it comes to you."
I laughed, preventing any sort of eye contact and shook my head in denial of my feelings, just when I spotted Clay hiding in the bushes, right where I left him.
We three did a short reunion before directly getting into the job.
-
"This time, I snatched the cap from Rex-"
"Aw poor guy. You are definitely a heartbreaker." I ridiculed, but internally I was tickled pink.
"Oh shut up."
"Make me."
"I kissed him."
"Wha-" My jaw dropped before I could complete my words, and I became totally numb with the electric shock.
"Now I made you shut up. Thank God." I pulled my jaw to close and my hand reached out to my chest to stop the heart from pounding like a drum. How I was relieved. And quiet.
"And I didn't have any time for flattering. And last time, that stupid Brittany made things late, so I went from the other side. Even though I would love to keep a history of slapping her, but however. Then went to the bathroom, made things a come-and-go."
"Can't say I'm not entranced." I sassed.
As usual, she turned a blind eye to my words and demanded the final time travel to the present.
Finally.
-
My chest moved up and down, taking a deep breath in. My eyes analyzed the surroundings and realized that I was in a different area, which was definitely not the school grounds.
I stood rooted to the spot, trying to stretch my eyes as wide as possible but I could barely make out any object other than 4 walls. The room was bleak, cold, and halfway dark. It somewhat smelled of something evil, and I felt a chill as the darkness engulfed me.
Quiet and somber, my attention was switched to a light slithering underneath the supposedly closed door from the gaps, and since it was the only light source, I moved towards it.
As I got closer, my ears got open to indistinct voices which made me self-conscious, slightly peeking out.
My eyes almost bulged out when I saw Casper floating in the air, directed to an obscure face in the surreal dark. It had an abstract touch to it and since it was only a big face with no body with all the space left in the room, I couldn't understand what it exactly was.
"Why did you had to drag her in this? She's not even a damn wildfire! She's...she's just-"
"Your checkmate." A hoarse, deep voice echoed in the room. It sent shivers down my spine, which was more of a reason why I tried to stay unshaken and quiet.
"Cut the cackle, Lord! I'm warning you for the last time, don't you dare even touch her hair! To begin with," he gritted his teeth but exhaled a deep breath before continuing, "you know who I am. And unlike of what they know, I'm not the spirit that would make Beca a wildfire, which also means she isn't a hindrance in your path of...of unrequited hatred. So you have no right in hurting her out of everyone."
"She is a hindrance, son. She is the leader of a group of petty youngsters, petty wildfires and she believes herself to be. And that is not the problem at all. The problem is her leading to the solutions of the problems I give them! So she is a mere obstacle." That husky tone uttered nonchalantly.
"No! She's the only family I have, and you don't have any right to hurt my family!'
"Hm. You talk about your only family and rights in front of me? Nonsense, son."
"Firstly, I'm not your son. Second and last, you have to recover Beca from that dark magic. Cause she is suffering what I can't bear. It rips my heart into pieces to see her in that state for even a second!"
"Why don't you think about the time when she learns about who you are is not what you show? Huh?"
Even in that floating, vague presence, I could detect Casper's chest rising up and down, while his eyes scattered throughout the room in supposedly loss of words.
"I-I'll manage that. But you need to cut out the dark magic before it gets further emboldened by her negative energy!"
"What should I gain from doing what you are saying, general?"
"What should you gain from doing what you are doing, Lord?" He fired back.
"I will gain my victory, and eliminate all the delays to my destination! I told you, if she helped those wildfires to the least, then might she had not faced this. It's her pathetic mudita that put her to the way of her doom. And why shall you worry? Once she turns into the void of my darkness, her evilness will be a further movement to your relationships. And she won't even be a little disappointed at you being on my side. And I won't mind a second general for easy go-to. So it's a win-win situation."
"Anything that makes Beca unhappy and anguished doesn't make me win anything! Get it?"
"Fine. Whatever you say to lie to yourself. Huh. But I'm afraid I deny to assist you in this."
"What do you mean?" Casper toned up his voice, "I'm doing everything you say, yet you refuse to listen to this desire of mine? Rubbish!"
"Can't argue on that. But all I have to say is that pathetic, meaningless love is what can save her. Which I hope not but that's universal."
With those last words uttered, I perceived that dim shadow vanish into thin air, leaving a moment of mere silence.
Casper stomped his feet, before swinging his balled fists into a punch to the wall. The expected yet abrupt thud noise made me jump, a slight sound on the ground took his attention.
My heart skipped a beat and I backed from where I was rooted to.
"Hey. Send me back in time. In time as in to the present, pronto!"
That was as far as I could recall before I knew my eyes to be squeezed close, as unconsciousness intruded into my head.