*Souta*
Purpura smiled as soon as I asked him as to why he was really here. "I just wanted to get to know a fellow descendant of Quartz," he said.
I narrowed my eyes at him. 'Yeah right, I doubt that's it. Hmmm, though it might be best to play along with him for the time being. This guy is dangerous.'
I looked up at the ceiling of the barn house as I thought about what our relation was. "Is that so?"
Purpura nodded. "That's right. We're the descendants of what was once the great Quartz Clan. To be honest, I've been looking for a fellow Quartz Clan descendant." He turned to look at me and laughed. "Imagine my luck, I met one as soon as I escaped."
I backed away. "Where did you escape from?"
The boy stood up and dusted off his pants. He glanced at the sunlight pouring through the cracks of the door. "Sou, be careful. This town might be peaceful now but it won't stay that way for long. This place, it hides many secrets."
I tilted my head at him. "W...what do you mean? What kind of secrets?" I stood up quickly.
The boy opened the barn door slightly. His purple eyes surveyed the field. "I will tell you more but this isn't the right place. Let's go to the cherry blossom tree on the hill at the center of town."
My face became bright red again. Was he going to confess to me or something? Or was the guy ignorant about the meaning of that hill?
I shook my head. No, Sou. He already said that he is gonna tell you about the secrets of this town... Though why do we need to go somewhere else to speak about them?
"Hey, do are you coming? Or did the curiosity you displayed earlier subside?" Purpura asked.
I sighed and followed him out. I ran in front of him to make sure that no one would see us. I took him to a hole under some bushes that I used to use to sneak out when I was younger.
"This is convenient," Purpura said as we crawled over to the other side. "Do your parents know about this or is it a secret?" He grinned. "Perhaps you use it to sneak off on dates?"
I push him away. "Stop asking weird questions. Besides, I got no boyfriend. Sehun didn't visit me at the hill."
The boy pushed me forward. "If he didn't go then that probably means he doesn't like you is all. Don't let rejection get to you."
I grumbled as I emerged from the the getaway. What did he know about dating and rejections? My bet was very little.
Purpura snickered as she stood up as well. "Don't get too mad. I mean it. You are also thinking the same thing, aren't you?"
I looked down at the ground. I hated to admit it, but he was right.
"See you there!" Purpura yelled. He leaped eight feet off the ground, landing on the rooftop of Ava's house and then onto the rooftop of Sayuri's.
"Hey, wait up for me!" I yelled as I began to give chase. I ran for several feet until I heard someone call out to me. I came to a stop and looked over my shoulder.
"Hey, Sou!" Sayuri yelled as she ran toward me. She was with Ava and the new kid.
"Why are you in such a hurry?" Ava asked, narrowing her rose-colored eyes from where she stood. "First you ran off on Sehun and now you're running to who knows where while yelling "wait for me!". What are you up to?"
Oh, did she always have to get in my way? She's such a busy buddy. I thought that she would change after getting a partner but no, she was still the same annoying little...
"It's none of your business," I retorted, running off anew.
Ava turned tail and raced after me. "Oh, now I know for sure that you're up to something! You're supposed to be back home, helping your parents out on the farm!"
I stuck my tongue out. "Same goes for you!" I run downhill to the river bed.
"Hey, don't run here," Ava warned as she herself ran downhill. She started to slip as some of the ground gave way thanks to all the rain we got yesterday.
I stopped running, turned around, and stretched out my arms. I moved back and forth like a goalie trying to determine which direction she would go. "Got you," I said as I wrapped my arms around her. My heart beat was pounding fast all of a sudden. I head-butted her in the head. "Don't scare me like that, idiot!"
Ava surprised me by hugging me back instead of hitting me back. "Thanks." She looked down at her mud-covered slacks.
I let go of her and slowly push her away. "Uh, I got to go now. I got something I forgot at school. Go back and help your parents! Tell mine that I went to retrieve something!" I start jogging again as Sayuri and Kai made their way down the stairs one would usually take to get to the river bed.
"Where are you going?" Sayuri said, grabbing my hand as I passed by her.
"Why is your face red?" Kai asked, giving me a puzzled looked.
I looked away. "It's none of your business." Oh gods, did everyone around her have to be a busybody? Couldn't they mind their own business?
Sayuri raised an eyebrow at me.
I sighed. I should've known getting away from them wasn't going to be easy.
"I'm going to go get something I forgot in class," I responded.
Sayuri sighed and took out a notebook from her backpack. "You mean this? I found it on your desk after you left. Honestly, you are so forgetful."
I puffed my cheeks. I guess that I really had forgotten something. "I...thanks." I snatched the notebook. "I think I might've forgotten something else."
She let go of my arm. "Don't cause my girlfriend any more worrying. Got it?"
I nodded. It wasn't my fault Ava worried about me, it wasn't like she was my girlfriend or anything.
***
When I finally arrived at the hill, I saw Purpura talking to someone.
"Are you the boy who entered this land the other day?" the other boy asked. His voice sounded familiar. I looked over the trunk of the tree and see Sehun.
"Why do you wish to know?" Purpura asked.
Sehun stepped closer to him and held his hand toward him. A faint black aura appeared on the tips of his nails. "I'm the guardian of these lands. If you are a threat then I'll put an end to you here and now."
The amethyst-eyed young man chuckled. "You seriously think that I'll admit to being a danger to this place after that threat?"
Sehun chuckled and lowered his hand slightly. "Good point."
I took step forward. What was going on? What did Sehun mean by 'a threat to these lands'? Who was Purpura?
"Oi, come out!" Purpura called out. "I know you're hiding behind that tree. Don't worry, I'll take care of this guy so that we can talk alone."
Sehun looked over Purpura's shoulder. "Sou?" He shifted his focus over to Purpura for a bit before returning to me. "How do you two know each other?"
I walked out from behind the tree as there was no use hiding, no matter how much I wish I could hide. Oh, gods... this is bad... very bad!