Starfall

Chapter 16 - Ben

As soon as I step back into the cold Parlemity streets with Leola, she hisses, "Okay, you little hypocrite, you're going to smile and nod or else I gut you here and now."

This is just ridiculous now. "Are you kidding me, Leola? Why can't you just—"

Before we come into view through the tavern window, she whips around and gets in my face. "Here's what's going to happen. I'm going to tell you what to do and you're going to do it. If you don't, I'll kill you and frame you for your own murder. Got it?"

Although she terrifies me, I say confidently, "You don't scare me."

Her eyebrows go up, and for a moment I think she might actually cut me down where I stand.

Ignoring the sting in my head, I sigh. "Okay, fine. What do you want?"

She gestures for me to step into view of the window, so Elyse can watch us from the inside. Within a few seconds, Leola is smiling at me, and, through gritted teeth, growling, "Here's what's going to happen. You're not going to step a single one of your disgusting feet into that tavern. In fact, I'm going to supposedly apologize to you right here and you're going to accept that apology. And through my most sincere words, you're going to regret everything you've ever done in your life, especially joining our crew. Got it?" Her fake smile burns a hole in my soul as she stares me down.

But I can't mirror it. It's too ridiculously stupid. "You realize that I actually do regret everything I've ever done other than joining your crew, right?"

Without a moment of hesitation, she grits, "Smile, dirtbag."

Grudgingly, I obey her orders and paste on a fake smile and nod, acting like I'm agreeing with whatever it is she's supposed to be saying. "I thought you said Kamal talked some sense into you."

She scoffs. "All he did was help me realize that if you're going to miraculously disappear from our crew, it has to be your  fault, not mine."

"Wow. Creative."

"Shut up," she snaps. "Here's what you're going to do. You're going to go back to the hangar and write a rejection letter to Elyse."

My jaw drops. "What?"

"Shut up," she says again. "You're going to write a note to her saying how, Oh, I know you're in love with me, but I just don't feel the same way, and oh, I don't want it to affect our friendship! And you're going to leave it in the Atlas for her to find." Then she snorts. "Oh, and you have to sign it, XOXO, Dazzles."

I actually don't know how to react. With a roll of my eyes, I tell her, "You know that'll reveal that you put me up to it, right? Why would I call myself Dazzles?"

She retorts with an eye-roll of her own and a tighter fake smile. "The point is, she actually likes you. A little too much. And when she gets attached to things, she gets torn up when they leave."

I narrow my eyes at her. "Torn up? If you really think she's so interested in me, why would you do that to her?"

Now she laughs. "Torn up in Elyse terms means really, really, really angry. Like, smashing-things angry." She sighs. "Besides, she'll get over you. It's not like you're the man of her dreams or anything. I mean, it's not like you're the man of anyone's dreams, so she'll do just fine."

I just shake my head in complete disbelief. "You're insane, Leola. I'm not going to do all that to her."

"Yes, you are. You've already lied to her face, so it should be easy to lie to her through a handwritten note, too."

"And if I don't do this for you?"

Her eyebrows raise. "Easy. I'll either poison you in your sleep or, like I said earlier, frame you for your own murder. Or both."

"You can't be serious."

Now she crosses her arms. "You clearly don't know me very well at all, Benny Boy."

"Don't call me that." I cringe away, trying to force the remembrance of Rose out of my head.

"Why not, Benny Boy?"

My stomach boils. I so badly want to hit her, or shove her, or something. Only one person calls me by that name, and I am not particularly fond of that person.

"Well, get going, Benny," she prompts, gesturing to the street that leads straight back to the hangar.

I'm about to tackle her when I catch something move out of the corner of my eye. When I look, I see it's that black cat again, the one with electric blue eyes and short, clean fur. With most of my anger dissipated, I watch as it slinks around a corner and sits, staring. At me.

Out of nowhere, Leola swears. She jets past me, going for the door. "Elyse!"

When I look into the window, I barely have any time to register what happens. All I see is Leola getting knocked to the floor in a huge blow to her face. A man is picking up an unconscious Kamal and throwing him over his shoulder. And there, near the back, is Elyse. A large, hefty man drags her by her wrists around a dark corner, into a place I can't see.

My thoughts are scrambled. I don't know what to do. I can't move. I can't do anything.

The bartender, who stands above Leola, blood on his ringed fingers, glances up at me. I'm frozen for the next second before I manage to move. I sprint out of the way of the window and hide around the corner, panting even though I've barely moved.

What just happened? Why were they being taken away?

In my crazed, unorganized mess of a head, I can't think. I can't do anything but sit here and panic, with a splitting headache and not a single idea of what to do.

It's not until there's the smallest little meow beside me that I'm jolted back to reality.

I look down, and there's the small black cat, rubbing its side on my leg. I gasp at its fond touch, surprised it's come so close.

My fingers drop to its head and I scratch its ears. It purrs momentarily, but within the next second, it's moving away. I watch it walk into the darkness of the narrow alleyway behind me.

But then it looks back at me, as if to say, Are you coming, or what?

My answer, I realize, can't be anything but, Yes.

A/N - What's gonna happennnnn???

(i know what's going to happen heeheeheh)