Shadow Escape, the sequence(Book 2)

Chapter 7

                                                                                         ✦Tyler✦

I still couldn't get over how good it felt to have Konaru in my arms. She was so light and so precious, nothing could separate her from me. But when she cried, it felt like the whole world was coming to the end and the walls were crushing in on me. I instantly felt a need to shield her from the darkness and pain. To protect her. We've been through a lot together and even though it was in such a short amount of time, nothing stole my breath away the way she stole mine.

Knock, knock, knock

The sound jared me from my thoughts. I stood in my bedroom staring at the door wondering who it might be. My mom was away at work and my dad was busy no matter what. I just wanted to be alone at the moment, alone with all my thoughts-

Knock, knock, knock

"Go away!" I yelled.

"Tyler." The voice is friendly with a soft rasp to it.

I ran to open the door so fast, Konaru had barely enough time to catch herself from falling. When she recovered, her depthless eyes met mine tinged with a hint of embarrassment.

"Konaru," I crooned, "Is everything okay?" We promised to meet behind the school the next day to lay out our plan, but I guess she couldn't wait.

"I know this is the wrong time, but I just can't get it out of my mind, the fact that Seth is still out there."

I sat on my bed and gestured to the spot next to me. She sighed and settled in beside me. "He might still be out there and he might have been the one to make us suffer, but he is not capable of everything. Seth is just like us. He's a human at heart, just a little damaged on the outside. There's no way he could find us again. He barely ever spoke to us, in person at least," I reassured Konaru.

Seth always appeared in holograms for some reason. The only time we got to see him in real life was after Konaru saved me from the robot back in the maze and just before he snapped his fingers, disappearing into thin air.

Konaru considered what I had just said before lifting herself off the bed. "I suppose you're right. He's never really touched, or harmed us directly. The chances of him finding us are low, but never zero. We're going to have to create a plan to catch him as soon as possible."

She put my hands in her hers and lifted me off the bed before giving me her biggest hug. "Now, let's start off by thinking of where he could be."

"That sounds like a great start, but we don't have any clues as to where he is. In fact, we're empty handed." I say after letting go.

Konaru looked deep in thought. "Unless he has something that belongs to us or our friends."

I racked my brain for what she could mean. Something that belongs to us or our friends...

When I couldn't think of anything, I looked up to see Konaru near my desk absorbed by something.

Before I could ask her what it was, she turned and I wasn't ready for the pillow that hit me square in the face. I grunted and when I recovered, she stood in front of me so close I could see the anger swirling in her eyes.

"Why didn't you tell me about Mike's notebook?" Her eyebrows knit together in a deep frown that made me gulp.

Realization dawned. I remembered leaving it in my room before heading off to school. How the hell did I forget about the notebook! How foolish of me. "Uh... Sorry, I forgot to tell you," I hemmed, "I was just distracted by the fact that you're here and..." Our eyes met and I thought I lost the ability to speak. Konaru tucked a strand of her hair behind her ear and her eyes tilted upward, swirling with a myriad of emotions. It stole my breath away.

A moment later, her expression softened and I was surprised she didn't throw me another pillow at how lame my excuse sounded. She gave my hand a gentle squeeze. "I completely understand. All the pressure and news is a lot to take in and it can cause you to forget some of the important details."

The corners of my mouth tilted upward, understanding where she was going. "Could Mike's notebook be of any use to finding him?"

A smile lit her face and she nodded. "Maybe there might be something inside these pages." I observed any change in expression as she flipped through them.

Just as when I was about to interrupt, she stopped abruptly at a certain page and I couldn't stop myself from peering over her shoulder to look at what was so interesting. Drawn in pencil was a drawing of what looked like a beautiful girl. I noticed her familiar features and long hair which could only belong to Violet. Mike must have been a great artist.

Konaru was suddenly jumping with excitement. I just frowned. "Tyler, do you know what this means? What happened back at the escape rooms?"

"Didn't Violet abandon her phone, for the notebook? "

She nodded eagerly. "Yes! We're on the right path! Seth might still have Violet's phone that can lead to his location."

She laughed and I laughed along. Her joy seemed to connect with my emotions. I twirled the girl I treasured the most around and wrapped my arms around her in an embrace, touching my lips to her soft forehead.

This might just be the biggest discovery of the century.