Guardian: Returns

3

As the day went by, Jiang Feng felt more and more overwhelmed with all the people Luo Fei introduced him to. He even believed he must have been the only kid at school who feared the breaks and awaited the bell sounding for the next lesson to begin. Luo Fei finally spotted that, when during the lunch break, Jiang put his backpack on the desk and tried to hide behind it.

"Hey," the not-so-concealed boy jumped up on his chair at the sudden voice. A grinning face of Luo appeared mere centimetres from his own. "Tired of humans?"

"I feel uncomfortable staying around them for too long." Jiang Feng admitted before he even realized what he was saying. The moment he did, he panicked, and his eyes went wide. Luo Feng laughed.

"You may not believe me, but I know the feeling. Come on, I'll show you my secret hideout. Take your lunchbox with you."

Walking out of the classroom, he grabbed Feng's sleeve. "It's so that you don't get lost," he explained. He led them along the corridors and down to the basement. An elderly caretaker was sweeping the stairs.

"Mrs Na, you look so beautiful and young today! I swear you aren't even thirty!"

"Luo Feng," she shook her head, resting on the broomstick. "Children your age shouldn't be saying things like that. Who's your friend?" She smiled pleasantly.

"That's Jiang Feng. He and his twin brother transferred here yesterday. He's the quiet type. I'm taking him to my place."

"All right, boys, keep the place clean," she resumed her work.

"We will. Come on, it's here." They reached a large double door. Luo pressed the handle, and the door opened.

"Should we even be here?" Jiang was sceptical as he crossed the threshold and looked around. The room was much bigger than a regular classroom and completely cluttered with broken furniture, old cardboard boxes and used sports equipment.

"Technically, we aren't forbidden from entering. This used to be the first gym. Back when the school was first built, it used to be much smaller. Then it grew with more people settling in the city, and so the school was rebuilt. A new gym was added, and this place got turned into a storage room. They don't even lock the door cause... I mean, what are you gonna steal? A broken chair? Come."

They went around the piled-up furniture, and Jiang Feng blinked and smiled. There was an old carpet on the floor, some pillows that definitely knew better days, and a pile of books.

"Welcome to my place. You can come up here any time you want. Just don't bring anyone else with you, ok?" Luo lifted one corner of the carpet and removed a loose floorboard. He reached down and took out a packet of cigarettes and a lighter. "Make yourself at home. Be right back."

Jiang Feng watched as the kid jumped on an old desk standing next to a wall. It wobbled, and he fought for balance. Then, the boy reached up and opened a small window situated near the ceiling. Pulling himself up, he managed to squeeze through it. Jiang Feng shook his head, sat on one of the pillows and looked at the spines of the books. They were all about legends or the history of Dragon City. The thickest one was "The Great War".

After ten minutes, Luo was back, with a strong smell of cigarettes. He hid the packet in the floor space and turned to his friend.

"What do you think? Do you like it here?"

"Do you have to smoke?" Jiang knew that it was impolite to answer a question with a question, but he couldn't help himself.

"I don't HAVE to," admitted Fei sitting on the carpet. "But I like it from time to time. It helps me reorganize my thoughts. There are too many sometimes. Do you know the feeling?" Jiang Feng nodded. "Then you should start smoking too! Just kidding. Finish your food. The break will be over soon. And tell me. Do you like this place? I haven't shown it to anyone else before."