The Blazing Rebellion

Chapter 16

Blyke POV

"Remi, what are we doing?" Blyke whispered to Remi as she put her ear to the door of the rooftop, trying to hear what was going on inside.

She'd been acting a bit strange since he'd come back. At first, she'd just been really happy to see him. However, Blyke had also began to notice that she was always watching for someone else when with them... she seemed to be following Arlo. The thought of it made a wave of anger rush through him. For some reason, Blyke was really starting to dislike Arlo these days.

He'd noticed that their previous King was acting weird too, though. He'd been quieter the times that Blyke had seen him. When they'd switched in watching over the Safe House, Arlo had been unwilling to say more than a few words. Blyke knew that Remi must've been wondering why he was acting this way; that must've been why she'd followed him. It didn't help the wave of anger though. It was similar to the one he got when he saw John. That one, however, was a more solid hatred from the many times John had beat up his friends. What he was feeling from Remi's sudden interest in what Arlo was doing was different.

He was trying his best to hide it, but Isen would probably notice at some point. It was possible that he already knew and was just saving it for a story... Blyke sighed. Being friends with a reporter like Isen wasn't always the best idea. He glanced over at Isen now.

Isen was still standing a few feet away from the door. "Um... I think I'm going to leave."

"Okay," Remi answered, still close by the door. Isen shifted from foot to foot.

"We shouldn't be watching Arlo like this," He whispered. "What if he finds us?"

Blyke rolled his eyes. "Isen, are you worried he's going to kill you or something?" His friend didn't answer. Blyke turned back to the door, frowning at Remi. "What are we doing anyways?"

"Finding out what's going on," She finally answered. Blyke frowned.

"Do we really need to?" Isen asked from a few feet away, still nervous.

"Blyke, I really think something's going on with Arlo. He's being extra quiet and avoiding people... he's hiding things," Remi told Blyke, staring at him with worry in her red eyes. Blyke realized then that they were less than a foot apart, both leaning in to the door. He instantly moved back. Remi sighed. "Can you please help me?"

She stared at him for a second, her eyes hopeful. Blyke couldn't say no to that. "Fine."

Sighing, he leaned in to listen to the door. There was mostly silence from the other side. Then, all of a sudden, footsteps. Blyke exchanged a look with Remi. Someone's coming!

They both jumped back, taking several steps away from the roof to where Isen stood. There wasn't enough time to run before the door opened.

"Hide me!" Isen whisper-shouted, jumping behind Blyke and Remi like they were a shield. Blyke frowned and turned to push him away. Before he could, the rooftop's door thudded open.

He glanced up at the sound. To his surprise, it wasn't Arlo that was leaving the roof. Instead, it was a familiar black-haired boy who usually filled Blyke with anger at the sight. This time, though, before he could feel rage, Blyke noticed something else.

John's amber eyes weren't angry or calm, but hurt. His usually styled hair, too, was messy. The last time that his hair had been like that, he'd been beating everyone up.

This reminded brought Blyke's rage to the surface. He stepped forward as the rooftop's door closed, right into John's path. "Hey, what are you doing?"

Remi sighed from behind him. Blyke heard Isen whimper. He would've frowned at his friend and told him to calm down, but he was too busy dealing with the boy right in front of him. It was suspicious for John to storm out of a room like that. Blyke still didn't trust him, not one bit.

Even the still-present hurt in John's eyes didn't stop him.

"I'm not doing anything," John told him, anger seeping into his voice. Blyke crossed his arms.

"Then why are you so angry?" He asked, glancing from John's messy hair to his clenched fists. John's eyes narrowed at Blyke. Blyke forced himself to stand up taller, ready to fight back if neccessary.

"I don't believe you," Blyke told John. He heard Remi step forward from behind him.

"Blyke, let's just go," She told him. Blyke ignored her, continuing to scrutinize John.

John stepped to the side to walk past Blyke, but Blyke blocked him. John tried the other side, but Blyke blocked that, too. I'm not going to let you escape. Tell me what you're up to!

"Let me past!" John exclaimed, stepping to the side faster. Blyke kept up with him, blocking all escapes. He could see John getting more and more angry.

"Just admit what you're planning!" He demanded. John's amber eyes darkened. He finally stopped moving.

"I already told you, I'm not planning anything! I'M NOT GOING TO HURT ANYONE AGAIN!" John yelled, hands unclenched at his sides. "Just leave me alone!"

Blyke froze. He could see flickers of pain in John's eyes. He hadn't thought much of the hurt in them before, but was something actually happening? What's going on with him? Blyke didn't know what to think.

Luckily, Remi figured it out for him. She stepped forwards and put a hand on Blyke's arm, pulling him to the side. John shoved past him, storming down the stairs of the rooftop. As he left, Blyke thought he heard John mutter something like "just what I needed, more of the many people who hate me."

They watched him go in silence. Then, once he was gone, Isen let out a loud breath.

"Phew. I thought we were going to die for a second there," He told them. Remi frowned from beside Blyke.

"I don't think he was going to beat us up. Blyke, why did you block him like that?" Blyke turned to face her at the question, although he wasn't entirely done watching where John had just left.

"I don't trust him," He told Remi, but it didn't sound like a great explanation even to him. Remi sighed.

"Let's just leave..." She told them. Isen nodded, rushing to the stairs and practically sprinting down them as if he could escape any high-tiers wrath that way. Remi followed after him, having let go of Blyke's arm. He paused for a minute and glanced back at the roof before following. He didn't know what to make of what he'd seen.

Was John really different now? Or was this another disguise?