Afterlife

• Chapter Thirteen •

The door closed with a loud “thud” as the last person left the house.

     Levi remained close to Ethan’s side, not wanting to be near the “new additions” to the group. Leaving Millie alone with the sketchiest person in the group didn’t sit well with him. Millie, on the other hand, seemed more at peace than she had been initially. His head leaned back over his shoulder, eyeing the two girls carefully. Paige was a few steps ahead of the two, Millie and Viola following just behind her. 

     “Those two seemed to get along fast,” Levi whispered, nudging the side of Ethan’s arm. Ethan rolled his eyes, adjusting the glasses resting on his nose. “They are partners in our mission, it’s good Millie’s talking to her.” “I kinda regret the ‘splitting up thing’, I don’t… I don’t trust her.” Ethan huffed out a sigh, his lips twitching up into a smile. “Your idea was smart, Levi. Millie’s smart too in her own way. If she trusts Viola, we should too.” With that in the air, Ethan made his way over to Millie’s side, easily incorporating himself into their conversation. 

     Despite the pleasant looks on their faces, Levi couldn’t push past the uncomfortable feeling within his chest. Something wasn’t right. As much as he pushed everyone to see something was off about Viola, everyone insisted it was fine. Levi dug his fingernails into the palm of his hands, eyes narrowing in frustration.

“Hey! Don’t leave me out of the conversation!”

     Levi began to walk backwards so that he could walk side by side with Paige. The girl visibly flinched at the company but remained silent. “Do you have any idea as to where we’re going?” He asked, smiling when he saw Paige’s fingers flex. “No, actually I don’t. Isn't it supposed to be your job to lead the group?” “Yeah, it is. But you're helping too. I mean, you were helping lead us in the right direction of the nearest kingdom-” “Which is the kingdom we want!” Ethan piped in, kicking the back of Levi’s leg. “Stop harassing her, she’s on our team and we treat each other with respect.” 

     “Levi, Levi, Levi…” Levi winced at the sound of Viola’s voice. “You’ve been nothing but rude to Paige and I. May I be honest with you?” Levi looked behind over his shoulder, his teeth clenching at the cold stare in Viola’s blue eyes. “I don’t care what you do to me, dear, but,” she leaned in, her cat-like pupils growing thinner, “don’t you dare hurt her. I will know if you do.” From his peripheral vision, he could see Paige smirking. The denial within him wanted to know whether or not this was an empty threat. Another part, the more logical side, told him to just back off. This was the second time she mentioned ‘knowing’ if they did anything Viola didn’t like. 

     “What would you do?” Millie and Ethan nervously looked at each other behind his back. Viola giggled, “what would I do, Levi?” She didn’t speak after that.

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    They were standing at the edge of a mountain, the wind blowing gently through the white grass. Levi ran a hand through his blue hair, a puff of a sigh escaping his parted lips. “We shoulda just teleported here,” he started, bending down so that he could rest his hands on his knees. “You weren’t built for walking, peacock?” Paige smirked, her arms crossed in front of her chest. Despite the cocky expression, the girl's exhaustion was still clear across her own features. Her tone did little to hide anything. Two hours was a long time for walking, even though he knew she had to admit that teleporting would have been an easier option. 

    Levi remained silent for once. His attention was trained ahead at their destination. Aaron’s Kingdom. “Are we splitting as soon as we get to the kingdom?” Millie asked, “or is that just for inside the castle?” “We should split up into our groups, people would be suspicious of us being together in a group like this. Besides, Levi and I are somewhat recognizable due to our positions and we don’t want them to think we’re up to something.” Ethan said, his hand gesturing towards Levi. “I have an idea!” It was Millie’s turn to pipe in. “Let’s split up into our groups as we planned. However, let’s have Levi’s group scope out around the castle to find ways to get in without being caught. Then, Viola and I can wander around the kingdom and get information. After about an hour let’s meet up somewhere in the kingdom, share what we learned, then we can go into action.”