The Numbers on Our Arms

Chapter 27

Sunlight streamed through the glass of the window from the cloudless sky and lit up the room with a few desks, shelves and a spot set up with rugs, blankets and cushions.

Seraphina looked at Evie from across the table with the workbooks set in front of them. She drew her pen across and dotted the last line and closed the book, pushing it to the side of the desk and towards her backpack. "I hope you don't mind me asking, but why are you and John not together if you know you are each other's soulmate?"

Sera pursed her lips together and took a moment to think. "Neither of us are looking for a relationship right now. A lot has happened recently and we're not ready for it."

"But when did you realise you were soulmates?" she asked, leaning forward with her chin in her hands. Her feet were crossed over in an excited manner. "You always acted like a couple beforehand, but clearly, you were not or otherwise you would be now, right? Or are you on a break? Actually..."

"Yes," she replied, twiddling with her hands beneath the table. "Well, no. Too many questions at once. I didn't know; I had questions, yes, his soulmark was exactly how I thought mine should look like, but his didn't match up (as you may be able to guess). I would ask him about it, but he would say it couldn't be. At one point, I even suggested that we were one of those three way couples, but he would deny it or be hesitant. I didn't know he was Joker until I saw the fight between him and the Royals with you and then it all clicked."

Evie looked up to the ceiling. "I never really considered why he would do that. Hide his ability, I mean."

The door opened and footsteps thudded over. Heat rose in Evie's face, it glowing red, as John arrived at where they sat.

"How was class?" Seraphina asked him. Her elbow rested on the back of the chair as she looked up at him.

"I have no clue what it was about," he replied sheepishly, scratching the back of his neck.

She meekly smiled. "Hopefully, you'll remember in a few hours or I'm going to have to help you. Do you want to join us in a game? We've got some cards."

Evie leaned down and pulled up a slim box of cards from her bag. She drew them out and began to shuffle the lot.

"Is that 'Une'?" he asked as he drew a chair up at the table."

"Yes," Evie replied with a smile and dished out the cards into three piles of seven. Then she placed the group of cards at the centre of the table between them and took out the top cards to reveal a red seven.

Cards were flicked in hands and soon they were slammed down on the table or flicked back up as the rounds switched between the three.

Evie slammed down a blue card of 2+ with a slight look of glee and looked to John only for him to draw out a yellow 2+.

"Does a 4+ count?" questioned Sera, biting her lip as she looked up in them in anticipation.

"No," Evie replied, trying to keep down her smile and put on a sympathetic face.

Seraphina sighed as she pulled out four cards from the stack.

Evie continued to pull out another 2+, although this time green, and this lead John to pick up two cards.

The group continued as the cards went round and round for the next half an hour whilst the cards in each hand went up and down.

"Une," Seraphina said as a smirk drew across her face.

Evie sighed as the corners of her mouth turned down and slid one of the regular cards down onto the pile and John stared down before he had to pick up the card, which lead to Seraphina slamming down her final card down with a small laugh escaping her lips.