The Shadow's Grip • bxb [COMPLETED]

-11-

Dimitri's P.O.V.

"Are you hungry? We can eat something while doing this"

Felix points at all the papers scattered on the floor and on his bed and I nod, remembering that I forgot to eat breakfast before leaving the apartment. Violet hasn't been home for the past few days since she managed to get her driver's license and has been spending time with Luna. She always had to remind me to eat, otherwise I get lost in other things and forget.

"Yeah. What do you have in mind?"

He's silent for a moment but then sratches the back of his head, looking a bit embarrassed.

"I'm not a chef... But I have instant ramen"

"I'm not picky" I smile at him and he seems more relaxed.

I wasn't expecting him to make a full five star course meal. Not when we've both been under great stress this whole week. As long as what he's giving me is edible I won't complain about it.

"Wait here. I'll be back" he stands up and leaves the room in a hurry.

I look at the paper in front of me and the list of "symbols" I've written during the last half an hour.

I'm sure everything we see in our nightmares has a meaning, one way or another. Google hasn't been much help since everytime I'm searching for  meanings it immediately assumes I'm a witch or some superstitious person looking for detailed descriptions of what will happen in the future.

But why does The Shadow use things from our past to try and scare us? It's sad to see how it made the sea, something Felix loved, one of his biggest fears. And why a church for me out of all the things it could have used?

Sure, I don't have the best experiences with religion, but it's not something I'm afraid of to the point where I'll have nightmares about it.

A few knocks on the door disturb my thoughts and I wait for Felix to answer it, but I'm met with silence. Without thinking about it too much I look back at the paper but then hear the knock again.

"Dima! Uh... Can I call you that?"

I hear his voice from the kitchen and stand up from the bed,moving closer to him so I don't have to shout to be heard.

"Yeah you can"

He smiles at me and my eyes rest on the bowls that are on the table, filled with ramen and a pair of chopsticks next to a fork. There's that insisting knocking on the door again, this time more louder.

"Can you go open the door? I want to make some hot chocolate for us. You can drink it, right?"

"As I said before, I'm not picky"

I leave the kitchen and go towards the door, through the living room.

When I finally open it, I'm met with a girl shorter than me, awkwardly standing there while clutching to her backpack.

"Uh... Is Felix home?" she seems confused and tries to look inside over my shoulder.

"Yes he is. Should I call him?"

Before she can answer I hear Felix run towards me, laughing and smiling happily.

"Sam! You came back"

I move away from the door, letting him hug her. They seem to be very good friends by the way they're so familiar with each other. After the hug he just stands there for a few seconds, smiling and taking in the fact that she's really here, in front of him.

She looks at him, but then at me, almost as if she's asking with her eyes who am I and what am I doing here, in her friend's house.

"Oh... Right. Sam this is Dimitri. We're... Uh... Working on something right now"

"I didn't want to disturb!" she puts her hands on Felix's shoulder and apologizes over and over.

I don't want her to feel like she shouldn't be here, especially since they seem to be knowing each other for a long time. What do I know? I've only been Felix's friend for a week.

"Come in. We could use a break actually" I smile at her and she seems more relaxed than before, but still alert and anxious.

I don't know if it's because of me or if that's just the way she always is.

"We were making ramen. Want some?" Felix asks while walking towards the kitchen and pouring the hot chocolate in two cups.

"No thanks. I just ate. But I could use something to drink" she smiles at him.

"Juice? Water? Coffee? What does your heart crave for?"

"Orange juice is fine"

Not only her, but Felix also seems more relaxed. A few hours ago he was freaking out over what we should be doing to get more clues, but now he's back to his old carefree himself. Just like he was when we first met at the gas station.

She sits down at the kitchen table in front of me and I get the chance to look at her better. Her blonde hair is kind of short, barely reaching her shoulder with bangs and her brown eyes are mostly looking at the floor. A baggy sweater covers her wrists but I can see them when Felix hands her the cup of orange juice.

Lots of colorful bracelets and somewhere hidden, scars. But it's not my place to ask anything so I'll just pretend I didn't see them in the first place. They seem old. It shouldn't make me worried.

"Father threw a fit again" she sighs and Felix grabs the chopsticks, ready to eat.

"Oh come on. That old man just can't accept the truth" he digs into his ramen aggressively, almost as if he's taking out all his frustrations on it.

"I can't wait to leave that house. Just a little bit more before I can go to my brother. I already talked to him and everything" she brings the cup to her lips.

I feel a bit left out since I have no idea what they're talking about, but I'm so hungry I just eat in peace. Not asking any questions since, again, it's not my place to do so.