Before the Sun

Chapter Eight- Mirror Mirror On The Wall

"There's no one in there."
Nikolai sighs, a heavy cloud of air tumbling from his lips. A hand sweeps though his dishevelled hair, raking through the locks in a dissatisfied manner. I'm squinting, taking a step forward from my place beside Kota.

"What do you mean they're not in there? There's no other way out."

My hands are out before me, pointing to the exit Nikolai just came from. He shakes his head, drops his chin to his chest with a deflation of his lungs.

"It was probably just a kid trying to scare you, don't worry about it."
Kota chips in, his hand on my shoulder. I turn to face him, eyebrows drawn together.

"That, was not a child."

My voice drops slightly, lips falling into a flat line and my eyes drooping like weights have attached themselves to my eyelashes.

"What are you even doing here?"

I speak again. My question sounds more like a threat based on pure suspicion, though I don't mean for it to. He glances at Nikolai, and then back to me.

"I'm here with some friends. Nikolai saw me and asked me to go in and look for you, since you were taking so long."

He says, nothing in his look betraying his words. A ball of anxiety bubbles in my throat, growing in size with every second I stand in the open. I shove it down into an empty pit of a stomach, wishing to never see it again.

Nikolai has stepped forward, my upper arm suddenly in his grasp as he ushers me to the side of the amusement ride. He towers over me, a world of intimidation in his glare alone. Though, I don't think it's his intention to frighten me- not at all. But his fingers are wrapped so securely around my body, and his face is so cold, deprived, that he does exactly that. And he realises the effect his rash personality has on me, he notices right away. His grip on my arm loosens and his features are momentarily softer. His eyes let go of their usual piercing feature. They're no longer shards of glass, cutting and lethal. They're still cold and full of frost, but not arctic.

"You saw them, didn't you?"

He questions me. His eyebrows are dragged together like he isn't quite sure, but his tone tells me he already knows the answer.

"Just before you went in there, you saw them."
Nikolai says again, but this time it's a statement. My lip falls between my teeth, dragging the skin away from the flesh, blood surely being drawn. My hands run up my arms, brushing away the bumps arising from the chilling air. Nikolai's eyes flick to the movement, his tongue poking his cheek.

"I told you to bring a jacket."
He mumbles, his words muffled by the hoodie swiping over his face. His shirt rides up as the piece of clothing is removed, a slither of painted skin exposed for just a second before it falls back down like a dropped curtain. Taught muscles flex below the tight sleeves of the t-shirt, ink injected into what looks to be every square inch of his arms. It seems I'm staring, because the cap is plucked from my head. The soft material of Nikolai's hoodie is shoved over my frame, temporarily blanketing me in darkness before my head emerges from the hole. He places the hat back on my head, making sure it's straight before leaning back against the side of the wall. I don't speak. I can't speak. It's only when I notice him staring at the empty sleeves of his hoodie that I catch the memo and slide my arms into them.

"I saw a face in the crowd. It was looking right at me, just me. It was blank, pale white like porcelain. No expression, no colour, nothing."

I finally find the words to speak, my eyes pinching shut as I recount the happenings of not too long ago. Nikolai leans in closer, his head dropping slightly.