Grace Sheridan Kicks Ass

Chapter 4: Menticide

When the elevator doors open on the ground floor, Primo stands in front of them, staring at me through his long, black eyelashes. He looks proud of himself that he managed to beat me here, despite my headstart.

"You're a hard woman to catch," he exhales, watching me as I brush past him.

"It's intentional," I grind out, clenching my jaw to keep from losing my cool.

Soul appears through the ceiling, apologizing to somebody in the apartment above us on his way out. Thankfully there's nobody around in the lobby to witness this shit show, but unfortunately for me, I am a part of it.

"Primo," Soul growls, landing just in front of me. "She went into hiding for this exact reason. You need to leave her alone."

Primo shoves Soul out of the way. "Not until I ask."

I know what's coming.

"Crystalis, you need to come back to the field. Too many Supers have bowed out, and you're among the strongest, which means we need you," he whispers harshly, glancing around to make sure we are, in fact, alone.

I pull my jacket on tighter, hanging onto the collar for emotional support. My heart beats faster, and I can hear the rhythmic pulsing in my eardrums.

"Come on," Primo presses, stepping closer until there's barely any space between us. "You know it's the right thing to do."

I don't say anything. I can't even manage to make eye contact. It's as if I'm looking through a tunnel; the only thing I can see is the floor beneath me. I try to catch my breath, but the hyperventilation kicks in.

"That's enough," Soul says firmly, pushing Primo away from me and getting in between us. "Can't you see you've upset her?"

Primo narrows his eyes at Soul. "It's not my fault you failed to get the job done."

Soul's visit to me the other day, I knew that's why he came, but I didn't realize Primo was the reason why. And me unveiling myself in the fight yesterday allowed him to find me.

Before that, Soul was the only one who knew where I was. After all, he helped me pick out the apartment after what happened.

Primo tries to move Soul out of the way again, but he doesn't waver. In fact, it's as if he's rooted in place. The tension in the room is thick, like a spontaneous fog on a desolate road in the middle of the night.

"Enough," Soul whispers, but the anger in his voice is unmistakable. He can be intimidating when he needs to be, and Primo's behaviour certainly calls for it. The manchild has a hard time understanding boundaries

Primo takes a step back, scoffing, but relenting. "Okay, okay," he says, raising his hands in surrender.

Soul visibly relaxes.

"Can I at least tell her what you and I already know?" he whispers, trying to be covert as if I'm not standing right in front of him. Obviously, I hear everything, which was clearly intentional to pique my interest.

It works.

"What is it?" I ask against my better judgment. I know whatever it is can't be good if he's trying to reach me so desperately, and I want to know why.

My body's response is violent, rejecting the conversation against my brain's wishes. It's as if I'm possessed, and the demon is trying to shake its way out of me. My whole body trembles, and I fight to stay composed.

Soul exhales, defeated, and steps aside. Primo takes his stance in front of me again.

"There's been whispering amongst the Super community that there's a new player in town," he starts slowly, gauging my reaction. When I don't stop him, he continues, "From what we've gathered, he calls himself Menticide."