Clepsydra [ON HOLD]

Chapter 8: The Viper

Fuck.

The bullet flies through the air in slow motion for me. I watch as it goes towards the target—my target—through the air, flying through it like butter. I can hear it whiz through the air, going towards Orien's head.

I want to scream at him, I want to warn him. I need to redirect the bullet but I can't. I can't do anything as I look away, not wanting to watch it hit him. I never meant to hurt him. I never meant to kill him.

Breathe, Thana.

I take a deep breath, keeping my eyes closed and face turned away from everything. It must've hit him by now, and yet, I don't want to confirm it. I can't be the one to confirm it.

My eyes peel open without my consent to look and see his body, but as they focus on the ground, there's nothing. No stray bullet marks, no major blood, no body. There is no body!

What the hell? There is no bloody body. There is nothing there. No Orien, no dead body. Just some blood and that's it. What? How?

There's no one around. Where did he go?

I put my sniper back to where it goes and close the computer. I step out of the car and lean over the edge of the railing, maybe there is a body that's just outside my view. Maybe I did shoot him but he fell backwards. By five metres.

There's absolutely nothing.

"Tell me to never piss you off," I twirl around, dagger in my hand as I look at the owner of the deep voice, "Hello, Zoi."

"Hello, Zoi," a boy approaches me, dressed in all black, from the beanie on his head all the way down to the black boots with white smiley-faces drawn on them.

"Who are you?" I stand from the bench, sizing him up as he walks closer to me. He's taller than me, and he's lanky too. He's also not that much older than me. I mean, he can't be more than fourteen, then again, I also did look smaller than my actual age. But still, he can't be stronger than me. Not with all the training I've done in the past. Not with who I am and what I do.

"I'm–"

"Orien," I press the blade to his throat as he stands there, "What...? How–"

"I knew you'd be here,"

"Give me one reason to not kill you," I growl as I push the blade into his neck, shaking my curiosity and confusion out of my head and making him back up to the car. He's leaning away from me, but surprisingly, not the blade. He's letting that stay where it is, yet he keeps from my hands.

"You wouldn't," He smiles at me, making my heart flutter with how he looks. His dark, unruly hair in a jumbled mess upon his head, his fierce black eyes boring holes into my white ones. His whole front is pressed against me, his muscles bulging out of his suit as he moves his hand towards my face.

"Try me," I turn the blade against the skin of his neck, letting the blade pull at the tawny skin, ripping it apart a little at the edge, "Give me one good reason," I gaze down at the little crimson trail that's left behind the blood. I want to replace the blood with my lips, travel down his neck with kisses. Mark him as mine as I do so.

Not now, Thana!

I squeeze my eyes closed, pushing the blade even deeper into his neck as I do so, "You can't kill me because I'm a Protected by you."

Wait, what?

Did I hear that properly? He knows?

My eyes snap to his as my lips part, "How did–How did you know?" I lower the blade and take a step back. Orien diverts his eyes to the side, fixing his tie with one hand.