The Fate in your Eyes

Chapter 19 - The Third Player

Lu's lungs filled with air, he opened his mouth to scream, while he stumbled backwards in shock and finally lay on the floor. The dark-haired boy waved around with shaking hands, the shock written all over his face.

"Oh you...shit...Cheng...Cheng...", the boy gasped and couldn't believe his eyes. Even after he had closed and opened his eyes several times, he looked into the pale face of his best friend. "You...alive? You're alive! Oh my God, you're alive!" Relief rose in Lu, he jumped onto his wobbly legs, which almost resembled pudding, and rushed to the bed. How could that be true? How could Cheng still be alive? He had been told...he hadn't survived the operation?! Was this all just a crazy dream. "Oh my God, tell me this is real," Lu gasped and pinched Cheng's cheek. Cheng finally made a sound and turned his head away. "Stop it, you idiot. Of course I'm still alive. I'm lying in front of you," he grumbled and sighed.

"How can that be? I was told you were dead!" Lu exclaimed and hugged his friend. "Not so bad, you're hurting me," Cheng

sat up and pushed his best friend aside. "Now don't be so rude," Lu dropped onto the chair next to the hospital bed and breathed a sigh of relief. "We're sorry that we had to tell you that Cheng is supposedly dead. But we did it purely out of caution so that Cheng can regain his strength here in peace. Luana didn't know at the beginning either," now the officer took over and walked closer to Lu and Cheng. "Hung also had to tell you a lie to make sure the murderer wasn't following you," the officer explained and nodded to Hung.

"Thank you for getting him," said Xiao Lee. Hung nodded and grinned. "I'm so glad you're okay!" Lu turned back to Cheng and smiled. Cheng, on the other hand, just looked past him grimly. For a few seconds, all that could be heard was the humming of the ceiling lights and the ticking of the clock, until Luana got up from her chair and stood next to Lu. She looked very depressed, her eyes red, probably from crying so much, her arms covered in bruises and scratches. "I...I...I'm so incredibly sorry..." she began and lowered her head. She didn't dare look Cheng in the eyes. Only now would he no longer have any positive feelings for her, the girl was sure of that. How could he? How could one develop feelings of love for a murderer, a mentally ill person? Luana's tears came again.

"I know now what happened. I...I was the one...who stabbed you, Cheng...and attacked you...Lu...I'm so sorry," she put her hands over her face and shook her head. "I'm a monster," she gasped for air. Lu immediately took her in his arms. "No, no, no. Not Luni," he brushed the girl's dark hair out of her face.

"It wasn't you, you aren't to blame for the incident, absolutely not!" Lu emphasized and held the girl by the shoulders. "But..." Luana carefully raised her gaze. "Lu is right, it really isn't your fault...Luana listen..." Cheng sat up further and turned his head to the girl. For a moment he looked at her softly and warmly, then he became serious again.

"There is another person who, like me and Lu, has paranormal powers. It seems to me that the person has the ability to put himself in other people's shoes and control them," explained the boy in bed, running his hand through his platinum blonde hair. His tired, blue-gray eyes focused on Luana. "And this person noticed us. He noticed how we wanted to find out the truth behind Scarlet's death...The third player discovered Lu in the past and punished us. He or she punished us by gaining control of your body and attacking us both," Cheng finished his explanation. "You... mean... someone used me like a puppet?"

Luana sat down on the edge of the hospital bed, overwhelmed. "Yes, exactly... but I don't know exactly how the powers of this "third" paranormal person work - no, I don't even know exactly how my or Lu's powers work," Cheng added grimly. "Speaking of powers, this third player...interrogated me," Lu chimed in, remembering the conversation with the red-eyed Luana. "First the person said that we were starting our 'second round' of the game...I still don't really know what that means," said the black-haired boy, crossing his arms. "It's probably all just a game for the murderer and we 'won' the first round because we were able