Crossing Fates

Chapter 7: Shadows and Strategy

The days following the encounter with the shadowy figure were filled with tension. Pond Nithipat couldn't shake the unease creeping into the corners of his mind, and Dunk Saetang was just as on edge. The cryptic notes had stopped for now, but the campus still felt like it was holding its breath, waiting for something to happen.

Meanwhile, Pond had made good on his promise to Supa and agreed to join her basketball game. It wasn't something he was particularly good at, but the idea of blowing off steam sounded more appealing as the tension grew. Plus, Supa's infectious energy made it hard to say no.

That afternoon, Pond, Dunk, and Joong made their way to the outdoor courts, where Supa and her teammates were already warming up. Supa spotted them from across the court and waved them over with a grin.

"You made it!" she called out, bouncing the basketball between her hands.

"Against my better judgment," Pond muttered, earning a laugh from Dunk.

The Language of Competition

As they approached the court, Supa tossed the ball to Pond, who barely caught it in time. "Alright, let's see what you've got," she said, hands on her hips.

Pond glanced at the ball, feeling the weight of everyone's eyes on him. "Uh, you sure you want me to play? I'm not exactly athletic."

Supa grinned. "That's what makes it fun."

Joong laughed, draping an arm around Dunk's shoulders. "Just don't trip over your own feet, Pond. We've seen that enough lately."

Pond shot him a glare, but before he could respond, Supa called out, "Let's make this interesting! Let's play Jeu de la Rue."

Joong raised an eyebrow, clearly puzzled. "What's that? Never heard of it."

Supa winked. "It's French. It means 'street game.' We play it with fewer rules, more chaos."

Pond smirked. "So, it's like normal basketball but with your own twist?"

"Exactly," Supa replied, her grin widening. "And the twist is... no fouls."

Joong's eyes lit up with amusement. "Oh, I like this already."

Before anyone could argue, the game began. Supa wasted no time, quickly passing the ball to one of her teammates, Nawin, who looked more nervous than ever. Pond could see the slight tremble in Nawin's hands as he dribbled the ball forward, trying not to mess up.

"Come on, Nawin!" Supa shouted encouragingly.

"Allez! Allez!" Joong shouted from the sideline, mimicking French, clearly getting into the spirit of the game.

Dunk raised an eyebrow at Joong's amateur attempt at French. "You're embarrassing yourself."

Joong winked. "What can I say? I like to keep it interesting."

New Players, New Roles

Despite Pond's best efforts, it quickly became clear that he was far out of his depth when it came to basketball. Supa dominated the court, weaving between players with a skill that left everyone scrambling to keep up. Even Nawin, who had started the game looking like a deer in headlights, was gradually getting the hang of things.

Pond, on the other hand, found himself spending more time dodging the ball than actually playing. Dunk, sitting on the sidelines with Joong, was no help, cheering sarcastically as Pond tried—unsuccessfully—to block a shot from one of Supa's teammates.

"You're doing great!" Dunk called out, barely containing his laughter.

"Thanks for the support," Pond muttered, wiping sweat from his forehead.

The game went on for another hour, with Supa's team predictably winning by a landslide. But despite the chaos and the clear lack of skill on Pond's part, he couldn't help but enjoy himself. It was a distraction from the growing tension on campus, and for a little while, it felt like everything was normal again.

As the game wrapped up, Supa jogged over to Pond, offering him a high five. "Not bad for your first time."

Pond laughed, shaking his head. "I think I spent more time running away from the ball than playing."

"That's all part of the fun," Supa said, grinning. "Next time, we'll work on those reflexes."

"Or you could find me a different sport," Pond suggested, earning another laugh from Supa.

A New Discovery

After the game, the group gathered around one of the benches near the court to catch their breath. Joong, ever the entertainer, was recounting one of his latest misadventures to Dunk, who listened with a mixture of amusement and disbelief.

"So there I was," Joong began, gesturing dramatically, "stuck in the middle of the library, surrounded by books on medieval history, and the librarian's glaring at me like I just destroyed her whole catalog system."

"And how did you manage that?" Dunk asked, folding his arms across his chest.

Joong grinned. "Let's just say I was trying to impress someone with my knowledge of ancient languages."

"Which you definitely don't have," Dunk remarked, raising an eyebrow.

Joong waved him off. "Details, details."

The banter continued, lightening the mood, but Pond's thoughts drifted back to the shadowy figure they had seen a few nights ago. He hadn't told Supa or Nawin about it, not wanting to alarm them, but the mystery surrounding the notes still weighed heavily on his mind.

Suddenly, Supa's phone buzzed, drawing everyone's attention. She glanced at the screen and frowned, her expression shifting from playful to serious.

"Everything okay?" Pond asked, noticing the change in her demeanor.

Supa nodded, though there was a slight edge to her voice. "Yeah, just... something strange. I got this message earlier. It doesn't make sense."

Curious, Pond leaned closer as Supa handed him her phone. The message was short, just a single sentence, written in a language Pond couldn't recognize at first glance:

"Você está sendo observado."

Pond frowned, reading the message aloud. "What does that mean?"

Joong, ever the linguist when it suited him, leaned in, squinting at the screen. "That's Portuguese, right?"

Supa nodded. "Yeah, it means, 'You're being watched.'"

Dunk's expression darkened, and Pond's heart skipped a beat. Another cryptic message. Another warning. But this time, it wasn't just a note left on a doorframe. Someone had sent it directly to Supa's phone.

"This is getting weird," Pond muttered, handing the phone back to Supa.

Joong's grin faltered as he glanced between Pond and Dunk. "You think it's connected to those notes you found?"

Dunk nodded slowly, his mind clearly racing. "It has to be. Someone's watching us."

A Plan in Motion

That evening, as Pond and Dunk made their way back to their dorms, the tension between them was palpable. They had planned to share the information with Supa and Nawin, but now, it seemed that the mystery was spreading faster than they could keep up with.

"Who do you think is behind this?" Dunk asked, his voice low as they walked.

"I don't know," Pond replied, glancing over his shoulder as if expecting to see the shadowy figure again. "But they're not just messing with us anymore. They're getting bolder."

Dunk nodded, his jaw clenched in frustration. "We need to figure this out before it gets worse."

Pond couldn't argue with that. The cryptic messages, the mysterious figure, the growing sense of unease on campus—it all pointed to something bigger, something they hadn't yet uncovered. And with each passing day, the stakes were getting higher.