Scarred For Life

Chapter 16

Sounds of shuffling filled the silence as cards fidgeted in between my fingers. Lying atop a dusty table, I stared at the rundown ceiling above that could collapse at any minute. I moved my feet up, hissing as a small stinging sensation ran through my body as I moved. My fingers caressed the bandaged wound on my side as I let out a sigh.

Small clinks and clicking accompanied my shuffling as Jinx played with her gun, staring out into the opening of the giant hole in the wall.

"You remember when I whooped your ass in jack rabbit" I said dryly.

"Pfft it was your game. Of course you won, you kept making up rules" Jinx scoffed.

"Claggor liked my game" I rolled my eyes before flicking one of the cards in the air.

A sharp thud sounded as the card stabbed into a wooden beam above me. I began to continue this, throwing each card into the last as I spoke.

"Besides, you're one to talk" I scoffed. I nodded over to the abandoned target game across the room. "Didn't you fix that thing"

"No, Mylo would just say that cause he's too much of a pussy to admit he lost to me" Jinx shrugged.

I let out a small chuckle as I recalled the memory of our brother. My smile slowly dropped as the scenes of my memories continued.

"Do you ever wonder what they would be like if..."

"Jinx....don't" I sighed, throwing up my last card.

I slightly strained as I sat up, swinging my legs over the side of the table. I stared down at Jinx, watching as she hugged her legs. The card fluttered down in between us and to the floor. Jinx looked up at me, a slight hint of desperation could be seen in her eyes. A sharp breath came out of my nose as I turned away from her.

"Enough stalling, we should go" I said as I hopped off the table.

Jinx's usual expression returned as she stood up with a blank stare.

"She's gonna kill us" She spoke as we walked out through the hole in the wall. She put up the hood to her shabby cloak over her head as we got out in the open.

"No she's gonna kill you" I replied, putting up my hood as well.

"You're working with me" Jinx smirked.

"I'm working with Sevika" I corrected her.

"Guilty by association" Jinx sang as she skipped to the other side of me.

I scoffed and rolled my eyes. We continued walking down a steep, cobblestone hill. I side eyed our surroundings as we descended. I nudged Jinx to take a sharp turn down an alley.

We quickly reached a dead end. We stood for a moment, waiting. I felt an imaginary breeze filling my body upward, I felt pressure under my chin. I could sense a figure standing over us on a rooftop above.

A slight smile pulled at my lips as I removed my hood, whistling a short birdsong.

"Relax" I spoke to Jinx as the figure began to move. I could tell Jinx was about to react to the lurking shadow.

A masked woman jumped down from the rooftop. She caught herself on the fire escape that lined the building. The ladder slowly slid down, allowing her feet to touch the ground.

The woman had light brown skin and a curly puff in the back of her head. She ticked her head from side to side at us as she slowly removed the raven mask from her face. Jinx and the woman exchanged a glare.

"One of your firefly friends" Jinx scoffed.

"Firelights" The woman corrected as they continued to stare each other down.