Echoes of Red [BINI AU]

Chapter 38

Third Person's Point Of View

As the car sped down the deserted road, the sound of tires gripping the asphalt filled the silence. Jhoanna's mind was a whirlwind of thoughts, but something kept gnawing at her, pulling her focus away. Her fingers absentmindedly reached for her wrist.

It wasn't there.

Her pink bracelet, the one Stacey had made for her, was gone.

Her breath caught in her throat, the weight of the loss hitting her hard. The bracelet had been a reminder of Stacey's love. Her fingers gripped her wrist, searching for the familiar weight, but there was nothing.

"Where is it?!" Jhoanna hissed, her voice filled with frustration. She looked down at her lap, then around the car as if it might have somehow slipped away unnoticed. Her pulse quickened, and her breath grew shallow.

The pink bracelet wasn't there.

"Jhoanna, what's wrong?" Mikha asked from the front seat, noticing the sudden shift.

Jhoanna didn't respond, instead frantically checking the pockets of her jacket, her hands moving in a blur. But there was no sign of it.

The bracelet, so simple, yet so significant, was gone. She could feel a knot forming in her stomach, a tightness in her chest as she tried to piece together where it might have been lost.

Had she dropped it back at the shelter while they were rushing out? Or had it slipped off without her noticing?

She couldn't believe it. It was her bracelet.

Stacey's gift.

Something that had meant so much to her, and now it was just gone.

The thought made her blood boil.

Her frustration bubbled over, and in an instant, she slammed her foot against the back of Colet's seat, startling the group.

"Jhoanna, what the hell?" Colet snapped, her hands tightening on the wheel, eyes flicking to the rearview mirror.

"I lost it," Jhoanna growled, her voice shaking with anger. "I lost the fucking bracelet!"

Colet's grip on the steering wheel tightened, the tension in the car rising as she glared at Jhoanna through the rearview mirror. "Calm the hell down. You're gonna get us all killed with your tantrums."

But Jhoanna couldn't calm down. Her anger was too raw, too sharp. "You think I'm just gonna forget? That bracelet—Stacey made it for me! It meant something. Let's go back, please."

Her words hung in the air, but the weight of them seemed to fall on deaf ears. Mikha glanced nervously between the two, unsure how to mediate the rising tension.

Jhoanna could feel her frustration spiraling. She didn't want to show this side of herself, especially not now, but losing that bracelet felt like losing part of herself. It was too much. Everything was falling apart.

She kicked the back of Colet's seat again, harder this time, unable to hold back the anger that had been building since they left the shelter.

Colet's patience snapped. Without warning, she slammed on the brakes, sending the car skidding to a halt in the middle of the road.

"Enough," Colet growled, her eyes flashing with fury. The car jolted to a stop, and in one swift motion, Colet reached for her gun, pulling it from the holster at her side and pointing it directly at Jhoanna's head.

The tension in the car was palpable, the air thick with anger. Jhoanna froze, her breath caught in her throat as she stared into Colet's eyes, the barrel of the gun unwavering in her face. Rage mirrored in both their eyes, two people who had pushed each other too far.