EXISTENCE

CHAPTER 23

Gabriel walked up to Adam and placed a hand on his shoulder, calming the boy down. "Adam, listen to me."

Adam looked back at his friend. "What is it, Boss?"

"Do not," he huffed, looking at his wound, as it began to heal up, "under any circumstances, try to fight her right now."

"But Boss! I'm stronger! I can do this!"

Gabriel shook his head. "I know you're strong, kid, don't get me wrong," he looked over to Eve and glared, "but she's baiting you. She's trying to make you angry." He looked at his friend and smiled. "Keep your cool, Adam. You'll be in no condition to fight if you're blinded by rage." He looked over to Eve.

"Until then," he stated, Juan walking beside him, hands surrounded by frost, "let your older brothers take care of this."

Adam watched as his two friends walked over to the courtyard where the black-haired girl stood. He looked towards her, watching her as she stood there motionless, unblinking, and calculating. She gave a sly smile.

"So then, you two up against me, hm?" She shook her head. "I suppose I ought to be concerned, seeing as how the odds are stacked up against me."

Gabriel grinned. "That almost sounded like sarcasm." He raised his pistol, turning it to the side. "You said this was a game? Well, we'll show you just how good we are." He fired a bullet and watched as it ran right through the woman's chest. "Let's go, Juan!"

The two boys charged at the lone woman, who merely sneered and sidestepped each punch and kick the two boys fired at her. Without missing a beat, she twirled and pirouetted her away around the two boys, without so much as blinking at their futile onslaught. With a wave of her hand, she let out a wave of dark energy, blowing away the two boys and sending them crashing into the school walls. She glared.

"After all that talk, this is the best you two could do? This is what I get for waiting this entire time?"

Gabriel tightened his bandanna, slowly standing back up. "Don't get ahead of yourself."

Juan adjusted his hat, picking himself back up. "We're only getting started."

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Rym and Nadia knocked on the front door. "Mimi! Mimi! It's us! Are you okay?!"

The door slowly opened. Peering from the side of it was Mimi. "Girls? H-how did...?"

Nadia ran in and hugged her aunt. "Alhamdulilah,  you're okay! We were worried!"

Rym joined in embracing their favorite woman. "We didn't know what to think!"

As the two let go, Mimi looked at them both. "But how did you know I was in trouble? Why aren't you in school?"

Nadia smiled. "That silver-haired son of yours is always keeping us on our toes."

"Gabriel? What happened? Is he okay? Oh, I knew he should have stayed home from school today!"

Rym grabbed hold of the woman's shoulders. "It's okay, Mimi, he's fine. I'm sure he has the situation under control." She sighed. "We're just glad we won't be getting a repeat of what happened five months back."

Mimi smiled. "So, my boys are...okay?" She let out a sigh of relief. "Please tell me, what's going on? I had just gotten back from buying groceries when those...those things came out of nowhere!"

Nadia shrugged. "Those things are new for us, too."

Rym winked. "But Nadia handled them like a real champ!" She gave her friend a quick hug.