After Effects

Chapter 6 • After Effects

"Keston!"

He grinned back at me. "What are you doing up here?" he asked curiously. My face immediately turned sour as that Mr. Remora popped up into my head. Damn him for looking so good!

I jerked my head towards the devil's door and glared up at Keston. "You came up here to see him?" he asked straightening up.

"Yes." I bit out in response. I couldn't help it since I was still angry about what Mr. Remora had said about my dad.

Keston shifted uncomfortably, his jaws clenching.

"Why? I mean I thought you didn't know him." he said a little too harsh for my liking, but I knew that just as my anger was directed at Mr. Remora, his anger was directed at him as well.

"It's a long story." I shook my head.

"Don't worry, I've got time." he replied, all ears.

I let out a frustrated huff before throwing my hands up exasperatedly as I started to explain. "Well this morning, when I went hunting, I couldn't shoot any birds because this girl named Hadley wouldn't stop scaring them off. I ended up separating from the group so that I could shoot some by myself, but then I got lost and accidentally shot him," I nodded over to Mr. Remora's door so Keston knew exactly who I was talking about, "I thought he was a serial killer when he must have only been coming to help me."

I looked at Keston to see that he was trying to stifle a laugh... he failed horribly. "Th-that was y-you?" he laughed. I nodded with a small smile. "I've been hearing from all over that Riddian had been shot by a girl and I just couldn't believe it... It didn't even cross my mind that it could've been you." Keston laughed, and soon I found myself laughing along with him.

We finally calmed down after a few minutes and that's when I realized something. "You do realize that we were laughing at him right before his room door right? He must've heard everything." I whispered, suddenly feeling worried. I felt like a pregnant woman with all the mood swings I had been having since the start of the day. One minute I'm scared, the next minute I'm confident, then I'm nervous, then I'm laughing, another time I'm worried... I needed a doctor.

"Who cares, he deserved that shot. I only wish I'd thought of shooting him sooner." he whispered in my ear before chuckling. He put an arm around my shoulder before walking off down the hallway towards the staircase. I suddenly felt guilty.

"You know I didn't mean to shoot him right? I seriously thought he was a serial killer. I didn't even know him before I shot him so I couldn't have done it on purpose." I told him.

"I know, but I bet you wish you hadn't met him now that you do know him right?"

"Yeah, he's an asshole." I said bluntly making him laugh again.

"You're funny you know that? I haven't met a person like you in a very long time." he told me making me look at him.

"What do you mean?" I asked curiously.

"I can't recall the last time I laughed so much." he replied before looking away from me to stare at something up ahead. He suddenly stopped walking.

"What's wrong?" I asked before looking up to see a woman. She looked older than me, like about twenty-five. She had brown hair and green eyes and looked to be about my height, 5ft 7in.

I looked back towards Keston to see him scowling. Was this an ex-girlfriend of his? If so, I couldn't be under his arm.

I tried to move away but Keston wouldn't let me. Okay then. I looked back up to see the girl smirking at me.