Blockage (hiatus)

Chapter Four

       

The next ten minutes were a blur. Every breath I took felt too loud and every movement around me felt too close. The sensation of being watched never left, making the whole thing even more uncomfortable.

Furthermore, I didn't know what to do.

Every instinct inside of me raged for escape. This was too much, it was too soon, I wasn't prepared. The stories of soulmates meeting are supposed to be filled with love and hope. Instead, I just felt defeat. They wouldn't want me. They didn't need me. It'd been four years, surely they'd moved on by now.

My thoughts were trapped in a tumultuous cycle of self-deprecation. It was only the shrill ring of the bell that forced me to escape my mental hell. The sound set my body into jolted motion and I reached a quick hand down to retrieve my bag, ready to run. Only it wasn't there. With my fingers outstretched into open air, I turned my attention to the only two culprits.

The one called North was watching me, one black eyebrow raised. His eyes were daring. It was as if he was challenging me to run, knowing I would be caught. Ignoring the shivers that raced down my back, I turned to Luke. The blonde had my bag out on top of his desk and he gifted me with an innocent smile.

I flicked through the possible escape routes. There was none now that they had something tethering me to them. Swallowing the nerves, I finally used my voice, "Can I have my bag? Please?"

"..." whatever remaining tension that existed in their shoulders whooshed out. Luke's grin gained an excited edge when he spoke, "You can. We just didn't want you to run, especially now that we know it's really you."

North studied my face and I titled my head away. At his failed inspection, North turned to his brother with a growl, "Not yet. She still wants to run, right Sang baby?"

"No," the lie felt like ice on my tongue, but they didn't need to know that. At the pet name, my eyes flickered back over to North, "I... I'm just a bit shocked. I hadn't expected this."

"Don't lie to me," North's growl lowered in pitch and he leaned a bit over the desk, "You've been eyeing that door the whole time. You're going to vanish as soon as we let you out of our sight."

My mouth dried, "I'm not—"

"North," Luke had stood from his chair during North's statement. The blonde threw my bag over his shoulder before chastising his friend, "We're all used to your grumpiness, but Sang's not. Besides," in a move that had me jolting, Luke leaped over the desk to our aisle, "There's an easy solution. It's not like she's going to wander off."

"Damn right," North's body unfolded out of his chair and he stood up to his massive height. "Don't go jumping around either. Stupid shit like that will get you hurt."

"It was a chair," Luke waved the concern off easily, "I've done worse."

"Doesn't matter."

While the two boys were talking, I eyed my bag attached to Luke's shoulder. It was the first day of school, so it didn't have much in it other than maybe a notebook or two. I could cut my losses. Standing form my desk, I moved as softly as I could toward the door. Neither boy had paid much attention until they noticed my escape route.

"Sang," Luke's voice was calm, as if he was talking to a startled rabbit, "Hey, I'm sorry. We didn't mean to overwhelm you."

I spared him a glance and my steps almost faltered at the look in his eyes. They reflected confusion, most likely from my actions, but there was also a layer of determination. On his other side, North looked passive, but there was a smirk tugging at the edge of his mouth. Together the two of them made an intimidating picture.