Must Be Fate's Design

Chapter 9 [part 1]

Opera POV:

It was dark. I felt cold. Well, just my forehead, everything else felt as if it were overheating.

I muttered under my breath, attempting to sit up, only to have a hand on my shoulder push me back down, "You shouldn't move too fast, I believe you have a concussion." I heard Erik's voice say.

I groaned, rubbing my head with my hand, "If I have a concussion, why did you let me sleep?" I sat up anyway, ignoring his warning, "Asshole." I muttered under my breath.

He sighed, "I apologize, they knocked you out. I wasn't quick enough to stop them."

I winced, while opening one eye at a time. I looked over at Erik, who was still blurry with my vision, "It's not your fault. We're in New York, we're bound to find some unneighborly types."

Erik sighed, placing a cool rag on my forehead, "They seemed to have known who you were."

I scoffed, "Please..." I avoided his eyes, "They're just a bunch of douchebags." He rubbed the rag on my forehead, which I quickly put a stop to, "Anyway," I attempted to change the subject, "Are you okay? Did they hurt you?"

He shook his head, "I am well. Though I do have a few questions."

I narrowed my eyes, "Yes, bother the girl with the possible concussion with more of your annoying questions." I said sarcastically.

He sighed, "Operetta. Who is Danny?"

Suddenly a lump grew rapidly in my throat. My palms were sweaty, and I was at loss for words. Well, words that made sense I guess. "Danny Zuko? He's from Grease," I laughed nervously.

He narrowed his eyes, "I don't know what you're talking about but I'm certain that you're dodging the question."

I sighed, leaning my head back into the pillow, "He's just someone I used to get into a lot of trouble with. He's no one important, if anything, he's dangerous."

"Those men out there...?"

"Part of his gang. Those goons follow him around, they're willing to do anything for him."

He was silent for a moment, placing the rag back on my forehead, to my displeasure, "How do you know so much about him?"

"I told you he's not important."

"I find anyone a threat to my life or yours 'important', Opera."

I cocked my head to the side, "Since when do you care about me?" I gave a crooked smile, "Are you warming up to me, Erik Destler?"

He narrowed his eyes at me before pressing the rag harder to my head before leaving it there entirely, "Who is Danny?"

I exhaled loudly through my nose, not really wishing to think about Danny at the moment, given our backstory, "He's dead to me." I handed him the rag as I sat up in my seat, "You don't have to worry about him." I struggled to stand up, wobbling as I did so from a wave of dizziness that rushed over me.

Erik was at my side in seconds, "How did he die?"

I bit my lip, he clearly didn't understand that I meant 'dead to me' as in I don't care whatever happens to him. "Erik, I know you want to know, but I really don't want to talk about it...It hurts to think about that day. All I'm going to tell you is that I used to get into trouble with the law. But I've done a great job at fixing my reputation, and I'm a better person now. That's all I have to say about that."

I started seeing black dots again, making me wince, my hands immediately connected to my head in an attempt to make them go away. I even shook my head, but that seemed to make it worse.