"Hello, Syrina," A dark voice spoke huskily on the other end as Syrina answered her phone. She couldn't recognize the voice, but knew it sounded like a young man.
She glanced over at Talon and Aralt who were engaged in a deep conversation, and wandered off behind a tree. This time, it really was a tree - large, wooden, and oak.
"Who is this?" Syrina asked, cautiously. The voice on the other end laughed hysterically, as if she had just told a hilarious joke. The laugh drifted into a high-pitched wail before stopping abruptly.
"Tell me, dear one, are there two, young gentlemen with you at this moment?" Syrina blinked wildly. She looked around to maybe distinguish a man holding a phone, but the snow had still been too thick. She could only focus on a few dark shapes at a time. She slightly wondered if the boys owned cellphones.
The voice spoke again, "Perhaps by the names of er... Terrell and Arnon isn't it?" Syrina could feel her heartbeat pounding in her ears. She tried to pinpoint the boys through the harsh white fog again. She could only make out their figures, two blurry silhouettes in the mist. Unlimited questions flew through her mind - she almost forgot about the man on the other line.
Her voice shook when she spoke, "Uhm. I...yes." Syrina didn't bother to correct the man, she figured that names were the least of his worries. The man chuckled lightly.
"Oh how wonderful," He exclaimed. The sudden change of pitch in his voice made Syrina jump. The pounding of her heart increased rapidly. It now sounded like a rabbit's foot being thumped repeatedly on the floor.
"W-What do... What do you want with them?" She stuttered. It wasn't her job to protect these boys - especially since she just met them, but the thought of them made her feel oddly possessive. She even wanted to protect the bitchy one... Aralt.
Talon, on the other hand, was a different story. She felt a connection the second she held contact with him. Her head spun when their bodies brushed, and it made her slightly dizzy. The way he smiled at her made her feel like she was flying. She had been so captivated by Talon that she didn't even notice Aralt standing right next to him. If love at first sight existed, she thought, this would be it.
"They have something that I want....nay. Need," he panted. There was a slight rustling in the background and a loud thump. He wailed again. It was high-pitched and screechy - much like the one before. He said one sentence before hanging up, "I beg of you, do not let them leave your sight."
The call went dead. Syrina stayed on the line for a few seconds just to hear the dial tone. Her head swam as she tried to find her way back to the boys. The snow still clouded her vision, but she managed to reach them with little effort.
Aralt was first to see her, glaring wildly and baring his teeth. It frightened her, but she shook it off. She smiled at the sight of Talon, who was gazing at her with a glassy look in his eyes. He grinned that beautiful crooked grin of his. This triggered something in Syrina. All of a sudden, tears were streaming down her face. She felt helpless and quite pathetic, to be honest, as she threw her arms over him. She heard Aralt mutter something unintelligent under his breath, but she disregarded it.
"Woah there. Is everything alright?" He was taken aback by the shock of her jump, making them both slightly stagger backward. She could hear the smile in his voice as she sniffed into his shoulder. That man that she had just spoken to, he could be on his way right now. He wanted something from Talon - he could even try to hurt him. Syrina tried to brush the thought out of her head as he held her tighter, but she knew she couldn't.
Syrina pulled out of the hug and straightened her dress. She knew she couldn't stay here, though leaving was the last thing she'd wanted to do. She looked up and saw Aralt staring at her. He crossed his arms smugly and slightly popped his hip. She knew he didn't mean to entertain her, but she couldn't help but giggle. He rolled his eyes and blew on a stray hair that had fallen into his face.
"Talon... Aralt... I have to go," Syrina whispered. Aralt's face lit up at the same time that Talon's eyes grew sad. His grin fell into a harsh line while Aralt's flew into a cheeky smile.
"Syrina," Talon breathed. It was obvious that he had tried to hide the pain in his voice. He knew that something was wrong. "What's going on?"
She forced a smile,"Nothing. It was my dad. He wants me home." She knew she had to lie. The only way to keep these two safe was if she left them. There was some sort of tracker on her at that very moment, and she couldn't bare to risk anything. Talon reached for her hand. The feeling of his cool hand in her's sent sparks through her veins.
"I'm sorry. This is cheesy... But will I ever see you again?" She could see the urgency and wonder in Talon's eyes. Syrina wanted to say yes, but could she? Aralt, who was still standing there, huffed in annoyance.
"Oh for God's sake, Talon!" Aralt threw his arms up in the air, and threw out another exasperating breath. "She's going home to her dad, you idiot. She isn't going to some whore house around the corner to have a good time! Let the girl go home!" He then looked at her and smiled. Smiled? She thought, Aralt doesn't smile!
Talon chuckled at his brother's witty remark and let go of her hand. The absence of his skin now felt abnormal to her. "You will see me again," she reassured him. She remembered what her mother used to tell her father when he would ask her the same thing. "You will see me when Fate calls for us to see each other." With one last look, she walked away.
Aralt scratched his head in confusion. "What a weird chick. The fuck does she mean when fate calls? 'Fate' doesn't have a cellphone.." He rambled on, but Talon hadn't been listening. He just watched Syrina walk off into the white mist, squinting as he saw the last bit of her silhouette disappear past the fog.
