Double Redamancy

Chapter 14: Koi No Yokan

Koi no yokan: (n.) (phr.) the sense one has upon meeting another person that they will fall in love

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"Whatcha up to pup?" a male voice asks in the dark.

I can't see much through the shadows of night, but I can tell by the emptiness above his head that he has a buzz cut. Two other figures stand behind him awaiting my response. I rise to my feet and cross my arms.

"Pup? I'm probably the same age as you." I scoff.

The boy takes a step forward. My eyes begin to adjust and I can make out dark eyes, but not their color. He looks me up and down.

"You're not a Metanoia boy." he asserts confidently.

I consider lying momentarily, but decide that there is no harm in telling the truth.

"I'm not." I agree, beginning to feel uneasy in the three boys' presence.

He pokes my chest with a slim finger. I take a step back as he says something I don't quite catch. I'm suddenly distracted by the sweet smells of lavender and honey.

"I'm talking to you!" the boy yells angrily and pushes me hard.

I stumble backwards and grab on to a tree to steady myself. One of the boys steps a little closer, but stays back as I step closer to the furious being in front of me. I push him back.

"I don't think you're from Metanoia either." I seethe.

"You're right, we're from Nefarious." he states and begins circling around me. "And let me guess... you're from Elysian?"

I say nothing, simply following his circling figure by turning my head. The other two figures stay in the shadows, not uttering a word. A breath of wind blows through us and my senses are filled with lavender again. My body buzzes the way it did when I met Booker.

The boy pushes me again and this time I fall back against a tree.

"Answer me!" he demands and presses his hand to my neck.

"What the fuck? Get the hell off of me!" I scream, shoving at him uselessly.

"Get off of him Fletcher." a voice says from behind him.

One of the looming shadows steps towards us, but at this point it's way too dark for me to see anything. I can't tell what he looks like, but he puts a hand on Fletcher's shoulder and pushes him gently. My phone buzzes in my pocket and I pray silently that Booker will find me.

"Why would I? His pack got my brother killed." the boy growls and presses harder against my throat. My air begins to cut off and I grab at his wrists desperately.

"I.. don't.. know.. what you're talking about." I force out in struggled breaths.

"I'm talking about the ambush last winter." he grunts and I attempt to remember, but draw blank.

"Please... I-I...have no.. idea what you're talking about." I breathe out, my vision becoming littered with clouded dots.

"Who's your parents? I'm sure they'd know. I'm sure they'd love to tell you." Fletcher responds and I begin to feel myself blacking out.

Suddenly, Fletcher is pushed away from me. I fall to the ground, heaving precious breaths. I look up to see the mystery boy from before, arguing with Fletcher angrily. The extra kid steps forward and holds Fletcher back from punching the boy who saved me.