Book One: Someone New (Reginald Kastle)

Chapter Sixteen: Seeds Of Darkness

After Trey and Reginald's duel, I rarely saw my purple-haired friend. He didn't pick up my calls, he was never in when I went round to his house (even if he was in, I don't think he was going to let me in anyway.) I knew he was avoiding me, and it hurt, but I knew he just needed a bit of time and space.
Without Reginald around, I traipsed around the Duel Carnival alone. I needed my final heart piece in order to reach the finals. Wait.....Reginald is determined to hunt and beat Quattro. What would happen if I had to fight Reginald in the finals?! That's if I even get my final heart piece. But, I couldn't beat him in a duel. It would mean betraying Rio. For the moment, however, I put the issue out of my mind.

After Ali's shift had ended, me and her grabbed some treats and went for a walk down the pier. I tell Ali everything about Trey and Reginald's duel and she tells me that I really shouldn't be surprised. I nod in agreement.
"Moving on from this depressing subject, have you heard anything from Striker?" She asks, taking a final munch on her biscuit. I giggle at her.
"We've texted." I gave her. She nudged me.
"If you don't take him, I will, Roe." She laughed, and pointed to three people at the end of the bridge: Dempsey, Donovan and Striker. I start to turn the other way, but Ali turns me back around.
"I honestly didn't know that he would be here, but this is great!" Ali exclaims. "It'll help you keep your mind off Shark and his current mood, and give him the time he needs." I sigh and hug Ali.
"Fine. I'll call you later."
"I know you will hun. Or I'm knocking down your front door." Ali joked. I laugh under my breathe and walk towards the Crossits.
"Striker? Donovan? Dempsey?" The brothers turn around and each smile upon seeing me.
"You finally come for that match?" Striker wrapped his arm around my neck and we laughed.
"Striker, it's pitch black." I giggled whilst his brothers just smiled.
"And? There is never a bad time for soccer."
"Alright then but you'll be wishing you'd never asked when I beat ya!"

I haven't had much time to play soccer lately, but I haven't lost my skill. Striker seems as shocked as I feel upon this discovery. I had Dempsey on my team, and he had Donovan, but according to the brothers, I could have won on my own, which coming from legends like themselves made me extremely proud. Striker couldn't believe that he'd lost/
"I've been away from the game far too long." He complained.
"That, my friend, is called egotism." I knew the story of how Striker had left his brothers team because of one game gone wrong and how he didn't understand teamwork then.
"Shut up, you." Striker chuckled.
Donovan and Dempsey laughed to themselves, but then said that they had to leave, but Striker could keep me company and accompany me home if he wished.
We both walked down the pier like myself and Ali had earlier on in the night. 2 hours had passed since then. Time had passed incredibly quickly.
"How is Yuma doing in the tournament?" Striker asked.
"Well, I don't really know, there's been a lot goin' on lately." From there, I explained to Striker about the Number cards and Reginald's attitude. We talk all the way from the pier to the ice cream shop on Magdalene Street, all the way home to my house but instead of going in, I decide to stay outside on the doorstep with Striker. We find we have a lot in common. Eventually, it rolls around to half eleven and Gray calls out of his bedroom window for me to come in.
"Thank you for tonight, Striker. It feels good to be able to talk to someone without the fear of them judging you."
"I ought to be thanking you, Rose. I don't really have many friends because of my arrogant- or as you called it, egotistic- attitude. I haven't talked with anyone apart from my brothers in a very long time and its nice to know that there are people out there who I can trust. I think challenging Yuma was something great. You and him are great people. Even though he talks to himself." Myself and Striker laugh together, even though I know that Yuma is actually talking to Astral.
"Come on Rosie! You have friends, I don't. I understand! Come in!" Gray shouts out of the window.
"Goodnight Rose."
"Goodnight, Striker."

I awoke the next morning feeling extremely fresh. I went around the city feelings calm, and for the meantime, I banished all thoughts of Reginald from my head. I considered boarding the WDC blimp, but didn't really have anyone to board it with. I had no idea on Yuma and Tori's location and Reginald was nowhere to be seen. However, I did bump into one face I wasn't particularly keen on encountering. Quattro.
"Rose, that was it, wasn't it?" I didn't notice him at first until he spoke.
"Quattro." I growled.
"Hmm, I cant see why a girl such as yourself would get yourself tangled up in Reginald's life. Far too complicated. Why is it that you stick around him again?"
"I stay with Reginald because he's my friend and he's helped me out more than I care to remember and his little sister has been my best friend since I was a little girl. You know Rio, don't you Quattro? You put her in the hospital, you sick jerk!" I wanted to lunge for him, hit him, possibly kill him for what he'd done to Rio, and all of the pain that had inflicted on myself and Reginald.
"I could hurt you so much for what you did to us! She was such an innocent person and what did you do? You almost killed her!" I screamed at him, but stop myself from running forward.
"Oh, dear. You haven't heard the whole story have you?" Chills ran down my spine.
"What do you mean?"
"I'm the one who saved Rio. I pulled her out of the fire, and that's how, I got this." He points to the jagged scar on his eye.
"Unfortunately for you, I already knew that. I don't know why you went back for her, I really don't, but if you come near her again, I wont be patient enough to wait for Shark." I turned away.

After I'd walked a reasonable distance, Quattro smirked, and the red glint to his eyes returned.
"If only you knew the truth Rose. If only."

In the coming days, I didn't hear anything from Shark, and had distanced myself from Yuma in order to allow him to progress further in the tournament. I already had my five heart pieces, but apparently, Yuma keeps getting himself into all kinds of situations with all types of opponents. Trust Yuma.
Whilst I haven't been in Reginald's company, I've been seeing Rio a lot more. What's worrying is that Reginald seems to have disappeared entirely, he hasn't even been to see Rio. I asked the doctors and nurses that have been tending to her, but they said he hasn't been in a few days. Whatever is going on with him must be serious. Rio is the most important thing in the world to him.
To distract myself I hang out with Ali in the café and Striker on the football fields around the corner from my house. With them, I can be more relaxed.

Little did I know that as I was trying to live as best as I could, Seeds of Darkness were growing in myself and Shark and there was absolutely nothing that any of us could do.