In A Day Or Two

Chapter 8: The Flight

It was a long drive. By the time we reached the address Margaux gave me, it was past 9 p.m. The small, quiet village sprawled before us, the dim streetlights barely illuminating the narrow paths. We stopped a few houses away and huddled behind a bush, careful not to be seen.

Glancing around, I searched for familiar faces. My chest loosened when I spotted Mrs. Pearson talking to a woman her age—confirmation that we were in the right place. I scanned further, looking for Xianon, but she was nowhere in sight. Maybe she was inside.

We froze as a couple jogged past, eyeing us suspiciously. Once they disappeared into the shadows, I exhaled sharply and crawled closer, every movement deliberate.

"Why can't we just walk in and say hello and goodbye? I mean, seriously... crawling along the footpath like stray dogs looking for scraps? Not exactly attractive, you know, for any girls who might see me," Edmund whispered, whining.

I shot him a sharp look. "Stop thinking about girls for one second, Edmund!"

"I can't! Have you seen the woman's body? Makes my brain work artistically..."

"Correction: maniacally," I huffed.

"Do you really need me here? Cause if you're just going to be mean, I'm going home." He pouted, crossing his arms and wrinkling his brow.

"You sound like an upset little girl," I chuckled.

"Oh, that's it. I'm really going home." He stood abruptly, dusting off his pants like he meant it.

I sighed, exasperated, but smirked. "Fine. Go ahead. But when you regret leaving, don't come crying to me."

Edmund shot me a glare but didn't move. I knew he was too stubborn—and too curious—to actually leave.

I tightened my grip on the bush and signaled him to follow silently. Tonight, nothing was going to stop me from seeing her, not even Edmund's theatrics.

I let Edmund walk away because I knew he couldn't resist the deal we made about meeting Margaux. Just like I thought, when he reached the fifth house, he stopped, pivoted, and stomped back toward me, plopping down onto the cement street with his arms crossed, frowning like the world had personally wronged him.

"I thought you said you were going home?" I teased, trying not to laugh.

"Naah, got my new shoes on. Don't want to mess them up." He tapped them dramatically. Oh really now? Or did you mean chicks instead of shoes?

"Or you could just say you really wanna meet Margaux," I said, wriggling my eyebrows at him, feeling a small victory in my teasing.

"Shut up!" he snapped, his frown deepening. "I don't know where to go, okay? How can I head home without transportation? It's not about her, so don't push it."

I opened my mouth to fire back, but before I could, a sudden drizzle of water hit us. I blinked. For a second, I thought someone was watering plants nearby, but the droplets kept coming.

"Get out! You two!" a sharp voice shouted.

We froze. The water splashed over my shoulders, dripping down my neck, soaking the front of my shirt. I looked at Edmund. He was grinning like a maniac, which only made my jaw tighten.

"NOW!!!" the voice barked again, even louder this time.

Red-handed, soaked, and clearly caught, we reluctantly stood up. I could feel the tension in my shoulders, my heart starting to race. And then I saw her.

Xianon. Angry green eyes fixed on me like daggers, burning through every ounce of pretense I might have tried to keep. My chest tightened. Edmund, of course, smirked and didn't even flinch, casually muttering some excuse before jogging off toward Mrs. Pearson, who shook her head in exasperation.