What If Our Life Threads Bind?

Chapter 18.

My left hand rose to my face for a moment to re-script a mask of black cloth over my mouth, pulling my all-black hoodie-that Margo just threw at me while I tried to make sense of her plan- farther down till the umbrella of my eyebrows so that people don't recognize me. I started to speak but it came out undecipherable through the black handkerchief, almost gagging me out of breath.

"What?" asked Margo, redressing her own mask.

"I said, I can't believe you had so much planned in so less time. How did you know that I was going to say 'yes' to the masks and mission-get-Samuel-out-of-his-hiding place?" I spoke up, momentarily wrestling my face out of the suffocating grip of the mask. She shrugged in response.

"I am a wee bit headstrong to begin with."

"No shit." I rolled my eyes when she passed me a grin and tightened both of our masks for the final time before we get ourselves out of the college restroom and begin the main mission. As we stared at our reflections, I thought about all the things we were going to do and all the things I hadn't even imagined myself doing as a demigod but here we are.

The mission was precisely a two person operation designed to draw everyone's attention to the room where Samuel had taken refuge. While Margo bolt out the doors open of Samuel's safe palace, I'd break the fire extinguisher near the room which would wake the sirens (and light the fire so that the fire alarm starts to shower in case Samuel attempts to run), bringing all the attention to Samuel. The plan was simple and effective.

It didn't feel real until Margo nodded at me and ran, with her back hunched and head ducked down and slammed a punch on the door as if it would be unlocked for people to open it already. "Ow." She moaned softly, her wrist now a red ball of skin and folded bones, and I bit back a laugh.

"Its obviously not left open, genius. We'll have to break it." I mouthed.

"Well, that was my intention. I wasn't obviously planning to give the door a fist-pump to say 'hello'." She rolled her eyes.

"Right. But neither of us is strong enough to break the damn door."

"But what now?"

"Apparently, I never really break into rooms. Also, this is not hogwarts and I am no wizard to unlock the door with an 'Alohomora'...So, I don't know." I shrugged and she scratched her head.

"Things would have been so much better if this was hogwarts and we had our wands." She played with a hair pin as it slipped from her hair to her hand. "What do we do?"

"Shit." My eyes widened. "Wands. Hair pins." I squealed and she frowned. "Give me your hair pin." I said and ignored the weird look she was giving me.

I put the hair pin inside the circular opening of the tab and it fits. I swivel the pin and for a second, it seemed like it jammed inside, earning some sweat and a panic stricken look on my face, but then it moved and the door unlocked. I looked at Margo with a triumphant smile.

"Well, aren't you something?" She nodded, impressed.

"I know what. A fucking genius." I said and she grinned.

The door sprung open but there was no one inside. We gaped at the room, eyes scanning for any Samuel trace but there was none.

"What the-" Just before I could complete my sentence, I heard the door shutting behind us."

"Shit." I said when the latch didn't turn. "We're locked. Someone locked us inside."

"Fucking Samuel." Margo said bitterly. "But how did he leave?"

My eyes landed on a broken window. I nodded. "Ready?"

"Born ready." Margo nodded, grinning.

...

It is exactly five in the morning and after jumping off a broken window in a ninja costume, I have never felt so less tired in my entire life record of being awake in the morning, even though I slept only for an hour or two.

I hissed when I saw blood on the floor and felt a burn somewhere on my calf. I pressed my hand tightly on the torn skin of my leg and winced in pain. "Shit. The cut is deep." Margo stared wide eyed at me. "Its all my fault. I shouldn't have-"

"Are you kidding me? I am loving this almost morning adventure." I said and as a matter of fact, it was true. I never could have imagined doing things that I was doing right now; things I had just read about in fiction.

"You're saying this just to make me feel better, aren't you?"

"You go, girl. That's the way to kill the mood." I rolled my eyes. "Really. I am having fun. I can't even describe."

"But-"

"Yeah, I know. But it shouldn't have been at four in the fucking morning. I fucking had to get my lazy ass here for this." I shrugged and she laughed.

...

In the hair pin goes, cautiously and silently this time as Margo makes sure no one escapes from the nearby windows and doors. The latch unlocks the door that we suspect Samuel climbed in on and saw a hooded figure, as the door swings open. "Hands up!" Margo shouts in the most filmy way possible, her hands clutching a dagger tightly towards the person.

Funnily enough, Samuel puts both of his hands up but his expression was nothing close to being afraid. He was frowning but he seemed....relaxed?

"I just stole some votes. What is with the knife? Calm down." His voice wavered.

Okay so maybe, not so relaxed.

I thanked lord for the mask for I couldn't any longer hold the smile. Especially when Margo turned towards with me and rose an eyebrow at me. That's my cue. "Go."

I run towards the door, outside, a lighter in my hand and a small but heavy stone in the other. My eyes scanned the area and I spot the fire extinguisher. The sirens started, a weird red light blinking at its wake. I looked up and saw the fire alarm device. Lighter on the ready, I pulled the trigger, flames curl up, swaying this way and that, crackling as they burn and then the shower starts and on cue, my injured leg loses balance, but I don't fall.

Hands on both of my shoulders, I shiver as they slowly turn me to face the person holding me tight enough to not let me fall. Each drop bequeaths itself into the cool air, light streaming with a blinking red, perfectly sculpting his deadly collarbones and jawline.

Unflinchingly, Austin takes two big strides towards me, breathes and I squirm. He looks unblinkingly at my eyes, his brown ones mirroring my own green ones. A thin layer of shower runs down my face, not as cold as it will get in September but cool enough to wash away the heat building up in my body as his hands travel from my shoulders- south to my waist and then-

"You have such beautiful eyes." He says and I breathe in his cologne-mint and something masculine like his sweat. His hands slowly rake the material of my shirt, hugging my waist and I blush, remembering that I am still in my night suit- just a shirt and those too worn and too tiny shorts that are hardly even visible to an ordinary eye.

The artificial rain fell like it meant to wash us away with it, like it means to keep hammering like our hearts at the moment until we smudge like one of Monet's masterpiece. His hand traveled back up and on my face, caressing the mask.

Mask!

I shove him a little and he chuckles when I find out that he's stronger than me and it would take a triple of my strength to wrestle out of his grip. Grabbing my waist, he pulled me so close that I could feel his breath on the bridge of my nose. I shivered when his hands touched my mask and I winced.

"Samuel!" I heard Margo's voice shouting and then saw her looking at me with 'warning' written all over her expressions, her eyes wide. I shove Austin one more time and this time, he let me go- running into the room where Samuel sat on the floor, his mouth shut with a duct tape.

"Mission complete. Run!" Margo says and I look at the wrist watch. Its fifteen minutes to six in the morning, which means Lila would be in my room, calling out my name any minute now.

I pulled the black hood over my saturated body as I saunter on the wet floor at first and jog when my feet hits dry on the road, on my way to home.