The Amateur Archaeologist

Chapter 27.2 :- The threat

"Ivanka, you're acting like a lunatic!" Cassy said.

I paid no heed to her, I had to secure the location. Hunters cabin was located in the outskirts of Malibu, the geographic location was adequate and so was the heat under whose york we were sweating-profoundly. But not more than James, he was sweating so badly that it was hard to distinguish whether she had just taken a bath or had a medical problem.

To be fair, he did spent half an hour in the trunk of Hunters car.

"Big thing coming from someone who got her heart broken from the same person twice." I said as I double checked everything.

Cassy was taken aback, she sniffled back a few tears. "He said he loved me!" She sobbed.

"Oh come on! He was clearly with you so that he could have his hands on the English test paper!"

Her sobs intensified.

A groan escaped my lips. "Phones!" I screamed, "give me your self phone or anything that can be used to track you!"

James glared at me, "I already gave it to you! You made me leave it in the coffee shop!"

"Oh," I clicked my fingers, "don't be such a baby, I left mine too."

My eyes immediately traveled towards Hunter, who threw his hands up in the air. "I'm not giving you mine!" He argued.

I pouted at the thought but later shushed it away. "That's fine, they don't know you exist."

"Ouch," he replied in a monotonous tone.

I didn't even have the time to notice how strongly my head was hurting, the heat and the pressure was too much to think straight. But I was used to pressure, I thrived on it.

But this wasn't a calculus test or robotics competition pressure, it was something else. So raw and severe. It felt heavy because James's life depended on it, and so did mine.

"Ivanka," Hunter called out affectionately, "are you okay?"

I dismissed him, "It's the heat," I said. "It's... its giving me a headache."

The three of them exchanged worried glances, almost as if they were worried about me. It wasn't supposed to be his way, I was the one who was supposed to worry about them.

"It's October," James said, "I was sweaty because I was in the trunk... Ivanka, are you okay?"

"Totally,"

I was not okay.

My brain was having its own little competition with my chest, it was called 'Let's see who can make Ivanka more uncomfortable!'. As seconds passed, a gripping feeling was entrapping me, as if it was fighting to take control over me. I was feeling the same power surge that I had earlier, before I was kidnapped.

Kidnapped...

I would be lying if I said I didn't try to use the power when Thanatos had me bound, I tried and tried but at that moment I felt... normal. There was, however, a faint pain in my forearm, as if someone had injected something in my body.

I wasn't just having hot flashes out of nowhere, it was a symptom. It didn't take me a long to figure out I was drugged... and it was wearing off now.

"There..." a sudden pain erupted in my chest, "there is something wrong with me."

Silence, no answer.

To be clear, I had expected a tinge of comfort or even an expression of total bewilderment. But in front of me sat three motionless monkeys.

"Seriously?"