The Killing Dance (Snow White and the Seven Reapers)

Chapter Twenty-three

Austin Riccardi's P.O.V

"Nasaan si Riley? I haven't seen her for days."

The sound of Alex's voice ripped me out of my brooding. I looked up from staring at my notes and saw Eve still for a moment before she clutched her pen more tightly.

"Ano." My brows furrowed when I heard the panic underlying her tone before she cleared her throat. "Uhh, nasa K-korea si Riley. Oo, nasa Korea. May binisita lang yung pamilya niya duon."

My phone buzzed and disappointment washed through me when it wasn't Andrea who texted. Hunter was reminding me that I need to go back to Italy this weekend. He said my father summoned me.

Fucking wrong timing.

"Ms. Nakamura and Mr. Lennox, please pay attention!" Narinig kong sigaw ng matanda namin na prof. Napansin siguro na nagdadaldalan ang dalawa.

"And, please keep away your phone, Mr. Riccardi or I will confiscate it." Napaayos ako ng upo nang marinig ko na banggitin nito ang pangalan ko.

Nang iangat ko ang aking tingin ay naabutan ko ang masamang tingin nito sa akin bago muling humarap sa board at nagsimulang magturo ng hindi ko maintindihan na lesson niya. For being so old, Mr. Dimaano has sharp eyes and hearing.

Napansin ko ang ngisi sa mukha ni Alex, kaya bahagya kong sinipa ang upuan nito. We're blockmates on this subject, including Riley and Eve.

I sighed. It has been almost a week since the date. Ever since that night, she has become distant. She started to skip class or not come to school at all. If she were here, she would only be staring outside the window, closed in her own bubble. Hindi din siya masyadong nagsasalita. She became cold.

I don't know what happened to her but I know it has to do with her sneaking up on me last Friday night.

Nasa pangalawang movie na kami ng Harry Potter nang nakatulog ako, and that was not cool, but nang magising ako ay wala na siya sa tabi ko.

I called her so many fucking times but she was not answering any of them. I was frustrated that night. Nasigawan ko pa sa sobrang inis Frank nang sabihin nito na hindi niya napansin na umalis si Andrea. Sinubukan ko siyang puntahan sa bahay niya, kaso wala talaga siya. I even called Xander but he fucking did not know where she was.

Again, I was jerked out of my own thoughts when a guy burst into the room like he was on fire.

"Who are you?!" The old man shrieked when the guy continued barrelling inside the room.

My brows crashed down when I saw the panic look on his face.

"A-Austin, si kitten mo..." Nasa kaligitnaan ng pagsasalita ang lalaki at madali akong tumayo.

"What are you saying?" I gritted out when he just stared back at me.

I have a bad feeling about this.

"N-nadaanan namin siya kanina sa highway na napapalibutan ng mga lalaki. T-tulungan sana namin siya, pero, ano, pinigilan niya kami at sinabihan na tawagin ka."

I didn't even finish listening to him and rushed out of our homeroom. Hindi ko alam kung sumumod ba yung dalawa, pero wala na akong pakialam. Andrea needs me and I need to get to her quickly. I had a white-knuckle grip on the steering wheel. I gritted my teeth. Tangina. Ngayon ko lang nalaman na mabagal din pala ang sports car. Fuck. I need to get to her.

Kung mayroon man na mangyari na masama kay Andrea, hindi ko alam kung ano ang magagawa ko.

That was when instinct, rage and my beast, which I forced to back down, rose to the front when I saw the scene before me. The steering wheel creaked under my hold and I felt my entire body tighten. Seeing a guy close to Andrea using his body to push her on the car made everything in me turn red in anger.