Shadowstruck

Chapter 4 Part 2

Noah led April back to where the other four were sitting. "We're back."

Sean jumped and fell sideways off of his log, prompting a laugh out of his brother. "Aw, are you scared?"

Sean glared and climbed back to his seat, readjusting the frames of his metallic glasses. "Shut up, dumbass. I didn't see them."

Cooper grinned. "Sure, sure." He turned to Noah and April. "Glad to see you aren't dead."

April smirked. "I'm sure you are." She didn't notice the twinge of concern flash across Noah's face before he shoved it off and smiled faintly. She didn't notice his fists tighten before he quietly hissed in pain as his nails dug into his skin, quickly releasing his grip. She didn't notice him shifting his weight and looking carefully towards Cooper. She did notice, however, Sean blatantly flipping Cooper off as she walked around to the final log, Noah (hesitantly) following after and sitting as far away from the sword-clad boy as he could without raising suspicions. He didn't know if it was his eyes, or if he was dizzy, or still trying to fight off the shock from earlier with the whole April-almost-dying-again (he still hadn't fully wrapped his head around the fact that she wasn't dead from the first time), but he thought he had seen -

"What do you mean?" His train of thought was interrupted by April grinning with a raised eyebrow across the dwindling fire.

Koko leaned forward. "I mean that I saw a fox in the woods! And Sean didn't let me keep it!" She huffed and leaned into Whitney. "Asshole."

"It could have been something else! It could have been a Watcher!"

April's smile dimmed a bit. "A what now?"

Everyone looked expectantly towards Noah, who sighed and hid his face in his hands. "Shit. I didn't tell you, did I?"

April turned fully and looked at her best friend. She could tell he was tired and worried. "It's fine, you can tell me later - "

He stood up. "No. I'm not putting it off again." He turned and directed his gaze towards April. "Give me your hand." He stuck out his own and nodded for her to take it.

"Noah - "

"Please. I really don't want anything else to happen, but knowledge is power. Trust me."

She cautiously grabbed his hand, holding onto his wrist. He did the same. "I'm going to focus on a memory. I want you to see if you can find it." April blinked a couple times, looking around at the surprised faces before glancing back at Noah and closing her eyes, frowning in concentration.

"You ready?"

She took a deep breath. "I guess so - FUCK!" She swore loudly and snapped her eyes open, looking down at her hand. "What the hell, Noah?" She stepped back, shaking her arm. "What the actual fuck?"

He grimaced. "I'm...sorry. Sit down." He looked towards his own hand, which was quickly turning from pink to red. "Shit, that stings..." He shook it off and ignored the intense stares coming from the others. "I forgot how much that hurt. I'm sorry."

April sat down, her hand trembling, She rubbed it, which relaxed the pain enough for her to turn her focus to Noah. "You better have a reason for that, and it better be goddamn incredible."

He looked down and took his spot next to her on the log. "I do. Do you know why we're out here in the first place?"

"No."

"I just gave you...well, transferred, really...my memories. Focus on the pounding in your head." 

April found that she did, in fact, have a headache. She closed her eyes again and narrowed in on it in her mind.

There was a door. A dark, blood-red door. She could hear muffled shouts and screams, crying and yelling coming from behind it.

It slammed open and she could hear all of the sounds and lights and people streaming through the doorway.

She walked through.