★JANIE★ Lowering my head, I was trembling like a wet leaf as those men swaggered toward my direction. The sound of my heart racing faster echoed in my ears, and all I wanted at this minute, was to vanish into thin air and never resurface again.

Why couldn't I get a moment of peace since I escaped? I asked myself.

But then, the five of them sauntered past me and occupied the next table beside us.

"Hey waiter, come and take our order!" One of them commanded in an authoritative tone.

I didn't know that I was still shuddering until Noel took my hand in his. “You are fidgeting, Janie. You don't seem comfortable. Is it because of these men?" He mouthed.

Matter of fact, he was right. I didn't feel comfortable, not a bit.

Nodding my head in response, I shakily stole a quick glimpse at them as each of them announced their order to the waiter.

“Well, if you aren't comfortable, we are leaving right now." Noel rose to his feet. Latching his hand around my wrist, he pulled me up and prompted me to follow him. And I did, unresisting.

Noel turned once more to look at those men before hastening his pace. Then, we got into the truck and sped off.

“You must be so traumatized by whatever your captor did to you, seeing your reaction earlier." He pointed out, but I swallowed hard, not wanting to talk about my ordeal with Luciano.

Taking my silence as a cue to dismiss the topic, Noel cleared his throat and then asked instead. “What's your favorite movie, Janie."

By now, I'd managed to catch my breath and my fears had dissipated into oblivion, so I proceeded to answer his question. “I don't have a favorite. However, I'd say Korean dramas, plus, I loved anything that had to do with gory scenes. In the likes of The Walking Dead, the invitation and a quiet place."

Casting me a sideway glance, Noel smacked his tongue against the roof of his mouth, and I was forced to ask.

“What?"

"Well." He dragged. “I didn't picture you as a lover of horror. Perhaps a princess and the pauper..... Barbie kind of thingy."

A snorted laugh escaped my throat. “Oh trust me, I was once a fan of Barbie, Cinderella, and Little Mermaid. But then, I went to visit a friend back in high school. Not my friend actually, but this rich pricey daughter of a business mogul, so I'd help her do her assignment in return for some tip. When I got there that fateful evening, she was watching The Walking Dead. I liked it and started watching it with her. That was how my love for gory movies started until I saw one in real life." I informed him, swallowing down the hard lump forming in my throat.

"In real life?" Noel asked in shock. “Are you saying those bastards have killed someone in front of you before?"

Hesitating for a second, I nodded my head in response. “I saw him cut off a man's limb once and it was horrifying. Anytime, I close my eyes, it always haunts me and most times I try to just imagine it as those horror movies I've seen. I'd reassure myself countless times that it wasn't real, even when I was damn sure of it."

"Sick bastards!" Noel spat. “What kind of psychos are they?"

"Please can we not talk about them anymore?" I implored as a pit of profound disgust pitched in my stomach.

“Of course." Noel spared me a glance from the steering wheel. “But are you okay though?"

"Yes— yes, I'm fine." I nodded. “So what's your favorite movie?"

"More like a series; it's the vampire diaries. Heard of it?"

Twitching my lips as I tried to refresh my memory, the title didn't sound familiar, so I shook my head. “No."

"Oh my goodness! You need to see it. That series is so good. With a great sense of humor like Damon, selflessness like Bonnie, and evil-minded asshole like Kai, that series was a hit. Did I forget to mention Klaus, Caroline, Elena, Stefan, Josette, and Matt, the human who never dies?"

I listened to Noel ramble on and on about the vampire diaries, enjoying the whole scenery I was starting to picture in my head. We were so engrossed with the whole narration that we began to wonder how fast we got home.

Noel pulled the car to a halt in the driveway, while I watched his mother pacing about on the front porch. She seemed so worried, but on the other hand, his father appeared calm as he tried to soothe her nerves.

"Are they mad because we left the house?" I asked Noel, who looked over at them and then shrugged.

"I don't care. We'll find out soon enough."

We alighted the truck and then walked over to the front porch.

"Oh, my baby! My poor baby!" Mrs Isobel shrieked as she continually paced back and forth.

“What's going on?" Noel demanded.

“The school management just brought Chelsea back home. She fell from the stairs and broke her right leg, though they treated her and wrapped a cast around it, your mom's assistant nurse is attending to her inside. Your mother won't stop panicking since they brought her, so I had to request for her Assistant in the hospital to come over and see it through, while I'm trying to calm her down." His father said to him.

My heart clenched in pain.

"Oh my goodness!" Noel yelled then rushed into the house.

"I'm so sorry for this," I said to them and Mr. Alan issued me a nod.

"It's fine, Janie. Go inside, I'll stay out here with my wife."

Obeying him, I walked through the front door, only to find Noel's younger sister, Chelsea sitting on the couch while a ginger-haired nurse attended to her.

Just like the picture, Chelsea was indeed a pretty girl with red hair and a pointy nose. She looked so much like Noel, except with the softer features.

I stood there in silence, watching as she broke down in tears in front of Noel. Without a word, Noel pulled her into a deep embrace and the nurse had to step aside for a minute.

"That bitch pushed me down the stairs, Noel. But her parents came and bought the principal off, so they asked me to keep quiet in exchange for anything I wanted. Then I told them that I wanted to come home." She bemoaned.

I wondered who could be ill-minded enough to push a little girl down the stairs, and how the principal could also be so stupid to cover everything up. But then, I remembered the elites tended to get whatever they wanted, even if the lower class took the fall for it.

Noel's hand tightened around Chelsea's frame. "You know you aren't allowed to swear, Pepper. By the way who is this bitch in question?"

Chelsea sniffled back sobs. “Nadia. The girl I always told you about on holiday. But of course, you weren't always listening, because you are so engrossed in your stupid video games than your angelic sister." She accused.

"Chelsea," Noel called in a warning tone. Heaving a sigh, he added. "Okay, my bad. I'll always listen to you from now on. Although we have to tell Mom and Dad about this, they have to know."

"No." Chelsea objected. "I got what I wanted. To spend the summer with you, so let it slide. I'll only tell them that I want to transfer school once my leg is healed."

Staring at Chelsea and Noel right now brought up a warm feeling that coated my guts. I found her amusing from the way she spoke to her feisty attitude.

A faint smile tugged the corner of my lips as I continued to watch her in silence. If Noel had not told me her age, I'd have doubted that she was fourteen.

"Let me fix the splint properly and I'm done." The nurse chimed.

"Oh, I'm sorry." Noel moved away while the nurse carried on with her business. Once she was done, she patted Chelsea's shoulder and then whispered something before walking out.

Just as Chelsea was about to utter a word, her eyes met mine. The lines at the corner of her eyes creased and she smiled.

Eyeing me from head to toe, she inquired out of curiosity. “Noel, who is she? Your girlfriend?"