The next week came and passed as Callum began teaching Rayla how to drive. Her constant walking far distances was time consuming, and Callum couldn't always drive her places. Besides Taxis and Uber's were expensive. He taught her the basics likely growing a couple gray hairs from the worry she would hit something. Luckily for them, Rayla learned fast.
By the end of the week, she'd gotten the hang of it, she just couldn't handle traffic quite yet.
It was Friday evening, and Callum dropped Rayla off from their lesson, so that he could pick Ezran up for Bait's Veterinary appointment. Once it was over, Callum left to bring the car around to the front of the building. Ezran sat on the outside bench waiting patiently.
Suddenly a tall, middle-aged man with dark skin similar to an Arabs skin tone and silky white hair that reached his shoulders passed by. He had relatively small eyes and dressed like a handyman from the Medieval times with many different, but similar patterns on his clothes that Ezran didn't recognize.
With a friendly grin the man spoke in a thick Scottish accent similar to Rayla's, but slightly thicker. "Hello, young Sir. Why are you alone? Surely a child such as yourself isn't by yourself in a city of potential criminals."
"Hi, no, Sir. I'm not alone. I've got Bait!!" Ezran held Bait up in front of himself. "Oh! And my brother is bringing the car around."
"Perhaps I should stay with you, until your brother shows up. A young man like you shouldn't be alone even for a few minutes. Anythin' can happen." The man offered.
"Okay, Sure!" Ezran agreed eagerly.
Callum only took a few minutes, before he came around in his car.
"This is my ride home!! That's my brother. I know we don't look very similar. It just because..."
"You are related by a single relative, yes?" The man interrupted nodding in understanding.
"Yeah, actually. How did you know?" Ezran asked curiously.
"I helped raise my niece. I like to call her my daughter. She looks nothing like me. The man who helped raise her is related to her father. She is actually who I am here to visit." The man explained openly.
"Well, She's lucky to have such a kind parent figure in her life. I wish you luck, Sir." Ezran smiled and got into the back of Callum's car.
Callum looked at him thoughtfully. He slightly recognized him from somewhere. He just couldn't remember from where. "Um,.. Hi, Sir. Have we met before?"
The man shook his head politely, "I don't believe so. But would kind gentlemen like yourselves, know of any places to stay the night?"
"Oh, well, there's a pretty good place to stay, two blocks from here called'Live Luxuriously'. It has a big bright sign so you can't miss it. It's just two blocks away to the left. Have a good day, Sir, and good luck with your daughter." Callum instructed kindly and he said his farewells before leaving.
They came home and Harrow informed them that he and Lissa managed to get tickets to the next Baseball game the coming Sunday. Everyone was coming. Everyone including; Harrow, Callum, Ezran, Rayla, Nyx, Lissa, Claudia, Soren, and Kasef upon Claudia's request.
The next day, Claudia and Soren went shopping for the San Diego Padres merchandise for them, Nyx, Lissa, and Kasef. They walking home as Claudia talked on and on about her new boyfriend. He was beyond awesome. He was tall and collected and handsome, and just overall great. She was in love. He was'the one'.
Soren rolled his eyes, "Clauds, he's barely your boyfriend. You've been dating for all of a week that hardly counts as him being your boyfriend. Didn't he help Dad with his attack on Xadia? He's like so serious, the exact opposite of you. He hardly even laughs at all."
Claudia counted with her fingers, "That was like what?... 13 years ago. He's changed since then. And I like that he's serious. That means I can work all the harder to make him laugh. I promise you, I have never felt so sure in my life. I'm in love. Trust me, He's theOne." She argued with a dazed smile.
Soren rolled his eyes again. It was then that he noticed a tall figure walking towards them likely just passing by. "Wow! Talk about serious." He commented noticing how strictly serious this person looked.
Still thinking he was talking about Kasef, Claudia retorted, "Come on, He's not like super, super serious. In fact, Dad was seriouser... more serious." She looked at him then realized his eyes weren't focused on her but they were narrowed at something... or rather someone.
She looked at the same person and gained a confused look on her face. The person was much taller than her boyfriend likely over five inches taller give or take an inch with a male's physique. But this person had really, really long hair reaching the person's knees. The person's skin was fairly toned with aquamarine eyes slanted. The person had thick eyelashes which made this person look somewhat feminine. Claudia wasn't sure whether or not this was a woman or a male, and frankly neither did Soren.
They looked at each other and shrugged.
As the figure nearly passed, Soren spoke up assuming their gender, "Hey, Ma'am, are you looking for something? Maybe we can help."
The stranger scoffed at the statement. He was clearly a male. In offense, he spout speaking in an English accent, "DoIlook like awomantoyou?" His face scolding and pokered.
Soren looked to the left, "Uhhhhhhhhh... No, Ma- Sir!!"
The man rolled his eyes scoffing again, "Don't answer that."
Fighting the urge to laugh, Soren and Claudia bit their own lips.
"I kinda just did." Soren nearly wheezed keeping himself from laughing.
Claudia offered trying to hold her amusement inside, "Sir, Can we help you with anything? Maybe to make up for my brother's mis- well understanding?" Soren wasn't entirely wrong in his assumption.. In his defense, This man looked like a woman facially, at least.
"Oh, of course you twoRatsare siblings. How do you believeyoucould be of service tome?" The man declared his hands behind his back and his head held high in pride.
Soren and Claudia looked at one another sharing a similar thought; Advice on his"lovely"appearance, would one way to be of service to him. They finally broke into fits of laughter Claudia snorting a few times.
Once she snorted, the man jerked his head back, and raised an eyebrow in disgust. Such like humans to be so undignified and disgustingly filthy. These two obviously shared a single brain cell... much like most humans. Why must they be so deliberately repulsive? Even worse why didShehave to go to ahumancity?
Soren stopped laughing for a moment, "You know, in a way, you're kinda like someone my sister knows. Super serious, but you know how sisters get." Soren joked.
The man didn't share the same amusement, "No, I wouldnotknow. I had a brother. No such sister. I have a niece in which I am here to bring back home." His face remained pokered.
"Oh, Okay." Soren turned back to face Claudia.
"I kinda feel bad for the niece." Claudia whispered giggling to herself.
The man rolled his eyes and walked away from them. Thorns in his side they were.
At last It was Sunday, and everyone readied after work and headed to the game. They bought popcorn and sodas, and took their seats in the stadium. Ezran sat at the far end, Callum sat beside him, Rayla sat beside Callum, Soren beside Rayla, Nyx next to Soren, then Claudia, Kasef, then Lissa and Harrow.
It was the middle of the game whenithappened. A bright light showed over Rayla, unfamiliar to her,veryfamiliar to everyone else. The spotlight was almost blinding, but she realized she was on camera on a big screen in the stadium for everyone to see.
She looked around for an explanation. The boys explained it.
"It's a Kiss Camera!!!" Soren called out looking at Callum with a sly grin expecting where this was going.
"You kinda have to..." Callum was interrupted by the announcer at the game who, so clearly, was controlling the spotlight.
"Miss, spotlight's on you!! You know what that means! Pick your partner, and pucker up!!!!"
A bright red rose to her cheeks, "What?!! I'm not goin' to... Why would I...Who came up with this?" She protested looking around at the audience who were all staring at her in anticipation.
Soren scooted away from her, "Don't look at me, Dempsey, I'm taken."
Rayla rolled her eyes. Did he have to use her last name to make a point? It's not like she'd kisshim,of all people, anyway.
"Looks like the choice has been made for you!! Let's give this young lady some encouragement!!!!" The announcer instigated as the crowd began to chant, "Kiss Him!!!"
To say this was ridiculous, would be an understatement. This was the dumbest thing anyone could think of. It bothered her to think she'd actually have to do it, but she could probably sit there all night, and people would still be urging this. But she couldn't... shouldn't kiss Callum. She'd already kissed him twice, and they were supposed to bejustfriends. If they were going to stay that way, she couldn't keep kissing him.
The second time she was lucky he'd forgotten, but the first time she wasn't so lucky. She looked around. There had to be someone else. Soren was definitely out, he was taken and she didn't mind that.
From the corner of her eye, she could see Harrow watching with a look of expectancy on his face. She couldn't tell if that was positive or negative.
In a split second, she turned around and kissed the man who was sitting behind her. He was about her age, he wasn't at all very attractive or anything to her, but he wasn't Callum. Everyone was appalled, especially everyone she'd come with.
"Well, that wasn't supposed to happen." Claudia stated slightly grossed.
Callum watched in practical horror. He wasrightnext to her. Instead, She chose a complete stranger. A STRANGER!!! He was justrightthere.
The kiss barely even lasted a second, before Rayla turned back around, and sat wiping her lips with the back of her hand. She felt like she was going to gag. Boy! Did she want to leave!! She kissed a stranger to goodness sake. SHE KISSES A STRANGER!!! That wasabsolutelynoton her bucket list if she had one.
In a way, itwasfor the best. She didn't kiss Callum which was a plus,.. though it felt more like a minus. She reallywantedto kiss Callum. But she shouldn't. It was a public place, on camera that would likely be on every Baseball fan's t.v.. She wouldn't humiliate him like that, if at all. She wouldn't put him through the humiliation of having his best friend kiss him, especially in front of an entire stadium of people watching.
The audience nonetheless applauded, and the game managed to continue after a small interruption. Claudia tapped Soren's shoulder from her seat.
"Hey, Sor-Bear, isn't that the'Man-woman'weirdo we met yesterday?" She asked curiously pointing to a man standing at the stairs to the stepped seating who was pointing an arrow at someone in their row.
"I think so. He looks mad." Soren pointed out attracting Nyx's undivided attention to the figure.
"Didn't he, when we met him?" Claudia joked laughing lightly.
Nyx shook her head and tracked his pointed arrow to where and who he was targeting. "He's glaring at someone in our group."
"How do you know that?" Claudia questioned in disbelief.
"When you used to spend your time in middle school stealing things, you learn to concentrate on where the teachers and cameras are and will be looking." Nyx bragged a little.
"Oh! that makes sense."
Rayla was getting up to go the bathroom to get her head right. She stood and Callum stood, too, wondering where she was going.
In less than a second, the arrow was shot at her. In passed everyone's faces, and by the skin of her nose, Rayla dodged it, and grabbed it before it hit Callum.
She hardly needed to study it to know who this belonged to. She turned in the direction the arrow came from and saw exactly whom she expected. "Oh, Fudge!!"
Another arrow was shot, and it was yet again dodged and caught. Rayla leapt from her chair to the top seats jumping and flipping from seat to seat, until she reached the exit. She had to lead him away from the crowds.
The others tried to follow, but by the time, they were outside Rayla and the stranger were long gone. Callum followed his gut to where he had a feeling, she would go and left without anyone even noticing.
Reaching an empty alleyway, Rayla stopped and looked around for a weapon to fight with. Clearly, If she didn't she would surely die. The man found her and he and she circled around one another neither turning their backs. The man's weapons were drawn and Rayla was still subtly looking for a weapon in the trash. It had been so long, since she needed her weapons, she rarely left homewiththem.
"Runaan, what're you doin' here? Trying tokillme no less?" She almost knew the answer to her second question, but asked anyway.
"Without your weapons, I see. A dangerous mistake. You forgot your training already? Carry your weapons atalltimes. You never know when you'll need them ." Runaan replied blandly.
"I missed you, too, Runaan. No, I didn't forget I just felt like undergoin' the lessons you taught me, because it's just fun to disobey you." Rayla rolled her eyes picking a trashed water pipe.
"A questionIshould be required to ask you, Why areyouhere?"
"Yeah, youshouldbe. But neither of us are doin' what we'rerequiredto do, now are we? We'vewaypast that, huh? I'm here because,... let me try to remember... Oh! Yeah, as great as it felt to have black eyes and bruises, I figured I'd move on from my masochistic nature and leave." Rayla explained sarcastically with a bitter smile.
Runaan just scoffed at her sarcasm, of all the things he'd beaten out of her, her sarcasm wasn't one of them. "And of all the places in Xadia, you chose to ignore them, and go to ahumancity. You're alreadybecominglike them. You've forgotteneverythingI've taught you about them."
"Likethat'swhat worries ya. Save it, you're wastin' your breath. I'm not buyin' it." Rayla shook her head.
Runaan lunged at her, and she dodged it.
Suddenly a metal trash can lid hit Runaan in the back of his legs causing him to stumble to the concrete. He turned back to find Callum, and turned his head back to Rayla only for her to hit him in the head with another trash can lid knocking him out unconscious.
Callum took a moment to catch his breath, then he stood up straight, and looked down over Runaan's unconscious body. "Soo... Uh. What do we do with the body?"