STALKED
I was quite sure it was a ghost.
"Actually… someone else in this room, besides the two of you, convinced me pretty well."
It was all Reddie's Granny-glam said. It must've been Hotaru in thin air. Or Konan… she must've done something freaky or creepy again because Reddie and I are such failures at this thing.
There's also nothing better that I can do while I'm strapped on the passenger's seat of a royal blue VW Jetta, questioning my safety and asking heaven how on earth did Hyuuga got a driver's license. I can't watch the street we've passed by since they come and go as a blur. If I make a mistake and glance at the speedometer, I'm going to pass out so I decided to think about ghosts and freaks.
But I can't help it. Damn, Reddie is a speed maniac!
He was on the phone with Konan and I'm quite impressed how he exchanges God-knows-what-infos with her while keeping the speed. What I can only make up is the details of the face he's trying to describe to Konan and Kaname. It was the face of a man his granny gave him. No name, no address, no nothing—Blond shoulder-length hair, not-so-deep seated blue eyes, thin lips in a nice curve. I can only think of Kurt Cobain. The next minute, this supercar declared that an image from Konan was received.
Made me suspect that Konan also works with the FBI.
The evening got colder when we left the reception. More people engaged in dancing. I could've danced more and had the opportunity to sneak some champagne but Natsume was so eager to leave at once.
I glanced at the side mirror at my side and noticed the same black BMW which has been on our trail for minutes now.
"I have the same BMW on our tail for almost seven minutes now…" I told him with my eyes glued on the side mirror.
"Monaco has a lot of Black BMW." Natsume replied. His conversation with Konan was finally over and all I can hear from him were commands on the car's system to open emails and sorts. People would soon be unemployed if this kind of technology goes cheap and viral.
"With the same blank plate?" I asked him and decided to face him this time. He briefly glanced at the rearview mirror and cussed. "So?" I raised my eyebrows, my hand was getting colder, thinking about how this can make him stomp on the gas pedal harder.
"Stalkers." He said, doing what I just thought he'd do. He's making the car fly and he's having a blank face!
"Seriously!?" my voice was shaky while I tried to make it sound so relax, instead I sounded like a parrot with tonsillitis. "Just stalkers, or would you like to enlighten me at least before I die…?"
"I'm not kidding. They're stalkers…" he said. "Been stalking me since I was kid… and you're not dying, idio" he heaved a heavy sigh and drifted like it was as basic as jumping. Next thing I knew, bullets are also in pursuit of us!
"Stalkers who shoot!?" I exclaimed.
"Yes they do." This time he smirked, obviously enjoying the race and continued making the car dance.
I couldn't contain it. My heart was on my lump and I'm getting crazy. "Fu**!"
"Whoa! That's quite a word, polka." He remarked. His face doesn't give out any stress lines.
Polka. "I just thought that my heart was on my throat, and are you actually killing me?" and then I regretted saying that. Dang! I should've kept my thoughts to myself. And now Mr. Conceited has his lips on a good smirk. "Fu**." And this time, that's for my stupidity.
"Your babysitter should be concerned." He said again. More gunshots were fired at us and thank heavens, the car is bulletproof. But I know some more minutes and we're going to have to do something about them.
"Again… he's not my babysitter."
"Your boyfriend?" he said, glancing back to the BMW. And now they're BMWs.
Ha! I wish! "Not nearly. Look, can you just shut up first about this and hand me a gun?" I impatiently dig on the dashboard but found nothing. Hopefully Reddie could produce some.
"Sorry, I don't carry guns."
"Then throw them some fire! They're killing us!"
I don't know what happened but he threw me a pissed stare all of a sudden—it was longer that how he looked at the road or the situation—and then he sighed again as if I was a kid who needs more patience.
"I need you to teleport." He said. I was about to ask why but he cut me off. "Think of any place, a burg, a residencial area, a village! Now!" and then he let go of the wheel, muttered 'self-destruct' and took my hand. The AI voice started counting down…
"Three…"
"Mikan, now!" he said.
"Two…"
…and I don't know what happened.
The way he said "now!" somehow pinched something inside me, another undefinable feeling that I unwillingly dismissed when I opened my eyes*
We were on a closed space, lights only came from the city illuminated on open windows, and the dim, assorted-colored bulb lights which hang beside it. I'm sure my back is stuck on a sharp corner and I let out a hiss when I disconnected it. Natsume got up on his elbows when he heard me.
"Who's there?" a masculine voice asked. I recognized it at once. Hayami-sempai.
"M-mm-me!" I croaked. "Mi-kan!" The next second, light blazed my eyes as it filled the whole place white. My eyes hurt, and I briefly had a sight of Reddie trying to bury his face on the floor.
"O mi God! O mi dear God! What are you doing here!?" sempai asked, rushing to aid me. Reddie started to get up and stoop down to help me up too.
Megane-sempai is the CEO of the Official Alice Gazette worldwide and the so called "news freak". He's got good eyesight and hearing and picks up scoops just a little later than the speed of light. He used to work with the Association's Investigative Bureau but he resigned and pursued the writing career.
"Sorry for crashing on your… home… ugh…" I groaned. "I didn't mean to…"
"No worries at all, though it's a rush… what brought you to me?" he asked, eyes wide open in surprise and curiosity.
"Well, for starters, we were in trouble…" I said, helping myself with the couch. Natsume remained standing.
"You know bad dudes who's been out there kidnapping alices?" he asked Hayami and he nodded, emerging from his kitchen with a pitcher and two glasses. He filled each with water and handed them over to us. The liquid had some lemon taste and it sure cleared my throat, my vision and my thoughts.
Hayami nodded at Natsume. "Sure I do. Been on a spree with any of them?"
"Uh-huh. On a BMW." Reddie answered.
"Oh, for God's sake, DA Stalkers. Not good." He remarked.
My head got a splash of cold curiosity. "DA Stalkers?"
Both faced me but Reddie had his mouth on it first. "People who stalks Alices. That's it." Then he faced Hayami with a serious face. I'm not sure if I really know this guy but my intuition is telling me that he's keeping away something from me. I kind of trust "Intuition" since it's my alice and I'm a girl. So it's settled. He's a douchebag. "Yes, BMWs. And I asked Mikan here to teleport us anywhere since they're already shooting us." He added.
"They have guns!?" He mused. Natsume and I both nodded, but I kept my eyes on Reddie to make sure that I register every reaction. "What kind of Alice goes around with guns!? Ugh, inadequate alices!"
Reddie sighed. "Anyway… we need your help."
"Sure, anything!" Guiseppe said.
"I think we need to stay here tonight…" I told him with my puppy eyes.
"I only have one bedroom here with a single bed, but you can share it, and the couch…"
"I'll sleep on the couch." I told him. "You're both guys, you can stay in a room." But both of them stared at me like I'm a nutcase. Finally, Natsume rolled his eyes.
Hayami stifled a laugh, "Wouldn't that be awkward?"
"She's not used to sleep in the same room with me but we can work that out. Will you be comfortable in the couch?" Natsume asked.
"Wha— " I tried to butt in but the two won't let me.
"Yeah. I can lend you guys some clothes too…" then he disappeared and came back with some shirts. "Luckily for you, mi lady, I used to share this house with my ex-girlfriend so I have some female apparel in here. Here you go…"
"Thanks for the help. Another…" he paused, assessing if Hayami is okay with anything. I, myself doesn't have any clue about what 'another' means so I waited. "We're in search for this guy…" he retrieved a paper with a photo printed on it. Surely, the guy looks like Cobain who smells like teen spirit.
"Scottish-Italian, produces a great deal in car races and hosts party like the worlds gonna end tomorrow. That's Martin Fountaneblue."
"That surname is a pain to the tongue." I remarked. They both looked at me. Hayami surely has a higher IQ since he giggled while Natsume the stupid red-eyed bastard has his Kristen Stuart face on.
"Never heard of him." He said, facing Hayami again.
"He used to be engaged to your mother." He amusingly answered.
"Races and Parties for the end of the world. I'm curious why my crazy mother didn't marry him." Natsume said, looking intently at the photo.
"Because he's not the real guy." Hayami replied, with a serious face on.
Oh no. I was quite drained with Lady Kora being a ghost and not a ghost. Don't tell me we have another guy here who can do that.
"It's the twin brother you're looking for… the real Martin Fountaneblue."
Natsume sat on the hand rest of the couch beside me. "We're listening."
And yes, I know, you're definitely right. It's been years. But here's what I'm quite sure of: NEXT CHAPTER WILL BE UP SOON :)
love lots!
OMG I miss this! I'm literally shaking!
