Ming Ming walked down the path, admiring the scenery. It wasn't often she took walks, but today her walk had purpose. Find the Blitzkrieg Boys and invite them over for dinner. Biting her bottom lip, she tried to calm her nerves. What was there to be worried of? It was simply making an offer. It wasn't like they would try and hurt her. Would they?
She remembered hearing the commentators mentioning Tala's past before a battle once. Something about him having a shady past. At first, she thought he was into drugs and was a recovering addict, but it was so much more than that. She learned from her research that Tala had grown up in an abbey owned by Boris, a home for orphans to be trained as soldiers. No wonder he rarely smiled.
It made her dislike Boris even more. He had taken their childhoods away. What was supposed to be a period of innocent fun had become something else entirely. It was forced seclusion. It was mental and physical abuse. What sort of obscene things had the boys been forced to endure? They would've been so young none of it would've made any sense to them. It broke her heart.
Maybe that's why Brooklyn had chosen her to be the one to do the talking. If he or Garland came down to invite the Blitzkrieg Boys over for dinner, it would probably end up in a fight. That's how the boys solved things in her experience. With their blades usually, but if that failed, they'd use their fists.
"Now where would someone like Tala go to at night?" she said aloud. It wasn't as if this city was known for its nightlife. They had one club, but it was currently undergoing major redevelopment and wouldn't be opened for another three months. The only source of entertainment was blading. She figured he'd probably be at one of the night blading parks.
She changed direction, and crossed the road. Up ahead, she could see some lights shining down on grassy plains below. The blading night park. It was open to anyone, but most people opted to blade during the day. Night time blading was only for the dedicated, and the night owls in the population. Picking up her pace, she made her way towards the front entrance.
The night park consisted of three normal dishes. They were half the size of the tournament ones, but still provided ample practice. Two of the three dishes were occupied. She spotted Tala in the centre battling against Bryan, and Spencer blading against someone a third of his height. She didn't recognize him.
Taking in a deep breath, she walked beneath the arch way and headed over towards Tala. "I never took you boys for being night owls," she said.
Four heads turned in her direction. It was Tala who spoke first. He recalled his blade, but didn't move to approach her, preferring to keep his distance. "Have you come to spy on us?" His teammates recalled their blades and joined their captain, their expressions stern. If they thought she was going to be intimidated by them, they were sadly mistaken. She had a job to do and she wasn't going to fail Brooklyn.
"I thought you might be practicing your tough-guy impressions here in the dark. I wanted to see for myself."
Tala's eyes narrowed. "Watch it."
A nerve struck. Not the best start to a peace offer. "My apologies. I only came down because I wanted to contact you."
"We have an email address," Bryan said, his arms folded over his chest, giving her a 'don't-fuck-with-me' glare.
Wow, she thought. Boris really did leave deep scars on these guys. They're so defensive and uptight.
"I wanted to meet with you in person." She moved in closer. Now she was within arm's reach. Her stomach muscles tightened. She was no stranger to being in the presence of boys, but these were unlike her own crew. "I have an invitation for you. My team wishes to make amends with the other blading teams before the tournament begins. We want to apologize for the things we did and the mess we created."
Bryan snorted. "We don't need an apology from you. I'm not going to believe a single word until Garland turns up himself."
So, the boys were still bitter about that as well. Understandable, considering Garland did make short work of the team, embarrassing them. "I thought you might say that. You can remain bitter for the rest of your life or you can man up and accept our friendly invitation for a dinner at our place," she retorted.
Bryan opened his mouth to speak again, but Tala sent him a look. The burly blader fell silent. Tala looked to Ming Ming, his eyes full of questions. "A dinner invitation. A chance to make up amends. Give me the details and we'll be there."
"But Tala," Spencer started.
"I know what I'm doing, Spencer."
The boys showed their captain a lot of respect. When he called for silence, they'd fall into line. Whatever happened during the abbey years had obviously created a very deep bond between them. It was kind of sweet in a way. Very loyal and respectful of each other. Something that a lot of teams lacked, including hers.
"Tomorrow night at seven pm. We live in an apartment on Maple Avenue, block twenty eight."
"We'll be there."
She smiled. "Good. Casual wear. No need to bring anything with you. I look forward to seeing you gentlemen tomorrow night."
As she turned her back, she wondered why Tala accepted the invitation so quickly. No questions, nothing. Perhaps he had an ulterior motive of his own and was hoping to get information out of them. Or perhaps he actually wanted to make amends… though she doubted that. Did the team bear any form of animosity towards them? They had effectively replaced them as Boris's favourites. In other words, this was going to be a rather awkward dinner party.
.
"Mariah."
Mariah arched her brows. "Brooklyn? You're the last person I was expecting to see."
He had done it without raising any suspicion. Mystel had left his phone in the room next door on. Naturally, Brooklyn couldn't resist taking a peek, and what fascinating conversations did the two have. It ranged from everything. Future holiday plans. Tournament catch-ups. Movie recommendations and even a few suggestive messages from Mystel. That caught him by surprise. He never thought Mystel would be that kind of a guy, but it was here all in text.
But he hadn't been interested in their text conversations. There was only one specific message he was looking for and he had found it. The one about today's meeting. Brooklyn had replied to it, and claimed there had been a change of plans and he was going to have to meet up earlier. Fortunately, Mariah had agreed, and that's why they were both here now, standing on atop a hill. The place where Mystel often met Mariah when she came over.
Mariah was certainly surprised. He almost felt sorry for the poor girl. "Where's Mystel?"
"In bed," he replied curtly. "You get me instead."
She didn't move closer. It was almost as if she was afraid to come near him. "What do you want?"
"What? Not even a hello?"
Her posture stiffened. "You took his phone, didn't you? You lured me here for some reason. That's pretty low of you, Brooklyn."
He held his hands up in the air in mock defence. "Guilty, but I couldn't care less what you think. I'm only here for one reason – to talk with you. Mystel and I aren't exactly close, so getting you alone without some meddling wasn't going to happen." He took a few steps forward and almost laughed watching her flinch. "Relax, I'm not going to hurt you, Mariah."
"Just tell me what you want."
His smirk faded. "Straight to business then? To be honest, I never thought you'd be Mystel's type," he started, pacing back and forth. It was habit. "I always thought he'd go for someone… less pink, you know? I mean no offense or anything, but you've gone a little overboard."
"He doesn't care."
"Of course he doesn't. He's head over heels for you." Her expression softened. Ah, so he hadn't made the ultimate confession yet, he thought. Awkward. "He hasn't told you? Take it from someone who lives with him. The guy can't even focus on a bowling match because he's more interested in looking at his mobile screen than the lane."
"And you came here to tell me that?"
"I'm telling you to back down and leave him alone."
She turned her nose up at him. "It might come as a surprise to you, Brooklyn, but my relationship with Mystel is out of your control."
His skin crawled. "He's my teammate. Haven't you got your own team to worry about? Shouldn't you be preparing for the tournament rather than spending your time playing mind games with my teammate?"
Her eyes narrowed. "Possessive, aren't you? Maybe he prefers my company to your team – why don't you go and ask him yourself?"
The girl had nerve. He had to give her some credit. No wonder Mystel felt drawn to her. She had him wrapped around her finger. The poor guy had no idea he was being manipulated. "Oh, I don't know about that. He doesn't care for the White Tiger team as a whole, you know. Thinks you're weak. He was telling me the other day about how your team couldn't reach the fruits on the top of the mountain." Partially true. The statement about being weak was false, but Mystel had bluntly pointed out they had no chance of getting the fruits. That was basically the 'polite' version of saying 'you're weak.'
"He wouldn't say that."
"I live with the guy, Mariah. I know him better than you."
There was doubt in her eyes. Hesitance and even a bit of confusion. Excellent. It hadn't taken much to plant the seeds of doubt in her head. "I don't believe you."
He rolled his eyes. Damn her stubbornness. "I know that it's hard to accept, but he doesn't need you complicating things. Besides, you've got a tournament to focus on – that's where your focus should be."
"Just stop fooling around, Brooklyn. Say what's on your mind."
He stopped pacing. "How well do you really know Mystel? Do you even know why he joined up with Bega in the first place? If you are as close to him as you claim to be then you'd know why he turned up in the White Tiger Hills. I can assure you, it wasn't a random trip. I don't have anything against you personally, Mariah. Honestly. Spare yourself the heartbreak and cut off all communication with him, and focus on your team. Trust me. It's for the best."
"I don't understand… Why…"
"Let me paint a better picture for you with words. Crusher grew up in poverty, and Ming Ming slaved away at a fast food store before Boris recruited her. Garland came from an overly competitive family, and you know my tragic little tale. But what about Mystel?"
Mystel's past was a complete mystery to everyone. Not even Boris knew anything about him when he was recruited into the team other than blading was in his blood. The guy often kept to himself, almost as if he had something to hide. His skills were unique – never had Brooklyn crossed paths with anyone with such control over their blade. He made it look effortless. The mask he wore also raised suspicion. It went beyond a fashion statement. Who was he trying hide from?
"The Blitzkrieg Boys aren't the only ones with a shady past." He pulled out his phone and looked down at the time. "Would you look at that? An hour has already passed by. I need to get back to my team. We're having a dinner party tomorrow night, and I've been voted to handle the grocery shopping. Think on what I said, Mariah."
"How do you even know all this? You said earlier you're not even close friends with him."
Brooklyn frowned. "The guy is a mystery to me as well. Haven't you ever wondered why he was there in the White Tiger Hills conveniently in the right place at the right time? I don't know about you, but I find that a little… odd. Almost as if he's been spying on you for quite some time."
Before Mariah could question him further, Brooklyn turned his back and walked down the hill. That would give her something to think about, and hopefully she'd get the hint to leave his team alone.
.
The PBB All-Starz were at the airport at the godforsaken time of three in the morning. Michael could hardly keep his eyes awake. The flight was unplanned. Judy had come late last night to tell the team to pack their suitcases for an early flight to Australia. Now they were trying to keep their minds entertained by playing a round of Cards Against Humanity.
"Hey there young scientists! Put on your labcoats and strap on your safety goggles, because today we're learning about?" Eddy read aloud, placing the black card on the desk. The boys were seated around the table, immersed in the final round of Cards Against Humanity. Michael was one point off winning the round.
Eddy turned away as the boys put their cards down, and shuffled them around. The answers were: A super massive black hole, a sneezing fetish and the bizarre four-eyed creature known as Emily. Steven burst out in an uncontrollable fit of laughter, but Rick remained silent. "You can look now, Eddy."
Eddy turned back to the game and examined the cards. He started laughing at the responses. "That's a classic. The bizarre four-eyed creature known as Emily. Cruel, but funny. I choose that one."
Michael threw a fist in the air. "I win!" he crowed. A family of four looked at him oddly. "I am the CAH champion!" In the corner of his eye, he caught Judy motioning for him to sit down. He spared her a grin then did as asked.
"Congratulations, man," Eddy said.
Rick threw his remaining cards on the table. "Dammit! I was so close."
At that precise moment, Emily returned to the table. "You're finally done with that stupid game? Why can't you play a more sensible mature card game instead?" she said, sitting on the spare chair.
"You only hate it because you don't have a sense of humour," Michael retorted, unable to help himself. He quickly packed up the cards before Emily could steal a glimpse of the card that won him the game.
"For your information, Michael, I have better things to do with my time than play childish games." She pulled out her laptop and brought up the Skype conversation window. Michael frowned. Emily had friends? "You seem surprised. Never seen Skype before?"
"Of course I know what Skype is," he replied. Judy's warning was in his mind, but right now he didn't care. They had a non-refundable flight to Australia, so it was obvious Judy had decided on her team. He was safe. He hoped. "I'm just surprised that you have friends, that's all."
She glared. "Yes, I do have friends. Miguel. You remember him, right?"
"Yeah. Why are you talking to him?" It wasn't any of his business to know, but he wanted to. Miguel and Emily had joined forces last year to help with the Bega League problem, but he hadn't realized their friendship had developed this far. They were probably friends on Facebook too. Did… Emily like this guy?
"Same reason you talk to Rick, Steven and Eddy. He's my friend, and friends like to talk."
"Yeah but…" He didn't finish his sentence. What was he supposed to say? Why are you talking to other guys outside the PBB All Starz? It wasn't like that was a crime or anything nor did he control whom spoke to whom. It shouldn't bother him that Emily had Miguel as a friend, but it did, and that made him uneasy.
"But what? Don't like not being the centre of attention?"
He hadn't cared when Emily had attracted the attention of Kenny, but Miguel was different. He hadn't failed to notice how cosy those two had gotten during the days of the rebel alliance. He felt… threatened? No, that wasn't the word for it. He had known Emily much longer than anyone else. "That's not it."
"Not every girl is interested in you, Michael. The sooner you realize that, the better for us all. Now please, leave me alone. I want to talk to Miguel before we board the plane because unlike you, he's actually good company." She made a dismissive hand gesture and Michael took that as a sign the conversation was over. It was like receiving a slap in the face. Shut down.
"Whatever." He rejoined the boys again who all looked sorely disappointed a fight hadn't broken out. Apparently, that was their idea of entertainment. Watching Michael and Emily argue like an old married couple according to Steve and Eddy. That was offensive to him. He didn't like Emily. She was like the really annoying housemate he had no choice but to keep around because she paid her half of the rent.
"Wow, man, she totally shut you down," Steven said. "Never thought I'd live to see the day great Michael Parker shut down by Emily." He exchanged high-fives with Eddy who chuckled.
"Shame we didn't have a camera on us to film the moment," Eddy replied. Steven laughed harder. Both were laughing so hard their faces had turned red.
It was bad enough to lose to Emily, but in front of the boys? At least Rick wasn't joining in. Michael sat back down in his chair. On the upside, he was no longer tired. That little argument with Emily had woke him up.
"I have your boarding passes," Judy said, walking over with Douglas behind her. They were both smiling. "Eddy, Rick and Steven, you'll be in the middle aisle. Michael and Emily, you're on the left side. You get the window seat, Michael."
Great. Just his luck. Stuck on a two-seater with Emily. Maybe he could convince one of the boys to switch places with him? But no, this was most likely an elaborate scheme by Judy to encourage them to get along with each other. The flight to Australia was over twelve hours. Plus twelve hours stuck with his least favourite member on the team. What a joyous ride this was going to be.
"No complaints? That's good. Douglas and I will be in first class. I don't want any trouble so behave yourselves," she said, handing out their boarding passes. Michael glanced down at his ticket. Row F, Seat A.
Eddy placed a hand on his shoulder. "It's all right, man. We'll be right next to you."
Not even a round of Cards Against Humanity would lift his mood. If the gods were smiling on him, Emily would hopefully sleep for the entire flight. Maybe they could swap seats so he could be closer to the boys. The flight from hell. Quite literally. Now would be a great time to have some of those sleeping pills on hand, but alas, Judy said no.
"Don't worry, Michael. We'll be here to protect you from Emily," Steven said.
Michael swung a fist. Steven ducked, chuckling. "Bastards," he muttered, as he walked over to start queuing.
.
Nothing. Not one message. Hours had passed since he had sent Mariah a text, but still no response. Mariah always replied within a few minutes. Why wasn't she replying? Maybe her battery had gone flat. Maybe her teammates were being bothersome again. Perhaps she had made an emergency flight back to China again. It was only a three-hour flight.
"Something wrong?" Garland said, glancing up from the computer desk.
"Nothing you'd understand."
"That girl from the White Tiger team?"
Did all his teammates know? How did they figure it out? Maybe Ming Ming had blabbed. Typical. She'd probably write a song about it in the future. "Why don't you just worry about whatever is that you are doing, and I'll worry about my own problems?"
"Whatever you say."
Garland dropped the topic, returning his attention to the screen. He was busy tapping away at the keyboard. Maybe he was on Skype sending messages to his family overseas. As competitive as they were, they always kept in contact with each other whenever possible. Before he could move an inch, he felt a vibration in his pocket.
Mariah probably. He brought out his phone then pulled up the screen, hoping to see Mariah's name. But it wasn't hers. It was from an unknown sender. The message read:
We're watching you, Mystel. Don't forget your assignment.
"Shit," he swore.
Garland glanced up, an eyebrow cocked. "Language."
"Sorry." He looked back down at the screen again and sent back a reply.
I don't work for you anymore. I left.
He only had to wait a couple of seconds before he received another message.
You never leave the brotherhood.
He cursed again, this time inwardly. In the corner of his eye, he caught Garland looking at him, concerned. Fortunately, the captain said nothing. "I'm going out tonight," he lied, hoping Garland couldn't see past it. "It's Mariah," he added, telling another lie on top of one.
"All right, but be back before midnight."
Did Garland suspect he was hiding something? He had never told anyone about his life before the Bega League, and he hoped they'd never find out. It was something he himself was trying to get away from, but the past had a funny way of coming back when you least wanted it to. As he made his way towards the door, it flung open. Brooklyn was standing in the doorway with his usual unsettling smirk as if he knew a funny joke no one else knew.
"What are you so pleased about?"
"Not even a 'hello' from my caring teammate?" Brooklyn said in his usual tone. "I'm trying so hard to get along with you, but you make it so difficult."
Mystel snorted. "Somehow I doubt that." He tried to move past Brooklyn, but the boy put his arm out, blocking his exit. "What do you want?" he said heatedly.
"Woke up on the wrong side of the bed? I just spoke with that girl of yours, Mariah. She seems nice."
Brooklyn chatted with Mariah? He felt his stomach muscles tighten, and dread rise up inside. His heart skipped a beat. How on earth had Brooklyn obtained Mariah's contact details and why – unless he… – that crafty bastard. "You took my phone, didn't you?"
"Shouldn't leave things lying out there in the open," he answered. "You know me, I'm curious. Why are my teammates so suspicious? I just had to know… Quite a bunch of interesting conversations you have with the girl. There was one message that was quite suggestive… Maybe you scared her off?" His smirk widened.
By now, Garland had stood up from his chair. "Brooklyn, that is unacceptable."
Brooklyn's grin faded. "You have no right to speak to me about unacceptable behaviour. I know Crusher and Ming Ming paid Tyson a visit before the big battle. I know you were there, Garland, and Mystel joined later. You purposefully left me out of his little gathering of yours. I wonder what words were traded that night?" Garland remained silent. "And you try to lecture me about what is right and what is wrong," he hissed.
Garland's efforts in trying to bring the team together were failing, that much was obvious. There was still a lot of unresolved tension between them. They were a team, but not really a team if that made any sense. Garland brought a hand to the bridge of his nose and rubbed it, taking in a deep breath. "My apologies."
A few silent tense moments passed before Brooklyn spoke up again. "I'm willing to forgive you for that, but I want you all to pay me the same courtesy. We're all on the same side here, so why don't we just try and make an effort to get along here?"
"How are we supposed to 'get along' if you pull stunts like that?" Mystel countered. Who knew what Brooklyn had told her? He probably convinced her to ditch him. "By meeting with Mariah and telling her who knows what. You're probably the reason she's stopped contacting me." Heck. She'd probably run over to Rei now, and he'd never get the chance to get her back.
"You'll thank me for it. I just saved you a lot of pain."
"What would you know about that? Right, I forgot, you're the expert on the topic of pain. You're sad little sob story about no one wanting to be your friend… I think I'm starting to realize why that is," he replied, without pausing to think. Sometimes words just left his mouth, and he was made to regret them later. Like that time he made those blunt comments about the weakness of the White Tiger team, but they still repaid him with kindness. He had felt like a jerk for days afterwards. This was one of those moments, but his mouth didn't stop there. "Maybe you hate what I have with Mariah because you've never experienced a connection with anyone else. The only way you sleep at night is with the satisfaction of bringing down other people to your miserable level."
"Mystel, I-" Garland started, but was interrupted.
Brooklyn's eyes narrowed. "No, please, tell all. What else is on your mind? Anything else you'd like to share with us?"
"Forget I said anything." That had been a mistake. Damn Brooklyn and his natural ability to wind people up. He was already on edge thanks to the anonymous text messages, and Brooklyn was only pushing him over. "I'm heading out." He pushed Brooklyn's arm out of the way and stormed outside the house, feeling their eyes on his back. He was tempted to go and see Mariah and point out Brooklyn was a liar, but another matter had arisen that need resolving.
The Bai Hu Clan were in town. The same group people who had shown him the art of the 360 attack. It was their signature move, and he had made the mistake of revealing it the world. His mentor wouldn't be too thrilled with that. Do not bring unnecessary attention to yourself and the clan. That was the first rule. The second one was, 'You never leave the clan. Even in death you are still one of us.' Another one he had broken by running away and joining up with Bega. And now they had decided that enough was enough.
Glancing over his shoulder, he made sure none of his teammates were following him then moved down the path, sticking to the shadows.
.
Pierre, Oliver's butler, was sitting behind the wheel. They were currently on the main road and heading towards the registration place. Robert had sent Johnny a few texts. Johnny hadn't replied, but the messages had been read. "Are you sure Johnny is even going to show?" Enrique said, pulling his gaze away from the window.
"He will. He will swallow his pride and rejoin us. He knows that being part of this team is the only way he'll ever get to participate in a tournament as big as this," Robert explained. He peered out the window. Trees after trees and more trees. Lots of healthy grassland, and even more trees. They were out in the country now and away from the city.
"We should book a cabin and go skiing for a week," Enrique said. "When the tournament is all over of course. It'll be our winter again. Perfect time for a holiday."
"But Enrique, you've never skied before in your life," Oliver pointed out.
Enrique shrugged. "I'm a fast learner. I can pick it up in an hour. Besides, I'll get to meet plenty of cute girls," he added with a wink. "Maybe she can teach me."
"Do you ever think about anything else other than women, Enrique?" Robert said, his eyebrows narrowed.
"I'm a teenage male. It's natural to think of women."
"And what do Rosita and Bianca think when you spend time with other women?"
Enrique's girls. They followed him everywhere. Robert personally found them quite annoying, and every time he learned Enrique's girls were tagging along, he opted to cancel. Just spending even fifteen minutes with them was a frustrating experience, but Enrique seemed to think they were fabulous. The girls didn't even know a thing about beyblading.
"The girls know that they're my favourites. I always give them special treatment my other girls don't receive."
What a nauseating topic. "And your parents?"
"They're cool with it."
That wasn't convincing. Robert had attended dinner with Enrique's parents once when he had first crossed paths with Enrique. The mother had prepared an excellent Italian meal. She hadn't given him the name of the recipe saying it was a 'family special'. He hadn't seen her since, but he did have her on Facebook. The woman often spoke to him about her fears for her son doing nothing useful with his life. She didn't want him to end up as one of those rich kids gone wild and end up dead.
"You know, Robert, just give me the word and I can find you the perfect woman," Enrique said.
Oliver just chuckled. "I think Robert's perfectly capable."
"We don't have the time for that, Enrique. We have a tournament to prepare for."
The blond rolled his eyes. "You're no fun. But I'm serious – I know someone you might actually tolerate for longer than an hour."
"Enrique, if this is another attempt at trying to set me up on a blind date with one of your lady friends, then please know my answer is no." He still had nightmares from the time Enrique had set him up on a surprise date with Bianca. Needless to say, both of them had been very bored, but Robert had only stayed until the end to be polite.
"F-Dynasty. They're a brother-sister team. Pretty skilled. They beat Tyson and Daichi last year in one of the matches," Enrique explained. "She's pretty hot too." Like that was super important. "Maybe we can see one of their shows sometime. I can get VIP tickets."
"Shows?"
"They're street performers," Oliver explained.
How on earth had Enrique gotten into contact with them? Did he even want to know the answer to that question? Sometimes it was best not to know when Enrique was involved.
"Wow, you haven't heard of the name before? You really do live under a rock. You have got to get out more, Robert. Staying inside that castle of yours can't be too good for your health. Just stay at my mansion for a week. We'll see the best sights Italy has to offer and the cutest girls too."
Robert was about to launch into a lengthy explanation as to why his statement was wrong, and that he actually had many things to concern himself with at home, but before he could even get one word out, the bus jerked violently to the right. Robert flew off his seat. He threw his hands up before his head to protect himself, as he slammed into the window. Dazed, but still conscious, Robert looked around. A bump in the road?
"What the fuck?" Enrique swore.
For once, Robert didn't lecture him on the usage of profanity. The blond was covering his nose with his right hand. A river of blood gushed down in between the fingers, trailing down his arm. The colour in Oliver's face had drained leaving him paler than usual. He was standing on shaky legs.
"Pierre? Pierre!" he called out, rushing over to the driver's seat. "Pierre? … No, Pierre!" Oliver cried.
Robert remained on the floor, not daring to stand. He pressed himself up against the western chairs and poked his head around the corner to make sense of what was going on. Pierre wasn't moving. Unconscious? Hard to tell from this position. He leaned his head against the seat and closed his eyes, drawing in a few deep breaths. "Is everybody okay?"
"I'm fine," Enrique said. "Got a nosebleed, but otherwise I'm okay."
It took for a few more seconds to pass before Oliver responded recovering from his shock. "I'm also okay. Pierre's been knocked out cold."
Which meant they were stuck out here until the ambulance arrived. None of them were in any condition to get behind the wheel and drive. "Call an ambulance. We can't-"
He never managed to get out another word when the bus was struck again, this time with twice the force. The vehicle spun off course and off the road, tumbling over into a creek, the windows shattering into hundreds of little shards. A pained gasp slipped through his lips as his fingers brushed up against some broken glass. Fortunately, the chair had protected him from serious harm, but how did his teammates fare?
With a groan, Robert lifted his head. The bus was on its side stuck in a creek. He could feel cold water seeping through his clothing. A stinging sensation followed soon afterwards as the cool liquid mixed with his open wounds. Not an accident. Someone had pushed them purposefully off the side of the road.
"Ow, fuck," he heard Enrique murmur.
Robert grimaced. "Keep your voice down, Enrique. Whoever did this could still be out there." Or they might have fled the scene to escape before the police arrived. "Can you see Oliver?"
"Yeah, I can." He heard shuffling and a few pained gasps leave Enrique's mouth. Seconds later, he heard, "Shit. Robert."
Minutes had passed since the crash. No one had come over to check so he figured it was all right to start moving, but how to get out? The crash had left him stuck in an odd angle with the chairs blocking his only escape route. Using his blade wouldn't do much either. The space was too small. "What's the problem?"
"It's Oliver."