Chapter 3: Chapter 2
<i>American Sign Language</i>
Luke POV (A week later)
After the day that Nicki and I met, we'd been hanging out nonstop. He was easy to talk to since most of the time, he wouldn't even shut up. It sometimes annoys me but most of the time it's less work for me. I even learned that he wasn't gay! Anyways, it was good for him too since I've been helping him on his homework. Is it wrong I find it hilarious when he bangs his head on the table multiple times? I'm not some goody two shoes who loves school. It's just that my parents want me to become doctors like them. I don't. I want to become a pilot so desperately that I would actually kill to get a pilot's license.
Okay, so maybe the word use of "kill" isn't the best word to describe that.
I just finished studying for my geometry test tomorrow and decided, 'Hey let's go on a walk. Not like I have anything else to do.' I pulled on my jacket and walked down the stairs to find my brother Leo pacing back and forth anxiously, looking as if someone had died. I tapped his shoulder, getting his attention. You see, my brother Leo is deaf and mute, so sometimes I have to just gently tap him to focus.
"What's wrong Leo?"
"<i>My friend disappeared. Gone now for a while. Scared</i>."
"Who is he?"
"<i>Caleb Whyte</i>."
I stared at him and he frowned at me.
"<i>Why are you looking at me like that?"</i> He asked.
"It's just... I met his brother I think. Nicki Whyte? He didn't tell me."
"<i>Police investigating and Matthew Whyte, Caleb's brother, will call me and tell me. I'm waiting."</i>
"Tell me what happens okay? I'm going out."
I went to open the door. My fingers curled around the brass knob and I began to pull it open-
"LUKE!"
I jumped in fright at my mom's voice and whirled around, casually leaning against the door.
"Eyyy, Mom!" I said jokingly.
"Where are you going at this time of night?" She asked sternly.
"Out for a walk," I said vaguely.
"You should be studying more if you want to get into medical school son," came my father's authoritative voice.
I clenched my fists. When will they ever stop their constant nagging and pestering? I'm doing perfectly fine!
"For your information, Father," I said quietly. "My grades are near perfect. No thanks to any of your guys's constant pressuring and poking."
With that, I turned and stormed out of my house. I was glad though that Leo was deaf for once. He didn't need to hear that at all. Now that I was alone, I felt calm wash over me. Wind gently blew from the south though I couldn't feel the coolness. The familiarity though helped me to just relax as I walked. It was surprisingly quiet for New York City.
"WHY YOU LITTLE- AFTER HIM!"
I sighed. 'Spoke too soon apparently.' Nicki came barreling out of the alleyway, looking scared witless. When he saw me he grabbed my wrist and pulled me along.
"Gotta go gotta go leave leave leave run run run," he wheezed.
"Whoa, Nicki! NICKI, SLOW DOWN AND TALK ABOUT IT-"
That was right when a gunshot sailed over our heads. I gulped and jerked my wrist out of his grasp and ran faster. 'Run now, talk later.' We may have ran for hours before we finally stopped. I breathed heavily while Nicki full out collapsed and fell down on the nearby patch of grass, wheezing and gasping.
"Now... WHAT THE ACTUAL **** WAS THAT?" I yelled.
"SHHHHH!" Nicki hissed before there were more gunshots that rang out.
Five men (okay, who else thinks that's a little overkill?) stormed over to us and grabbed Nicki by the collar.
"Found you you little brat!"
"Congratulations," Nicki muttered sarcastically.
"Oh well well well, look what we have here!"
Another one (Ugly Two as I shall politely title them) grabbed me by my arm. Their fingers were like clamps and dug into my muscles painfully and a grunt of pain is elicited from me.
"What, did little Nico think that his backup would help him? Another little scrawny teenager?"
That made my blood boil. Now I was ticked off. I was tired, cranky at my parents, and most of all furious. No one was going to call me scrawny OHHHH NO not on my watch if I could help it!
"Who are you calling scrawny?" I snarled.
Nicki flailed against the other one's hold as Ugly Three held him in a choke hold. Poor Nicki was gasping fervently, kicking and twisting in useless attempts to escape.
"Why you, Mr. Tough Guy. I think you'd make us some good money for a ransom."
A fist flew and buried itself into my stomach. I hunched over, coughing and wheezing as I struggled to re-inflate my lungs.
"Now that... was... highly... uncalled for!" I snapped out as best as I could.
My anger was spiraling out of control fast. Nicki and I locked eyes and something like understanding passed through us.
"If you don't let him go I'm going to snap your guys's neck in half."
They all laughed and Nicki suddenly let out a yell. His hands lit up, crackling with what sounded like pure electricity before he thrusted them into the man's arms. Ugly One shrieked and let go of him. Nicki scrambled up, eyes now... yellow?
"You guys want to play a little hide and seek?" He grinned almost maniacally. "Let's play."
It took me a while to snap out of my daze because HOLY MOTHER OF TROY HE HAS POWERS ONE MOMENT LET ME FREAK OUT FOR A SOLID MILISECOND- okay I'm completely fine now! I smirked, letting ice shards burst from my fingers.
"So Nicki," I drawled at the trembling figures to Nicki. "How about we show these guys a lesson?"
"Sounds great to me!" He cackled.
We both raised a fist when we heard a clicking noise. Everyone turned to see a girl (A REALLY REALLY PRETTY GIRL AT THAT) holding her phone with a sweet smile.
"Now... you five go crawl back to the hole you came from. Leave both of them alone or I swear I will post this on every social media page you could dream of."
With terrified screeching, they all scampered away like the cowards they are. Nicki's shoulders relaxed and the crackling noise dies down until it's silent. Then his eyes returned to their normal purple color. I let the ice shards disappear. She looked at us, tapping her chin with a small grin.
"Now now now... what do we have here? Two teenage boys who must be either insane or well... insane."
"Uhhhh..." Nicki hummed nervously.
She burst out in hysterical laughter.
"Don't worry you two! I'm just like you."
Almost as if to prove it, she raised her hand and an orb of water materialized. Nicki's eyes bulged out of his head.
"No way!" He said in awe.
"Well then. There are others," I mused aloud.
"Don't sound to disappointed," she teased. "I'm Rachel McCrown."
"Luke Tanea," I said with a smile.
"Nicki Whyte," Nicki chirped.
She grinned at him.
"You mean the gay kid in Olivette?"
I burst out laughing my butt off. Nicki's face went pink in embarrassment and he threw his hands up in the air in exasperation.
"WHY DOES EVERYONE THINK I'M GAY?!"
"Uh, maybe it's the rainbow clothing?" Rachel suggested.
"I just like a lot of color! Just because I wear rainbow clothing doesn't mean I'm homosexual!" He scoffed.
"Okay okay, we get it. So I'm also assuming you go to Olivette Highschool?" I asked Rachel.
"Yeah. I'm a sophomore."
"So are we!" Nicki cheered.
I chuckled at his cheerfulness. I turned to him.
"Hey, this is all great but I would love to hear you explain why those men were chasing you."
He smiled sheepishly, averting his eyes.
"I... I was just trying to find out something about someone and well... I might've said I had money I didn't have."
"Was it about your brother?" I asked.
"Why did you do that?" Rachel asked at the same time.
He rubbed his neck, frowning for once.
"Caleb is one of my siblings. He disappeared a while ago and the police declared him a runaway. But I KNOW my brother!" He growled. "He would never run away. He was perfectly happy. So I was talking with those bozos and they told me they saw a guy with an appearance close to Caleb's in a car blindfolded. Now, tell me if THAT isn't suspicious!"
"But Nicki, those guys are street gangsters. What if they weren't telling the truth?" Rachel said gently.
"Caleb isn't a runaway! The police are being stubborn!" He yelled.
"Rachel has a point Nicki. Maybe you should wait a few more days and if he doesn't show up, you go back to the police," I suggested.
"I'm not quitting! You guys don't know him, okay? He's probably the least likely person to runaway in our family!" Nicki huffed.
I could tell Nicki was agitated and upset. Now yeah, I'll admit. The whole Caleb in a car blindfolded thing did sound a bit sketchy, but as Rachel pointed out, they could've been lying. I felt bad for him.
"Nicki, the police are trained and they know their stuff. If they say it's a runaway..." I trailed off.
He thought about that for a moment, eyes darkening ever so slightly. Then he heaved a huge sigh.
"I just wanted my brother back. Yet you have a point... Maybe he really did runaway."
Rachel and I traded looks. 'He's not buying the whole thing, but good enough for now.'
"Well, I'm tired you guys. So, see you tomorrow?" Rachel said.
"Sure."
I walked back to my house in complete silence, questions practically spinning around in my mind. 'Were those guys telling the truth? Maybe Caleb was kidnapped. Or he could've really just ran away. This is all confusing,' I thought frustratedly. 'And when I mean confusing, I mean really confusing.'
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