章 43: CHAPTER 43

OPHELIA'S POV

"Is that crab? Ugh, that looks disgusting."

I fisted my palms and moved to the next dish. We'd come downstairs for lunch. The wind was still going as strong as before. There were no signs of the storm dying down. We were stuck here and we thought, why not go eat something.

The motel had held an all-you-can-eat buffet for those who had paid for a room. The food looked great. There were three long tables in the dining hall, filled with food from different cuisines.

Even the aroma in the hall made my stomach grumble.

I do remember Xavier's uneasy face when I told him we should go eat. His eyes flickered as he rubbed his hands nervously while lying on the bed. He reluctantly agreed after minutes of me telling him that I was hungry.

Truth be told, it was more of me annoying him, but no one needs to know that.

"Yes, Xavier, that's crab. If you don't like it, just go to the next dish." I said as I looked at the warm pizza that came right out of the oven.

"Nah, the crab spoiled my appetite. I think I'm gonna pass. You ea- Keep that thing down, Ophelia."

That was it. I had really lost it. I don't know what his issue with food was today, but he was going to eat. I huffed as I kept the pizza cutter down.

Yes, the one I used to threaten Xavier.

What's the big deal anyway. It wasn't like the cutter had touched him or something. The people had to make a huge deal out of everything.

He hadn't eaten the whole day. And he was going to get hungry anytime soon. And a hungry Xavier is a cranky Xavier.

And, I didn't have the energy to deal with that, right now. I was busy thinking of an excuse to tell Luna and my dad. I could just tell I had gone on a sleepover but Luna won't believe that.

I only sleepover at Dawn's house and she was on that stupid vacation of hers. I'd been trying to call her for the past few days but it went into voicemail.

Every damn time.

I took two slices of pizza, one for him and one for me. I carefully placed it into two plates and looked at Xavier, who was eyeing all the food dishes weirdly.

"I'll take this to the table. Get some soda to wash this down."

He saluted me and then left. There was definitely something wrong with him. He had been acting weird since the morning. First, this hasty decision. He never bunked school and even if he did, he felt really guilty about it.

Then, he keeps lying on the bed like a sick patient. I get it, he's tired. But that doesn't mean he can hog the bed. Even I get tired of sitting on the damn couch. It feels like a sheet of cardboard after hours of sitting on it.

And now, he avoids eating. I had to figure this out. Everything with Xavier was either an adventure or a smooth ride. There was nothing in between.

It was either a full-on roller coaster or a boat ride in a calm lake. And, honestly, I wouldn't give this up for the world.

I heard footsteps and saw Xavier coming with two sprites in his hands.

"Here you go, spitfire."

And the nickname's back. I don't know what was so fascinating with the name spitfire. I mean, yeah sure, I'm a redhead and I lose my temper sometimes, but, spitfire?

Seriously, Xavier?

"Thank you. Now eat this pizza."

He sat down begrudgingly and slid the plate away like a little child.

"What's wrong with you? You need to eat, Xavier."

The frown on his face didn't leave. He was acting like a little boy who didn't get his candy or something.

"My stomach hurts, Lia. I don't want to eat. Really."

Stomachache, huh? That explains the lying on the bed and the not eating. I felt guilty now. He didn't say anything because he didn't want me to get worried. Here I was, throwing a temper tantrum in my mind, like a kid.

"Okay, how does this sound? You have one slice of this pizza and then we go upstairs. I'll give you some painkillers. I'm pretty sure that the motel might have some. So I'll bring you that, okay?"

He nodded and I slid the plate back to him. I picked the pizza from my plate and took a bite. It was so good. The cheese melted in my mouth, right away. I chewed the rest of the bite with my eyes closed. I looked at Xavier and saw him take a bite.

He could have easily argued and then agreed, later. He could have just said no. But he didn't. He knew I was hungry and that my pizza was getting cold. He didn't want me to argue with him and not eat. So he ate without saying anything, even though he didn't want to.

"Thank you, Xavier."

He looked up with confusion written all over his face. Did I say that out loud? Oh god. I looked down and continued eating. I didn't want to embarrass myself even more.

I shook my head and told him to continue eating. I was grateful for being given this task. The sight of the number 16 printed on my wrist came to my mind. Yeah, I know it was stressful and really dangerous. Especially, with Azrail on our tails.

But, there was a bright side to it. Xavier was this bright side. And I wasn't letting go. No matter how slippery my hands or our fate gets, I'm holding on tight.

Xavier slurped on his sprite as I chewed my pizza. He had finished it in a few bites. It took a little bit of a push in the last few bites, but we made it.

The hair on my neck stood up as a shiver ran down my spine. I quickly touched my arms and then my neck. It felt like someone was looking at me. I turned around and saw no one. Just a couple of girls in their mid-twenties hanging out with each other.

"Are you okay, Lia? What happened?"

I just shook my head. That was weird. The temperature was warm in the dining hall. So why would I even shiver?

God, that was weird.

We continued eating in peace, but I couldn't get the feeling of my mind that someone was watching me.

"Okay, so you go upstairs and I'll bring the painkillers," I told that to him as we parted ways. It was 3 in the afternoon but the wind was still going strong.

I headed up to the reception and saw that Mr. Williams was no longer there. He was replaced by a middle-aged woman called Lilly. She sat straight on her chair with a book in her hand. She was a short woman. Her skin was very pale, paler than mine, and she was wearing dark glasses.

"Excuse me, could I please get a few painkillers?"

She looked up from her book and smiled at me.

"Ahh sorry! Didn't see you there. You can get an aspirin from our medical room. Just turn right from the dining hall and you'll find the medical room."

I thanked her and walked back to the dining hall. The feeling that someone was watching me came back but I shrugged it off. I didn't want to scare myself with this unnecessary crap. I turned right from the dining hall and found the medical room. The corridor seemed to have darkened somehow.

I ignored that and touched the door handle. I was about to open the door when I heard footsteps behind me. Okay, I was sure I didn't imagine it. I quickly turned and saw a man walking away. I couldn't see his face as his back was turned my way.

He was dressed in a black button-up shirt with its sleeves folded and black trousers. Everything about him seemed normal.

Except for his arms.

They were covered in tattoos.

The same ones I saw in Nicole's picture.

UNKNOWN POV

After I got to know, her brother was looking for her, I knew things weren't going to be as simple as they were before. I tried finding more information about this Xavier boy.

17? Too young. I expected him to, at least, be 20.

And he was coming into this world?

I decided to keep tabs on him. After all, the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. With a father that was an alcoholic and a sister who dealt drugs, I wanted to see how messed up Xavier was.

"Sir, your client is currently staying at Moody Moon with a woman his age named Ophelia."

A woman?

So the boy had gotten himself a sidepiece, I see.

"Take a U-turn. We are going to Moody Moon."

As my driver took a sharp U-turn, I smiled to myself. We'll meet finally today, Xavier. Nicole's told me so much about you.

So much.