Fire Emblem (Edgar Frog Fanfic)

Chapter 3: Missed Mystery Pt 2

Chapter 3: Seraphina's POV

I practically barrel into the building full of comic books, collapsing into the wall opposite of the door just like the last time I'd entered here, but this time recovering much quicker and turning to slam the door shut and locking it. Ignoring the bewildered gazes of the two boys who were interrupted by my appearance, I yank on the cord causing the blinds to fall over the glass of the door and move to lean back against the wall. Catching my breath for a moment, my eyes flutter shut as I mentally take myself through the steps of calming breaths until my chest is rising and falling in even, slowed paces. 

Dropping my bag off my shoulder to beside my feet, my hand reaches into it to pull out the comic they had given me. Crossing the room to the countertop separating the boys from the rest of the store, I slam the book on top of the smooth surface and point at the man with fangs on the cover. "Vampires?" I nod rather quickly at the raven-haired boy's inquiry as if trying to understand me. 

"Did you just see some? Were you attacked? Were you bitten?" The curly-haired one asks in consecutive, fire-rapid questions. He jumps the counter and rushes to the door, flicking open a pair of blinds between his index and middle finger to peer out. I've no idea what he sees as his brother grabs my attention with small talk, until I am grabbed at the wrist and spun around to face the curly haired one. I yelp in shock yet he pays no mind to it as his eyes lower onto my neck that's easily visible courtesy of my routine bun hairstyle. 

His hand remains locked on my wrist while his other hand reaches upward towards my face and instinctively I cower back, smacking my mid back on the counter in the process. Whatever the curly haired boy had in mind while reaching for my face dies as his eyes lose focus on what once may have been my mouth and both his hands retract back to his sides. The browns of his eyes darken with some emotion I can't name for once in my life and the store is doused in silence. A suffocating, thick silence. 

A loud snore from behind me causes my entire body to jolt forward, scared by the unforeseen sleeping noise. 'Safe space. I am in a safe space.' I mentally chant to myself as my eyes close to calm my nerves that are full awakened. But then a voice other than my own conscience whispers my name- soft little wisps of voice that I nearly mistake it for air breezing past me from the fan close by. My eyes snap open, head turning every direction as if I could catch the culprit speaking to me though it's just me and the two boys. "Do you hear something?" The raven-haired boy steps forward and his words sound more like a statement than a query. I nod just as another wisp of my name floats in the air around me, my ears fully focused on the sound to name the source. Again and again and again. 

Then it stops.

I place the face to the voice but can't remember his name for the life of me. Both boys are watching me like hawks, looking as though they want to burst with more questions but are waiting for me to either comprehend what is going on or tell them what I know. "Wha-"

Crossing the boy with dog tags' hair, I finally recall his name. "Dwayne!" The name falls from my lips louder than I had anticipated causing both boys to jerk in surprise at my loud and random shout. "H-he's whispering my name." I say quieter than I had the name, staring the dark haired one in the eyes before taking my sunglasses off and ducking my head so my gaze adverts to the comic book between him and I. My fingers flip through the book to a page where it had mentioned vampires interests or mannerisms in regard to their interest to find a picture similar to what I'd just experienced. Tapping against the picture with my index finger captures both boys' attention, the curly haired one sprinting to be beside his brother and get a glance at my resource explanation. 

Both boys glance back up toward me then back to each other for a long moment before falling back onto me. "You actually read the book," Bandana boy utters in a stunned disbelief, his eyes searching mine as if looking for some sort of otherworldly response.