Sugar Overload

🧑🏼The Confrontation👨🏻‍🦱: Part 3

The leaves rustled in the wind as the two young men eyed each other with deep suspicion.

Victor stood staring at the stranger, lost and uneasy, while Jasper gazed back with a deep-seated need to uncover the intruder's identity and motives.

Neither knew what sat on the mind of the other, unknowing if the meeting would result in friend or foe.

"It's considered neighborly to respond when someone speaks to you, mate." Victor kept his tone mild. "I repeat, I'm lost. Can you tell me where I am?"

Jasper studied the stranger from head to toe, trying to decide whether he was truly lost or if he was just doing a lousy job at attempting to trick him.

"And it's polite to introduce yourself first before asking someone any questions," Jasper bluntly stated.

The stranger didn't seem like he was there to fight, but something about him made the hairs on the back of Jasper's neck stand up. The boy wasn't from around these parts, and Jasper knew this outsider was hiding something.

"I'm not here to cause trouble," said Victor, arms akimbo. "I just seemed to have lost my way. Just asking for directions, that's all, mate." He tried to relax, but the attempt only made him look guilty.

"You're lost?" Jasper repeated. "I just came in through the only open gate not too long ago, and there's no way you're faster than me, so how is it that you just wandered in here? Tell me the truth."

"Maybe I could if you tell me where 'here' is." Victor tried to smile, but something didn't seem right. Then it hit like the proverbial load of bricks. The distinctive atmosphere surrounding a place or generated by a person felt off, a slight variance so minuscule he might have missed it.

This place, this blond man, this universe—it wasn't his! Could this be a parallel universe with cosmic patches containing his exact double? Or some infinite universe that dictated space-time as flat and continuing forever? Whatever the situation, he needed to get away from here and this fellow now.

Jasper observed the boy, the latter's face contorting into what could only be described as realization. The boy had discovered something, and Jasper wanted to know what that was. Something about the boy was throwing him for a loop. He could feel... something... dwelling deep within this stranger... something abnormal like his own blood abilities.

Could this boy be like him?

He wanted to test his theory. Perhaps he'd be able to make a new ally rather than an enemy. He had plenty of people who hated him already, so an ally would be rather nice.

Small, red particles began to slowly pop out of Jasper's forearms, almost resembling gumballs as they floated in front of him.

"Hey, uh, person whose name I still don't know!" Jasper called out, bending his head down as if he were trying to take aim. "I hope I'm right about this—"

"No need to get miffed, eh, mate?" Victor interrupted, then stopped, his mouth dropping open in amazement. Bloody marbles were floating around the bloke! Victor began stepping backward with eyes wide, away from the stranger, fear tightening in his chest as the man followed. "I think I've figured it out... no use standing here yakking. Appreciate the help."

As the boy started turning away from him, Jasper quickly flicked three of the red balls at him, making sure the trajectory wouldn't hit anything vital should he be wrong about his theory.

In a fit of panic, Victor threw up his hands, creating an invisible barrier that he shoved toward the other man before turning and hightailing it away.

The red balls stopped in their tracks as they hit something that Jasper couldn't quite see, something that acted like a wall between him and the stranger.

The balls liquefied and dripped to the ground in front of whatever the boy had summoned.

Jasper smirked as he whispered, "I knew it."

Victor's only thoughts were of escape as he dashed through the forest. If he could make it to a bit of open space, he could attempt to open the portal and be done with this madness! Flying blood balls? This world was madness!

There, just ahead, stood a small break in the trees. Victor created the familiar circle with his hands as he muttered the words to the portal spell, frowning as he jumbled the last word. A ring of green opened before him, and Victor dashed straight into...

... a room of white nothingness which consisted of the emptiness of everything. He paused his heady flight as he saw up was down. Victor turned right, now left, then left, which remained right. He grasped at nothing and caught everything.

"Bloody hell! What in the bloody blazes is this?" he shouted and swore he heard the barking of a dog.

In a panic, he began backpedaling, noting he seemed unusually heavier than before.

Two Sugar Babes sit, they were destined to meet,

Next read of the third, who will take his rightful seat!