Pandora's Ghost [Book 2]

Chapter 3 : Couple

"I don't think Zion will be happy to see his younger brother cuffed to a chair." I rose an eyebrow at Dimitri. A darting object caught my eye and I turned towards a window at the opposite end of the room. A cloudless sky stared back. There was nothing out of the ordinary.

Dimitri waved me off. "Let's bet. Zion will overlook it like it's the weather forecast. Now back to the introduction. Let's start from the top." He patted Hunter's head, making him grunt. "Penelope Vercelli, this is Hunter Peterson. Hunter Peterson, this is Penelope Vercelli. Did you know he has the softest hair curls?"

I tried to suppress a smile.

"Wanna touch it?" He asked.

That instantly got my attention. Call it strange but ever since I met Hunter, he made it a point to keep his distance. And for almost a year, I haven't physically touched him except for the slap I gave him last month at a party.

Stroking his curls isn't such a bad idea.

"Touch me and I'll bite your arm off," he hissed.

Now that he said it, some part of me wanted to touch his hair just to spite him.

In fact, I rarely see him display any emotion other than anger towards me. And with Dimitri allowing this opportunity, I decided to take it. I stepped closer and leaned a hand on his table. He stared at me uncertainly. With a hand, I grabbed his chin and tipped his face up. His eyes bulged out in surprise.

Bingo!

Right there is an expression I'll cherish for a lifetime. Finally having his attention. I voiced out the one question I've been dying to ask ever since we met. "Why do you hate me so much?"

I felt Dimitri shift uncertainly at my side, but I didn't care. Hunter, on the other hand, was glaring. His anger was two times worse. His hatred was always a mystery and anything mysterious sparks my curiosity. And every time I get curious, I search for answers, which I'll find no matter what.

"Don't you have something else to do?" His hands had balled into tight fists. "Like finding my brother perhaps. Pedro is missing. And it's all your fuc--"

"Hunter," Dimitri warned in a sterner tone. "We talked about this."

Hunter tore his chin away from my fingers, mumbling an apology. That immediately caught me by Surprise. Dimitri is practically the only person who could keep Hunter in a good mood. Even Zion finds that difficult and that says a lot.

Dimitri was arranging his messed-up hair and Hunter seemed so at ease with it. Seeing them with this kind of friendship made me jealous. I felt like a third wheel. And it had me missing Pedro.

I jerked upright when someone pushed the door and walked in. I smiled, recognizing a familiar face.

Hunter jumped at the opportunity. "Zion, help me get this thing off."

Zion froze, looking between us. The sleeves of his white shirt were folded at the elbows. And not a single button was released. It echoed his dutiful mannerism. He observed Hunter's awkward position. Dimitri pulled a big smile, hoping it sold.

After a moment, Zion sighed. "I'm sure you have a reason for doing something like this."

Dimitri snapped his fingers. "That I do, Zee."

Hunter's jaw dropped, feeling the second betrayal hit hard. An outsider could be fooled by his innocence card, but Hunter is notoriously stubborn. He's a prick.

"Told you Zion will brush this off," Dimitri whispered to me. I wasn't surprised. Zion trusts Dimitri like he was family.

Zion drew nearer. "I've been scoping around Gevaldor high school for Wyatt's whereabouts. Turns out, he hasn't been to class in two weeks. But his mom leaves south from here so if we want to find him--"