Until Death Do Us Part? (Completed)

Chapter Twelve: Pranks

"You're late."

I spun around in time to see a small figure, almost reaching up to my chest, slide next to Alex, who was standing next to me with his mouth hanging open slightly, his eyes wide. I had to resist the urge to reach forward and close it, knowing that he wouldn't appreciate the gesture.

"I'm sorry," I spoke, smiling. "We got caught up in something."

Dy shrugged, giving me a lopsided grin. "No problem. Happens."

I hadn't given much thought to our surroundings until yet, having been preoccupied by other things (say like, meeting a rather deranged spirit dude), and only now realized that I were standing inside a dark alleyway, the absent moon providing no light, and yet, my eyes had no reason in making out the dumpsters lying around, their garbage spilled all over the concrete floor.

"Speaking of late," Alex, who'd apparently gotten over his initial shock, though his eyes suggested something else, begun conversationally. "Where were you anyways? We've been standing here for the past, I don't know, one minute? Two? I didn't see you standing around waiting for us."

"Oh, I was just walking around to see if you'd given me the slip and were having fun somewhere else. Then I heard voices coming from here and decided to head back." Dy spared me a quick look, before continuing in an excited tone, "And you brought her too!"

Alex rolled his eyes. "I told you I would bring her, didn't I? And why would I give you the slip? Have I ever done something like that to you before?"

Apparently, the discrimination was going on strong here.

Dy nodded his head in one fast, jerky bob. "I know, I know. But still! I thought that you'd be showing her off to the others! After all, she is—"

"She's not a showpiece that I'll go around showing her off to other people, Dy," Alex interrupted, his voice sharp. "You told me to bring her alone, so here she is. Happy?"

I frowned. What did Dy mean by After all, she is—? Why would he be 'showing me off' to the others?

Dy spoke my name, snapping me out of my thoughts.

I blinked. "Huh? Sorry. What?"

The little boy smiled. "I was saying, did you meet any other people today?"

I paused, considering. I had no idea if the man in the shadows could be counted as 'other people'? Alex still hadn't told me who he was. "I don't know. But Alex and I did see—"

"Look!" Alex interrupted suddenly. I was instantly suspicious that he'd done it on purpose, until I saw that he was pointing at something. I blinked in confusion. A shadow. Why was he pointing towards a shadow? "Here he comes!"

I frowned, but before I could ask him what he was talking about, Dy grabbed me by the shoulder, letting out an excited yelp, and pulled me a couple of steps sideways, so that I could clearly see the figure walking towards us.