Shadow Bite || WATTYS 2017

Chapter Twelve

"You owe me answers," I let out, watching carefully as both of their expressions darken considerably and a harsh but warning glint begins to swim in Asher's eyes. "Both of you."

"I don't owe you shit." Zander growls. Oh yes, that's right, he wasn't in the car this afternoon with the rest of us. Guess who doesn't give a flying fuck? That's right. Me. 

"Zander," Asher warns, and his friend calms down, much to my surprise. So Asher does hold some kind of control over them. What was it Jasper said? This is much worse than a gang. I look down at Mary who meets my eyes, completely oblivious to the frenzy that's about to be unleashed. I can't drag her into whatever hellish situation this is. I'll get my answers calmly and go.

"I don't know what it is you expect from me Camilla, I really don't, but trust me when I say that it'll be much easier for all of us if you'd just stay out of this," Asher counters lowly, his eyes penetrating me completely. A tempering rage begins to simmer underneath the surface of my skin and I feel Mary tug at my hand. Breathe, Camilla, breathe. 

"This. What is this Asher," I hiss, watching irritably as annoyance takes up residence on the edges of his features. 

"You never stop, do you? It's none of your business," he insists, his tone dropping to a much lower level. 

Okay, so he's not going to tell me? Let's start soft, and then I'll go in for the kill.

"How old are you? All of you," I begin simply, trying my best to cover the anger in my veins that's gradually turning my blood into boiling lava. "It's a simple question." They both share a look and Zander nods, crossing his eyes and fixing his cold eyes on me.

"Emma's-"

"I know how old she is," I cut him off, waving a hand to stop him. "She's my best friend, and we'll be graduating together."

"You'd be surprised at how little you know about her," Zander mutters under his breath, but I catch it and my eyes narrow as they zone in on the twitch in his jaw. 

"Excuse me?"

"Do you want answers or not Camilla," Asher cuts in, momentarily diverting my attention from his friend. I keep a lingering look on Zander before ripping it away and bringing my full concentration to Asher. The way he says my name doesn't go unnoticed, like a soft breeze carrying the distinctive aroma of a youthful forest, the cool morning after a shower of rain. I frown and shake my head as something transpires over me, but it's evaporated again as I regain focus. However, Asher's eyes seem to glaze over for a second before they zoom in on me again. He takes in a deep breath and trembles course through his body. Zander's eyes widen and he places a firm hand on his friend's shoulder, saying something in a hurried voice, too low for my own ears to catch. I tug at Mary's hand who has no idea what to do except for stand there.

"We'll be gone soon," I whisper to her and give a slight smile, to which she quickly responds with a little nod and her own toothy grin. But I can see that it's strained and only half-hearted. The nerves are taking over her, and usually, a child's instincts are more trustworthy than your own. A slight panic begins to nudge itself further to the front of my mind, and I cast a furtive glance at our surroundings. A cat meows, but otherwise, we seem to be alone. After what seems like an eternity, Asher's eyes finally open again and Zander drops his hand, taking a step away from his friend cautiously. I tilt my head, perplexed. 

"So? Are you going to tell me what that was about or-"

"Jasper and Jack are both 18. They're in your year," Asher grits out icily, obviously disregarding my previous question which only boils my annoyance even more. "Zander is 20 and Damien is my age."