Straight through the Heart

Chapter 13

"Naomi." The distorted voice states. I can only guess at who it is since the voice is disguised. "We have a task for you."

"There is a flashdrive within your mother's purse. You will replace it with the one we give you. When it is swapped, you will place it on the table you are at."

I look around at the last statement. I narrow my eyes at everyone around me and wonder who the caller is. He or she must have a good view of me so he could be outside. Immediately, I walk outside the shop and search for the caller.

"The flashdrive you will receive from us is at the meter to your right. If you do not follow our instructions, then someone you know will die. Have a nice day." The caller terminates the call. I do not see anyone out of the ordinary as I scan through the crowd of people around me. The caller could have been the construction worker down the street or the uber driver near me. It could be anyone around me.

I grab onto the meter next to me for support as I feel another panic attack coming. I take deep breathes, trying to soothe my emotions. Closing my eyes, I count slowly to ten in hopes that this technique will work. Eventually, the symptoms die down and I am able to function normally. Walking over to the meter to my right, I feel a deep dread form in my stomach. Part of me hopes this is all a dream and that the call was a figment of my imagination. Upon approaching the meter, I discard that notion.

Inside a plastic bag taped onto the meter, the flashdrive hangs there in all its glory. Stuck on top of the plastic bag, I see my name written on it in all caps. As I reach for it, I stop myself and realize this could be evidence. There is also the chance that the organization behind this is very careful and did not leave any evidence whatsover. Knowing there is barely enough time as it is, I grab the baggy and head to meet with my parents.

On the walk there, I feel suspicious of everyone and everything. I try to calm my nerves once again but cannot shake the feeling someone is watching me. Whenever I get the feeling, I look around and it disappears. Perhaps it is just my overthinking brain. I dread the fact that I need to go behind my own mother's back and do this. I try to think of an alternative choice. There must be one. I know they will kill whoever they choose to without hesitation. I cannot let another person die because of me.

"There you are." My mother spots me as she turns to hug me. "Now we can head in." I glance above at this crepe place. It's very quaint and delicate looking. I admire the assortment of flowers they have arranged at the entrance. There's a line of people waiting outside, so I can tell it's a popular place to eat.

The four of us are seated on the second floor near the terrace. I sit next to Robin across from our parents.

"Hey, you okay?" I glance at Robin and ask softly. There's something off about him. I would not be able to tell appearance-wise. It is more of a gut feeling, perhaps the twin bond. I actually don't believe in the twin bond that people talk about all the time; I think it is just bullshit. However, there are some times where it is the only explanation as to why I sense things from Robin.

"I'm fine. Are you?" He searches my face as he asks the same question.

"I'm better." I reply. Honestly, I am far from good. I have never felt as shitty as I felt right now.

"You sure?" He asks skeptically.

"Are you sure?" I ask, just as skeptical. I emphasize and shoot the question right back at him.

"We can talk about it later." He pauses a little long before answering. His facial features show nothing as I try to read off his expressions.

"Fine." I glance back up at my parents, who are in their own lovey-dovey world. At least, that's what I thought they were until my father asks in a casual tone, "What are you two whispering about?"