Unknown L (Book 1)

~~ Wow! Just, Wow! ~~

She was getting ready to run off the bus as quickly as she could when the two figures pulled their hoods down. L didn't move a muscle and just stared transfixed. She felt like her eyes were going to pop out of their sockets.

The figures were both stunning sights to see. One was male, and the other female, they had flawless skin with long, light brown hair, which was perfectly straight. Their eyes were slightly slanted like Bryce's but different shades of brown. Their faces looked less angular than his, but the similarities were uncanny.

She peered at Bryce quickly, then back to the two newcomers. They must have been the same species. However, that wasn't all, L was suddenly unusually focused on their ears. They were bigger than they should have been and pointed at the tops. There were no obvious fangs showing, and it took L a few more seconds to realise what they were and, in turn, what Bryce must be. She felt awestruck at this new revelation and almost missed the exchange in front of her.

"As you can see, I called in some reinforcements. You should have left when you had the chance, I guess there will be no bounty for you or Olyk." Bryce didn't sound smug or overconfident, just matter-of-fact.

L watched the creature stumbling for words. He didn't look so intimidating or scary now, and even less so when the two figures took a hold of him. Bryce held onto the basket and followed them down the bus. One of them spoke to the driver, and a few seconds later, the bus came to a stop, in the middle of nowhere, on top of a grassy hill.

L sat up on her knees so she could see them all get off. She watched Bryce speak to the figures for a few moments, and then he handed the female the basket. They bowed to Bryce, and he nodded in response before getting back on the bus. He said something to the driver and then walked up the aisle towards L.

The bus started moving again, and L watched the figures disappear behind them, with the creature and his basket still in hand. She didn't know what they were going to do with him, and at that point, she didn't care. She turned to look at Bryce again when he sat down, and he let out a long sigh, angling his head towards her.

"Go on, ask me what you're so eager to know. I can see it almost bursting out of you." He was back to smiling again, and the relief was clearly visible in the way he sat.

"You're an Elf, aren't you? Like your 'reinforcements', they were Elves as well, right?"

Bryce smiled wider and nodded. He reached up to the brim of his beanie hat and pulled it off. Long, glossy black hair came tumbling down. It was slightly messy, but L could see that it would have been as perfect as the others' had been if it weren't for the hat. He pulled his hair into some semblance of order, and L's attention was unwittingly drawn to his ears. They were as pointed as the other Elves' ears, and they made him look more supernatural than ever. 

"Yes, I am an Elf and yes so were those two you just saw but I told you before, it's rude to stare," his tone was teasing and L briefly narrowed her eyes at him.

She couldn't believe that she'd been travelling around with a real-life Elf and hadn't known it; that wasn't even close to what she'd been guessing.

"Wow, well, I suppose you did say you were hiding something. I don't understand why you'd hide your hair and your ears... it's not like anyone could see you who wouldn't know what you are anyway."

Bryce shook his head as he smoothed out the hat on his lap. "I didn't want to overwhelm you and have to see you looking at me like that, I get enough of that back home... and you're still staring! Just relax, I'm no different from the person I was half an hour ago."

L rolled her eyes and looked away from him altogether. She sat down properly in her seat but kept her eyes averted.

"It's a big difference to me actually, I was only introduced to this world last night, remember, so don't get all wound up. It would take anyone a while to get used to it. I think I'm adjusting well to everything, condsidering..." She crossed her arms and sighed. "It's not every day you find out you're travelling with an Elf. I think you need to chill out."