No Strings Attached

Chapter 1: The Train

James, who stood across from me, shakes his head grimly.

He has shaved brown hair, dark eyes, and pale skin. For the night, he wears a buttoned denim jacket, blue jeans, and white NIKE footwear.

Clearing his throat, James says to Marco, "I don't think we can ever go back to our families."

"Why not?"

"Because we don't want them involved."

Marco rolled his eyes.

"I know, " he sighed, "but we should be binge-watching Stranger Things, drink Coca-Cola, and eat junk food. Not leave Manhattan for good."

James nods in agreement.

"I know how you feel Marco, " he began. "But we can't stay here for long."

That's when my best friend Imogen Zhang gives James a disinterested look. People tend to call her Aria because she almost looks like the character from Pretty Little Liars.

Honey brown highlights decorated her short black bob, as Aria wears a red poncho, long white capris, and purple flip flops revealing her peach-colored toenails.

Hazel brown eyes, light olive complexion, and cute poppy seed freckles made every boy wish for Ari to be their girlfriend.

But Ari didn't seem to care for dating, in fact, she prefers hanging out with me than all the other girls in school.

"I get that you are trying to reassure us, " she began. "But have you forgotten that two fricking government agents are chasing us?"

James bit his bottom lip, ducking his head in embarrassment.

"Yeah, but at least we have each other's backs." he reminded.

Marco snorts in disbelief. "What the hell does that even mean nowadays?"

I set my jaw.

"It means that we should stick together," I say.

"I know this is scary, but with the money we saved from our summer jobs, we could go to my Aunt Krystal's place."

Aunt Krystal's home is in Harlem, one of my favorite cities in New York. There, she works as a talented nurse, gets involved with the community, and has three boys who are currently studying at Yale.

Frowning sheepishly in my direction, Marco said: "That's great and all, but is your aunt okay with us staying in her place?"

I nod cheerfully. "Yeah. Sadly, her television is broken, but we can hide there until the government is off our backs."

Another high-pitch screech swelled my ears as the white metal beast approached us.

Small wheels steadied themselves along the train tracks, creating bright orange sparks dancing on the gravel. When the subway train came to a gentle stop, I could feel the hairs arousing from my skin.

It wasn't just the chilly atmosphere, but the fear of being stalked by Death.

I have seen Death take away a childhood friend during a school shooting, rob my grandfather in his hospital bed, and soon, many of my friends will suffer the same fate.