forget me not.

iii. échec et mat

CHAPTER THREE
'checkmate'

"what are we even still doing here? let's get back to england quick. we need to catch up on training." noah grumbles as she sipped on her iced tea, staring at her plate full of chicken bones. korean chicken really is the best.

"owen heard a rumor from a pink haired girl who attends sunny highschool." harry sighs and noah perks up. "about an emerald eyed girl going around and competing in small and illegal cycling races."

noah's eyes twitches and a scoff leaves her lips. "anyone can have emerald, no, green eyes. must be someone who just wears contacts." she cackles, avoiding harry's gaze to hide whatever expression she must be wearing.

"owen must've shifted his reason to stay here from shelly to esmeralda." harry continues and finally gets the reaction that noah has been holding back from expressing.

"how many times do i have to tell you to keep that bitch's name out of your mouth!" noah yells, slamming her hands on the table harshly. "i don't fucking get why owen's still after her. she left without a word. she could have ruined us." she growls.

"like you haven't been after her as well?" harry stares her down, watching her expression collapse from anger to something that of betrayal and confusion. "you'd kill yourself first before mixing in with amateurs in competitions but joined every contest you could find in every city back in england when she left. why?"

"better me than owen to stoop that low. because for some fucking reason, he would for her." she rolls her eyes and shakes her glass.

"if i know you, you'd just let her be. because then, owen would be free from a strong admirer." harry smirks before continuing. "but maybe i don't really know you well enough." he laughs and noah fights the urge to dump the iced tea on him.

;

the steady beeping of the vital signs monitor echoed all through out the silent vip hospital room. on a chair by the bed of the patient sat a black haired young woman. she's skillfully arranging a bouquet of forget me nots in a crystal vase with a blank expression.

"you'd love my arrangements. if only you could see this one. or the many others i've done and wilted." she starts a one sided conversation as she pushes the vase back in the middle of the side table before leaning back on her chair to relax. "so open your eyes quickly, dad." she whispers, emerald eyes trained on the bedridden man.

her long black hair danced with the wind, emerald eyes devoid of emotion, and half of her face hidden by a mask, esmeralda astor tiredly stood on the side of the road as she waited for a taxi to drive by.

she closed her eyes and pulled her baseball cap down, tempted to just lay there on the sidewalk and sleep her exhaustion away. even when sleep has barely done anything to make her feel better the past year she's been staying in seoul.

finally, before even more impulsive thoughts plagued her mind, a taxi finally drives by and she gets in, immediately giving the driver the address of her destination.

"are you a nurse?" the old man starts a conversation, probably based on where esmeralda hailed his cab.

"no." esmeralda answers, leaning her head against the taxi's window. "just visited." she adds and the old man nods, not asking any further questions.

"we're here, miss. i hope things get better." the old man says, stopping the taxi in front of a bike shop and esmeralda gives him a nod of acknowledgement after getting out of the vehicle.