Targeted

05 | Independence

Romaal "Jink" Jinkins

The diamond encrusted crystal necklace shimmered in the hands of the owner, Kellan. The sparkling piece had such a significant meaning dearest to her heart. It's the only thing that was keeping her sane right now while everything around her fell all to hell. The necklace gave her a small bit of hope, and every time she'd touch it, she'd get this sense of feeling that Tara was there— protecting and watching over her.

Looking up from the piece of jewelry, she met eyes with Jink, catching her off guard. He had his arms crossed over his chest as he leaned his body against the doorways frame. He seemed to have mastered stealth because she didn't once hear the sound of his footsteps.

"It's time to relocate," he stated after a silent moment of staring at her intently.

Before he could walk away, Kellan decided to speak, "Hey, Jink?"

Without fully facing her, he stopped and glanced over his shoulder. Their eyes met, and Kellan couldn't shake this intense vibe he always carried that seemed to linger around him like a distinctive fog.

"Can we get past this?" She asked softly, leaning up from the position she was laying in a small twin-sized bed.

"What?"

For the past few days of keeping a low profile, he's been giving Kellan a whole lot of attitude and many evil glares. Only a few words left his mouth that was directed towards her, but other than that, Tyler has been doing most of the communication between the three.

"This negative energy between us," she pointed out. "I've established your dislike towards me, but...I just want to find out why I've been targeted, and it would help if you didn't act like my enemy all the time."

Jink finally turned, acknowledging what she said. "Your enemy? Li'l ma, you'd know if we were on opposing sides."

Her eyes shifted towards the floor in hopes that he was trying to say that what's been happening between them wasn't intended to be as it's been taken.

"It's not that deep," he spoke again, catching the look on her face. Jink pointed to her with a mug before crossing his arms again. "I think I've figured you out."

She blinked, her heart racing before he could muster up the next words to say to her. "W-What do you mean?"

"I don't give out advice for fun." His eyes examined her youthful, chocolate face all over. Seeing the young girl with stretched eyes told him that she was a curious one, and with situations like these, that wasn't always good. "You let your emotions and feelings dictate how you move and think, and that will get you killed faster than any target on ya' head. Start using your intellect, you ain't gotta' use ya' heart for everything."

Quietly staring at him, she watched as he walked off shaking his head. He was right— Kellan knew she allowed her feelings to completely take control, but she couldn't help it. The way she felt within, her human emotions, was the only thing she had left to cling to.

Gathering the black duffel bag that Tyler provided her with to put her things inside, she slid it on her shoulder and slid her small feet into the black Converse sneakers. Walking to the front room, Tyler flipped the blade between his fingers as he stood by the door seeming to be in deep thought. She noticed that about Tyler, he was always living in his head— contrast from Jink.

After a moment of watching him, she flinched feeling Jink's body brushing against hers to get past, so she moved towards the side to fully let him slip between the small space of her and the wall. Despite the lack of words between them, they've made quite the amount of physical contact— even if it was a very small minimum of it at a time. Kellan always thought about that stuff when she wasn't thinking about her life being in danger.