Beneath The Blackwood Sky | ✓

Chapter Nine: Trapped Forever In A Moment of Horror

THE MOMENT SHAY SAW HER BEST FRIEND LYING motionless on the ground, she fell beside her. There was a loud buzzing in her ears. She saw Theo fall beside her too, shaking Jade. "Jade, please. Jade, wake up, it's alright. Please, you are alright," Theo said.

I can't lose her too. Please, no. Shay shook Jade gently, and an immense amount of relief flowed through her when she saw Jade turn over and reveal her face, which also revealed the fact that she was breathing and had an annoyed look on her face.

"Oh my god, Jade," Kai said as he patted her cheek gently, and Jade slapped his hand away. Will laughed with relief, and Rose took Jade's hand in hers.

Jade got up slowly, rubbing a hand over her eyes. "Dude," she snapped sleepily. "First that guy makes me work like a donkey and then you guys won't let me sleep," she said, still rubbing her eyes and yawning. Shay suspected that 'that guy' was Will.

Will chuckled, "You look like an angry bird." All of them laughed, hearty with relief and also to Will's joke. Jade removed her hand from her eyes quickly, to glare or snap at Will, but she stopped. Jade frowned as she looked at her best friends on her knees in front of her, forming a protective circle which only Leo could break.

"What's wrong?" She asked, her hands interlinked with Theo's. A fangirl trapped inside Shay screamed with happiness, and she saw Rose, who was the ultimate fangirl. Rose was nodding vigorously, pumping her fist into the air. Jade sent both the girls a confused glance.

"Well," Kai shrugged. "We heard Leo barking and came out to find you sleeping. Except, we didn't know you were sleeping. Everyone else was worried, but I assure you, I only came to check if you were dead so that I could get all your video games." Kai joked, the relief on his face betraying what he said earlier.

Jade rolled her eyes. "I'd haunt you forever if you take my video games." She stretched her hand, another one still interlinked with Theo's. "Come on. I'm sleepy. Let's go inside."

Shay fell into step beside Rose and smirked, "Someone's sooo gonna lose the bet," she drawled. Rose's face was still alight with happiness, "Nah. Theo and Jade are smart, video game masters, photographers and budding hackers, but they can be slow in things like this. At least two weeks till they get together." Rose said, shaking her head.

Shay whisper shouted to put some more sense into Rose. "Look at them! They are walking into the house with their hands interlinked! It's a sign, Rose! A sign that you are gonna lose the bet."

Meanwhile, Will and Kai were discussing their own bet. Kai's hands were flying everywhere to prove his point, to Theo and Jade, to his heart, to Will and back again. Will was calm as he ran a hand through his hair while listening to Kai's argument, rolling his eyes and shaking his head.

Shay stared at Will, absent-mindedly stroking Leo's fur. She stopped as she stared at him, looking at his attractive features and marvelling at how gorgeous he looked without trying.

His sea-green eyes, sharp jawline, rumpled chocolate brown hair, lips stretching into a soft smile, single dimple on his right cheek. His hoodie hugged his leanly built body in all the right places, and—

A chuckle snapped her from her daydreams, and she tore her eyes from Will with difficulty, training them on Rose' face. Rose had a larger grin on her face, her electric blue eyes had held a mischievous spark. "What?" Shay asked defensively and Rose shook her head, still smiling. "Oh, it's nothing."

Baffled by her best friend's weird behaviour, Shay shook her head.

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Shay had learnt to walk and run on the beach, where sand shifted under the feet every second, making it hard to run. But she was fast on the sand, therefore even faster on land. But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't exactly run away from her nightmares.