Bitter Heart √

Fifty Three

^^ art by fuckyourself_please ♥

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Skylar's POV

"So," I started. "That last metal disc is supposedly the only way left to open some underground vaults my mother mentioned."

It was somewhere past noon right now and the train station was almost brimming with people. I could see the dense crowd from the window beside me (both Caden and I were already seated inside the train). I had travelled to Philly before, to see Dad when he was in the hospital, but Mom still had been reluctant to let me go.

"You'll call me or your father the moment you think it's not safe there." She had said. "Am I clear?"

I couldn't have blamed her. But it still had taken me hours to actually persuade her.

"Yes." Caden glanced at me and I noticed the way he rolled back his stiff shoulders. Way too tensed than I was. "The red crystal is said to be in there somewhere."

I looked away from his face, settling my gaze at the window once again. "What if those vaults don't even exist anymore?" If they were centuries old, what guarantee did we have that they were even intact?

"They do exist," Caden murmured, tipping his head back against the seat. "Blake wouldn't be after them if they didn't."

The train was slowly filling up with the others.

"And Kevin," I added, lowering my voice. Caden seemed to tense even further at the mention of his name and I couldn't help but frown.

"You seem tensed." I pointed out.

I didn't know whether he was tense about this only, or the conversation he'd had with my mother last night. He had been acting like that since the start. But I hadn't pointed it out until now. It had already been awkward enough for me yesterday.

He took his time to respond to that, tilting his head upwards. "I think taking you along has been one of the most stupid decisions I've ever made."

"No offence to me." I said, then added, "None taken, by the way."

It left me a little surprised when he took my hand, pulling it closer towards him.

"I mean it, Sky. This is dangerous." He said. "Blake will be following us. And when he sees that metal disk, he'll do anything to get his hands on it."

The way he framed those words scared me a bit. But I already knew the risk.

"I'll be fine." I had a feeling that I was reassuring myself more than him. "Besides, you'll be there."

"You're relying on me too much."

He wasn't wrong. But then again, I couldn't remember even a single time these past few months when my life had been in danger and he hadn't saved my ass. I did trust him when it came to my life.

"I trust you." I simply shrugged. I saw his eyes widening a little, the green in them darkening. But he didn't break away from the gaze. Neither did I, not until the train started moving.

I looked away then, gazing out of the window.

"All right." I stretched out my legs in front of me. "Three more hours to go."

Time passed by in a not-so swift movement. When evening came by, I realized that there were still two hours left for us to reach the outskirts of Harrisburg. Two whole hours for my head to come up with even more questions and scenarios--all in which I somehow ended up getting killed.