Chapter 16 CHAPTER: 016
“No, no. You’re doing great.”
Asher gives him a look.
Jamie chuckles awkwardly, scratching the back of his head. “Okay, maybe not great, but definitely better than me.”
That almost makes Asher laugh.
30 minutes later, they were able to find two flags that hadn't been retrieved yet. Jamie jumps happily while Asher rolls his eyes as he reads the map, heading to the next location, but then they abruptly come to a stop at what's in front of them.
It's a house, small with the bright lights on from the inside, with a little window in the middle of nowhere, but what catches their attention more is that loud sound of music blasting through the walls, as if whatever is inside is throwing a party.
Asher steps forward before he can rethink his decision, with Jamie following behind him. They approach the house, and curiosity leads Asher to knock loudly on the door.
“Are you sure we should be poking our noses here?” Jamie whispers behind Asher, his chin almost resting on Asher's shoulder like a child who's hiding from something.
Asher doesn't know why he's poking his nose in a house in the middle of nowhere when he should be completing the tasks.
Suddenly, the loud music dies so abruptly. Immediately, both boys freeze.
Jamie holds onto Asher’s sleeve. “…okay, that’s not creepy at all,” he whispers, voice barely there.
Asher doesn’t answer the boy as he stares at the door, waiting and listening, yet nothing is coming from the other side, almost feeling like whatever is on the other side is standing still… also listening back.
Asher swallows as he feels goosebumps on his skin. Okay, maybe this was a bad idea, and he should have simply minded his business.
“…maybe no one’s home,” Jamie mutters quickly, already taking a small step back. “We can just go—”
Suddenly, the door creaks open slowly, and Jamie nearly jumps out of his skin, but then it swings open to reveal familiar disarrayed blue hair.
“Xavi,” the name slips past Asher's lips, his eyes immediately taking in the boy's swollen lips with lipstick stains on his neck and his shirt ruffled.
Asher’s insides churn, his jaw clenching while a dark look occupies his eyes, especially when a girl appears beside him, looking just as disarrayed with buttons of her uniform undone, revealing her bra. The more Asher looks, the more something inside of him burns with fury, and he doesn't know why.
“Ice elementals!” Jamie suddenly exclaims. Instantly, he grabs Asher's wrist and pulls him away, creating a very long distance between them.
Xavi smirks and whips his lips with his thumb while the girl rests her head on his shoulder, rubbing against him seductively, uncaring of the little audience. How shameless.
“What are you two doing out here?” Xavi inquires.
“We should be asking you that!” Jamie bars back, seeming to find his voice after being terrified earlier. “What are you doing in a house that's in the middle of nowhere, throwing a party?”
“Who's it, Xavi?”
More voices come from inside, and slowly, more heads poke out from behind Xavi, who guards the door with both hands on the frame, his eyes fixed on Asher.
“Fire elementals. Fuck. Our hideout has been found!” An annoyed voice came from inside.
“What are we going to do with that?” Another asks.
“I dunno. Maybe touch them and die together." Another joke and chuckles break out among them.
Seems the fire elementals are the only ones who are scared of dying.
“What are you doing here, pretty boy?” Xavi asks again. “How many of you are out here? How did you find us?”
“We're not here to find you,” Jamie counters, but Xavi gives him a murderous stare under his lashes that causes him to slam his mouth shut and hide behind Asher.
Asher’s jaw tightens. “…we’re doing an exercise, looking for flags," he says flatly.
Xavi’s gaze doesn’t leave his face; a small smile crosses his face like he's fond of the sight in front of him. “Flags,” he repeats, tilting his head. “And you ended up here?”
Asher nods and raises the map. “It’s on the map.”
Then someone behind Xavi groans. “Of course it is. I told you we should’ve moved this place. We're going to get punished if words get to the principal!”
“Relax. It’s just two of them,” another voice says.
“Two fire elementals, still annoying,” someone else adds.
“We can freeze them to death! It's 20 to two little weak fire elementals.”
Asher’s eyes widen while Jamie gasps loudly, taking hold of Asher's sleeves again and starting to pull him along, taking one step back at a time.
“We won't tell anyone,” Jamie promises, but suddenly, a familiar voice comes from behind them.
“Asher. Jamie.”
All the elementals whip their heads sharply to find Ms. Rina standing there with a few other fire elementals. Instantly, groans break out among the ice elementals, knowing they've been caught and there's no way they won't go unpunished, but the glint in Xavi's eyes doesn't fade, and the mischievous smile doesn't fade as he continues to stare at Asher as if he's the only one present, unbothered by everything else.
And then, without warning, he winks and blows Asher a kiss.
Asher’s breath hitches and his cheeks burn brighter than a tomato. He quickly looks away.
What is wrong with him?