Chapter 106 Love in the line of fire

Chapter 106 Love in the line of fire

\[Charlotte's POV\]
I laid on my back staring at the ceiling. Levi's giving me the cold shoulder lately. I don't know why. I'd climb the window of his room and get in but I won't find him. It's like he's avoiding me. Did I do something wrong? I never told Sophie about our fight but she suspected as much.

'You okay, baby?' She plopped on the side next to me, taking my hands in hers.

'Right as rain.' I try not to smile too much. It'll look fake.

Sophie took one look at me and squinted her eyes. 'Something is wrong with you. Talk.'

'There's nothing wrong.' I pulled away from her but she inched closer.

'Talk to me.' Then she began to tickle my stomach and I began to laugh uncontrollably.

'Talk to me.' Sophie keeps tickling me and I fall off the bed in an attempt to escape.

She ran to my side. 'God, you okay?'

'Yeah.' I helped myself to my feet and looked ahead. Staring back at me was Levi. Sophie followed my gaze and he walked away.

'I knew something was wrong. You both fought, didn't you?' Sophie has her arm around me. I say nothing and let her hold me.


\[Author's POV\]
Lin grabs a stool and sits the wrong way, straddling the way. 'It's annoying how Alan Institute is a suburban high school mixed with affluent and low-income students. The apex predators are supposed to remain on top, aren't they?'

Adira was shivering in her seat, her fingers fiddling with each other, staring at her friend like she was some stranger. 'Y - yeah. I guess.'

'You probably wonder what you're doing here.' A smile cracked on her lips and she leaned forward.

'I am. Please, what's happening? I thought you were in Berlin.' Adira rushed off her seat and rushed to hide behind Lin.

'I was,' Lin leaned on the wooden chair. 'Well, now I'm here.'

Adira looked around. The room was spacious and properly furnished, with huge paintings on the wall and white furniture. The room was lit by candles, warming the room but Adira felt goosebumps crawl up her arms.

'Lin, I want to go home,' Adira squeezed Lin's shoulders. 'Please, I want to go home. This place is creepy.'

She remembered meeting with Matty and then she woke up in Lin's house. It didn't sound right to her so she assumed meeting Matty was a dream she had. Maybe she had met Lin after the group went home.

Lin stood up. 'It's okay.'

That was when Adira heard it — a loud rattling sound. She looked around, her mouth agape, her eyes widened.

'Where are we?' She grabbed Lin by the collar. 'Where are we?'

'On a train.' Lin said with a laugh.

Adira screamed away from her. 'How is it possible? This place looked so much like your bedroom. What is this crazy shit, Lin?'

'It's not crazy shit. This is all part of Hide and Seek, Adira. Your commitment will be rewarded.' Lin approached her but she took steps backwards till her back hit what felt like a door.

'No, I don't want to die.' Adira shook her head and tears streamed her face.

'You're not going to die. You'll be safe.' Lin placed a hand on her shoulder.

Suddenly, they both felt a huge blast of air. The door was thrown open. Adira grabbed on Lin so she wouldn't fall. Lin, on her part, was struggling to escape by holding onto the hand.

'If I'm gonna die, I'll take you with me.' Adira said, her hands squeezing around Lin's torso as tight as she could like her life depended on it because it did.

Lin screamed. 'Dominic, come help me. This bitch is crazy.'

The gust of wind blew her hair in her face and she lost clear vision for a second. She heard approaching steps but this person didn't offer her a helping hand, instead his shoe gave her a shove off the train. She and Adira c me tumbling down the tracks, covered in debris and their own blood.


\[Levi's POV\]
Jacob and I had a meeting with Malcolm and his team. Charlotte was late.

'You didn't bring your girlfriend, lover boy.' Malcolm pointed at me, returning to stirring his mug of coffee.

Nurse Aime took her phone from the backpocket of her jeans. 'I'll call her.'

Malcokm shook his head. 'Nah. I'll carry on without her.'

'Come on. She's a part of them.' Aime rolls her eyes, dialling Charlotte's number.

Malcolm scoffs. 'If she was really a part of them, don't you think she'd be here already?"

He cleared his throat and began. 'So I'd like to begin. I just received word that the director of Alan Institute is recruiting students from different high schools in the area for this Project bloodhound.'

'What the? How bloody will this last H.A.S be?' Jacob is terrified and it shows on the expression on his face.

'Just as bloody as they want it to be.' Malcolm set his teaspoon on the saucer and brought the mug to his lips for a sip.

Aime took over from him. 'The FBI has a secret training facility near the high school where you three will be trained.'

That was when Charlotte walked in.

'And the star of the show has arrived. A round of applause, folks.' Malcolm said dryly.

Charlotte bowed her head. 'I'm sorry I'm late. I had an emergency at home.'

'It's fine, kid. Grab a chair.' Malcolm waves his languid wrist at her and she pulls up a stool and sits beside Aime.

Aime whispered to her and she smiled, stuffing her hand in her bag and whipping out her heart rate monitor, clasping it around her wrist. Levi felt guilty just by looking at her and quickly averted his gaze. Jacob noticed the awkwardness between them and pretended not to notice.

'Well, we do have one last member who'll be joining us.' Aime said to us all.

Levi scoffed. 'Who's that? Jesus? We sure need his help in this.'

Malcolm got the joke and laughed and so did the others but Charlotte didn't. Her mind was trapped wherever it was.

A figure concealing its face in a hoodie walked in. The hoodie fell off and they saw it was Anna.

'I figured you guys needed my help.' She said with no emotion. 'After all, Hide and Seek is my birthright. Was.'

'Okay.' Malcolm clapped his hands together and took to his feet. 'Let's get started, shall we?'


Watching them from behind the glass, Aime smiled lightly. 'We just might win this.'

Malcolm swiping the IPad, he said with an unlit cigar in his mouth. 'Don't get your hopes up. Let them pass the training first. We've got exactly 3 days to keep them in shape.'

'Well, they're experienced. All of them.' Aime puts her hand to her waist and gives her brother a stern look.

'I know that Levi is super experienced, my machine. I can't say the same for Jacob but I know he's good. Dude nearly knocked the daylights out of Levi the night they fought and Anna, hmmm, she's a fighter I'll give her that but she lets her emotion get in the way.'
'And Charlotte?' Aime was keen on listening to her brother's analysis of the team.

'Well, let's see if she'll pull through with that heart of hers,' Malcolm looked at her then he slapped his face. 'And she didn't.'

Charlotte had collapsed on the floor. Apparently, she and Anna were sparring and that happened.

'You okay?' Anna stretched her hand to Charlotte who took it.

'I think so.' Charlotte wiped her forehead with a kerchief.

'Sorry if I hit hard.' Anna rubbed her arm.

'Nah, it's okay. I've experienced worse pain than this,' Charlotte patted her arm. 'Bathroom break.'

In the bathroom, Charlotte tied her hair up in a bun and looked at her reflection in the mirror.

'You've got this.' She fisted her hand. Then she heaved a sigh and ran the bidet to wash her hands.

The door to one of the bathroom stalls clicked open and someone came up beside her. She was startled by a man. Well, a boy, her age.

Awkward silence passed between them. Charlotte took a tissue and tried to slip away when he told her.

'This is the men's room fyi.' He said in a deep voice that made her shoot him a look.

His voice is this deep? Damn, that's hot, Charlotte thought.

'Oh, I'm sorry. I'll keep that in mind.' She said before disappearing from the room.


Malcolm came to address them this time. 'The most important training you all will undergo is learning how to shoot. There'll be a lot of guns in this last H.A.S. and I don't want my team to be taken by surprise.'

'Affirmative.' Anna and Jacob said at the same time. They shared a look and averted their gaze but Malcokm did not fail to see a hint of pink on their faces. Kids.

'We'll have our best marksman train you four. Hope you're ready. He's brutal.' Malcolm nodded to the person upstairs and the door was clicked open. A gentleman dressed in a khaki coloured T-shirt over black shorts. His black hair was tied up in a messy bun and a few strands fell around his face. Each step he took made Levi feel wary of him because he kept staring at Charlotte.

Malcolm introduced the stranger who stood at ease. 'This is Alex, the gun expert. He might be quiet and introverted but he's a dangerous tool. Listen to whatever he says.'

Alex unfolded his hands from behind his back. 'Ladies and gentlemen, Charlotte.'

Levi turned to Charlotte wondering how the hell she knew this bloke?