FINALLY, the ship was set ashore. The passengers waited patiently for their turn to climb down the stairs connecting the land. Some are still vomiting at the side of the ship, as for me I am already used traveling whether by air or by water, so I am one of those people who laugh at the memories of those nauseating first trip.

"There he is!" A familiar voice screamed and it is not so hard to notice even when the passengers are making so much fuss about the late arrival of the ship. I wouldn't blame them, either the navigating officers, we came across a storm, even though it lasted for a few hours it still took a very long time for us to get past it.

In the crowd, I searched for the familiar faces of the people awaiting my arrival.

"Jace!" My face brightened when I finally spotted them. Clutching my backpack over my shoulder, I hurried towards them.

"Have you guys been waiting too long?" I asked.

There were three of them. I could say that they are my friends but we drifted apart because we made our jobs our priority. Though I am the only one who really wasn't able to see any of them since I accepted job offers from overseas.

"Not at all." The man with the leather jacket and faded jeans replied. His name is Gin and the woman next to him is Rose, I heard the news that they were going out. From the way they are stuck together, I guess it is true. "Not that long, we can still attend the reunion."

"I really hope that our classmates have matured enough by this day," I said that made them shake their heads.

"Impossible, those jerks might have become worst by now," Rose replied.

"Hey, that's too harsh!" Gin exclaimed that made Rose laugh.

We were already waiting for a cab when I suddenly remembered Elaine, she is too quiet since the time I arrived. I looked at her and greeted her, she greeted back. She gave me a smile but I could sense that she was only forcing herself to smile.

"What's wrong?" I asked her.

Again she gave me a fake smile. "N-nothing, I'm just not feeling well."

I wasn't convinced, not when I noticed her looking over her shoulder as if she was cautious of something.

"Jace, Elaine! What are you guys waiting for?" Gin called over us. They were already inside a cab by the time I turn at them. In the meantime, I already have forgotten about my concern with Elaine.

We had the reunion party at our old school. The school was still the same except that it was liquors and snacks that are on our desks. Surely enough, my former classmates never changed, bragging about their fiancee or their position in their jobs.

I didn't mean to brag but I was quite an eye for girls back then so some are fuming over me attending our reunion.

This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.

I am in the middle of a conversation when I noticed Elaine wasn't talking to anyone at the reunion party, instead, she was talking with someone over the phone. She looked like she wasn't enjoying at all, instead, she looked like she was frightened of something.

And when I saw her leave the party, my body automatically moves to go after her. I excused myself and walked as fast as I could. Once I am outside, I searched for a sign of Elaine's figure.

She was just turning to another hallway by the time I saw her. It felt strange by the way she walked tensely and so cautiously, that's why I became worried.

I followed her with quiet movements. She was still talking on the phone but I can't make out what she was saying at all. Then she suddenly stopped. I realized we had stopped at the back of the school, where students are rarely ever there because it is where the students are climbing up the wall to cut classes.

She was just standing there as if she was waiting for someone.

I was about to call out to her when I noticed five figures coming out of the shadows, going to where Elaine is. Curious, I hid back behind the wall to listen to their conversation.

The first person to talk is the person who is in front of Elaine, who seemed to be the leader of the group.

"So, did you get the money?"

Elaine said with a trembling voice. "I-I have them."

"Then where is it?"

"I will bring them tomorrow. I promise just come back tomorrow, and please don't involve my friends here."

My forehead creased, I somehow had the idea of what seems to be the problem.

"I told you, you three weeks to get the money. And you're past the due date, if you don't have it we'll take you instead." Said the man. "Your life is even not enough, we'll take your friends life as well."

Elaine almost cried when she said, "Please, I'm begging you, don't touch my friends!"

I think I heard enough. When I emerge from the wall I saw the man in front pulling out a knife and pointing it at her. My blood rushed through my veins. I immediately ran and attacked the first person I went to. I alerted the others so they all pull out their knives to attack me.

I swung one person down the ground and hit another one through their jaw. When I looked pass I caught the other one about to strike me with his knife. With the way he carelessly held the knife, it gave me the chance to step away and gave him a blow on his stomach which made him drop on his knees. My sneakers found his knife and I forcibly kicked it away.

I heard a curse behind me so I spun around as I did I gave him a kick in the face.

"What the f*ck! You told someone about us!" As soon as my feet hit the ground, I heard a scream. I was about to get rid of the remaining one when I got surprised by the knife already pointing at my direction.

Elaine is stayed hidden behind my back, my hands preventing her to come into the scene. While I am standing in between them I am checking through my peripheral vision if one of his subordinates had managed to get back on his feet.

"Leave!" I said.

The man raised an eyebrow. "Not until I get the money."

I gritted my teeth. "She said she doesn't have the money right? You won't get anything from her so I suggest you--"

"Jace!" I heard Elaine screamed, and I turned around and saw someone was already swinging his knife in my direction. I pushed Elaine back and grabbed the man's arm as fast as I could but I ended up cutting myself with his knife while I am keeping his hand imprisoned with my wounded hand.

"I said leave!"

At first, he wasn't budging but I saw his expression changed to a frightened one. The leader seems to be having the same expression because even he retreated from attempting to attack me.

Before I knew it, they all got on their feet and started running away from me. I stared, dumbfounded, unable to move when Elaine came running in my direction embracing me with her trembling body.

As I stood there, I looked at my wounded hand.

Just like before.

For some reason, whenever I am aggravated towards a certain person, they seem to notice something in me. I don't know what it is until I realize that they are already backing away from me. That is the reason why I avoided getting angry.

Still, it kept me wondering, what do they see in me when I am in that state?