Chapter 2: Strange Mark II

I looked at the dim light sky soaring above and said “I need to get home soon, it’s already past 7,” I thought while I mounted my bike on the side of the road.

I felt a sensation, touch my face, then I gazed upon the surrounding nature full of admiration at that moment around me. I've seen the majestic beauty of nature of this very town quite often, but I've never gotten bored watching the surrounding greenery. Honestly embracing the life as a small folk of a small town isn't that bad, as I used to be a person who lived in a large city before we were sent to live here away.

At first, I hated living here because as a child forced to be separated away from everything you knew manages to make one slightly bitter for quite a time until I found a sort of acceptance, but I loved trees waved as they dance together with the gentle wild breeze of the wind.

In the states, it should winter season by now, but in here after the scorching heat of the summer, they're only the harsh storms that follow.

‘Dinner starts at 8:30 pm and Mom will arrive at 8 but first I gotta call home and ask the others what they want to eat.’ Then I moved my right arm to grab my phone from my right pocket and called home and waited for someone to answer.

A few minutes passed, I had managed to call twice, but so far no one answered any of my calls.

'Is there something wrong at home? No, I’m just thinking too much. They all probably went outside with the others again.'thought, but after several calls, none still had answered.

Then so I decided to move and head directly to one of my destinations before I officially head home, Dully's Restaurant.

Along the way ahead in front of me, I noticed a crowd of students gathered nearby.

Slowly I came to a halt in order to avoid any unwanted collisions or accidents.

It seems the crowd, mostly consisted of students from our school as I saw the coiling serpent mark of our alma mater.

I unmounted my bike and slowly I tried to bypass the crowd that was blocking my way.

As I approached closer I manage to figure out the cause of such a gathering.

"Ugh!... Hooligans from another school and it seems they are harassing someone and that a student who's trying to act like a hero from our school is trying to stop the harassment. Oh well, not my problem I'm not the hero type." I sighed inwardly as I try to stride along the crowd while I carefully manage my bike.

Then I began looking around and hoped nobody had taken notice.

A moment later and it seemed no one paid me any attention as the entirety of everyone's attention was focused. I sighed with relief, I felt as I don't want like a crisis had been averted.

Though truthfully, I should've been embarrassed hid behind a mask, but thankfully I have an average face that doesn't stand out.

I had blended with the surrounding company.

I heard nearby whispering "Someone please STOP them!" or "help him" whilst they pushed each other to interfere but so far none moved forward.

A young man who wore a white formal attire who seemed to be the leader of the group of hoodlums that was currently surrounded by fellow students was strutting shameless along in the middle of the crowd said.

"Can't you get out of my way? You are wasting my precious time interfering me. Ugh.. Get the hell out of my way fool and let me talk to her" as he stared furiously at the unfortunate fool who was blocking his way.

"No." The wannabe hero said determined tone while he mustered the courage to stand his ground, but regrettably, it seemed that everyone here knew that his body was shaking and was already at the limit.

He won't last long and eventually, he will cave in as fear visibly crept into his eyes. An admirable courage for standing up what's right.

One can even say that this scene was similar to David and Goliath were David stepped forward to protect as he bravely stood against someone stronger. Sadly, this wasn't a novel or a movie where the protagonist would eventually be triumphant but our reality.

No doubt he will get hurt in the end.

I know it's sad, but it's the truth.

"How long has this been going on?" I suddenly asked the person on my right that was closest to me, but it seemed that he has not even taken notice of me.

I was ignored by the person I asked even after I had said "Excuse me?" twice.

"About nearly half an hour." Suddenly I heard someone responded, but it wasn't the person on my right but rather it came from my left. A girl who wore a baseball cap dressed in a tattered old blue long sleeve, jeans who similarly dressed like a boy with an age of around 15-18 years old.

I looked at her with a thankful smile and she pleasantly smiled back at me and instantly somehow I felt a sense of obscure familiarity.

As the long moment passed as I looked at her eyes and I saw something I was deeply acquainted with.

For I've seen it since I was but a child.

The longing, sadness, regret, hardship, hatred, and above all was the loss of innocence.

This person too had suffered. And after a moment of self-thought and process of remembrance came out with nothing and yet a sense of connection lingered as I looked at her.

I knew for a fact that she wasn't a student at our school since she had a beautiful face that definitely would stand out.

As even in anonymity, her attractiveness failed to hide, her face oozes in cuteness, as her looks were definitely my type. Though thanks to the shadows cast by the crowd and the barely lit eerie night sky and even with distant surrounding lights I couldn't see her face completely. I knew instantly that she must have had dressed herself to hide in anonymity, though for some reason she reminded me of a friend of mine. A friend who she reminded me off was someone from my distant past who I had not seen since I was just a child, but that friend of mine as far as I could remember was a boy.

As she continued smiling finally she spoke again and said a pleasant "Hi!"

"Hello!" I quickly responded in the same manner of way.

"Do you know why this happened?" I asked.

"I guess, " she replied.

"While I was passing by earlier before this incident, I saw that girl wandering aimlessly around as she seemed lost and after a while, that boy accompanied by his friends approached her and offered some help to be her guide around till she found what she was looking for.

When suddenly those guys arrived here saying they came here to wait for their someone and when they saw her, that person who's wearing a black semi-formal dress was enticed by her beauty.

Attracted by her beauty those 'bullies' approached her too, and offered the same, but was stopped because for some reason that boy over there recognized him and rather than letting her join the frat boys, he told them "NO!" which agitated them and now we’re here"

Even while she explained to me what had transpired before that created this 'event' I still had my doubt whether or not I knew her, but definitely, there was without a doubt lingering a vague sense of connection and familiarity and I couldn't understand.

"Who are you? Have I met this person before?" My thoughts were as such.

‘Why does she remind me of him. Is she his sister? A relative? No. That's impossible. He was a sole remnant and I know that for a fact.’ But that kind of thoughts finally eluded me as the nearby tension grew more rapidly.

I looked closer at the group of delinquents and I had counted a total of nine and noticed that each and every one of them was equipped with the right arm with a black wristband with a symbol of a head of a stag.

"Tsk... This will be messy" I cursed silently for I've recognized that specific mark that belonged to a fraternity of troublesome college students. A troublesome group of delinquents whose leader was quite feared because he was rumored to have had some sort of association with a well-known criminal gang.

"Tsk.." I clicked my tongue in dissatisfaction and said.

"I would lend a hand, but it's not my problem and dealing with the aftermath would be an even bigger mess. The price of the fallout and revenge would be bigger if I interfere" While I procrastinated whether I should take action or not I looked at the source of this unpleasant strife and found gave me a slight shock for it was a girl.

The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.

Rather, if one could describe it more accurately was that she was a beautifully enticing red-haired foreigner with a pale white skin, slender body, she wore an equally beautiful white dress and on her right wrist lies what seemed to be a tattoo.

At the opposite ends of her white scarf, she wore around her neck flutter gently as it glides with the wind as if it was a pair set of wings.

A magnificently young girl who looked to be in her late teens could only possibly be described as a real-life fairy.

Such Beauty.

"No wonder, why that guy seemed to be more agitated as more time passed." I thought as I watch the scene where the leader of hooligans talked towards his crew. Well, It's true that in the past countries would fight and fall for such simple reasons."

"Let me talk to her or you're dead" The leader demanded with a heavy tone.

"No." The student said as he tried to maintain a brave front, but clearly, I could tell it was just a false bravado, but there should be a reason about his actions that he hasn't revealed yet.

"Arthur let's go." A female student with a braided hair hurriedly said while she was embraced by another friend.

"My great Boss and I are attending a very special party soon. I would like to ask that young lady to accompany me tonight and what you're doing right now is none of your business anyways." He looked at the fairy-like girl filled with lust and smiled maliciously while he said: "It's up to her whether she comes with us or not right?"

Still, the student repeated with answering with the word "No".

And with Arthur's adamant responses revealed a more agitated expression and shortened patience towards this situation.

I saw his tightly clenched his fist and his left brow twitched, but still, he tried so hard to remain calm and composed, as to show a facade of a gentleman whose courting a lady.

It's disgusting.

"Sorry I can't help you, please forgive for being a selfish person. I am not a hero nor will ever want to be after I'm just an innocent bystander. Even though nowadays I'm being called a villain and I don't care what others would say about me because I can't eat more than I can handle because I have already enough stuff on my plate" I spoke to within me.

A very young man who's caused this very scene spoke with a subtle threatening voice, "You are no knight but a fool!".

Suddenly an unnatural chill came to me and through the night was cold that time, even only for a moment I definitely felt an eerie and unnatural chill.

I looked around and search for the source, but it was all for naught.

Too crowded to see.

Still, I felt uncomfortable as If I'm currently being watched as I stood there and observing the ongoing quarrel with my heart suddenly jumped when I heard my phone rang amidst the crowd.

I then used my earpiece headset and place it on the right ear after I had looked at the caller ID. I knew the number quite well since I had contacted this place quite often as it belonged to my home and so I answered with a gleeful "Hello".

But.

A moment had passed later, after without hearing anything on the other end of the line.

I knew for a fact that there was someone on the other end because of a distinctive breathing on the other end.

Still, patiently I waited patiently while I watch the scene unraveled before me.

"Boss, he's got balls disrespecting you like this you gotta teach him a lesson." A young man with a wolf tattoo on the right side of his neck smiled deviously while he spoke.

"Your right Victor he has no respect towards me or our crew. Time is being wasted on useless chatter and as I have had patiently waited for nearly an hour for him to give in and to show respect towards that fairy but alas my patience has ended towards you.

You try to protect someone who's doesn't seem to care what you're doing. Look at her and feel be ashamed of your actions. Such a false and very misplaced bravado" As he spoke his eyes showed deep and ravaging fury that was becoming more of a deep and utter contempt towards the person who managed to infuriate him and this caused everyone's tension to grow even further.

"You little punk tries to aggravate me and my crew pointlessly. I am not your homeboy fool" The manner of the way he spoke changed drastically.

"My boss is coming soon and you'll be in a world of hurt and when that comes there is no one in here that can protect you from me." He smiled wickedly as he threatened the student who had managed to vex him.

Everyone's tension grew and the brave young student began sweating profusely.

I somehow caught a glimpse of the foreign girl standing calmly idly by while everything around her fell into this state because of her.

She's unnaturally too calm as if she was used to this kind of situation.

The vexed one snapped his finger to signal one of his crew to come forward and said: "Brad, Teach, this little punk a lesson he will never forget for disrespecting our crew." He declared thus a man who seemed to be in his mid 20's drew stepped forward and drew closer towards the student named Arthur.

As the confrontation grew more intense my patience finally bore fruit the familiar voice I waited for quite some time to hear answered back.

"I'm so sorry, I lost it." A familiar hesitant and trembling voice of a young girl spoke.

Baffled by her words I asked. "Ate! What did you lose?"

"The bracelet that grandma gave me before we left. I think someone had stolen it from me earlier."

"You lost what?" I spoke with a tone of anger, then I heard her voice shriek.

"Annie and I were walking earlier on the way to her house when we met her boyfriend and his friends. She and her boyfriend talked for about a few minutes about that party later on the pier tonight, but afterward, when they were about to leave one of his friends bumped into me and after they left five minutes later I noticed that it was gone."

"Ate did you checked if you dropped it?"

"I know I still had it after school ended and now I don't know. We looked for an hour and we traced our steps, but we did not find even a single trace or clue where it is."

"Did you inspect if Annie's boyfriend's crew somehow took it?"

"I tried suggesting it, but Annie got angry and she told me they won't ever do that and now she won't speak to me. I don't know what to do now and If Mom finds out that I lost it, she will surely get angry at me that I won't be able to go out of the house till I graduate college" I heard a soft sob then she began to cry over the phone.

Anger grew inside me for that bracelet sentimental value for us heavy as it was one of the great family heirlooms that were left behind by our ancestors that were given to us by our beloved grandmother.

I knew for a fact that she once told us that never we must never lose it since it was something that is very important to our family.

My mom told my grandmother that such thing should be hidden, but she disagreed and said that someone must always wear it.

For other than precious memories it was the last thing that she managed to give us before we left in a hurry.

My heart pounded faster at the thought the only memoir of our grandmother lost to us.

My anger boiled real deep, but still, I remain composed and my anger in check since I knew that the person who lost it was my dear sister.

A person I can't possibly be angry at.

I took several deep interval breaths to subside my anger. Still deep down I was furious, but I knew I had to let it go.

As I wallowed in self-restraint and deep thought I had finally noticed that the girl was already gone.

I smiled and silently said, "Till we meet again."

"No, Arthur!!!"

Then I heard screams and cries, then a sound of a fist colliding with someone's face, followed by another sound of an object that crashed on the floor.

Even without looking at the cause I knew what had already had happened.

That stubborn kid took a definite stand and now he took a definite hit which landed him on the floor.

That hooligan named Brad punched Arthur directly in the face that caused the boy to collapse on the floor and his blood spilled out of his nose. I could see the fury on the faces of his friends as they immediately rushed towards him.

I saw one of his female friends kneeled hastily and placed Arthur's barely conscious head directly on top of her legs as she cried, filled with sorrow, hate, and anger as they heard his painful groans.

"Arthur"

Several worried voices murmured none stop. Although Arthur's schoolmate was silently listening to the conversation between him and the delinquent, they were also looking at each other with fear-stricken eyes and full of worries.

"You bastards" As one of Arthur's friends yelled in anger.

I sensed all of his friend's perturbation as do mine.

Well, after I'm not a heartless person.

"I heard screams what's going on?" My sister worried question after she heard vaguely of the troubles that transpired before me and so I had responded hastily to lessen her worries.

"In less than an hour, I'll be home we'll talk, then" And hastily turned my phone off.

Taking another glance at Arthur's collapse body I decided to finally leave this place filled with dread.

“Uh…”

“Arthur!”

"Sarah!"

With Arthur raises a groan and slowly opening his eyes, The girl who was beside him called out Arthur's name with an anxious voice mixed with relief. The boy named Arthur finally regained some sense after he spaced out for several moments, though he could only stare at her and finally opened his mouth.

"I'm sorry Sarah but I have to do this"

Sarah tried to wipe the tears off her face, which fell on the boy's face. Sound as she tried to calm herself and said with a worried and understanding voice "I know" then tried to smile as beautiful as she could in order to hide her distress.

"It's not my business to interfere. I'm sorry, " I felt pain and regret after I had silently spoken those words.

I turned back with my heart filled with regret when I heard everyone loud gasps filled with shock and awe.

I looked back and saw Arthur stood up as he musters more courage within him. Anyone can see that he could barely even maintain a standing upright posture.

As scream and worried friends tried to stop him.

His eyes filled with determination, but his body's constitution greatly weakened. After all, by the sound of that last blow, he took some serious damage on both his body and psyche.

A powerful punch meant to knock someone out.

And now everyone saw the value of his determination as somehow he recovered from his concussion.

"I.. I.. Ne. Nev" Arthur spoke, but could barely finish talking the leader of that group spoke inquisitively.

"Bravo" Then clap twice and smiled. "What fool? We can't hear you so speak louder"

"I.. I'll"

"I'll ne... Never let"

"What?"

"I'll never let something like" His voice trembled as he tried to so hard to breathe.

"I'll never let someone like that ever happen in front of me ever again"

"What are you talking about?" The leader was baffled as to what the young man in front of him declared.

Confusion appeared on everyone's face could be seen as to what this courageous young man declared.

But for me who could see his friends clearly knew what those words meant.

Their faces turned pale and at the same time within their eyes that earlier was filled with eerie and dread was now replaced by admiration and inspiration.

Truly they understood the words and courage of their dear friend.

"Ha-ha!" A sudden mad laughter engulfed filled everyone's ear.

"Foolish... What utter foolishness... You could've ended this by staying on the floor or by giving up standing against me earlier."

"Ha-ha! You're not a shining knight nor a hero. Do you think this is a novel? You're just a coward who wants to be a hero. A phony spineless coward who can't even fight back and only knows how to take a punch.

And like my friend said earlier that you are no knight but a fool!".

He moved closer towards Arthur and said "And so this meeting is adjourned with you lying on the cold floor"

A bold and malicious declaration with the intent to end this little confrontation with Arthur's either unconscious or something far worse.

Once again I silently said "Sorry, can't help you it's none of my business and I have no reason to interfere" and looked around and saw each and everyone's face.

The crowd had the mixture of different expressions filled with sympathy, disdain, anger, pity, regret and other raging emotions.

Towards Arthur's male friends held fury and contempt that was about to explode at any moment.

And the delinquent's crew had a mixture of anger and pleasure as if they were looking for a fight, to begin with.

But above all, the person who can be described as the probable source of this strife was shockingly still both calm and composed.

This will not end well if I stayed here and so as I began to try to move slowly and silently, but before I could manage finally I leave I took one last glance at the crowd and saw something unexpected that made my shocked my heart and filled it with something other than worry.

"My boss is coming soon so I'll personally and end this. Know this fool that even if you call the police they will never apprehend or touch me." The young man said as he patiently took off his formal jacket and handed it out carefully to one of his lackeys.

Afterward, he pulled his sleeve drew himself closer than less than feet to confront his desired opponent without the hesitation of any consequence that would come after.

Everyone's expressions were dyed in despair when they saw what was about to happen.

Arthur desperately stood up using Sarah as a leverage.

At that time, the young man had already approached him and swung his right fist swiftly and without the slightest hint of hesitation he said: "Die".

A loud scream could be heard filled with panic and dread and the world suddenly felt it was dipped in utter chaos.

A hopeless scenario filled with grief and strife.

A place I've been before.

My heart skipped a beat as the distant memory flashed before me.

Then a moment had passed and the world once again moved forward when I heard a voice full of sorrow and helplessness pleading with all heart while she trembled.

"My Lord, please help us!"

The sound of two large objects collided could be heard, followed by the loud, wild gasps of the witnesses, and then as if an unforeseen coincidence occurred the street light directly above us suddenly turned dim, and thus shrouding us with an uncomfortable eerie darkness.

One moment I felt a force stronger than the wind then the next the shocking gasp and stare at us all.

Awkwardly, I tried to smile to lighten the mood, but to no avail, then I muttered to myself.

"Damn it. Not this again."