The Luna Who Lived Twice

Chapter4

Blaire’s POV

“Please don’t drop me…” I repeated, my voice trembling as Rhys dashed down the empty hall.

He didn't answer me. Instead, he tightened his grip under my knees and his other hand at my back.

My heart thudded loudly. I was sure he could hear it too.

My gaze shifted to him for a second to his face. His skin was slightly pale and his eyes were…darker.

I blinked and tightened my arms around his neck.

I heard footsteps coming behind us.

Rhys stopped and looked back.

“Is it… them?” I whispered, my voice breaking.

Their shadows grew across the hall.

My breath hitched, and I almost panicked before Rhys said, “We need to get to a faster exit before they catch up.”

He was right. I looked around, there was no exit. Except…the eerie looking stairwell. The lights flickered and I slowly looked at Rhys. His gaze was already fixed on me like he was studying me.

“We have to,” he said, with a hardened expression.

My head felt lighter. I was already trembling.

“Oh…” I whispered.

His face softened, then it turned numb again.

He turned the other way, where the footsteps were coming from.

“What are you doing?” I asked, with a shallow breath.

“Hold on tight to me,” he clenched his jaw.

I knew how overboard my mind was going when I saw a glint of red in his eyes… at least what I thought I saw.

“O-okay,” I shuddered and held on tighter.

He walked confidently and the two guards walking in our direction slowed down as they saw us.

For a second, everything felt like it had stopped. My breathing, my thoughts… everything.

One of the guards suspected something was off. He frowned.

“Hey-”

Rhys didn’t slow down. I mumbled, signaling to him that we should slow down or else they’ll arrest us. But he ignored and his grip tightened once more.

My heart slammed harder against my ribs.

“Sir, everywhere is on lockdown, you can’t,” the other guard started.

Rhys stopped a few steps away from them. I could feel my bones wiggling.

Were we seriously doing this?

For a moment, none of them spoke.

Then Rhys said quietly, “You didn’t see us.”

It didn’t sound like a threat, it was like a command.

For a second, something flashed in Rhys’s eyes.

The guards looked at each other, then back at him.

I closed my eyes.

This was finally it.

I was waiting for them to grab us.

“Right…” one of them muttered, causing me to open my eyes slowly.

The other one nodded slowly, “Right.”

And just like that, they stepped aside.

My mind spun as we passed the emergency exit and reached the alley. The moment the door shut behind us, my head snapped towards him.

“What was that?” I screeched.

He ignored the question and carried me out of the alleyway to the open road. He scanned both sides before moving towards a black car.

I didn’t know it was his until he brought out the key remote and opened it. He dropped me carefully before going to the other side.

He started the car and acted like nothing happened back there.

“You’re not saying anything,” I finally said.

“What do you want to hear?” He replied.

“Everything!” I shrieked.

I wanted to know why he was helping me, why we walked past the guards unharmed and w-why…he didn’t let us go through the stairwell.

Rhys kept his eyes on the road regardless.

“The stairwell wasn’t the fastest way out, if that’s what you’re wondering.”

“No, that’s completely diff-” I paused. “Well, maybe it was. It was the closest exit out and for some reason you picked the harder option.”

“It was the closest, not the fastest,” he corrected.

“That doesn’t make sense still,”

“It does if you’re thinking clearly,” he said. “Right now you’re hurt and panicking, you can't calculate moves well.”

My fingers dug into my palm.

“Then explain it to me, since you’re the one thinking clearly.”

He exhaled slowly, like I was testing his patience.

“The lights were flickering,” he said.

“So?”

“You were already shaking.”