Page 47 of Black Castle

“See you later.” Kenji throws his arms around her in a quick hug, patting her head gently before pulling away.

The walk with Banks out of the school is a quiet and awkward one. For Vivienne, it’s out of character for Banks to be near her without some flirtatious banter. She doesn’t know what Kenji told him that suddenly made the boy so quiet, just like she wanted him, except she didn’t think it would be this awkward.

“Are you okay?” Banks finally breaks the silence.

“Yeah, yeah.” She nods, forcing out a smile to ease the tension. “I’m fine.”

“Are you sure?” he asks again, his warm eyes shadowed with concern.

“Okay…” He nods, a smile just a ghostly presence on his lips now.

As they reach the parking lot, she feels the sudden vibration of her phone against her hip. Digging her hand into the pocket of her blazer, she retrieves the phone, the buzz louder now.

The onscreen name evokes a sensation akin to an invisible embrace. And suddenly, she finds herself smiling.

“Hi,” she says the moment she presses the phone to her ear.

Out of the corner of her eye, a curious glance from Banks catches her attention.

“Are you having an after-school program or something?” Lucan sounds rather frustrated. And hearing his deep voice, her heart leaps with excitement.

“Sorry?”

“You close at 2:30 pm, or no?”

She peels the phone off her ear to check the time. It’s 3:05. “Yeah, why?”

“What are you still doing inside then?” he demands.

Pausing by Banks’ black Saab, her brow furrows even deeper. A resounding click echoes in the parking lot as Banks unlocks the car.

“Hey.” She switches the phone to another ear, her right hand hovering over the handle of the car’s passenger door. “What are you on about, exactly?”

“I’m…” he starts, then pauses.

“What?” She throws an apologetic smile at Banks, who is by the driver side, patiently waiting for her.

“Are you still inside the school right now?”

“I’m already out,” she replies impatiently. “But what exactly is the problem? You sound like you are waiting for me or something which is crazy because I spoke to you a few hours ago and you were in Russia.”

“I never told you I was in Russia.” His reply suddenly fills her with hopes and questions, especially hope. She glances around the parking lot, searching.

“What’s going on?”

“I think it’s a bad idea to step into that car.”

“What the—” she begins, only to be interrupted by a soft honking on her left. Her head snaps in the direction.

A shiny black car is parked a short distance to her left in the teacher’s parking lot. Even with tinted windows, she senses his gaze intensely scrutinizing her.

“Are you for real right now?” She slams Banks’ car door shut.

“I have been waiting for hours,” Lucan murmurs, the quiet rustle of paper evident in the background.

“Is everything okay?” Banks walks around the car to her, curiosity etched in the furrow of his brows. “Is the car here for you?”

She nods, peeling the phone off her ear slowly.

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