Not because I didn't want to join them.
My mind was simply somewhere else.
Still inside that bathroom.
Still staring at those impossible black eyes.
Still trying to convince myself I hadn't actually seen them.
The sound of laughter pulled me back.
Dak was already introducing himself.
Of course he was.
The man could start a conversation with a wall.
"Good evening, ladies."
The girls immediately laughed.
Ozias covered his face.
Matthew groaned.
Kael looked like he wanted to disappear.
Dak looked proud.
Very proud.
Far too proud.
Around the table sat four women.
All beautiful.
All around our age.
And all clearly entertained by the idiots standing in front of them.
One of them stood first.
Short brown hair.
Green eyes.
A tattoo of a rose surrounded by thorns wrapped around her neck.
A simple white dress reached her ankles.
"My name is Daiana."
Dak immediately grabbed her hand.
"I am honored."
The table exploded into laughter.
Daiana blinked twice before laughing herself.
"What a gentleman."
"I try."
"No, seriously."
"I know."
Ozias nearly choked.
"This guy..."
The introductions continued.
Daiana.
Rebekah.
Natalia.
Mei.
Each introduced themselves.
Each shook hands with us.
Each slowly realized they had invited five complete idiots to their table.
Eventually everyone sat down.
Dak immediately claimed the seat beside Daiana.
Nobody was surprised.
Kael sat beside Ana.
Ozias beside Kael.
Matthew ended up beside Mei.
Meanwhile I found myself sitting between Natalia and Rebekah.
Conversation started naturally.
The girls talked about themselves.
Their studies.
Their hobbies.
Their plans.
The boys responded with stories that probably should never have left our mouths.
Especially Dak.
Especially Kael.
And unfortunately...
Especially me.
Before long, everyone knew about the football incident.
The own goal.
The chase.
The suspension.
The disaster.
The girls couldn't stop laughing.
I wanted to disappear.
"So you really made him score an own goal?"
Natalia asked.
"Yes."
"Why?"
"Because I lost a bet."
"That's not a reason."
"It was to me."
The table erupted again.
Even I laughed.
For a while...
Everything felt normal.
The weird incident in the bathroom.
The reflection.
The black eyes.
All of it faded.
Not completely.
Just enough.
Hours passed.
More drinks arrived.
The rain outside grew stronger.
Thunder rolled across the city.
Raven's Bar slowly became emptier.
Yet our table remained loud.
Alive.
Full of laughter.
Dak was trying to flirt.
Badly.
Kael was somehow making it worse.
Ozias was enjoying every second of it.
Matthew mostly observed.
Like always.
Watching.
Listening.
Thinking.
Every now and then his eyes drifted toward me.
Checking.
Making sure I was alright.
The bastard wasn't subtle.
At some point, Natalia nudged my arm.
"You've been quiet."
I looked at her.
"What?"
"You."
She smiled.
"You spend more time observing than talking."
"I talk."
"Not much."
"Enough."
"No."
Even Rebekah laughed.
I shook my head.
Maybe she wasn't wrong.
Normally I'd be causing trouble alongside Dak.
Normally I'd be the loudest one here.
Tonight...
Something felt off.
Something I couldn't explain.
Eventually Matthew stood.
"I'm getting more drinks."
He looked at me.
"You coming?"
"Sure."
I stood.
The others barely noticed.
They were too busy laughing at another story Dak was telling.
Probably a lie.
We walked toward the bar.
Raven saw us approaching and smirked.
"More whiskey?"
"You know us too well."
"Unfortunately."
A few minutes later he handed us another tray.
Matthew grabbed it.
I picked up several glasses.
Then we started walking back.
"What do you think about the girls?"
Matthew suddenly asked.
I looked at him.
"Random question."
"Answer it."
I sighed.
"Natalia is beautiful."
Matthew nodded.
"She is."
"What about you?"
He thought for a moment.
"Maybe Mei."
That surprised me.
"Really?"
"Yeah."
I laughed.
"She gives me older sister vibes."
Matthew almost dropped the tray.
"What?"
"I don't know."
He started laughing.
I laughed too.
Then...
Pain.
A sudden sharp pain exploded inside my skull.
My smile vanished.
The floor tilted.
The tray almost slipped from Matthew's hands.
My vision blurred.
Everything became distorted.
"Zeven?"
Matthew immediately noticed.
"You okay?"
I tried answering.
Nothing came out.
My heartbeat accelerated.
Faster.
Faster.
Faster.
Like a war drum inside my chest.
The pain spread through my entire body.
Every vein.
Every muscle.
Every bone.
Burning.
My eyes felt like they were on fire.
Like someone had shoved molten metal directly into them.
I grabbed my face.
My knees hit the floor.
Hard.
Crash.
Glasses shattered.
The entire bar went silent.
"ZEVEN!"
Matthew dropped beside me.
I couldn't see.
Couldn't breathe.
Couldn't think.
Only pain existed.
Pure agony.
My body convulsed.
The burning intensified.
People were shouting.
Chairs scraped against the floor.
Footsteps rushed toward us.
"WHAT HAPPENED?!"
Dak's voice.
Panicked.
"I DON'T KNOW!"
Matthew shouted back.
"He just collapsed!"
Suddenly another wave of pain hit.
Stronger.
Far stronger.
I screamed.
The sound echoed through the entire bar.
Several people backed away.
Even Raven looked alarmed.
Dak dropped beside me.
Kael arrived a second later.
Ozias right behind him.
All three looked terrified.
And that scared me more than the pain.
Because these idiots never looked scared.
Matthew placed a hand against my forehead.
His expression changed instantly.
"He is burning."
The words froze everyone.
"What do you mean burning?"
Kael asked.
"His temperature."
Matthew swallowed.
"It's insane."
Dak stood immediately.
"Hospital."
Nobody argued.
Not a single second.
Ozias already had the keys.
"I'm getting the car."
He sprinted outside.
"Help me."
Dak grabbed one arm.
Kael grabbed the other.
Together they lifted me.
I barely felt it.
My entire body felt distant.
Heavy.
Wrong.
The girls stood frozen.
Ana covered her mouth.
Daiana looked pale.
Natalia looked terrified.
Mei had completely lost her calm expression.
Nobody knew what was happening.
Neither did we.
"Move!"
Dak shouted.
Raven immediately stepped forward.
"Everyone clear the way!"
The crowd parted.
Instantly.
The cold rain hit us the moment we stepped outside.
Heavy.
Relentless.
The storm had grown violent.
Lightning split the sky.
Thunder shook the streets.
Ozias had already pulled the Mustang to the entrance.
The engine roared.
Waiting.
Dak opened the back door.
They tried putting me inside.
Kael stopped them.
"Wait."
Everyone looked at him.
"Support him."
Dak immediately understood.
The back seat filled quickly.
Dak climbed in first.
Ozias took one side.
Kael took the other.
Together they held me upright.
Making sure I didn't fall.
Making sure I could breathe.
Matthew slammed the driver's door shut.
His hands gripped the steering wheel.
Hard.
Too hard.
"Everyone ready?"
Nobody answered.
Nobody needed to.
Matthew pressed the accelerator.
The Mustang exploded forward.
VROOOOOOM!
Rain hammered the windshield.
Streetlights blurred past.
The city became a stream of colors.
Red.
Yellow.
White.
Inside the car, silence ruled.
Not because nobody wanted to speak.
Because nobody knew what to say.
For eighteen years...
Nothing strange had ever happened to me.
Now, in a single night...
I had seen impossible eyes.
Twice.
And now my body felt like it was tearing itself apart.
Matthew looked at me through the rearview mirror.
Fear filled his eyes.
Real fear.
The kind he never showed.
The Mustang disappeared into the storm.
Leaving Raven's Bar behind.
Leaving normal life behind.
Without any of us realizing it...
The world we knew had already begun to crack.