Chapter 1: When the Barking Fades
Every escape is a step into the unknown.
But who is watching that step?"
The dogs were chasing them, and the entire scene resembled a ridiculous chase from a movie. The barking echoed in their ears like a deafening fog enveloping them completely. Selina glanced at Elian, then at the pack rushing after them along the wet pavement, nicknamed the Bridge of Lost Stars. Her breathing was labored, and her long chocolate-colored hair, escaping from her hood, clung to her face, gleaming caramel under the streetlights. Her green chameleon eyes burned with a defiant fire, and her short leather jacket and light jeans were already stained with dirt.
Elian looked as provocative as ever: his long leather coat flapped behind him, and his disheveled hair seemed to mock the rain. His gray eyes, like thunder, flashed with tension.
— Remind me why I’m friends with you?! — he shouted, jumping over a trash can that nearly toppled under his weight.
Selina turned, her smile more like a challenge.
— Because without me, your life would be way too boring!
— Boring? I’m practically on the dinner menu for these dogs! — he barked, slipping but managing to stay on his feet.
The street suddenly turned sharply, and they found themselves facing a dead end. A tall brick wall topped with rusty barbed wire blocked their path.
— Perfect! Just perfect! Damn nature defenders! — Elian muttered, stopping beside her and clutching his side, breathing heavily.
— I can do a lot of things, but flying isn’t on my talent list, — he added with sarcasm.
Selina ran her hand across her face, brushing back wet hair, and snapped.
— Less talking, more doing. You’re the master of improvisation, aren’t you? — she said sharply, boosting him closer to the wall.
— Me?! — he protested, but under the pressure of her gaze, he complied. He laced his fingers together and leaned forward to lift her to the wall.
— Come on, just no extra falls! I’d feel bad saving you twice. — Selina stepped onto his hands, pushed off, and grabbed the edge of the wall.
— Hurry up before they figure out how to fly! — she shouted, pulling herself up.
— Some friendship... — he muttered, jumping onto the wall at the last moment, just as one of the dogs managed to grab the edge of his coat. He tore it off, leaving it in the dog’s teeth, and deftly flipped over the wall. Landing next to her, he exhaled heavily.
— I hope that coat wasn’t too expensive, — he grumbled, inspecting the torn sleeve.
She couldn’t help but laugh.
— Now you’ll have another reason to complain when someone asks about our adventure.
The dogs barked furiously on the other side of the wall, but they were cut off from them. They looked around and found themselves in a quiet alley where the city noise dissolved into the nighttime stillness. The warm light of an old streetlamp illuminated the alley, which smelled of baked goods.
— What a friendship — he muttered, shaking off dirt. Selina smirked and tugged him by the sleeve.
— Don’t relax, improvisation master. We still need to find shelter.
A few minutes later, they found themselves in a small café tucked between buildings. The warm light of lamps created a cozy atmosphere, and the smell of coffee and freshly baked pastries reminded them that the world could still be calm.
Elian sank onto a soft couch and exhaled heavily.
— You know, if someone told me I’d be running from dogs because of you, I wouldn’t have believed it.
Selina barely hid a smile as she poured herself a cup of tea.
— Turns out, you’re not a bad runner. Maybe you should start training? I’m afraid you won’t make it next time.
— Next time? — he raised an eyebrow. — You’re planning something, aren’t you?
She put on an innocent face, but her mysterious smile only heightened Elian’s suspicions. He wrapped his hands around his coffee mug and shook his head with a smirk.
— Remind me why I agreed to this? I’ve never run from the park to the city before. The distance isn’t huge, but still.
Selina, adjusting her hair, lazily stirred her tea.
— Because you adore me. Though, honestly, you rarely admit it.
— Adore? That’s a bit much, — he scoffed. — More like I just can’t leave you alone. You’d drag someone else into trouble. But who’s saving me?
Selina pretended to think.
— Hmm, you? Though maybe it’s not saving, but just keeping in shape.
Elian squinted.
— Keeping in shape? Well, if this is a sport, I deserve a medal for endurance. Running from dogs because of your... ahem, plans isn’t exactly in the friendship contract.
She laughed.
— Fine, next time I’ll treat you to lunch to make up for it.
— Lunch? — he asked suspiciously.
— This isn’t one of those promises that sounds good but ends in another chase, right?
She pretended not to hear, engrossed in her pastry.
Their playful banter continued at the café table. Elian, waving a spoon, recounted another incredible story about how he “accidentally” ended up in a restricted zone at a city festival.
— And so, imagine, I’m on stage with a microphone, and the security is already rushing toward me. What do I do? Of course, I start singing! — he grinned, waiting for her reaction.
Selina burst into laughter, slapping the table.
— Singing? You’re absolutely crazy! Their jokes were interrupted by the chime of the doorbell. The air smelled of coffee, but suddenly it felt cold. A tall man entered the café. His formal suit starkly contrasted with the cozy atmosphere. His gaze swept across the room, lingering on the pair whose laughter was louder than anything else.
Elian was the first to notice him.
— Looks like we’ve got a new guest. And he’s clearly not here for pastries.
Selina turned and met Kylin’s gaze. Her heart skipped a beat, then raced faster. His eyes — cold and deep, like raven wings — seemed to read between the lines as they skimmed over her. A faint shadow of a smirk touched his lips, adding charm to his rugged features.
She tried to hide her emotions, but her reaction betrayed her completely. Kylin was far too skilled at reading people.
— Who’s that? — Elian asked, his gaze shifting between them, noting every detail with interest.
— It’s... a long story, — she muttered, feeling a familiar sensation pierce her back: a mix of anxiety and something inexplicably warm, like fear and anticipation wrestling for a place in her soul.
Kylin, taking his order, walked straight to their table, his gaze never leaving hers. Inside the café, it became unexpectedly quiet, as if everyone had frozen.
— Selina, — his voice, deep and restrained, cut through the silence. — I didn’t expect to see you in a place like this.
Elian smirked, raising an eyebrow.
— Oh, have we become a dating club? Or did you volunteer to join us?
Kylin turned his sharp, cold gaze on Elian, a faint smirk playing at the corners of his lips.
— And who are you to decide where I go?
Selina quickly stood, breaking the silent battle of stares between the two men.
— Kylin, Elian... Elian, Kylin. Now you’re acquainted.
Elian shrugged and added with a smirk.
— Well, hello, Kylin. You seem to like dramatic entrances. I have a few questions, but I think I’ll start by asking what you’re doing here.
Kylin didn’t take his eyes off Selina.
— Shouldn’t I be asking you the same thing?
She felt the tension in his tone grow, but she couldn’t grasp what lay behind it.
— Well — he stepped back, as if preparing to leave — it seems I picked the wrong time for a visit. But we’ll meet again, Selina.
— Meet again? — she frowned. — That sounds like a threat.
He smirked, shaking his head.
— No, more like a fact.
Elian couldn’t hold back.
— Oh, this is getting even more interesting. Selina, you sure you don’t want to explain what’s going on here?
She ignored him, turning to Kylin.
— You’re not going to say why you’re here, are you?
— Not today, — he replied with a faint smirk and turned to leave.
When the café door closed behind him, Elian turned to her.
— All right, your turn to explain who this mysterious guy is.
Selina shrugged, trying to appear carefree, but inside, she felt her heart beat faster.
— Just... an old acquaintance. Nothing special.
— Nothing special, — he drawled with sarcasm. — Considering how he looked at you, it’s more than "nothing." You even went pale.
She finished her cherry-flavored tea, focusing on its taste rather than Elian’s words.
— Even if it is, I’m not ready to talk about it now.
Elian smirked.
— Well, watch yourself. My third eye doesn’t sleep.
She nearly choked on her laughter, reminding herself that this charmer could blurt out anything at the wrong time and place.