12 Nope

"What do you want?" he asked impatiently, glancing around to see if anyone else was nearby.

"Don't worry. There's no one here."

"How do you know?"

"You're supposed to be the invisible guard, right?" I teased him.

Ever since he answered my call, it was clear that I was the dominant one.

I wondered if I should keep a butter knife with me at all times. It had a blunt edge, so I couldn't kill anyone easily if they were innocent, but it was still a knife. Given enough force, I was unstoppable.

"Just hurry up. What do you want me for?"

"This kid, Felix. Is he one of you?"

"Felix? Felix Garrison?"

"So you do know him."

"Of course I do. I need to know everyone that's around you."

"So he's one of yours?"

"No, he's really Mr. Garrison's son, and I hope you don't start using your butter knife against him."

Too late, I already did. 😜

"Then I'm assuming the reason everyone is staying away from me is because of you?"

"I was doing everyone a favor."

"What about Felix then? Why is he still stuck with me?"

"Wasn't it you who followed him through the gate?"

"Me? I just wanted... bread."

Shit. Did I just get baited by food? And to think I followed him all the way and didn't get any.

Oh, he was good, this 'kid'.

Grabbing my butter knife, I stood up and started to head back.

"Hey, where are you going with that? I told you to put it down. Oi!"

"He's one of you, isn't he?"

"What part of the conversation did you not understand? I told you he wasn't."

"How can I believe your words just like that? For all I know, that could be what the older brother ordered you to say."

"Fine. What do you want me to do to get you to believe me?"

"Easy. Kill the—"

"Nope. No can do."

"But you haven't even heard what I wanted to say."

"Anything else other than killing someone or something."

Maybe I should have ended my words with 'kill' instead of starting with it.

"Fine," I sighed, lowering the butter knife but still keeping a firm grip on it. "Then tell me, Ryder, why is Felix so interested in me? What's his angle?"

Ryder raised an eyebrow. "Maybe he's just a curious kid. Not everything is a conspiracy."

"I find that hard to believe," I muttered. "Especially in this place."

Ryder stepped closer, his expression softening slightly. "Look, I get it. Trust isn't easy for you. But sometimes, people are just people. Felix probably just wants a friend."

"A friend?" I scoffed. "I don't need friends."

"Everyone needs friends," Ryder said quietly. "Even you, Kylin."

I looked away, not wanting to admit that his words had struck a chord. "Fine. I'll give him a chance. But if he tries anything suspicious, I'll deal with him my way."

"Fair enough," Ryder said, stepping back. "Just... try to keep the butter knife out of it."

"No promises," I replied with a smirk. 😏

As I walked away, I couldn't help but feel a mix of frustration and curiosity. Felix was an enigma, and now I had to decide whether to trust him or stay on guard. Either way, this place was full of surprises, and I had to be ready for whatever came next.