Call {21}

Lev was confused, so incredibly confused as he watched her expression change from a simple smile to one of pure fear.

Her eyes had trailed that bus as it brushed them bye, yet he did not expect her ear-wrenching scream that left her lips to startle him.

After running to a halt, Skye grabbed his collar, her face inches from his own.

"Call him Lev! Call Jax right now"

What?

Her grip remained steadfast, his shirt crumpling within her fingertips. He held his breath, eyes scrunching.

"What the hell is going on? Skye! Let go!"

Quickly, his arm shot to her wrist holding him tightly, needing an explanation. He caught her sleeve, pulling it from his neck before Skye released, eyes wide.

She took a shaky step back, her lips cursing slightly at her own actions.

They had almost touched- the memories, all at a simple impulse. What was she thinking. Clearing her mind, she instinctually wrapped the warmth around her, feeling fate's mocking chill watching her.

Still, she gazed up, and they linked eyes- her blue, endless pools making his insides squirm. It was the feeling of dread that she was radiating, it was fearful.

She straitened up, clearly trying to suppress whatever was running free through her mind that was making her anxious. "I will explain after, just please trust me and do as I say! I'm serious!"

"Why?" He breathed, eyeing her with morbid curiosity, his hair pulling with the wind, trying not to keel over.

Her head dropped. "Do it!" She rushed, her coat whipping round while she tried to flag down that bus; arms flailing, shouting at the top of her lungs.

People were staring. And yet he was rooted to the spot- he did not share her sense of urgency, but did feel her panic which was what kept him in place.

He swallowed, reaching for her shoulder gently, trying to remove the state of regret that he had no idea was coming over him, "Hey, what the hell is happening… are you sure you're alright? You're kinda freaking me out"

Skye shot around, faster than he could react and reached for his wrist, "Lev!" She growled, her voice laced with aged experience, "It is a simple request. What do you not understand? Call him!"

Her soft eyebrows frowned deeply while her piercing eyes pinned his own. If he didn't know any better, he would have thought she was threatening him.

She sighed, her countenance lightening up with an eased breath. She still held onto him, and had a stronger grip than he realised. "Do it!"

Giving in, Lev dived for his phone, pulling on it quickly, and with expert fingers tapped Jax's contact number; the phone ringing between them.

It was too silent, the wind had died around them as if to make way for the hammering of their hearts to become audible.

A distorted sound rang through and Skye bit her lip dry, waiting with control over her entire being not to snap the device in two for taking too long.

It was only when she could hear a familiar voice did her breath lighten. "Lev? What are you calling for-"

"No time, give it here!" She ordered, fingers wrapped around the phone before yanking it to her ear.

She faced away peevishly, staring the bus down in the distance. "Can you hear me Jax?"

Within the bus, the chilling air warmed and he shuffled in his seat, not understanding why Skye had taken his friends phone. "Yes, I can hear you? Why? What's all this for?"

She rolled her eyes. Humans and their curiosity, couldn't be tamed.

Skye spoke the words in her head briefly before speaking then aloud.

"I need you to get off that bus as soon as possible and make sure no one follows you.." she cleared her throat, eyes glued to the bus, "especially the woman next to you, she is not what you think she is, be careful"

Jax froze, the phone held to his ear suddenly feeling all to heavy for his feeble fingers. Usually, he would dismiss such words as a prank, but the way she spoke them… she sounded… scared out of her wits.

He whispered back, unconsciously leaning ever so slightly away from the woman next to him "You're not pulling my hair here are you?"

His gaze wondered.

"No, I'm serious in every sense of the word"

Jax felt his body contract, feeling as if the movement of the bus had an intent to kill him.

He swallowed before speaking quietly, "This better not be a joke or you're dead, I don't do well with scares"

"In a situation like this I hardly think it's the time to jest" Skye retorted, frustration seeping through, "Get off at the next one, a friend of mine will see you there"

Jax swore.

She was serious.

"What does this friend look like?" He asked, growing paranoid.

Jax held the phone close to him as he smiled politely to his right, the window seat getting far too suffocating for him to remain.

Skye sighed, "She is the same one from the cafe, she will have a feather around her neck"

Jax swallowed nervously, "Got it"

The mechanised version through the phone made her stomach swirl, he did not sound calm, rather a forced contempt.

Reaching hesitantly for the stop button on the nearest beam to signal the driver, the woman beside him halted Jax's arm with her impeding gaze and spoke up. Her voice was shy, tucking a strand of loose marron hair behind her ear, "Already?" She contemplated, looking toward the button he were reaching for. "Im sorry if I intrude, but I couldn't help but notice when you got on you paid for a further stop than the next one, what changed your mind?"

Jax blinked, mind humming with confusion. What. The. Heck.

She lowered her gaze, lips trembling slightly, "I'm sorry if that sounds rude, I'm just a curious person and notice small things in people, it's habit I'm afraid"

She shifted, clearly nervous… or uncomfortable which… felt off.

"Please forgive me, you don't have to answer that question, I let my curiosity slip"

Jax was spooked, but beside the odd tug on the heartstrings, the woman didn't seem dangerous, rather, timid. In fact, with her tied up hair and mannerisms… she appeared to just be a normal person…

Yet he couldn't reach for the button with her in the way, and he had seen enough movies to know that was a red flag. He was cautious.

Retracting his arm gently and hoisting the phone to be held through his chin and shoulder like a busy man he replied, "Got a call, an emergency back home so I have to get off as soon as possible"

The small woman nodded in understanding, completely innocent; her lips curving to a delicate smile.

Jax couldn't help the bubble of confusion stir within. Was he just being an idiot. Was this some prank? She seemed entirely harmless…

"Jax? Can you still hear me?"

Startling him, he could hear a quiet Skye through the phone, and by the looks of things, he wasn't the only one.

She adjusted her seating, facing him, "Jax is it? Or did I hear incorrectly?"

He swallowed- shit.

"Yes…" he stammered, "That is my name, and yours?"

She laughed gently, "Loralei, my name is Loralei, it's lovely to meet you Jax"

"Likewise"

He daren't shake her hand.

Skye could hear her voice, barely over a murmur through the phone, Lev beside her, dead silent.

What was Jax doing?

He sat, eyes darting anywhere but on her own hazel brown ones, phone still secured on his ear. Why was this so hard? All he had to do was leave the bus but she wasn't letting him?

Skye's words echoed in his head and he went pale.

'She is not what you think she is'

Was she right?

So with the silence he attempted to reach for the button again but the woman quickly reacted, shaking her head displeasingly and placing a gentle hand on his arm.

He froze.

"Are you sure it's an emergency? It didn't seem like it by her tone of voice" Loralei uttered, chillingly unaltered by her own moves.

Who's voice? Did she mean Skye?

Jax didn't know how to respond, fidgeting in his seat while finding his eyes lay heavy on the hand that irritated him. Another red flag.

Loralei noticed him tense beneath her touch and released, dropping her head gravely, as if suddenly waking up, "I'm sorry, that was inappropriate of me" her voice was strained.

Right bet it was.

Jax convincingly shrugged as if it did not bother him, but the feeling lingered, it most certainly did.

So the button was a no-go… what now? Wait for another to get off and follow? But who knows how long that would take… and they were nearing the first stop to begin with.

Speaking promptly to the phone he whispered, "I can't get off for the emergency, you are going to have to sort it yourselves"

Loralei piped up, priming an expert ear toward him- not that you would have noticed unless seemingly searching for it. Continuing on, Jax sighed, "Maybe even get your friend to help more if she's on the way because I won't be able to get there on time, which- I know- makes me feel like I'm not doing my best when I really am, it's the driver, he's so slow he's basically trapping us aboard"

He frowned, plying the persona of a person he knew to be serious… and it was working, from an outside view you would be none-the wiser that he tried to tell Skye this woman was not letting him leave, nor that this mutual friend would not meet him at the next stop with him not getting off there.

He hung up, like a man angry; placing the phone in his side pocket all while playing the concerned friend unable to help in an Emergancy. Not all the concern was fake.

So with a short side-glance toward Loralei who held no stark expression, he knew she had not caught on- even by eavesdropping.

His knitted brows loosened at the revelation, feeling slightly guilty for ending the call so abruptly and hoped they would not call back.

He was worried, genuinely frightened that this woman- Loralei- would not let him leave. All Jax wished for was that for whoever could hear his wild thoughts, aided Skye and Lev to understand what he meant.

He had faith.

-

"I have no idea what the hell he just said" Skye muttered frustratedly to Lev, holding the phone toward him in offering.

He hung up. Great.

What the hell was that last message?

"Do you know what he meant Lev? You know him better than I do?" Skye paced, agitation threatening to spill over.

Lev sighed, drawing a hand through his hair, "no, not really, because I still don't know the situation"

Skye turned on her heel, sorrowful and tired- but not physically. Still, she did not speak, rather, facing away.

"Why won't you tell me? You said you would… it can't be that hard?" He demanded.

She took a breath.

"I owe you more explanations than I care to admit, yet I am not allowed to give you even one" she paused, "and for that I am sorry"