Chapter 5

　　The place was a sanctuary to me. I finished the book that I was reading without being distracted by scrolling through social media platforms and watching short videos about books instead of reading. My brothers were glad that I finally got out of my shell and started exploring.

　　When we had dinner, they warned me again not to stay outside during the night. They’ve been at home earlier before the sunsets. Because of that, I would want to see the sunset and run back home during the night.

　　“Where are you going?” Felix asked me while he was reading a book.

　　“Running around the town.”

　　He nodded. “Don’t go that far away. It’s already afternoon and doesn’t go home after sunset.”

　　“Fine,” I answered and disappeared inside our house. Felix would’ve been a perfect father to a child if he decided to be one. He had a girlfriend back then but I’m not sure what happened to them. Maybe they broke up because the girl stopped visiting our home.

　　Jay also had one before. A genius woman, an honor student in her high school, wants to take law after her undergraduate college degree. Jay was more open to telling me that they broke up because the law would be that girl’s priority after she finished college. Why can’t she mix up things and not break up with my finest brother?

　　I don’t know if Jay cried after that. We all have separate rooms back then. Now that we moved into a smaller home, he and Felix were already sharing one.

　　I opened the book the moment I arrived at my favorite spot near the river. Butt on the ground, hands on the book, eyes on the page, mind into a new world. I don’t know how long I can focus while reading in this place. This was a nice place with nice air to read for an hour straight. Then I remembered that my brothers didn’t like me to stay there until the sunset. But they couldn’t do anything about that. That’s why I will stay here until the time I wouldn’t able to read the words on the page.

　　The world I was forced into was more magical than I expected. It felt like I was living inside it, the words were devouring me into it. I wish life was like books, bad things were not real and mostly it’s a happy ever after.

　　I only had to end it when someone grabbed the book from my hand. That’s when I noticed that it was already dark around. Not the pitch-black darkness, but the kind of darkness that creeps out on me. Why does the night in this town look darker than before?

　　I raised my head, also my eyebrows, to the guy who grabbed my book. He’s thin but not sluggish. Tall, carved face, and attractive. This was the first time I saw an attractive person in this place. He looked like an angel or a campus crush. Still, he grabbed my book without my permission.

　　I thought he was going to flirt with me and use his sexy ways after pissing me off. “What are you doing in here?” He was serious. I can see it through his eyes.

　　“I read. Isn’t it obvious?” I don’t care about his looks or how dark he feels. He grabbed my book and stopped the peak of my reading experience. He’s a stranger and could be a dangerous person.

　　He’s wearing a uniform, maybe a student in the university nearby. And he doesn’t know me so why did he care.

　　I grabbed my book, and hug it close to my chest. “Also why did you grab my book from me?”

　　He didn’t say a word until a howl crept us. It sounds like a wild beast… or dog. He quickly grabbed my hand, not too tight or light, and ran away from the woods. I didn’t know what he was trying to do. But I was scared of the howl as well. Can a guy like him be also scared of that sound?

　　“Where are we going?” I asked halfway back home. I recognized that path and knew that it was the same way I walked before.

　　“Keep your voice low. They might hear us.” He was almost whispering, gasping for air. Maybe he was tired of running. He looked better and more handsome because of the sweat he has all over his face, even on his hands that touched me.

　　“Who? Who can hear us?” I copied the volume of his voice. I’m new in this town and I don’t know if there were killers or kidnappers in this place. And I even don’t know if this man I am trusting is safe! “And I’m not sure if I’m safe with you. What if you’re the one who’s going to harm me?”

　　He clicked his tongue and glanced left and right. When he saw nothing, he gazed back at me. “I’m Nana’s grandson. I guess you already met her.”

　　I didn’t see any patterns of Nana on his face. Maybe he didn’t inherit any of her features. Or her features were already smothered due to her age so I wasn’t able to see it through him.

　　So what should I call him? Nana’s boy? Nana’s guy? I don’t even know his name!