The Black Swan Behind (Beauty of Fire)

Chapter 32: Something’s Not Right

They threw Calvin’s motorcycle into the sea.

“Ergh. This is crazy.” Emma muttered by massaging the bridge of her nose.

“It’s not a matter. What else do you want to talk about?” Troy asked Calvin.

Suddenly, the roar of an engine made them all turn around. It was Martin who had started his bike and pulled the twist throttle. Then he put on his full-face helmet, “I don’t have time anymore. I’ll go first! Bye!” he said before riding his bike off quickly.

“What’s with him again?” asked Nicko.

“He forgot that he is still downloading porn videos on his computer. You know how his sister’s mouth’s like.” Ian replied with a straight face. The explanation made them all shake their heads in disbelief. But everyone was used to Martin’s behaviour.

“Why did you guys suddenly come to my aid?” Calvin asked, returning their focus.

.....

Troy pointed at Emma with his chin, “She came, asking for my help.”

Emma cleared her throat, “Of course I have to. Just imagine, if we hadn’t come, you might have died there.”

“I know you were trying to save me. But now, you might be in danger, Emma.” Said Calvin.

“We’ve covered her face. She should be safe.” Nicko got in.

Calvin sighed. Of course, a buff cloth and glasses wouldn’t be enough to cover Emma’s identity. Who the hell do they think The North Viking is? In Handway City, they were known as a combination of ninja and spy who can track people easily.

“She asked to come. I’ve told her not to.” Troy held up his hands, a sign of innocence, as Calvin stared at him.

Calvin shook his head with an uncomfortable face, “Okay. I don’t mind that anymore. But you guys. I know you’re avoiding this. Why did you come for me, when you know what might happen in the future to your group?”

Troy was silent, he just looked at all his friends in turn. If he thinks about it, why were they doing that anyway?

“I’m sorry. It seems my request got you into trouble ..” Emma said suddenly with a guilty face.

All the guys stared at her. They start to fidget by scratching the back of their not itchy heads.

“This is hard to explain. The point is, you don’t have to feel any guilt. This is the boy’s problem, that girls don’t understand...” Ian said in unsure.

Emma’s brow furrowed, she felt a little intimidated by Ian’s words. But she tried to be open-minded, by thinking that what Ian said was only for Emma’s safe.

Emma was aware that the guys would see her as a weak woman and should be protected. If protecting her meant keeping Emma out of their troubles, then that was the right decision. The way to stay out of trouble is to avoid the problem itself.

“We’d better head home now. I’ll take you back to Troy’s repair shop. Your car is there, right?” Ian asked.

Emma nodded, then she looked at Calvin.

“I’ll be home after finishing some business with Troy. Thanks for coming for me, Emma.” Calvin smiled gently.

“Yeah. We’re going to take care of something.” Troy emphasized the sentence. Then he reached into his trouser pocket and threw a key at Ian, “You wait at my house until I come back.”

“Ok.” Ian closed his helmet glass and started the engine. Then he sped away, after making sure Emma was sitting correctly.

Ian’s leaving was followed by his other friends.

***

Two guys were seen sitting on an old wooden chair near a dock. The cold sea breeze, along with the falling of little snows hit their bodies. But it seemed that their muscles work perfectly to protect against cold weather. The two guys didn’t even look affected by the bone-chilling air.

Troy reached into his jeans jacket pocket and pulled out a white box. He pulled out a cigarette and offered it to the guy beside him.

“Sorry, I don’t smoke.” Said Calvin.

“Me too.” Troy put the cigarette back in and put the box back in his jacket, “This belongs to my father.”

“I still can’t believe you came to help me.” Said Calvin.

Troy shrugged, “Me too.” then he looked at Calvin with narrowed eyes. “I’ve told you, something like this will happen someday. They’re getting crazier and so are you.”

“Why did you come to help me, Troy? You knew Jita Kyoei would get into trouble.” Asked Calvin.

“Shouldn’t you be thankful, instead of having to question why I helped you out of those kiddo’s troubles?” Troy snapped.

“I’ve thanked you earlier,” Calvin said while remembering. He had thanked Troy and his friends.

Troy cleared his throat, “Looks like your existence has been taken seriously by them.”

“From the start, I was serious about them. Either they started to get annoyed, or they were aggressively expanding the dark business.” Said Calvin. Then he glared at Troy, “There’s no way you’re willing to get Jita Kyoei involved in this ‘kiddo’s problems that will cause you trouble. Just for the sake of helping a guy you don’t know. Looks like this problem isn’t a kiddo’s problem anymore, huh?” he continued.

Troy frowned. He knew Calvin knew something. He was like an eagle that always flew around the sky of Handway city. He seemed to know everything that Troy didn’t even realize before.

“Seems like you know the problem, don’t you? They’re starting to nudge our way. I can’t tell, what’s the benefit of getting into the way of people, who are trying to achieve their dreams in the right way.” Troy added.

Calvin nodded, “That’s what they do. I still don’t know what it’s about. But the bigger the business they develop, the more people will get hit. And this time, the studios are starting to lose their source of income. Looks like, they are giving the more attractive offer than the gold-coated medallion that hundreds of people around the world are fighting for.”

Troy looked thoughtful, as he stared at the asphalt road that had begun to be covered in white snow. His face was throbbing. Even though that wasn’t what caused him to have trouble thinking, but he would use it as an excuse to leave that difficult conversation.

“I’m going home. My handsome face must be treated immediately.” The guy stood up. Then he turned to Calvin, who was still sitting, laying his back weakly on the seatback, “Is your bike thrown into the sea for real?”

Calvin shrugged, “I hope it’s still salvageable. Can you give me another discount?” he grinned expectantly.

Troy rolled his eyes lazily, “I have to see the damage first. I’ll take you home.” he said as walking up to the main road where his motorcycle was parked.

“Thanks again for helping me ‘again’.” Said Calvin in a friendly tone.

***

“Huh.. What happened? What did I do?” Emma muttered as she threw herself onto the sofa as soon as she got home.

She glanced at the clock on the wall, it was already midnight. The cold air made her condition even worse. She threw her bag carelessly and immediately went to the bathroom to take a warm shower for the health of her muscles and her aching mind.

As soon as she finished showering, Emma went into the room where the heater was on.

On the bed, the girl thought to herself. She pulled back the events of a few hours ago that felt like a crazy dream.

Of all the events, why should she be dragged into such a problem? Emma replayed everything that had happened since she had just set foot in Handway city.

How did she get to know Calvin Lee? How did she know Troy Roner? And ended up getting into the gangster fight.

“Uhh! I hate this..” Emma huffed by rubbing her hot eyes.

Somehow, she felt so sad and lonely. Come to think of it, what made Emma feel uncomfortable, was what Ian said earlier. All this time, Emma had never felt so helpless.

She had never felt so weak in front of other people. So far, Emma had never been labelled as ‘weak’, while she was forced to justify the label now.

“What’s going on with me?” She muttered to herself again.

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