Page 26 of The Explorer
“You fucking bitch.” The moment he said it, I took a swing at him. No one got to call my grasshopper a bitch.
From that moment on it was mayhem. Walker and I were fighting and others were shouting. I saw Aubri hanging in the air as one of the large men held his arm around her midsection. She was screaming and kicking her feet and it made me crazy that I couldn’t help her. I was busy trying to survive my fight with Walker, who was fueled by Aubri’s humiliation of him.
I tried to block his attacks, but everything happened so fast, and I didn’t even see the knife until he was holding it by my face.
“What’s going on?” I registered Mason’s voice in the distance and moved my body just as I felt the cut on my neck.
“Let my sister go.”
I was on the ground, my hand pressing against my neck. I could tell the blood was streaming fast from the way my hands got wet.
And then Aubri was there, her eyes large and frightened as she pressed down on my wound on top of my hands. “He cut you.”
My sight was full of spots and I couldn’t speak. She was so beautiful with her red hair glowing like an angel’s halo. I wanted to comfort her and tell her I would be fine, but we were in a forest and from the feeling of blood gushing through my fingers, I knew I was losing blood too fast.
“Grass… hop…” Speaking took strength that I didn’t have, and I found it hard to breathe.
Mason fell to my side and gave orders for the others to hand him supplies. I watched my friend do what he was trained to do, but for a split second we locked eyes and I saw fear in his eyes. He didn’t think I would make it.
“Indyyy.” Aubri was crying now, her blue eyes overflowing with tears for me. I wanted desperately to stay with her, but my eyes rolled back as darkness claimed me. I could still hear Mason giving commands and Aubri screaming my name, but my body had stilled. The pain didn’t bother me anymore as I felt myself float away. Visions of all the people I loved bombarded me. My mom singing to me and my dad teaching me to fight. Jones cracking jokes and my little sister Lara showing me a drawing she made for me. I saw myself drinking my first beer with Mason and running through a field with Aubri. There was so much love and gratitude, but there was also a deep sense of sadness. I didn’t want to die this young, and I didn’t want Aubri to blame herself for my death. As their voices faded, I was left with an all-consuming regret: Now, I would never get to kiss my young grasshopper.
CHAPTER 7
Nightclub
Aubri
We met Banni and Alex in front of the nightclub. Banni opened his arms to hug me and, embracing their culture, I let him. When he tried to do the same with Indiana, the proud Nman held out a hand. “I’m not a hugger.”
“Okay.” Undeterred, Banni patted Indiana’s shoulder and threw a nod to a pair of double doors bathed in bright blue light with a sign above that said, “La Grotte Grotesque.”
“What does that mean?” I asked.
“It translates to the grotesque cave.”
“Hmm… what’s grotesque about it?”
“Not much, except this is where we outcasts go, and the people who are attracted to danger.”
The way he wiggled his eyebrows made me laugh. I was aware that Banni flirted with me and I welcomed it for entertainment purposes. But despite his good looks and charming personality I wasn’t interested in him as anything more than a friend. Banni opened the doors and walked in, waving us past two men that he greeted like old friends.
We walked down two flights of stairs before a large room with high ceilings opened up. There were at least two hundred people dressed in colorful clothing and hairstyles. At least fifty of them were dancing in the middle, while others stood watching them from balconies all around.
I turned to grin at Indiana, telling him without words that I was excited. He rolled his eyes, but the edge of his lips lifted. He could pretend to be bummed about staying in France with me, but I knew he was as eager for an adventure as I was.
“Come on.” Banni gestured for us to follow him up a staircase where we found a bar with large mirrors and more colorful lighting. Without asking, Banni got us drinks and paid with the wristband the same way we did back home.
“What is this?” I asked and sniffed my drink.
“My favorite drink. It’s spicy and gets you buzzed fast.”
Tasting the liquid, I closed one eye and scrunched up my face. “You weren’t kidding. This has got a kick to it.”
Indiana coughed and dried his mouth. “How can this be your favorite drink?”
“I’m a hot-blooded man and I like spicy things,” Banni said and watched me give the drink another try.
“If you have to be hot-blooded to like this drink, then I must be cold-blooded, because it tastes like piss to me.”
