Chapter 4

The next morning Jade got ready to go out and look at the lane. She couldn't let go of the matter until she investigated it thoroughly. When she came down to have food, it was 11 in the morning. She didn't know how and why she slept for so long. Her father was not there on the table. He might probably have left for work, she thought. The food was ready and served on the table. She took 2 slices of French toast and a glass of orange juice. After finishing the food, she put on sneakers and went out.

The sun was shining bright in the sky, the day felt rather hot than usual. As usual the garage was locked, so she couldn't take her bike. Crossing the road, she went to the other side and passed the lanes one after another. She was almost there, 5 meters away. She was waiting on the footpath for the red light to cross the road when a familiar car stopped in front of her.

"Crap." She turned around, but it was too late to leave. Her father stepped out of the car and held her by the cap of her hoodie.

"Stop." He said, pulling her back.

Turning around to face him, she gave a fake smile and said. "Yes."

"Where are you going?" He said.

"Nowhere." She replied.

"Get in the car." He said.

"No." She replied. "As I am going nowhere with you." Sheb precised her previous answer.

Their conversation were gaining the eyes of people around them. He wandered his eyes around and asked Jane not to create any scene on the road. He then moved forward to hold her hand and drag her in the car. Taking a step back, she jerked off his hand.

"I am not coming." She said in a stern note.

"I didn't ask." He said and looked at her form. "Let's buy you a dress first and I am taking you."

"Don't you get my words?" She said, as he completely ignored her.

"And we also have to talk about what you did with Peter yesterday." He said, ignoring her again.

"Dad! I want none of your boys nor your business!" She raised her voice.

"Jade!" He said in a commanding voice.

"You want me to be a princess and set me up for a price. But dad, you don't get it." She paused.

"I belong to the other side of the tale, I love Dragon!" She shouted at her father and  turned around to walk away. 

Dozens of eyes gazed at them. Some murmured and chuckled at their talk. But a pair of eyes were fixed at Jade. With wide eyes, his gaze followed her as she walked past. Looking back through his shoulder, he gazed at her until she turned left to the other side of the road and disappeared from his sight.

'Did she said, she loves dragon?' He thought.

He waited there for a couple of minutes, her words affected him deeply. Ever since he gained the power of a dragon, he never heard someone say they love dragons. In this present world, dragons are forgotten long ago.

A tapping of hand on his shoulder brought him back from his thoughts. He then realized he was standing in the middle of the footpath, lost in the thought of a random girl, who loves dragons.

"You good man?" The man who tapped on his shoulder asked.

"Oh yeah. Was just thinking something." He said with a nod and began his walk. Looking back through his shoulder, he was hoping to have a glance of the girl but was nowhere to be found.

~~~~~~~~

  

Taking long and fast steps, Jade turned to the other lane. She glanced back through her shoulder to see whether her father was following her or not. Thankfully, he was not. Wandering her eyes, she looked where she was. She went further away from the lane which she was going to investigate. Halting her walk, she thought of going back but then another thought stopped her. There was a possibility that she might face her father again.

'A lot of changes can happen within this time.' She thought. Her delay in the process will be disadvantageous. Any clues might be washed off till then.

She leaned back on the wall of a shop, thinking what to do? After thinking for a moment, she straightened her form and looked at the shop. It was a sweet shop. Smiling with contentment, she went in. Gazing from left to right, she bought a chocolate pastry and began to eat then and there. With the last bite of the pastry, she decided she's going to skip the investigation for now. She decided to do it only if the same thing happens again.

'There was someone who repeatedly told her to get out of there. There's a possibility something was going on which caused the heat.' She thought. 

Her whole mood about finding out the truth was washed off by his father's encounter. She skipped college today, just for the investigation but now, things have changed. Shrugging, she came out of the shop. To utilize her free time, she decided to go to the gamezone which was being repaired yesterday.

Drinking the juice that she bought from the sweet store before leaving, she walked to the gamezone. It was in the opposite direction of that lane, which means opposite from father too, she thought. It didn't take her too long to reach there. Approximately, ten minutes.

Pushing the glass, double door, she entered. She was happy to see it got repaired in a day. Putting her bag and juice bottle in the locker, she went to change her shoes. When she was done, she stood in front of the bowling alley. Black ball in her hand and eyes on the pin. With one stroke forward, she threw the ball and went straight to the left and gutter ball.

"What the hell!" She murmured. 

Being good at sports it was her first time to get 0 in the bowling. She took another ball, a red one this time. Taking her position, she rolled the ball on the lane, it went straight and hit the strike.

"Ah." She straightened her form. "Seems like red is lucky for me." She said to herself.

With contentment, she turned to take another ball and then heard someone calling her name.

"Jade." Averting her head, she looked to the sides. There were 3 boys of her class. They rarely come along with her to play. Only when they don't have money.

"What?" She said while picking up the ball. 

"Uff harsh as ever." One of them said.

Rolling her eyes at them, she went for another roll. His time one pin left. 

"Bad vibes." She said to the boys and again went to pick another ball.

"Let's have a match." The other boy from the 3 said.

"Not interested." Jade replied without looking at them.

"If you win, we will treat you. If we win, you have to come with us." The third one said.

She took another strike and turned around to face them. "Who even made a deal with you." She said sarcastically.

"C'mon. It's fun to play along." First boy said.

"What's fun? One versus three?" She pointed them one after another.

"Aren't you too good? You did two strikes already." He said.

"Look. I am in no mood, so leave." She said in a stern manner.

"You." He gritted his teeth.

They then glanced at each other and nodded at one another.

"Come here." They walked towards her.

She stepped back with a ball in her hand.

"What's going on?" She then asked.

"We are taking you with us." One of them said.

She threw the ball at him. It hit his stomach. Holding his stomach, he bends down in pain. She then looked around, there were no people around. It's afternoon. People come to play mostly in the evening.

When the other two boys approached her, she punched one in the face, he stepped back, holding his nose. Kicking the other behind the knee, she made him fall and began to run. 

The slippery floor made it hard for her to run, the boys got up and picked the balls from the rack. They roll the balls towards her. She tried to dodge one but the other two balls made her fall straight on her face.

"Shit." She murmured.

As they began to approach her, a pool ball came flying towards a boy and hit his head. Another ball came and hit the back of the other boy.

All the stripes and solids were flying towards the boys, hitting them to the ground.

Jade stood up and looked around but was unable to find anyone around. The balls couldn't come flying, there's someone helping her. But before she could look further, the boys were getting on their feet. Accepting the random help, she began to run to the exit. While running, she glanced back once and bumped into a person. Rubbing her forehead, she looked at the person. All she saw first was a hard chest wrapped in a suit.