ZENDAYAH SHANE'S POV
I found myself naturally gazing at him. He sat down and brought his face closer to mine.
"Hi there. Are you lost?" he added.
"Huh?" I stared at the guy in front of me now. Our faces were close to each other. And I couldn't deny that he looked even more handsome up close.
We locked eyes for a few minutes, and we broke the stare when we sensed someone approaching us. I turned my head and faced the group of guys accompanying the greenish guy.
"Good thing you caught up with her, N!" said the guy carrying a weapon (swords/bow and arrow/knives, etc.).
No... Almost all of them were carrying sharp weapons, except for this one guy.
I glanced at where Greenish Guy was looking and realized he was looking at me too. Oh shit!
I quickly averted my gaze and stared at them sharply.
"What do you want?!" I shouted at them.
One of them spoke up, "You. Who else? You're the only one disturbing our peace," he said authoritatively.
I swallowed, "I-I'm sorry, okay?! I didn't mean to disturb your happiness. I was actually going to leave, but..."
I was interrupted by their sharp gaze. Fuck!
I needed to escape from here. It was clear they were going to kill me with their predatory stares.
I stopped for a second when an idea crossed my mind.
"Hey! Look, there's an airplane!" I lied, pointing behind them. They all turned to look, and when no one was looking at me, I started running again.
They realized I was running, so they looked back at me.
"Oh shit! She escaped."
"What are you waiting for?! Chase her!"
"Tsk. That girl really gives us a hard time, but it's fine. She wants a game of tag? Let's give it to her."
They chased after me with grins on their faces.
Argh! I'm so annoyed!
I've been running for a while now, and I still haven't found a way out of this forest.
I looked back, not hearing anyone following me. I stopped running and wondered.
Why aren't they chasing me anymore? And where are they?
Did I lose them?
I secretly smiled, cheered, and celebrated with myself.
YES!! FINALLY!!
I finally lost those damn dogs that were chasing me earlier.
I found a large rock and sat on it, panting heavily.
It's their fault! If only I had asthma, I would have fainted earlier because I couldn't breathe, but thank God! I'm fine.
As I rested and wiped off my sweat, someone suddenly spoke behind me.
"Can't breathe?" someone asked from behind.
I was alarmed and stood up in surprise.
"Who's that?" I said and looked at the person who spoke.
I froze when I saw who it was.
It was the greenish boy from earlier!
He was leaning against a tree, looking at me.
"You..." I said in disbelief.
How?
How did he find me? I thought I had lost them!
I felt frustrated with myself and swore quietly.
"...You've been there all this time?" I asked.
He smirked while playing and twirling his flute. He stood there with his arms crossed, looking at me.
"Yes," he answered.
"As in, all this time?" I blurted.
He nodded.
"So..." He straightened himself and slowly approached me.
He stopped in front of me. I looked at him with curiosity.
"You didn't answer my question earlier. Are you lost?" he asked again, avoiding eye contact.
Actually, I couldn't answer his question because I didn't know how I ended up on this island.
"I-I don't know," I whispered, taking a step back from him.
"What? I didn't hear you," he said.
"I-I said 'I don't know!!'" I shouted at his face. He seemed surprised, but it quickly turned into laughter.
"What's funny?!" I exclaimed irritably.
"So, you're really lost, huh?" he said, still laughing.
This guy...! He's making me angry. I glared at him, and he noticed, stopping his laughter and giving me a serious look.
"Another question, how did you find our campsite?" he asked, making me pause.
Campsite?
Their campsite?!
"Campsite?" I said. He nodded.
I didn't say anything about that. Should I tell him how I found their campsite?
Ah! Whatever.
Nervously, I opened my mouth and spoke.
"I... your flute..." I answered hesitantly.
"My flute? What do you mean?" he asked, pulling out his flute with a smile.
He approached me again, and I took a step back.
"What do you mean about my flute?" he asked again, smirking.
I gulped. Why is he so attractive? The way he looked at me and then smirked. I felt like a melting ice cream because of his gaze.
We took steps back and forth until I couldn't back away anymore, and now I leaned against a tree.
I stared into his eyes, which were enticing.
"Tell me," he said, holding my chin. Our faces were really close to each other. (I feel like I'm going to faint, hahaha, just kidding)
Nervously, I closed my eyes and spoke, "I... I followed the sound of your flute!"
"That's why I found your campsite or whatever you call it," I said.
Several minutes of silence passed between us, and it was broken when he suddenly burst into laughter again.
This weird laughter again...!
Surprised, I looked at him. "What's so funny? Did I say something funny for you to laugh?" I said, annoyed.
He looked at me and covered his mouth while grinning.
"I didn't expect that we have a new comrade... Again," he said, furrowing my brows.
"What? New comrade? Who?" I asked, emphasizing my confusion.
"You. Who else?" he replied straightly, making me wonder again.
M-Me? New comrade?
"What do you mean?" I asked, raising an eyebrow at him, then pushed him away and distanced myself from him by a kilometer.
"You're a lost 'girl.' You're one of us, no... my comrades," he replied.
Lost girl?
One of his comrades? What the hell is that?
"Let me explain it to you so you can understand what I'm going to say," he explained.
Even though I was curious, I nodded. I had nothing to do but listen to what he was about to say so I could understand what was happening to me. And this man in front of me now was the one who could help me understand everything.
"This flute..." he showed me the flute he was holding. I looked at it seriously.
"What's so special about that flute?" I asked him.
He smirked, "Just listen... this flute is not an ordinary flute," he began, confusing me.
Huh? What did he say? Not an ordinary flute?
I burst into laughter, which made him furrow his brows. He raised an eyebrow while looking at me.
"What's funny?" he said coldly, which made me stop laughing. I looked into his eyes, which became even darker, as if he could see my whole being.
He noticed that I was standing there stunned and smiled.
"Let's continue," he said. I nodded in response.
"This flute you see right now in my hand is not just an ordinary flute," he explained.
I remembered what happened earlier. He was right; the sound was beautiful. This flute was different from any other I had heard.
"...Only a few can hear the sound of my flute,"
"What do you mean by 'only a few'?" I asked him.
I became curious about what was special about this flute and why he called me a 'lost girl' earlier.
He chuckled.
"Only those who have been 'unloved' or 'abandoned' by their families can hear the sound of this flute," he said with a grin, making me stop.
W-What...?
I looked at him in astonishment and spoke tremblingly, "Y-You mean..."
He smiled and nodded.
"I called them 'The Abandoned Ones.' We are a group of people who have experienced similar situations. We have all been abandoned, left behind, or forgotten by our families. And this flute... it's our connection," he explained.
I was speechless. The realization hit me like a ton of bricks. Was I really one of them? Was I an "Abandoned One"?
"But why am I here? How did I end up on this island?" I asked, my voice filled with confusion and a hint of fear.
He sighed and looked at me with sympathy in his eyes.
"We live on this island, away from the world that abandoned us. It's a sanctuary for people like us, a place where we can find solace and support each other," he said gently.
I tried to process everything he was telling me. It was overwhelming, to say the least.
"So, you're saying... I belong here? With you?" I asked, a mix of emotions swirling inside me.
He nodded, his gaze unwavering.
"Yes, you belong here. You're not alone anymore. We're your family now," he said softly.
Family... The word echoed in my mind. The thought of finding a place where I belonged, where I was accepted, brought tears to my eyes.
I took a deep breath and wiped away my tears, trying to compose myself.
"Thank you," I whispered, my voice filled with gratitude.
He smiled warmly at me.
"Welcome home," he said, extending his hand towards me.
I hesitated for a moment before reaching out and taking his hand. It was a small gesture, but it symbolized the beginning of a new chapter in my life.
As I stood there, holding his hand, I couldn't help but feel a sense of hope. Maybe, just maybe, I have found my place in this world after all.
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