[Recommended Song]: California king bed by Rihanna
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Flashback:

"Jace, I want you to meet the youngest of us, Elijah," Callista says with a smile plastered across her lips.

The male gave a cold stare, indicating that he didn't care about the situation-- not the introduction, nor the shy boy.

"Aren't you going to say something, brother?" Callista tilted her head. Jace shook his head as 'no' in response.

"Ge! Don't be rude, you aren't like that with me!" Kai interrupted with an eye roll. His older brother looked at him.

"You're my brother, Kai. He... He isn't." Jace replied in a cold tone. He glanced at Elijah and then looked away with a blank expression on his face. "If you excuse me," he left without looking back.

Elijah felt sad about the messed up introduction, he thought he'd be welcome.

"I'm sorry about that, Elijah- he's too icy to be with. I hope you won't feel unsolicited." Callista said and followed with a scowl.

Elijah smiled and nodded. "It's okay,"

Kai pulled his new gege to his room (with permission, of course.) To play video games.

"Sooooo what do you want to know about Mr. Angry bird?" Kai says, munching on some fruits he had on his plate.

Elijah grabbed the controller near the table. "Mr. Angry bird?" He queried, laughing at the nickname.

"My brother, Jace-gege, he was so rude toward you today, I felt guilty!"

"Oh, why is he like that?" Elijah queried in a confused voice. "He looks tough to approach."

Kai giggled, he took the other controller and started playing a game while chatting. "He has anger issues, possessiveness, and a cold attitude. Dad held him since the day he was born. He had issues with school even though he was born smart- friend issues, to be more specific."

"Oh, all of you are single?" Elijah asked, stretching his arms.

"No, Callista-jie is with Kiara-jiejie. They've been together for over a year now. As for me, I'm single."

"And your other sibling?"

"Do you expect him to be in a relationship when he has friend problems? Not for me, unless someone is patient and willing to love him despite the issues he has with himself. A--"

Kai stopped talking. He looked back at Elijah and stared at him with a judgemental look. "Hold on, why interested?" He questioned. "Are you interested in red flags?"

"NO!"

The sudden question popped into Elijah's silent bubble. What a weird thing to ask, honestly. He didn't, not even a single thought dare to tell his heart to fall in love with a specific someone he knew he couldn't handle.

...

But maybe he was just enticed to know more about the mysterious guy- to feed his curiosity till it was full? He doesn't even know how love at first sight works, so he's probably safe from it.

"He's just too mysterious for me, and I feel like he'll haunt me to sleep so..."

"Are you very very sure that you didn't fall in love with him at first sight?" Kai chuckles. "Don't get me wrong, he looks good and all"

Elijah nods. "I'm clueless about that, so I'm safe."

Kai stopped the videogame. Did he hear that right? Elijah didn't know what love at first sight meant.

"You aren't safe, love at first sight is defined ed as exquisite. When you feel an instant attraction or love toward one person after a glance or so, then you've got what you're looking for... Love at first sight."

"Weird, but... okay?"

Kai knew the latter was still new to the term. He had a slight inkling that Elijah had never been in love or just left it behind because he's... lovesick.

Someone tapped on Kai's door. "Kai, if you're in there, come out dad gave us permission to play sports back there."

"Coming, gege!"

The other glanced at Elijah. "Come on!" He chirped, smiling as he pulled the latter out of his room.

"Where are we going?"

"Playing sports, come on! Our squad gathers to play once a week."

"I'm just, going to back off." Elijah giggled awkwardly, letting go of Kai's hand. "I'm more comfortable in here because... Yeah, I've never really... socialized."

Kai hummed. "Then, let's stay. So, tell me, as you said- why don't you socialize with people."

Elijah gave him a meh face. "Short or long story? Choose one, I can't tell both."

"Keep it long, I can be entertained."

The boy nodded, "Fine, but after I tell you this, promise me to keep your mouth shut. I'm begging this time." Elijah stroked the bedsheets lightly.

Kai agreed. The younger hummed, resting comfortably on the bed, while he held a pillow on his lap.

"Elementary days were great, make a friend or two, no backstabbers, no shamers, real smiles, real great. Middle school to high school? No, bullshit. I was nice to one person and for a random reason? Almost everyone became my so-called friend."

Elijah scoffed at the final part. He still remembered everything in detail. No therapy, no matter how expensive it was, nor how great the therapist was-- nothing.

"You seem to hurt?" Kai mumbled shortly, looking at Elijah who nodded.

"Mhm, and I am still," He paused. "Because people there thought of me as... their clinic, nothing but that."

"Clinic? But you aren't a place, are you?"

The other laughed at Kai's foolishness. "What are clinics for?"

"Uhm... treatment!" The latter exclaimed in joy after getting it. But paused after knowing what Elijah deeply meant. "They use you as a therapist, someone they think they can lean on, rant on freely with or without consent. Lastly, they don't give you anything in return- not money, not even a genuine friendship."

"Clever," Elijah complimented. "However, that's all in the past. So, if I'm being treated like shit by your brother, then don't worry- I won't keep it." He gave a nod toward the door. "Do you still want to play or not?"

The two left the room, seeing everyone enjoy playing with each other. Kai excused himself from playing with his Kiara-jiejie

"You seem alone, may I?" Elijah picked up a sword, "Shall we?"

"Don't be a fool," Jace whispered, followed by a cocky scoff.

"Talking too much distracts the opponent, Mr. Xiao."

"Stop taking formalities at its finest. It makes me..."

Jace and Elijah started the fight, using their skills against one another. Jace held Elijah by the neck. Elijah knew Jace was up to something, a strategy to lead his opponent to defeat.

"Sick."

Elijah softly chuckles. "When will you realize that I'm smart as you? You're the one interacting with me now, Jace."

"Who cares?" Asked the taller male. "I find you annoying, no excuses."

Elijah frowned. "You can't get rid of me like that." He said coldly. "If you want to defeat me, go again."

Jace was shaking in anger. God knows how much he was provoked by the new member of their group. He started attacking and Elijah did nothing but block his attacks.

Both cut scars across their faces.

"We're even now," Jace panted as he dropped the sword. "Need some help?"

"I'm fine, get yourself cleaned up before your parents see us wounded."

Jace rolled his eyes, leaving the other to treat his wound.

'Why is he so...' Elijah thought, he had a separate mind of what to think about his opponent earlier.

'Competitive?'

Elijah just grinned at the thought. When he met up with the others, everyone was down except Jace.

"Why are you guys looking like you've seen a hanged ghost?"

"We all got scolded, you were getting scolded as well, but you were just looking like you were distracted," Kiara said in worry. She thought the younger went crazy.

"Was I? I never heard anything..." The boy became shy and murmured to himself how dumb he was.

"Don't blame Elijah," Kai let out a giggle. "Jace-gege's probably the most psychotic in this group. He was scolded two times in a row, yet, he stayed silent. After apologizing to our parents he went out of his room as if he was happy about it."

"WHAT-" Tris and Zack gasped. It wasn't new to them that Jace was a pain in the butt. He's known as the mischief-maker of the group, oh how that boy loves danger and risk! Maybe he's born as Tarzan's relative, no? The young playboy even had a history of dating girls.

However this, in here Jace was like a total... Wait, no, there are no other words to describe him! We should let that be.

"Jace, are you insane?! Did you even listen to uncle and auntie?" Zack questioned, still denying everything in his head.

"They scolded me for being rude to this little... monkey over here," Jace says coldly, nodding toward Elijah who fumed in anger.

"MONKEY?!"

"Aren't you? Sorry, not sorry."

"BITC-"

Callista made herself a wall, standing in between the two arguing males. Before the two knew it, they were grabbed by the ear.

"OUCH! NO NO NO SHIJIEEEEE I'M SORRY! WAIT! OW, MY EAR!" Jace groaned in pain. Elijah did the same, but in the back of his head, he blamed and cursed Jace non-stop.

The rest of the group was too scared to even lay a finger on one of those two. They heard a scream.

"NO CURSING AND FIX YOUR ATTITUDES YOUNG MEN! BEFORE I GET A KNIFE AND SHOVE IT DOWN YOUR THROATS AND MAKE YOU BOTH SWALLOW IT!!"

It was Callista who shrieked this reply. Everyone held their throats, imagining that scene-- oh my, please no.

"Anyone who volunteers to stop her? Kiara, you?" Tris shivered, he could feel Callista staring at his soul right now.

"She's almost done." Kiara flinched, "I don't stop her when she's involving her brother... nope."

When the two scolded young boys returned, they felt their legs going numb. They looked like they'd seen Lord Voldemort pointing a wand at them. They felt like the powerless version of Dumbledore.

"What happened back there?" Zack questioned, looking at the two.

"We met a Hyde half Voldemort, half Annabelle, and half... chucky," Elijah says, taking a deep breath.

"My hands went cold for a moment." Jace shivered from fear. If his parents didn't scare him, surely, his sister did. So this is why Mr. and Mrs. Xiao were scolding them less, because Callista was the first to do so. One eye contact from the mad female and you're done.

"If it weren't for you, we wouldn't get scolded, tsk!" Elijah rolled his eyes and growled his words.

"ME?!" The other sounded offended by the accusation. Believe it or not, it was both of them! They fought with blades and had it even. (Leaving a wound on each of their cheeks.)

"Enough, enough! You guys want another round?!" Kiara deadpanned, the two didn't utter a word after that.
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Present:

"Shit... I turned into a zombie?!" Kai almost yelled, he took his phone and clicked the camera capture app he had.

His teeth were covered in blood. "Whose flesh is that?" He questioned in fear. "Tris and Elijah? Did I hurt them?! Gege... is it..."

"Calm down, now," Callista consoled the younger. "We talked to them, they agreed to stay tied back there."

Kai turned his gaze to the stacked chairs behind him. The said objects were enough to build a great wall. The male peered at the two back there, they seem to be doing well, a lot.

"How come you didn't tell us you were infected?" Zack crossed his arms as he waited for a reply. Kai shook his head and said:

"I didn't know I was infected. All I remember was wounding myself due to a scratch, and we fought for our lives- you, me, and Mia till Tris and Elijah came."

"Didn't know? It's impossible you didn't feel a single symptom back there, Kai." Kiara said in a serious tone. "Your older brother did, everyone infected did!"

Zack hesitated for a bit, he recalled something inside his head. He thought twice if he should talk about it or not. If he did, Kai would be disgusted and so will the others. However, if he didn't, no full detail will be given and Kai's infection will remain a mystery until he or Mia comments something about it.

"Gege! GE, FREAKING GEGE!" That shout brought Zack back to the real world.

"Y-Yes?"

Elijah frowned when he noticed his brother was in the deepest of his mind. "What's wrong?"

"Can you handle everything?" This question was mentioned without context, it drove everyone confused. Zack was anxious about telling the story that everyone thought he'd left the explanation somewhere in the back of his head.

"Just tell us?" Mia demanded, but with a soft and bewildered voice. "You won't make us a shaman here, will you?"

"Right," Tris clicked his tongue, while the rest patiently waited for Zack to explain his side, along with clarifying the questions they threw him.

"That time, when we couldn't find you because of the crowd running to avoid being bitten... we accidentally lost each other as well." The older bowed his head. "I went through multiple buildings and found Kai trembling inside the male's comfort room. He was inside a bloody toilet cubicle, and I knew someone infected tried to get him."

"Unless the cubicle is secured and locked, someone could perhaps attack him," Dominic murmured, flinching twice. "But then again, there's a toilet... and the only secured ones are doors and walls dividing the cubicle into wide spaces. The top... the top part of the space isn't covered!"

"How did it even get there-"

"The toilet, it's a really basic knowledge." The other answered confidently.

"Yep," Dominic approved and proceeded to explain. "someone must've utilized the toilet as a ladder to climb to the cubicle where Kai was hiding."

Jace raised an eyebrow. "And you, in full knowledge and honesty, think that it's a zombie?" Jace scoffed, followed by a sly smirk. "Or, no?"

"Are you a psycho?!" Mia growled at him, why would Jace smirk after a scoff? Is it because it was he who attacked his brother at the cubicle or-

'Mia, don't think of it, Jace is a psycho eat and swallow that fact.' The girl thought internally to satisfy her overthinking. It's hard growing up as an overthinker, a simple thing done by another and you're already thinking about the "potentials" they could do. It's like giving hostility to almost everything- being like that every day till it develops into something regular in life. Until it eventually becomes an undelightful habit.

"He's not a psycho, he just isn't that smart." Elijah sighs, "There's a possibility that the zombie's venom isn't taking its effect at that time. Maybe they were able to climb before the infection took place."

When the others are about to argue, a random notification popped on top of their screen. It was a mobile number of an anonymous user. Everyone received it.

Round one: Complete - Game Over.
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Hey y'all! I've always been a turtle in updating because I'm going through a regular writers block, and my exams will be taking in place soon. Luv y'all! ♡

-Ms. Khi 🦊🖤