This magic moment...

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CHAPTER 51:

CABLE CAR

I was running. No clue where to, couldn't see a thing in front, didn't dare look back. My tears blurred everything. Panic made me blind, deaf, mute. The only thing I could taste was the metallic tang of blood dripping from my lip. Maybe the bruises on my arm and the cuts on my face hurt, too. But fear numbed it all. There was only one thought in my head: Run, escape, get out!

Was Bong still behind me? Chasing me? I had floored him with a kick, but he might have gotten up. What did he say? He wouldn't stop till he got what he wanted. And he wanted me. Could he catch up? What if he did? His laugh haunted me, his lips still lingering on my face. His hands gripped my wrists, fingers caressed my skin, his breath seared my throat.

"No," I groaned.

Now, I was sprinting faster. Where was that freaking exit? Why did every turn lead to another dead end? Why wasn't anyone helping? Please, I begged. Let there be a miracle. Let me escape. Don't let him hurt me. Please, please, please!

I wasn't sure who heard me, but someone definitely did. As I turned left, the door was at the end of the corridor. I flew towards the maze exit as if there was a bomb behind me, and I had only seconds. Moments later, I was under the purple sky amidst sparkling lanterns.

My brain couldn't immediately accept this victory. I kept running, unable to believe my eyes. How was everything so normal? How could it be? Souls queued up at toy stalls, buying food, laughing, chatting, savoring the night. Yet, I was still tasting blood. The fear in my chest was like a bomb, ready to explode and devour me whole. I finally dared to look back—no sign of Bong. But I didn't stop. Just like my endless tears, my legs kept fighting.

Run, escape, get out!

My blood froze when I heard my name. Someone was calling me—it had to be Bong. I couldn't face him; fear had hijacked my mind. Logic and thought were abandoned as I ran faster. My name chased me like a curse, growing louder. No, no, no! I screamed when something grabbed my arm. It was no use; I hadn't escaped.

"Hey!" said the monster. I tried to break free, but he wouldn't let go. His image flickered through my tear-filled eyes. "Hey Oliver, calm down! What's happening?" My eyelashes quivered, fresh tears falling. Shapes and colors settled. He wasn't a monster. He was... Mars. His brows were so furrowed that a trench formed in his forehead. His gaze dropped to my lips; his face turned pale. "What happened?"

He reached for my face, and I recoiled, bowing my head as if to hide the truth, but Mars wouldn't leave without an answer.

"What happened, Oliver?" he demanded again, forcing me to face him. "Did he... do this?"

I couldn't answer. I didn't need to. It was all out there. I was a fool—have thrown myself into the arms of a stranger over some foolish pride. Mars must have been laughing inside. What a naive, foolish girl I was. I looked away again. New tears traced my cheeks.

"Let me go," I managed to say weakly.

"Olive," he said.

He had only used my name once before when Pam tried to kill me. When Pam tried to kill me... Guess things were just as messed up then. Mars gripped my chin again, gently turning my face toward him as if afraid of inflicting more pain. His eyes were deep pools of darkness, his lips a stern line, and the veins in his neck throbbed visibly. He resembled a wild animal poised to strike—scary, dangerous, lethal. I had never seen him like this.

"Where is he?" he demanded, his voice booming like thunder.

I shivered, shaking my head frantically. "I don't know!" I cried out, truthfully not wanting to know. "I need to leave. I need to get out of here. Please!"

As I attempted to pull away, a sharp pain in my wrist made me whimper. Mars loosened his grip in a panic but didn't let go completely. A look of horror spread across his face as his gaze fixed on the bruised skin of my wrist, marked by Bong's harsh grip.

"Please," I sobbed. "I just want to go back to the Dorm. Please, let me go."

Mars clenched his teeth, frozen for a moment. I wasn't sure he had heard me through his troubled thoughts. Then, he slowly released my arm. I immediately turned my back on him, unwilling to face him—or anyone. The weight of my foolishness was too much to bear. I began striding toward what I hoped was the direction of the cars.

"Olive," Mars called out from behind. I didn't stop. "Olive!" he called again. "You can't go back to the Dorm. The carriages don't run until midnight."

What? Was I really trapped in some twisted fairy tale? It certainly seemed like it, and in this tale, the monsters were coming out on top. In a panic, I spun around to face Mars. He was right behind me, having followed closely.

"I have to go!" I pleaded. "I can't stay here!"

Obviously, there was nothing he could do. I couldn't understand why he was even wasting his time with me. It was a miracle that he hadn't outright confronted me with my stupidity. Instead, he reached out, took my hand, and said, "Come."

My feet tangled as he began walking in the direction I had fled. "No, I can't go back there!" I exclaimed in panic.

He halted and gazed at me with a sad expression. "I'm not taking you back there, Oliver. I'm taking you away from here."

My mind whirled in confusion. "What... Where?"

"Come on! Trust me, please," he urged gently.

Trust me... What a monumental request that was. Merely uttering the word trust felt impossible after such a tumultuous night. Mars had been the catalyst for the stubbornness that precipitated my ordeal. Logically, he should have been the last person I trusted. Yet, the unease I had felt when Bong was in his place hours earlier was now absent. Mars's presence soothed my fears; his touch warmed my cautious heart. I realized I didn't want to be alone—I wanted to go with him. I... trusted him.

When Mars noticed I wasn't resisting, he resumed walking, his grip firm on my hand. He likely wasn't concerned about onlookers misinterpreting our connection. I might have appeared to an outsider as just another girl he spent the night with. Under normal circumstances, such an assumption might have freaked me out, prompting me to flee. But now, in this moment of uncertainty, I gripped his hand as if it were my lifeline, pulling me from the darkness.

We navigated through the tents, following the path Mars chose. I had surrendered all control. Thankfully, our route didn't take us past that cursed maze. Nevertheless, fear kept my eyes darting around, causing me to mistake every dark-haired, jacket-wearing guy for Bong. Mars picked up on my nervousness; his glances shifted back to me repeatedly, his grip tightening with each look. Still, he remained silent, and I was grateful he spared me any further questions.

After what seemed like an eternity, we stopped in front of a fence. Mars opened a garden gate and stepped back to let me pass first. I ascended the metal steps and found ourselves on a station platform. Two other couples were already waiting there. The purpose of their wait became clear when I noticed a cable car approaching, gliding effortlessly through the air. It was a gondola, adorned like the cars on a carousel, traveling along the cables above us. As the first couple boarded the car ahead, I instinctively stepped back.

"What's wrong?" Mars asked, alert, thinking I had seen something. Probably Bong...

"I... can't get on that thing," I said, and his face softened. He must have remembered my fear of heights.

"You want to get away from here, right?" he asked. Of course, I did. Mars knew it, too. "If there's any cable car that won't fall, it's this one, Oliver," he insisted. "I'm sure the angels got their engineering right."

He didn't smile at his joke. Although he seemed calmer now, I could still sense his underlying tension. He was right, though, and he was genuinely trying to help. Knowing I couldn't afford to push my luck any further, I held my breath and climbed into the gondola with Mars's assistance. The car swayed slightly under our weight, sending a jolt of fear through me.

"It's okay," Mars reassured, guiding me to my seat before sinking onto the bench opposite. "Look, we're moving. Lean back and enjoy the view."

Enjoying the view wasn't really an option for me—my hands were clenched tightly around the seat. Yet, as we ascended and the park below receded into the distance, I felt an undeniable weight lifting from my shoulders despite my fear. Mars had promised to take me away from here; indeed, we were soaring away. The events of the night remained obscured by the flickering lights below. Hesitantly, I glanced at him.

"Thank you."

Mars shifted uncomfortably. "Don't thank me, Oliver. I didn't do anything."

His gaze was fixed beyond the window, his expression still etched with anger. Whether it was directed at me, at Bong, or both, I couldn't tell. For a time, I silently joined him in watching the scenery outside. As we progressed, only pink trees remained in view. Soon, clouds enveloped us, wrapping us in a world that resembled cotton. I glanced at Mars again. Noticing my gaze, he turned toward me.

"What now?"

"You tried to warn me," I said. "You knew him, didn't you?"

My voice cracked, as broken as my soul. Mars's face darkened further, and he huffed, turning back to the window. "He was a friend once," he said as if the confession sickened him. "He and Blue... they were together for a while. Then that scumbag..." He bit his lower lip. "Then he did something wrong, and that ended our friendship."

"That's why you wanted me to stay away from him," I realized. "You knew he could do something like this."

Mars looked at me like I'd sworn. "Do you think I would have let you go with him if I knew he was going to do something like this?" he said, disappointment evident in his eyes. He sighed heavily, looked down, and ruffled his hair, undoubtedly cursing under his breath. When he looked up again, he seemed even more exhausted. "Why did you want to go to the fair with him?"

This time, I was the one who turned away, unable to answer. My pride was too bruised to admit that my stubbornness was at fault. As Mars muttered something to himself, I stared at the ground like a child awaiting a reprimand. I braced myself for the lecture I deserved. But instead of scolding me, he stood and knelt before me. Surprised, I watched as he unwrapped the cloth around his wrist.

"Come," he said. "Your lip is still bleeding."

I remembered he had done the same for Blue when she was hurt. But I wasn't Blue. I wasn't even a close friend of Mars. That he would go to such lengths for me was unexpected. As his hand reached my face, I stared at him in bewilderment. He gently tucked my hair behind my ear, his touch soft and sending a warm ripple through me. Then he pressed the cloth against my lip. I winced from the pain, and his jaw tightened in sympathy.

"I'm sorry. Just press like this. It'll help stop the bleeding."

I nodded and took the cloth from him, noticing his gaze drift back to the bruise on my wrist. I could see the storm of grim thoughts crossing his mind.

"You need to show that to the infirmary when we get back," he said.

"No," I replied immediately. "I don't want anyone to know what happened. Please, tell no one."

He watched me with furrowed brows for a moment, and then, for what felt like the hundredth time today, he released a heavy sigh. "Tell me, Oliver, what am I going to do with you, huh?"

Little did he know I had been grappling with the same question among many others. Who really was Mars? Why did he flip between caring and distant? Why was he helping me yet driving me crazy? Why was he so aloof, and why did it bother me so much? Why did his opinions matter to me? What was he to me?

And most importantly... what was I going to do with him?

***

Can we get a nice emoji for Mars here? He totally won my heart in this chapter. (Probably Olive's too.) How about you guys? Any change of thoughts? 

And dear Bong... may the karma haunt you! (Or maybe the author will...) 

In the next chapter, we will have soooo much fun. I promise, it's gonna be super super sweet :) Until then, stay safe dear readers. Kisses, EC.