Page 24 of Bonds of Starfall

A series of loud thumps made her look up from her daze. She found Keir standing before one of the sleek, black punching bags, pummeling it. That was what she should be doing. Not resting. She didn’t have time to take things slow anymore.

Rin huffed a breath, blowing sweat-damp strands of her white hair away from her face as she stood and headed toward the mats.

The ringing in her ears faded, but her head still felt fuzzy—too heavy to hold up. All she wanted was to clock in these training hours, get something warm to eat, take a cool shower, and fall into bed.

"Ready?" Keir asked, turning away from the punching bag and reclaiming his stance on the mats, one foot in front of the other and his hands in loose fists before his midsection.

She didn’t miss the way his eyes fell to her chest, where her white shirt stuck to her skin with sweat. Even after less than a week of knowing him, she knew it wasn’t aboutherspecifically.

Keir flirted with anything that breathed. She wasn’t flattered.

She made a mental note to kill his watchful habits and hopes now, before they bloomed. And quickly.

A plan formed.

She knew someone else who had the same impish and energetic nature.

"About tomorrow?" Rin started. "Is it okay if I bring a friend?"

Keir’s brows furrowed. "I guess, yeah."

Rin used his moment of distraction to her advantage, quickly jabbing out with her right fist in a swift punch.

As they continued to train, she found her thoughts drifting away… To a certain blonde-haired Soul Searcher.

Rin’sheeled boots crunched over fallen leaves as she and Xara walked side by side in the dark forest. Music thumped in the distance, a steady call of cheers and clamor of voices that sounded far louder in the otherwise silent night.

The familiar tin border was just up ahead. Rin found her eyes searching in the darkness between trees, hoping to find a flash of white or the gleaming blade of a scythe.

"You’d better pay me back for this, Rin," Xara huffed. "I’d much prefer to be back at the dorms with a bottle of wine."

"I know. Me too," Rin revealed. "At least we can meet people?" Her face scrunched up as she said it. She didn’twantto meet people. But it seemed to be enough for the taller Hunter trainee, for she smiled and hooked her arm through Rin’s, tugging her along.

Rin and Xara rounded the corner of a thick grouping of trees, right on the outskirts of the border of Nova Zone 21. For a late summer night, it was chilly. She shivered, rubbing her hands over her exposed arms. Her top was crafted of flowing dark silkthat fell off her shoulders, paired with a short black skirt and her favorite calf-length heeled boots. Great for a club—not so much the forest.

Ahead, a large warehouse loomed. The concrete sides of the building were crumbling, exposing wire and beams. The effect left the entire inside exposed. Multi-leveled and dark grey, splashes of neon strobe lights flashed across the surface, making it appear dark and sinfully entrancing. On each level, bodies danced and mingled, like ants from this distance.

As Rin and Xara drew nearer, the bass of the music thumped through her very bones, building her up, up, up, and making a smile break free on her red lips.

Cars were parked haphazardly on the dead grass, tailgates opened, and couples lounged under blankets with cheap plastic cups in hand.

Her eyes found a trio perched on the back of a pickup, obviously…engaged. Her cheeks warmed as she watched the girl, nestled between the two guys, throw her head back as one of them nuzzled against her neck, while the other’s arm flexed, disappearing under the blanket draped over their laps.

"What? Like you’ve never been in a sandwich like that?" Xara teased, tugging on Rin’s arm.

Rin tripped over a few large pieces of rock in the grass, teetering in her heeled boots. "Ah—n-no," she managed.

Definitely not. She hadn’t even been with one guy—let alone two. But she didn’t want to tell Xara that.

Xara nearly stopped in her tracks, but only at Rin’s insistence did they keep walking. She wanted to get away from the parked cars and roving hands. It was making something in her stomach twinge uncomfortably.

Soon, they were bathed in neon.

Blue and red and purple lights cascaded over everyone, turning even the meekest into a sinner.

It was all she had ever wanted. To disappear among the crowd. Blend in and fade away.

The only place she could ever fade blissfully was among the masses. The only time she could ever forget was when too loud music thundered in her ears and rattled her skull.