KRIS is here.

 

 

Friday

 

Tris certainly had some thinking to do. The past three days had passed by with more orientation. Next Monday, they would have to make their choice.

 

Most girls went to Dark Beauty, while the boys were evenly split between Sehun and Kris's gang. Tris had decided long ago to join Dark Beauty. But then, the prospect of being a messenger didn't seem too bad, aside it requiring lots of talking to different people, which didn't seem to fit in with Tris.

 

After school ended, Tris sat on the swing, sorting things out. The sky was turning dark and she was just about to leave when she heard crunching of leaves.

 

Her survival instincts kicked in and without looking, she knew there were two sets of approaching feet on her right. Mapping out the school in her brain, she realised she was beside the basketball court- Kris's territory.

 

She was just about to grab her bag and flee when she remembered her messenger's words, "None of you can be harmed by gangs in this week." Nervously, she sat back down and straightened her back. Sauntering towards her were two lanky boys.

 

"Well, well, well. What have we got here? A girl?" The taller one mused.

 

"HIIAAAHAHAHA...! I don't recognise you as a messenger either," said the stocky one as he cracked his knuckles with an evil grin. Tris stared at them defiantly. Seemingly offended, the latter continued, "Time to put my martial arts..."

 

"Maybe its because she's a newbie," a third voice said. "Back off, D.O.. Kai, you too. Don't want to be punished do you?"

 

The two quickly ran behind the third guy, revealing a tall, handsome dude. With like, two dozen men behind him. Tris's eyes widened slightly, but not enough to be noticeable.

 

She tried thinking straight as she looked at the guy who was oozing with charisma as he walked across the grass towards her.

 

"That must be Kris. And... I should get up from this swing... But I cant. Oh nononononono. Don't come any closer to me." But he seemed to have read her mind and stopping in front of her, he bent down so that his head was level with hers, only inches away.

 

He spoke with a deep, manly voice, "I'm Kris, and you are..." He stared intently at her. One second, two seconds, three... Awkwardly he straightened his back. Tris just sat still, not moving a muscle, or rather, unable to move a muscle. As her face grew hotter, she grabbed her bag and walked away quickly, feeling dozens of eyes trained on her.

 

Dumbfounded, Kris murmured to himself, "It's okay, it happens. She's just too scared too react, that's all."

 

Kai nudged him, "You ought to have melted her with that stare, Kris hyung!" Kris just shrugged.

 

"She quite chic actually, I hope she joins our gang," added D.O..

 

"..."

 

"What?" He stared at everyone else innocently.

 

"Oh yeah... There are only boys n our group." This great realisation hit him like a wave and he put his index finger together with shame.

 

What they didn't know was how Tris mind had been blank at that moment, unable to react due to this strange phenomena she had never experienced before.

 

"Perhaps it was that guy's breath which, mixed with my (virtual) wall that I had set up to ward off feelings. Like chemistry, right Tris? You learnt about this in school. This plus that and BAM. You get a chemical reaction, deadly enough to stop your brain cells from functioning. This is serious. I need to find a cure."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"How can my wall be not strong enough?" she wondered aloud as she entered the upper level of the shophouse- her rented home.

 

"What? Oh yeah, the walls were never in good shape. But they ain't crumbling right? Why mention it?" her mother asked, bewildered.

 

"Oh um yeah, I mean no, they're fine and with a couple of "erm, yea, nothing" she finally entered her room and closed the door. Tris was nothing like who she was to outsiders when at home. At home, she's just a goody-goody girl. She could never bear to see her frail mother worry about her too.

 

 

The next day......

 

She thought about her choice. "The girl who speaks less than ten words a day becomes a messenger," she narrated aloud as she lay on her bed, staring at the peeling ceiling. "Tch." She bounced up to flick the lights off. "Not too suitable for me." Closing her eyes, she sowly drifted off to dreamland.

 

"Hey," Tris struggled to open her eyes. "What are you doing in my territory again?" She squinted her eyes. It was Kris Wu, half squating in front of her. She felt herself blush as she jerked backwards, away from the dangerous mass that had the terrifying ability to freeze her brain. He leaned closer then...

 

"Oww...ie..." Tris woke up massaging her sore head. She had crashed into the wall as she dreamt. "What was that..." She mumbled embarrassingly even though no one was watching her. She giggled as she tucked her knees against her chest.

 

"What a funny dream," she thought. Wide awake now, she looked around and caught sight of her buzzing phone. It was a message from an unknown number. It had to be the messenger. Through this few days, she had came up with the conclusion that messengers were mysterious, untouchable creatures. They went by codenames and were low-profile (even though practically the whole school knows them.

 

She clicked on the message.

 

:Go to the Hall at 5am tomorrow. Latecomers will regret it. Be ready with a decision. Bring a knife. -Blue

 

Tris gulped. A knife? Wild thoughts raced through her mind.

 

Whoever kills the most people gets to choose first. If you dare to slice your own arm, you are in. Cut your hair if you want to join. Stab your friend 3 times to get in. Fight with knives with a gang member....

 

She shivered, a chill creeping down her spine. Her heart skipped a beat as she realised what she had done. Her heart raced at she fumbled to light her phone's screen up. 4.01am. She heaved a sigh of relief.

 

She had not checked her phone last night. The words "Latecomers will regret it" echoed in her mind. "Ha, that jerk saved me, in a way." She laughed and went to change hurriedly, not wanting to be late, noting to bring a penknife too.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

As she strode to school in her unusually fast-paced stride, she suddenly felt a tingling sensation at the back of her neck. Her heartbeat quickened, beating against her ribcage. Someone was staring at her, she was sure. Glaring, even. She hastened her footsteps, heart beating along, trying to act normal and keep her breathing steady. Her back muscles were stiff. It was early in the morning and it was still dark, who knew what or who could be lurking out there?

 

As naturally as she could, Tris took her phone out of her pocket, moving it slightly to her right. In the screen was the reflection of a tall man -a shiver traveled up her spine- with well-gelled hair. It was only a matter of time before she realised it was Kris. Her shoulders relaxed slightly but she didn't let her guard down.

 

They walked in silence for awhile, but she felt as though his breath was on her neck, even though he was a good five feet away. She couldn't shake off the tingling feeling and finally whipped around.

 

"Why are you following me?"

 

He stopped in his tracks.

 

"Tch," He continued walking with a roll of his eyes. But seeing that Tris was still standing firmly in his path, he lowered his voice and stared coldly, "Is it a crime to live on the same street and walk to school together?"

 

Tris jaw dropped. On the same street!? Did that mean she would have to see him everyday going to and fro from school? It was a mixture of shock, dismay and puzzlement. But before she could gather her thoughts to reply she was pushed aside roughly as Kris continued on his way. Indignantly she followed behind, muttering under her breath. The arrogant idiot whistled, "I hear you!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

It was a relief to see most people in the hall already. Tris might be cold, but she still didn't want others to die in the second week of school. On the stage there were five cloths. The heads of every gang stood on stage, only Eric the head of the oddities was standing at a corner of the stage.

 

Kris towered above all others, folding his arms and standing casually. Jessie was wearing a black leather jacket, skinny jeans and leather boots, her hair tied up in a high ponytail. She looked fierce and pretty, yet strange beside a laid-back Kris.

 

Tris looked around her. A girl had brought a pretty samurai sword, another had a  kitchen knife. The boys brought a mixture of large kitchen knives, choppers and swords. Silently she kept her penknife and took out a mini-sword she had been keeping in her bag.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

At exactly 4.30 Jessie said, "Let the ceremony begin," she spoke as if it was a really cheerful event. It could almost make Tris think twice about her choice.Everyone snapped to attention, the hall tingled with expectation.

 

Some people looked as eager as a pack of hyenas that would kill in a mad rampage with a snap of her fingers.  "We'll start with..." Her eyes glided over the students. "one-twelve."  

 

She signalled the girl with the samurai sword to come forward. Confidently she walked up the stairs, sword in hand. But all it took was a few whispers in her ear for her eyes to stretch out wide.

 

What are the knives for? And more Kris>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

You are most welcome to make Constructive or Encouraging comments!