Nerd in Disguise: Blood Bound

Chapter 32

The first thing I notice as soon as I enter the House of Mirrors is the silence. There's nobody here. My heart races loudly as I carefully make my way past the mirrors. It's quite unnerving as I see myself reflected back a million different shapes and sizes.

The silence is interrupted by a buzzing sound. I almost jump out of my skin as I search around for the source. Of course, it's coming from my pocket.

"Hello?" I answer as silently as I can.

"V, where are you right now? Give me your exact location right now." Dante demands urgently.

"Uh...I'm at Navy Pier in the House of Mirrors." I hold my phone with my shoulder as I keep walking around. I almost run into the mirrors at least three times. I wonder where Jacob is.

"Navy Pier?" Dante repeats.

"Yes, Navy Pier." I confirm.

There is a ton of background noises coming from Dante's side. I pause until he responds, "You need to get the hell out of there. Now."

"I came here with Jacob. I need to look for him. Why do I have to leave right now?"

"Always with the questions! You don't get it. You have to leave there right this second!" Dante raises his voice in urgency.

"But Jacob and I got separated because these group of men suddenly attacked us out of nowhere. I don't know if it's the Acerbi Family, but I didn't wait to ask questions..." I begin.

"GODDAMN IT. LEAVE THE DAMN PLACE NOW!" When Dante says it that way, I immediately leave the place, though I realize he still didn't answer my question.

"As soon as you leave, jump into the ocean." He orders as I sprint out of the place.

"Wait, really? It's cold and what if there are sharp rocks down there?" I hesitate on the edge of the drop. By now, the city lights are shining beautifully and the pier is lit up quite dazzlingly. I don't have a fear of heights but I do not like the prospect of jumping right into a sharp rock.

"Vivianna, for the last time-" Leo seems to take the phone from Dante and shouts, "You need-"

He's cut off halfway as something nearby explodes.

Literally, something near the House of Mirrors goes KABOOM.

And then a heat wave pushes me off the ledge and down into the water. To clarify, imagine someone punching you in the back but their hand is on fire. Well, it's not pleasant.

I am thrown upside down towards the water. Luckily, there are no rocks where I plunge through. There is quite a sting as I hit the water. Some other things fall into the water around me. I clench my teeth as the salt water really stings my back.

Coming up from the water, I look up at the pier.

Fire is everywhere. It's spreading all over the place. I watch in horror as some people scream and cry in pain as they run off the pier in hopes of dousing the flames on their bodies. A couple people covered in flames fall into the ocean. I try to swim under the pier or as deep underwater as I can as a bunch of building and other odds and ends come hurling at the water. A bunch of building parts hit the spot where I was just at.

I don't know how long this whole dodgeball round takes, but when everything dies down I am exhausted. I swallowed quite a bit of water. Plus, my eyes sting from the salt. Turning towards land, I frown as the distance seems farther than it should be.

I swim tiredly to land. Eventually, I get to the sand and lay on my back, shivering and heaving haggardly.

I look at what remains of Navy Pier. All of it is still on fire. I can faintly hear a rush of alarms coming from the many firetrucks, polices, and ambulances heading towards this direction.