PAMPERED

373 Romance to action to horror

Penny didn’t know where she was dragging Zoren, and he also wasn’t sure why she was running. So, he asked. 1

“Why are you so scared?” he asked, trying to match her pace while ensuring his hold on her hand

was secure.

Penny huffed as she looked back. “I snuck out.

“Huh?” Belonging © NôvelDram/a.Org.

“He told me to sleep, but I ran away!” she exclaimed, catching sight of some light from the end of the street behind them. “Shit! He’s going to see us!”

A surge of panic swelled in her chest, knowing she had angered Atlas tonight. Looking ahead, her eyes trembled as she searched for a place they could hide. If it was just her, she knew she could hide anywhere. But there were four of them now: Penny, Zoren, Chunchun, and Renny!

She and Chunchun could hide easily, but with a tall man like Zoren and a big cat like Renny, they needed more cover.

“Over there!” she exclaimed, picking up her pace and squeezing his hand. Penny sprinted faster, and for Zoren, who lacked this kind of exercise, it was overwhelming. Even so, he silently matched her pace.

With one swift pull from her, they jumped into the free landscape of the neighborhood. Both Penny and Zoren crashed through the bushes, landing on the ground quite violently. Renny swiftly jumped over the bush and looked at his parents, while Chunchun landed quietly without making a noise.

Both Chunchun and Renny watched their parents grunt on the ground. They tilted their heads, wondering if their parents were too old to play.

“Ugh…” Penny clenched her teeth, feeling her shoulder bruised. When she saw Renny standing and staring at them, she panicked. “Blacky, sit!”

Like a dog, the panther sat. However, because of its size, its head was still over the bush.

“Play…” Zoren was clenching his teeth when he noticed the dilemma. “Play dead.”

As soon as the command left his tongue, Renny suddenly fell over to his side. Penny’s clenched teeth fell open, thinking her big baby looked like a toy that had just toppled over. Even so, that solved the immediate issue.

Penny turned to Zoren and immediately felt sorry for him. “Hey,” she called worriedly. “I’m sorry. Are you okay?”

“Mhm,” he hummed. “My body’s Just not used to it, but I’m fine. Are you?”

She clasped her shoulder a bit and nodded. “Mhm. I’m fine.

Hearing that, both of them lay on their backs on the ground and closed their eyes. They hadn’t realized they had been running for quite some time before they reached this part of the

973 Romance to action to horror

heighborhood. They had never been here before, so they took a moment to catch their breaths and recover from the fall.

I feel like this has just turned into an action film instead of a family–oriented one,” he murmured between deep breaths. Unlike Penny, Zoren’s complexion quickly paled. His lips felt cold, and he was sweating buckets.

If this was before when he had recovered for a brief time this wouldn’t have been a problem. After all, Zoren used to follow a strict exercise routine to keep his body strong and healthy. He only had to stop because his health started taking a nosedive.

Action film,” Penny laughed, unaware of his internal struggles at the moment. “Goodness. My heart is beating so fast.

Just as she raised her hand to place it on her chest, he suddenly grabbed it.

Hmm?” Penny raised her brows and snapped her eyes to him. “Renren? Are you okay?”

Mhm. Just taking a break,” he muttered as he closed his eyes, still holding her hand. “I can run another mile.”

She pressed her lips into a thin line before she crawled over to him. She stretched her neck until her face was hovering over his. Sensing her presence close, he slowly opened his eyes and saw her face hovering above him.

His lips curled up. “I’m okay,” he chuckled softly, raising his hand to cup her face. “Don’t worry about me.”

How can I…” Penny trailed off when she suddenly heard some people jump over the bushes as well. Her breath hitched for a second, and she raised her head from Zoren to the two figures who had jumped behind the large bushes not far away from them.

Her face twitched, realizing those other guys weren’t hiding like they were. Unlike them, the two were wrestling… to the death!

Oh no,” she whispered, making Zoren tilt his head back to look in the direction she was staring. He didn’t need better eyesight to know someone was fighting.

We should go,” he whispered. “Or we might get caught up in it.”

She nodded. “Yes, we should,” she whispered, only to see that one of the men had overpowered the other. The moment Penny saw the first guy sitting on top of the other, her face went blank. She blinked when his fist landed violently on the other man’s face.

Deep lines appeared between Zoren’s brows when he sensed that Penny wasn’t moving. She was ust watching the guy get beaten up. Or was it the one doing the beating that she was watching motionlessly? Either way, Zoren didn’t want the two of them to get caught up in this, not because he was afraid, but because he worried that Renny might attack them.

Penny, let’s go, Zoren whispered as he propped himself up on his elbow.

As soon as Zoren’s quiet call echoed in the silent wind, the man beating up the other stopped. Slowly, the man turned his head in their direction.

23

373 Romance to action to horror

furrow his brows more before shifting his eyes to the fighting men.

“Penny?” the man holding the other by the collar, his fist still raised, called out to her awkwardly.

Penny smiled awkwardly and waved a hand. “Hello, Second Brother. Her eyes then fell on the poor guy Hugo was treating like the dummy he used to have when they were kids.

“Is he… is he alive?”

Was she witnessing her brother kill someone? Tonight of all nights?!

Comment 13