Chapter 26: Exposed (1)
I don"t know if I believe what grandpa Arthur said. But he was the only one I spoke to when we visited the town. I haven"t had the chance to know if it"s true because after the mess that happened in the town square Gin and Ethan went to us instantly when they heard what had happened. Since that time, they didn"t separated from us.
Gin was angry. What I did was very risky. Just a small mistake and will become a big mess. He nearly dragged me alongside him all day long so I wouldn"t be out of his sight. When I made small mistakes, like accidentally stomping his shoes or b.u.mp his back when he suddenly stopped while he was still in front of me, he will suddenly rebuke me. Annoying.
But if there is one thing I"m thankful for, that was when he gave detention slips to the four men who made trouble to the old man. Gin can impose punishment being the Team Captain, same with the Head Boy and Head Girl, Ethan and Corrine. The four couldn"t do anything but to accept it. If they were afraid of me, how much more to Gin.
I couldn"t sleep that night. Or even the next night. I"m worried about Lucas. I want to know where he really was. Maybe grandpa Arthur made a mistake. Maybe he was referring to someone. Lucas has no reason to leave Hesperia.
I know he can leave if he wanted to. He was, after all, at the legal age. But what about his family? Did he took them with him? Why did he leave? Didn"t he promised that he will bring me out of this place? One question prevailed in my mind. A question that I don"t want to face since earlier but whatever I do, it always tries to stick in my mind. Did he left me?
A few days after we visited the town, I noticed something. The strange look of the students to me. It started on Monday when I entered the Breakfast Hall. Like something was not right. Like there"s something different in their stares.
I tried ignoring it. Besides, I have a lot on my mind at that time. One of it was Lucas and our new training about survival. In fact it"s easy for me, almost basic. Almost everything they do is familiar to me.
Safety rope, cutting style, types of multipurpose utility weapons, poisonous plants and insects, edible plants and insects, hunting methods, marking and tracing and other things. I had lived in that way for years. I almost memorized them. Survival skill is taught in t.i.tan Academy to be an advantage in the game. I was forced to learn the same thing outside in order to survive.
[ED: I didn’t know Shia was the Lady Bear Grylls.]
Thursday morning is when I began to get irritated with the way they looked at me. I was walking towards the Breakfast Hall as usual when I stopped and looked in their eyes who were glaring at me since earlier.
"What?" I asked in irritation. Early in the morning and this is what greeted me.
They quickly looked away when my eyes lands on them. Some left the hallway. My forehead frowned more. What is their problem? The way they act is as if I did something bad.
More and more strange looks came my way when I entered the Breakfast Hall. It"s really annoying. I headed straight to the table of the group where Luna and Victoria where sitting.
"Good morning!" Luna greeted joyfully that didn"t notice the strange atmosphere in the surrounding.
"Morning," my brief greeting. Victoria just ignored me. As if she will greet me or anyone a good morning.
"The others are still not here?" I asked.
Luna shrugged. "Like you don"t really know them. Waking up is hard for them."
"Don"t you notice something?" I asked again. "Why are people staring at me? Or staring at us?"
Luna stopped and looked around. The other students immediately withdrew their gazes. "They always stared at us."
Luna is right. The behaviors of the students now is the same. I chose to ignore what I noticed. Though in the back of my mind I know there was something queer in the way they stare. I just can"t point out what.
I was walking in the hallway in the afternoon when I heard someone calling my name. I knit my brow and turned to the direction of the voice.
A freshman student approached me.
"Miss Shia?"
"Yes?" I don"t know if he is nervous or what. He look like he was about to cry. Is he scared?
"Miss Aura called you to the Infinity Room."
The freshman student suddenly run and left after he said that. I was confused and my gaze followed him. Infinity Room?
I continued walking while thinking about what the student said. I shall go to Miss Aura. If I remember correctly she didn"t gave any schedule this day except for the discussion of advance medical aid with Luna and Victoria this morning.
I sighed. I"m really lazy to go. I prefer to sleep this afternoon. But what Miss Aura is going to say I know I need to listen to it. We shouldn"t become complacent now. Especially if the cup is nearing.
I turned to the hallway where you could see the cla.s.srooms in the castle. Like before, it"s quiet whenever it"s this time of the day. Except for the teachers’ voices that came from the occupied cla.s.srooms.
"Hey, little devil."
I pause walking. I am so familiar with that irritating voice. I turned back to the narrow staircase I just pa.s.sed through. My mood immediately turned sour when I saw Gin coming down from there.
Hey, a.s.shole. "Captain." I greeted, I tried my best to be civilized for once in front of him.
"What are you doing here?"
None of your business. "I just need to go somewhere, Captain."
His brow slightly rose as if puzzled. But he immediately lost interest. "Just don"t get yourself into any more trouble."
That was the last thing I heard before he continued walking down the stairs and pa.s.sed by me. I also continued walking as if nothing had happened. A while later I turned to him when I remembered something.
"By the way where is the Infinity Room here?" I asked. "Captain."
Gin was already a little far away but he still managed to stop. He did not look back but I know he heard what I said.
"Infinity Room?" He faced me. His forehead furrowed as if wondering why do I need to go in that place.
"I need to go to Miss Aura there."
The confusion in his face still didn"t disappear. I moment later he sighed. "East chamber. End of the hallway."
"Okay."
I turned from him and continued walking. But before that, I noticed that he wanted to say something. I waited a few seconds but I didn"t hear anything. I slightly turned in his direction and saw that he was leaving. Maybe it was just my imagination.
It took a few minutes of walking before I reached the chamber that Gin told me about. I noticed that the cla.s.srooms here are not ordinary. It seems that these rooms have specific purposes like the training room. And it"s really far from the main cla.s.srooms. I"m p.i.s.sed.
I opened the door of the Infinity Room that they mentioned. The moment I touched the handle, I felt it— the danger radiating from the room. But it was too late when I realized it.