Boom! The laser crashes into the spot where Nova was laying, leaving a huge aftershock in its wake. I feel my shield break, but I think it did the job, protecting her from the majority of the damage. I can't see through the smoke, though.
"Oi, boy, what happened?" Crawler comes running up to me, trying to see what happened. The other people in our group are standing where they were before, frozen with shock.
"Um, I guess, Nova saw this laser coming towards us, and used the rest of her power to push me out of the way. Then she passed out. I think pushing me out of the way was the most she could do in her state."
"Okay, what happened to her then? Is she dead?"
"She shouldn't be. I tried to cover her with one of my shields, and I think it absorbed the majority of the damage. It did break, but I think it did its job."
"It better have, I don't want to have to file more paperwork." Man, he really doesn't have his priorities straight. However, even though he seems like he doesn't care if she's alive or not, I can tell by his movements that he's concerned about her.
Waiting in anticipation, we stare into the smoke, hoping that when it dissipates she's still alive. The smoke around the area clears up a bit, just enough so we can see. The laser wasn't especially big, but apparently it packed quite a punch. There was a massive crater around where it hit Nova, leaving a giant hole in the middle of the school gardens. I would feel bad about it, but I was too worried about Nova to be concerned.
"Is she okay?" It's the green haired girl, talking to the other girl with the braids.
"I don't know, I can't really see anything!"
"Wait, look, the smoke's clearing up. I think I can see her…" Turning back to the hole, I see Nova lying in the center exactly how she was before. Her hoodie looked a little scorched, but other than that, I think she's okay.
"Hey, shield kid, pick her up. I'll take you guys to the dorms like planned, we'll just have to take the long way around." Crawler is trying to act cool, but I can see the panic in his eyes. "Hey, Crawler here, checking in. We've just had a villain attack near the south wing, can I get some patrols out here? The target? It looks like it's Nova Kahin. Yes, that one. Well, yeah. This one wasn't her fault though. Yes, okay, understood." It sounds like he's talking to someone through an earpiece or something, but it doesn't look like there's anything in his ear. I'll figure that out later.
I run up to Nova and pick her up gently in my arms, holding her legs with my left arm and her neck with my right. I hold her close to my chest so her head doesn't loll awkwardly as we walk. I cross her arm closest to me over her chest, her other arm hanging off to the side. She looks kinda cute like this, it's a shame she looks so distant when she's awake.
"Hey kids, we're gonna keep heading towards your guys' building now!"
"Um, are we just gonna ignore what just happened?" The girl in braids is looking side to side nervously, taking in everything around us.
"Well what do you want me to do about it? What happened, happened, get over it!"
"Nova's literally unconscious! Aren't you gonna take her to the nurse or something?"
"Meh, she's been through worse. She'll just have to tough it out, she's already caused enough problems already. It's time for her to deal with it on her own."
"W-well, aren't you gonna tell us what the heck happened just now? I'll bet money on the fact that you and Nova are the only people here who understand, and she's not really in a position to give us information right now."
"I'll tell you later!" Both of their voices are starting to rise, this can't end well.
"But-"
"Stop your yapping and follow me! Any more complaints and I'll have you kicked out for insubordination!" With a small gasp, she looks at the ground and follows quietly. I probably would react in a similar way if I was in her place. I don't think he can actually get anyone kicked out for a stupid reason like that, but I wouldn't put it past the people in this place either, so it's our best bet to play it safe. Right now all we can do is follow behind him complacently and hope that everything turns out okay.
With a sigh, I fall back in line, following Crawler and the other students into the deep forest. I guess we'll just have to wait and see what happens next. Man, this really isn't what I expected my first day would be like.
We continue going deeper into the forest, path fading away until there's no sign of it left. I shouldn't really be surprised, considering this is supposed to be a secret location and all. Crawler leads us, turning at random points and even backtracking occasionally. It continues on this way for a while, probably for more than half an hour, in complete silence other than the occasional forest animal's sound.
"Ugh, how much longer do we have to walk?" The green haired girl starts complaining loudly, only to get several annoyed looks from the rest of the group. Man, I don't really like her either. She looks so innocent, but I'm getting a bad feeling about this chick.
A couple minutes later, the woods start to clear and we enter a large opening. There is a massive lake in front of us, shining a brilliant blue underneath the sky. To the side of the lake is a building, decent in size, but nothing outrageous. It's about the size of a regular building where office workers spend their hours.
Although it's kind of on the small side, it looks magnificent. There are massive glass windows everywhere you look, framed with sleek looking marble. Everything looks like it's surrounded by a yellow, orangish hue, probably a result of the sun's reflection off of not only the lake but also all of the windows. Despite it's modern look, it has a homey kind of feel to it, I don't really know how to describe it. I don't see anyone walking through it right now though, I wonder where the other 'elite' students are.
Crawler keeps leading us into the building, not waiting for us to take in the view. Hurrying to catch up with him, we all look at the building we're approaching in awe, taking in everything we can see. We enter through a large doorway, and enter a large open area. It has a few couches and beanbags, with a bunch of random activities.
"Look! There's a foosball table! And a ping-pong table! And video-game systems!" The girl with braids is running around with her eyes sparkling, thrilled at everything that she's seeing. The entire area basically is just a giant lounge, a nice one at that. I wonder how much free time the students get. It can't be much, so I wonder why the superiors decided to waste the money on an area like this one.
"Don't get distracted, airhead!" Crawler takes us further into the building, then stops us about halfway through. "As you can see, There are two hallways branching off from either side of the lounge. The one on the right leads to the girls' section of the building, and the one on the left is for the boys. There you will find your dorms and washrooms. If you look directly ahead, you will see a hallway leading deeper into the building. You will head that way for all of your classes. There are five floors in the building, and we will give you a more detailed tour later. For now, split into two groups and head towards your respective dorm areas. There you will find the upperclassmen, who will help show you the ropes. Dismissed until further notice!" He heads off further into the building to who knows where, leaving us standing there awkwardly.
"Out of my way, extras." Axel starts storming off to the boy's section of the building, the first one of us to fully process what Crawler told us.
"Yes, we should start going." Aubree motions for us to go our separate ways. The two other girls start heading towards their dorms, leaving just me and Aubree. "I can take Nova, I'm sure the upperclassmen will know where we should take her. You should go get your dorm, I promise I can take care of her."
"Are you sure?" I say, shifting nervously from one foot to the other. "I just mean, what if she's like too heavy for you or something? I can handle her, it's really no problem at all." What am I saying?
"As much as I appreciate an act of chivalry, I assure you I can carry her. After all, she said it herself; she only weighs forty pounds. I do not have a problem with you taking care of her, you have carried her this far after all, but I get the feeling the other girls won't take kindly to you entering their areas. After all, the girls and boys do have separate living quarters for a reason. Like I said before, I can take care of her." She makes a fair point, I've seen how girls can act when boys invade their space.
Nodding, I gently hand her over to Aubree, making sure not to move her too much. Her hoodie bunches up around her stomach in the process, and I can see blood soaking into the bandages on her abdomen.
"Uh, I think her wound opened again."
"Oh yes, that happened during her fight with Axel. She didn't seem too concerned about it though, so I simply ignored it." Had it really been that long? Wow, Aubree has some pretty great observational skills. Even I didn't notice, and I've spent my entire life observing from a distance.
"U-um, okay. I guess I'll get going now…" Man, I really don't know how to act cool around chicks. Blushing, I head towards my area, taking one last glance back at Nova in Aubree's arms. She's still as a statue, and she almost looks like she's dead. I don't think she's breathing… but I know she's still alive. I'll have to ask her about that later. Maybe it has to do with her oddity, I don't know. She's one weird girl to say the least.