Storm had just finished his dinner when he received a call. A call that said his mother had summoned him. Something was very very wrong. His mother never used any civilized means to meet him. She would either pop out of nowhere when he would be least expecting her or ask her sidekicks to pass on the message. He didn't remember the last time he talked to his mother as a son. He knew that for her he was just a means to meet the ends.
When he entered her office, he saw a scene he had seen many times before. Rachel Knight was standing in front of the window with her back to his son and a glass of wine in her hands. Storm knew he wouldn't get any response from her until she finished her wine. So he went ahead and took a seat on the sofa and poured himself a glass of wine too.
They say that people change over the time. Storm didn't see his mother change. No, he remembers her being just like this. Even when he was five and needed her to tuck him to sleep or when he was a teenager and wanted his mother to be understanding or now when he had no idea what he was doing. His mother was never there, it was only Rachel Knight he has been dealing with.
"I am sure you have already heard that the Resonance Program will be commencing in two weeks. This year the board has decided to include you in this program." His mother informed him while taking a seat in front of him. She looked polished, not a hair out of its place, just like always. She looked like someone ready for work, not like someone who was about to leave the office because it was 10 at night.
Storm leaned back and crossed his knees, the one habit he got from his mother. "Who is the other person you wish to send there with me?" Of course he knew there wouldn't be anyone else but that piece of shit whom she likes so much. Who better to spy on him than the son of Hope Academy's principal?
Storm knew that every heir was supposed to be assisted by a trustworthy person in the academy. The said person would later become the right hand of the heir of the company. Storm didn't want someone he knew as his right hand. It creates blind trust and emotional attachment which often is the sole reason of the downfall of men in position of power. He didn't want that risk and he especially didn't want Axel anywhere near him. That man had a record of sticking his nose in other people's business.
"I am well aware that you do not want anyone by your side, but I have already promised the principal that Axel would be attending the class as your support. Of course, this arrangement is limited to the class only. This file has everything you need to know about the Resonance Program." Rachel pushed the black file across the table and leaned back.
Storm glanced at his mother briefly and took the file. The first thing he saw in the file was the name of the teacher who was going to take this class, Sergio Munroe. Not many people knew Sergio Munroe. He was the brain behind the current CEO of GEM Industries. Storm wondered why he was interested in wasting his time on a bunch of students rather than assisting to run a company. Storm flipped the pages till he reached the list of names of the students attending the class. There were twelve names, every pair belonging to one powerful establishment. Out of those twelve names, only one caught his eye. Amayra Vice. The girl with blue hair. Of course he heard that she was here as Carter's right hand but Storm knew that it was shit load of crap. He has known Carter Willis for years and he was 100% sure that Amayra Vice wasn't a part of his professional life. Besides looking weak and poor, she didn't seem like someone capable of assisting Carter.
Storm didn't want to think about her. He knew how his mind worked. He knew if he started thinking about her he wouldn't be able to stop. He loves puzzles and Amayra Vice was the only puzzle he didn't want to solve. Little did he know that she was already camping in both his mind and heart.
Rachel watched as his son looked over the pages and grew still when something caught his eye. Storm liked to think that he was expressionless, mysterious and quite difficult to decode but his mother knew him too well. Rachel was surprised when her son made no sound of protest and quietly stood up and left the room with the file still in his hands. She knew storm hated the special treatment, which is why she was so sure that she would have to blackmail him into attending this class. What she didn't expect was him being compliant and leaving without arguing.
Something or rather someone caught his eye on that file. It isn't everyday that Storm Knight is interested in a person. Ah..now this is going to be so much fun, Rachel thought as she sipped her wine.
*********
Storm didn't sleep that night. After leaving his mother's office he went to his room, grabbed his jacket and a beer and marched to the rooftop of girl's dormitory. He went through the file again and again and through the information his P.I. collected on Amayra. He spent hours trying to find something about her. His investigator was the best in the country and yet he couldn't dig enough on her past. This meant only one thing. Someone was covering Amayra's story and that someone was better than the guy Storm hired. But what could a 20 year old possibly have done to go to the extent of erasing her whole past?
Storm didn't realize when he got tired and dozed off. It was the sound of dorm's iron gate that woke him up. "Who would be up at this hour?" He thought when his mobile showed it was nearly four thirty. He grabbed his jacket and made his way downstairs. By the time Storm reached the gates, the person who woke him up had already vanished in the darkness. Storm decided to take his chances and went ahead trying to concentrate on the faint sound of footsteps. After walking for only a minute or two , he caught up with the person. He knew that he was chasing a girl, he just wanted to know who. He has been coming to the girl's dormitory for quite some time and he had never seen any girl leave the dorm before sunrise.
This girl was walking towards the forest, Storm realized as they passed the block where riches resided. All this time he waited for the girl to realize that she wasn't alone. Apparently, her music was too loud for her to hear anything, or maybe it were her thoughts. He watched from the shadows as she stopped before the wall separating the woods from the academy. She kept staring at it like she expected the wall to collapse. Was she waiting for someone to meet? But why would she want to meet anyone here at this time? And who would be daring enough to climb the wall and that too from the other side of the forest?
Before he could get answers to any of his questions, Storm heard another set of footsteps. The one he was all too familiar with. After all, the man did pretend to be his best friend for a long time. Storm turned around and found himself face to face with none other than Carter Willis.
*******
"Storm"? Carter asked in a low voice. Storm didn't look surprised. In fact, it was as if he expected to see him here.
"What are you doing here?"Storm asked Carter. "What does it looks like I'm doing? I am on my morning run." Carter replied sarcastically. He knew that if there was anyone who could see right through him, it was Storm. Of course, he would never believe a word Carter says.
Storm let out a scoff and started walking in the direction he just came from. Carter did nothing but stare at the diminishing silhouette.