MATTHEW'S POV
Birds chirped loudly outside, seemingly enjoying the bright sunshine. I hummed and snuggled my pillow closer, cherishing the softness... Then, my alarm went off.
"Oh, for heck's sake." I grumbled and blindly searched for my cellphone. I turned my alarm off by repeatedly tapping on the screen. "Ugh, what time is it?" The bright light of my phone was nothing compared to the sun rays that peeked through the window.
"Seven o'clock. Right, I forgot. I need to be on the 'normal schedule'." If you saw me talking to myself like this, then you would know I was still half-asleep. After yawning and stretching to shake the sleepiness away, I hopped in the shower.
The warm water blessed my skin as steam faintly rose. After fifteen minutes in the bathroom, I was currently drying the water off my hair when my vision happened to land on my back. I turned around to inspect the still pink-ish circle that was forming.
'It's still there.'
Having no time to worry about it further as I was thinking about what would happen later, I put my school uniform on. The red button was looking innocuous on my sleeve. I didn't want Elijah and Sasha to see it, so I pulled the button off and put it inside my pocket.
I checked the time on my phone. It was 7:40 a.m. Class would start at 8:30, so I still had some time left. Putting my shoes on and twisting the doorknob of my room, I stopped before I could walk out.
On the table was my lucky scarf. I contemplated whether it'd be okay to bring it or not. In the end, I walked out of the room with a scarf tied around my neck. The soft fabric and fragrant smell of the scarf reminded me of home and the life I once had before I had to worry about all of this.
I entered the elevator and pressed the 1st-floor button. As the elevator went down, I was mentally preparing myself.
'When you get back to the elite building, make sure to not embarrass yourself anymore, Matthew. If you make a mistake, it's normal. Even though you're an elite, you're still human.'
I was too busy assuring myself that I didn't even feel the elevator stop. "Matthew?" A gentle voice called out to me.
It was Sasha. And Elijah was with her.
"O-Oh, hey, guys! You're still here?" I walked closer to them. Stacey was still nowhere to be found.
"Where's Stacey?"
"I got a call from our mother. She said Stacey came home yesterday with a high fever, so she's not gonna return for a while." Sasha answered.
Something sprang in me. Like some sort of warning. That Stacey was somehow in danger. I didn't know why I felt like this, but I could tell something was off yesterday.
'It's probably nothing. I'm just worried about her, that's all.'
"Nice scarf, Matthew! Where'd you get it?" Sasha showed interest in my scarf. I proudly said, "My mom bought it for me."
"C'mon, let's go. I hate if someone stole my seat again because I was late," Elijah grumbled. "It was such a good spot too! I specifically chose that seat so the teacher wouldn't catch me sleeping."
Typical Elijah. I looked at Sasha and pleaded. "Please don't tell me he got detention again after that."
Sasha puffed her cheeks. "I had to wait for him for an hour!"
Elijah cooed and pinched her puffed-up cheeks. "You're so cute. Thanks for putting up with me."
Sasha blushed shyly. I bet she wasn't expecting that type of response. "Y-You're welcome. I didn't mind anyway."
As the two were busy being lovey-dovey. I got ready for my act. I was breathing in and out. Every lie I would tell and every action that wasn't real, guilt would swell up in my chest. I also needed an excuse to tell them if I joined the elites again.
'For the rest of my time here, I'd be staying at the elite mansion and studying at the elite building. What am I gonna say to them? Maybe they won't mind my absence?'
The more we got closer to the Grade 11 building, the more I got nervous. Sweat was forming on my palms and the pace of my heartbeat quickened.
We were already here. I looked around for Samuel. When I couldn't see him, I was dismayed.
'Maybe he didn't know about the normal schedule?'
I stopped in my tracks to give Samuel more time to arrive here. Sasha and Elijah stopped as well. "What are you-"
"Matthew!"
It was him! Samuel came just in time. I turned around to face a tired and panting Samuel. He looked like he ran all the way here.
"Samuel. You said you wanted to talk to me about... My brother?" I dropped my voice to make me sound like I was in pain. Samuel got the idea and nodded slowly. "Yes, it's about... er," He paused and stared at me for help. "I know, cousin. It's about his funeral, isn't it?"
Samuel blinked and almost forgot to answer. "Uh, yeah." There was a strain in his voice.
I looked back at Sasha and Elijah. "Could you guys go ahead without me? I think this is gonna take a while." I showed them a pained smile to make them have the idea that it was a personal topic.
Elijah looked hesitant but patted my back. "Remember, Matthew. We're here for you." I got the feeling he was referring to yesterday. He was reminding me again. Elijah looked at Samuel, assessing him up and down. He stared at him for a good minute. He squinted his eyes and I could tell Samuel was beginning to feel uncomfortable under Elijah's gaze. Then, I could see Elijah's eyes widened. He looked like he couldn't believe what he was seeing.
'Is Samuel a superstar or something?'
Elijah looked at me like I betrayed him. He opened his mouth to say something but decided against it. He forced a smile, yet his eyes showed hurt. "I'll see you later, Matthew." He went back to Sasha. I watched them enter the Grade 11 building.
I was left there, confused. Why did Elijah act like that? Did he know Samuel? Or did he know he wasn't my cousin? Worry, panic, and confusion exploded in me all at once. Worried about what Elijah was thinking. Panicked at what he saw. And Confused about why he acted like that.
'It's not like him at all.'
"Matthew. They're gone." Samuel snapped me back to reality, I realized I was deep in thought about Elijah's actions. I was gonna worry about it later. For now, I needed to focus on showing the elites I was one of them.
"Where's your button?" Samuel asked. I put my hand inside my pocket and brought out the small object. and attached it to my sleeve. I could feel the magnetic pull as I did so.
"Are you gonna tell me what was that about?" Samuel chuckled. We started walking towards the elite building. As we walked, I told him about all the things that happened yesterday - about all the lies I said to prevent the secret from leaking out.
"You know that you could just tell them you're an elite, right? There's nothing wrong with that, just don't tell them about the Ventifios and soul protectors." Samuel voiced out. I sighed and looked down. "I know. But with this big mouth of mine, I'll most likely drop hints about it. I couldn't risk that."
"I get where you're coming from though," Samuel nodded. "If one of my 'normal' friends found out I'm one of the elites, they'll make me spill out the details. I'll feel pressured and will probably give in at the end with their constant pleads and guilt trips."
I smiled at that. Samuel understood why I was doing this. It made me feel slightly better and set my mind at ease.
Samuel looked at me with sad eyes. "You still need an excuse if you're gonna stay with us. They seem like good friends, there's no doubt they will worry about you."
My tongue didn't sit comfortably on my mouth as I needed to think about another lie again. "I'll just say that my brother's death is complicated than I thought."
Samuel's expression turned from sad to smug, yet his eyes clouded like a storm was forming. Maybe it was just my mind playing tricks on me. This was Samuel after all. "What a nice excuse. Tell me, do you really have a brother?"
I scrunched my face up and grunted. "No, I don't. I'm an only child. And that was the only excuse I can think of!"
Samuel continued to make fun of my silly excuse. I never experienced running out of patience my entire life. I was about to experience it now. "Listen here, you-"
"Oh, look, we're here!" Samuel exclaimed, cutting me off.
I craned my neck up to face the mighty elite building. No wonder I felt such feelings when I first saw this place - it was different from the others. I unattached my button off my sleeve and put it on the scanner. "Soul protector."
The scanner blinked a green light and I could hear a 'click'. I entered the elite building. I came face to face with the familiar artifacts again. The bright design of this building hid what lies underneath - the truth about the elites.
I saw Samantha and Ashley looking at the artifacts. Ashley was explaining the value of the simple, polished stones inside the glass container, and Samantha was listening intently.
"Hey, guys!" Samuel called out to them. Upon seeing me, Samantha smiled brightly while Ashley gave me a look of pity... Or was it sympathy?
"Matthew!" Samantha ran towards me and stopped an arm's length away. "A-Are you okay? Yesterday, you..." The blonde-haired girl trailed off and her smile vanished.
I patted her on the head. "Sorry for worrying you. I just overreacted a bit."
"You did." Ashley agreed. She walked over to us and crossed her arms when she stopped in front of me.
"That was uncalled for, Martinez." Ashley frowned and shook her head.
'I know.'
I looked down and smiled meekly. "Yeah, sorry about that."
"Don't apologize!" Ashley roared. "You're making me feel bad." She sighed.
I blinked. "Sorry...?"
"You're doing it again!"
This time, I laughed. "Okay, okay. I'll stop."
Ashley huffed and looked away. I could barely hear her as she whispered. "Are... Okay?"
"What?" I leaned closer to hear her better.
"Ugh, I said are you okay?" She repeated louder. I gave her a slow nod to answer her question.
She turned around and hurriedly walked away. Before she walked off to a distance, I heard her mutter, "Why was that so hard?"
Samuel placed a hand on my shoulder. "The other's will be here soon. What are you gonna do? You still have some time."
I gave Samuel a determined look. I wanted to replace the mocking smiles on the elites' face with an amazed one. I wanted to show them what I was made of, that I was also one of them.
"Can you teach me how to properly summon a soul protector? If you don't mind." Samuel wore a poker face when I said this. Then, he cracked a smile. "The question is: Are YOU ready?"
I nodded confidently and copied his smile. We climbed up the stairs until we arrived on the third floor. Samuel turned the lights on, which didn't really help as the room was still dim.
Samantha was practicing shooting with Ashley. The sound caused my ears to ring.
"So, before I start, I want you to tell me..." Samuel began and plucked his button off his sleeve. "When you were summoning your soul protector yesterday, what did you feel?"
It was an unusual question. Nevertheless, I still answered. "Uh, I panicked, that's for sure." I said lamely.
"I knew it. But when we were at the Night fog forest, you summoned your soul protector just fine. Could you remember how you summoned it then?" Samuel asked.
I went back to the day I followed the elites. I tried to copy Samuel's action by tossing the button up in the air. It didn't work. I knew it wasn't as simple as that. Then, the voice told me to calm myself and block out all the noise. To do so, I thought of my mom. Her assuring smile and comforting voice did the trick. The hard part was channeling my 'entire being' into the button. I think I just concentrated and imagined I was giving some of my soul to a button.
"I... Thought of my mom. Afterward, I just imagined I was transferring a portion of my soul to this button." I raised the red button to my face. At first glance, the thought of this small object being used to summon something would never cross your mind.
Samuel clapped. "Exactly! Panicking won't get you anywhere. Emotions play a big role in summoning a soul protector. The sadder and panicked you are, the harder summoning will be," Samuel went on, explaining it clearly to me.
"You see, summoning a soul protector must feel natural, like breathing. You don't have to make it so complicated. A soul protector only exists because you have the blood of the elites in you and a soul - that's the only two requirements. So try to summon your soul protector without any negative emotions. Let's practice with no ventifios, that was a mistake on my side. I shouldn't have rushed you."
I waved it off. "It's okay, Samuel. At least you're making up for it by teaching me these things."
"I am, huh?" Samuel chuckled. "All right, let's see you in action. Remember what I said."
I took a deep breath. I closed my eyes and tried to ignore the gunshots caused by the girls. I envisioned my mom running up to me and engulfing me in a hug. "I'm so proud of you, Matthew. You can do it." I could hear mom's tender voice bless my ears. I never realized I missed her so much.
Then, I concentrated. I was trying hard to put all of my energy into the button. My head suddenly hurts. My stomach felt hot. My breathing was becoming unsteady. And my heartbeat went crazy. I felt a slight pain in my chest like a syringe somehow got inside me and pricked my heart.
I remembered this was the part to throw the button up. The moment the button left my hand, adrenaline and power flooded my body. My insides felt like it was being ripped apart. I gasped and groaned at the pain.
The red button stretched and stretched until a black figure could be seen. My soul protector landed coolly on the ground, its gold eyes a symbol of power. Samuel and Samantha were in awe of the figure whilst Ashley looked like she'd seen better.
"Was that n-normal, brother?" Samantha whispered to Samuel. "His eyes w-were a bit yellow."
"Don't be silly, Samantha." Her brother laughed. "It's white, not yellow."
Samantha was unsure about that but didn't say anything.
Samuel walked closer to my sole protector. He inspected every inch of it. "Damn. Why couldn't I also get a gold-eyed protector?" Samuel whined. He turned to me and raised a thumb. "You got it now! Keep practicing and you'll be able to summon it like second nature."
I did keep practicing. I endured the pain and learned how to calm myself. Fifteen minutes later, the other elites and the principal showed up in the building. They caught me in another round at summoning my soul protector. Needless to say, I got what I wanted.