MATTHEW'S POV
I rushed to the green-eyed girl and held her face in my hands. "H-Hey, what's wrong?"
Samuel also came over to Sasha. His eyes widened when he saw the crying girl.
Sasha didn't answer me and kept on sobbing. I hugged her and she buried her face in my chest. I didn't care when my shirt got wet. Swaying her back and forth, I attempted to calm her down.
After a minute, she stopped crying but her lower lip was trembling. I pushed a strand of her hair behind her ear. "What happened, Sasha? You can tell me."
"I-It's my sister." She hiccuped. I remembered Stacey and her condition the last time I heard of her. I was scared and nervous about what might have happened.
"Yeah? What about her?"
Sasha sniffed and said in a shaky voice. "S-She's not waking up. Her f-fever got really bad l-last night and now I-I got a call from mom t-that she won't wake u-up. T-They took her to the h-hospital and the d-doctor can't figure o-out what's wrong with her." Sasha went back to bawling her eyes out.
My mind shut down. My heart stopped beating momentarily. I could hear Samuel gasp in disbelief. The thought of Stacey laying in a hospital bed with a bad fever and an unknown reason for not waking up stirred bad feelings in me - like fear, anxiousness, and nervousness.
"N-No. That can't be. I'm sure the doctor just needs more time to examine her. Yeah, just more time." I couldn't accept it. Many thoughts about what could've happened to her exploded in my mind. The worst of them all was when I thought of death.
'No! No! I-It's just a high fever. She just can't open her eyes because it hurts. That must be it.'
Now, I was making up random reasons for her condition. I just couldn't believe what I was hearing. Sasha wiped a tear from her eye. "I'm g-gonna go to the hospital and s-see her. I-I already have p-permission from the t-teacher."
I squeezed her hand. "Please update me about her condition."
Sasha nodded, her voice seemed to be lost. She bowed goodbye and rushed out of the school. I watched her getting smaller in the distance, before eventually disappearing.
I prayed that Stacey was okay. She was the first person that I knew ever since I arrived here at the university. It would make me sad if something bad happened to her. She was also the one who told me about the elites. She sounded like she admired them. I wanted to see her reaction if I told her I was one of them. But of course, the secret couldn't be revealed.
"Come on, Matthew. Let's go inside." Samuel put the button and said the password. I did the same. Samantha and a guy with black hair - I think his name was Josh - were waiting inside for us. Samantha noticed the wet stain on my chest. "What happened?" She pointed at it.
I rubbed the back of my neck before chuckling nervously. "A friend of mine was crying. So I comforted her." When I said the pronoun 'her', Samantha's lips seemed to form into a frown. "O-Oh, I hope she's o-okay. W-Why was she crying in t-the first place?"
"Let's say that her sister isn't in a good condition." I was afraid that if I say Stacey couldn't wake up, it might come true.
I recalled the feeling I got when I found out Stacey was gone. I somehow knew that this was gonna happen... It was unsettling.
"Anyways, it's your turn guys, stay vigilant." The two saluted and went to guard the building.
I still couldn't move, my mind always drifted to Stacey. I wished she was alright. A kind person like her didn't deserve such a thing.
Samuel noticed my expression and placed a hand on my shoulder. "Don't worry about her, Matthew. I'm sure it's just her fever's gotten worst. The doctors will handle it."
'Why do I feel I'm the one whose sister is in a coma?'
I nodded and gave a small smile. "Thanks, Samuel. You're probably right."
Samuel nodded and said cockily. "I always am."
We didn't bring up the topic again. If we did, I might go to the hospital too and see Stacey myself. We went up the third floor and saw Zed was already done practicing shooting.
I got my gun ready.
I gazed at the silver object. When I first held this, I was so scared of the possibilities that might happen if I used this incorrectly. But when I first shot that ventifio, I felt... Alive. Mom would always prohibit me from even using a knife too long. So when I shot that ventifio on purpose, I was both shocked and excited. Shocked because I just shot that creature and excited because I never did this before. It was a whole new feeling.
Samuel whistled before chuckling. "Getting bold, aren't we, Matthew?"
"You guys probably already mastered shooting. And I can barely shoot down one can." I huffed. Samuel placed the cans back on the table.
"There! Have fun shooting." I thanked Samuel and went to practice shooting. Let's say, with all ten bullets, I knocked down a can. One can.
-
School ended. It was 5:30 in the afternoon, the sky faded from the blue to a very dark shade of it. Clouds slowly drifted above us, looking like a big white cotton candy. The school was quiet since the normal students already went back to the dorms. The fifteen of us who had gone to the underworld yesterday were preparing to leave. The other fifteen stayed inside the building.
"Did anyone forget anything? We're about to leave." Mister Angelo said. All of us shook our heads. The principal got inside the limousine, and so did we. The ride towards the mansion was noiseless. The elites were either sleeping or scrolling through their phones. I did neither though, just sitting on my seat and gazing out the window.
I was also about to pull out my phone but stopped in my actions when I felt someone's head on my shoulder. I glanced at who it was to see a familiar blonde hair and the very same smell of strawberries.
Samantha's chest was heaving up and down, her lips were agape and that was where she was breathing. Her eyelashes were almost like an inch long. Her long hair draped over my shoulder and flowed down my arm. She looked like an angel.
I froze, not knowing what to do. I didn't want to wake her up, but if I didn't then a misunderstanding might pop up again. I looked around the car to see no one paying attention to us.
'I guess I don't mind.'
I continued staring out the window.
Five minutes later, we arrived at the mansion. I looked over to Samantha and took a deep breath. Then, I shook her lightly. "H-Hey, wake up. We're here."
She stirred in her sleep. After a few more shaking, her eyes fluttered open. She yawned and looked up to meet me.
We stared at each other for a while, my brown orbs mixing in with her gray ones. She seemed to be comprehending our position. She was sitting so close to me that I was able to see a small mole just under her left eye. When she was fully awake, she screamed and scooted away.
"I-I'm sorry! Gosh, y-you must have been u-uncomfortable. You should've w-woken me up." Her cheeks flushed and she kept bowing. My eyes turned in the other direction. I could also feel my face getting hot.
I cleared my throat. "It's okay. You looked tired so I just let you sleep."
She looked at me from under her eyelashes. "Still, I invaded y-your personal s-space. It's rude o-of me."
I laughed to ease the growing tension. "Again, it's okay. You don't have to apologize."
Samantha looked like she wanted to say something, but her brother interceded. "Can you two get off? The principal still needs to go back to the building."
We looked over to the driver's seat to see mister Angelo smiling. "As much as that was entertaining, captain Samuel is right. I still need to go back and prepare the batch of elites who are going to the Night Fog Forest."
The two of us apologized for the trouble and got out of the limousine. The car sped off the moment we set foot outside and slammed the door shut.
Samantha went on ahead and entered the mansion. Samuel and I were still standing outside.
"Aren't you tired, Matthew?" Samuel asked.
"Not anymore." It was true. Sure I was sleepy earlier, but now I felt like I slept for days - I wasn't in the least tired.
"Then, what do you want to do?" Samuel put his hands in his pockets and gazed at the setting sun in front of us. It was the same view I witnessed when I was with Elijah and Sasha. When I vowed I would protect them. It was truly a captivating scene.
"I don't know. What can I do?" I whispered. Samuel put a finger on his chin and tapped his foot. Then, he looked like he had an idea.
"Hey, what about we explore the city?" Samuel grinned. I raised an eyebrow at his suggestion. "It's going to be six o'clock soon, are you sure you want to do that?"
Samuel waved his hand. "So? It's not like we're going to explore the whole place. Just some parts of it. Also, we can get something to eat or drink, I'm starving."
"If you're going to do that..." A female voice came from behind us. The two of us jerked our heads in the direction and saw Ashley. "... I want you to bring back something for me."
"Yeah? What?"
"Anything, really. As long as it's food." Ashley shrugged. Samuel laughed and looked at Ashley with one eye open and a smirk. "I should've expected that. It's always food for you."
Ashley's face turned a deep shade of red. "Oh, yeah? Do you have a problem with it?" She glared.
Samuel raised his hands as if he surrendering. "Nope. I'll buy you something if you can keep the doors open for at least an hour."
Ashley nodded, her face returning to its original color. "You got it."
Samuel then turned to me. "So, what do you say, Matthew? You okay with it?"
'It wouldn't hurt to go for a quick sight-seeing in the city.'
"Yeah, sure. Why not?"
Samuel fist-bumped the air. "Let's go!"
Leaving the wide field of the mansion, we took off to see the city. There weren't plenty of people since night time was near, just your average people that either going home from work or wanted to take a short stroll. For Samuel and I, we decided to go to the cafe Sasha recommended the other day - Beanylicious cafe.
The smell of coffee beans and sweets wafted through the air and reached my nose. My mouth watered. I wanted to eat my heart out. Samuel also had the same reaction.
"Woah, Matthew. How did you find this place?" Samuel asked as he gazed over the menu.
"A friend suggested it."
"Look! They have cotton candy-flavored ice cream! And it's for a limited time only." Samuel smiled like a child in a toy store. I blinked at him and asked, "Ice cream? With coffee? I... Don't think that's a good idea."
"I'll just get the ice cream then. I can get coffee whenever I come here, but the ice cream is for a limited time only."
"Don't you already know the flavor of cotton candy?"
"I do. I still want it though."
And with that, I ordered a caramel frappuccino and Samuel got the cotton candy-flavored ice cream.
We sat on a chair at the corner, away from the people. The blond took a small scoop of ice cream and put it in his mouth. He hummed, savoring its sweet and cold delicacy.
I took a sip of my frappucino. The mix of caramel, milk, and coffee graced my tastebuds. I clicked my tongue to fully savor the flavor.
"Maybe I should buy this for Ashley." Samuel mumbled. "But it would melt by the time we arrive at the mansion."
"Then what does Ashley like other than ice cream?" I asked, shaking the plastic cup in my hand before taking another gulp of my drink, the sweet and cold liquid flowed down my throat.
"Well, she does like chocolates." He lit up. "Of course! I can just get her cookies."
Samuel stood up and went to the counter to order some. He had the cashier put the cookies inside a paper bag.
"There, we can go now." Samuel heaved a sigh of satisfaction after taking the last bite of his ice cream in a bowl. I had also just finished my drink. A small part of the ice cream melted in Samuel's bowl. Since the color of the ice cream was blue and pink, the melted part was more of a pink color. When my eyes landed on it, someone popped in my head.
"Just a minute, Samuel. I still need to buy one more thing."
The gray-eyed boy smirked, placed his elbow on the table, and put his chin on top of his hand. "It's for my sister, isn't it?"
I blushed. 'How did he know?'
As if answering my question, he spoke. "You already know I got Ashley covered. And you aren't close to the other elites to bring them back something. That leaves my sister, right?"
'Dang, he's good. Gotta give him that.'
"I was also going to buy something for her, but if you're already planning to do so, then be my guest. Note, she likes strawberries." He winked.
I grumbled and got up to the counter and ordered a strawberry smoothie.
'I hope this is good enough.'
So when I got the strawberry smoothie, Samuel and I exited the cafe. Samuel checked his watch. "We still have an hour before seven o'clock. Do you still want to take a tour of the city?"
I thought about it.
"Yeah. Do you know like... Any clothing shops or arcades around here? Maybe even restaurants?"
Samuel and I went to different places. We had so much fun that we didn't notice how fast time flew by. It was when the sky was black when we realized it was already 6:24 at night.
The street was empty, the streetlights were our only source of light. Not a single soul was present in this place, only us.
"We should get back, Samuel, before Ashley goes all out on us." I joked to hide my nervousness. The ambiance of this ghastly street settled a bad feeling in my guts. And I now know that I should trust it.
"Okay, okay. We're near the mansion anyway." Samuel said. We walked the other direction where the mansion was located. Our footsteps were so loud, considering that there was no sound in this place at all.
I was looking around us, tensed and sensing for any signs of dangers. It was when we saw a man in a black hoodie from the distance did alarms in me flared.
I assumed it was a man. His muscular build did justice to his tall frame, making him more daunting.
He was behind us, his hands were in his pockets. There was a good distance between him and us, but he was getting nearer by the second. I didn't know him, I was sure of it. I was looking for danger, and that man was full of it - my guts told me.
I wanted to test something. So, I grabbed Samuel by his arm and swiveled into an alleyway. What a coincidence. Samuel blinked in surprise. "What are you doing?"
I put a finger to my lips and kept glancing backward. I spoke to notify Samuel of our situation, but the words that came out felt so foreign on my tongue yet familiar at the same time. "Ad Kios Trelay's Forgu Bu." I think someone's following us.
Samuel, also an elite like me, understood the language and also glanced behind us.
To my horror, the man also turned into the alleyway.
We walked faster and spun in a different direction. He was still on our tail. For one last confirmation, we walked in another direction. And what do you know? He also turned this way.
The man, who figured out that we're onto him, started sprinting towards us. Samuel cursed and I was taken aback. We took a sharp turn and hid beside a dumpster. We squatted down and kept our mouth shut. I scrunched my nose up because of the horrible stench.
Samuel whispered in Hakel language. Hakel means elite in English. "Loi." Quiet.
The man halted in his tracks just in front of the dumpster. He twisted and turned, looking for us. I bit my lower lip in nervousness and fear. Also in pain. My lower back was killing me. There were multiple stings going on, and it burns. Right now, I ignored it. The scary man overpowered the pain.
'Please don't find us.'
In case he did, my hand hovered above my red button. Our soul protectors could fight at night since the sun isn't around. The only problem left was this guy's human... Then, we would have a lot of explaning to do.
"Grrr."
Did I hear that right? The man growled. Not just any growl, but like an animal. He grabbed something from his pocket - a phone.
With a low, gruff, and intimidating voice, he spoke. "I lost them, especially the main target. They noticed me following them and hid."
A voice sprang at the other end of the phone. It was inaudible.
"Yes, I shall report back to the boss." He hung up and placed the phone back in his pocket. He turned around and walked away. We listened to the sound of his footsteps that gradually became faint until it was heard no more.
I let out a sigh. I didn't even notice I was holding my breath in. Samuel and I stared at each other before I said the same question that was in our minds. "Who was that?"