MATTHEW'S POV
Gym class had ended. I was packing some of my stuff when Zed came up behind me. "Hey, Matthew. It's your guys' turn to go down the underworld, right?"
I nodded.
"Cool. Then, can I leave first?"
I waved my hand.
Zed could sense something was wrong and didn't hesitate to ask. "Is something wrong?"
I shook my head.
"Come on, Matthew." Zed told me. "You can tell me anything. Why give me the silent treatment?"
I honestly don't know myself. Why was I ignoring Zed right now? If it wasn't for him, I wouldn't be able to further learn about Samuel and his sister, he was also the one to prevent the other students from knowing I was an elite. Sure, he said I had potential, but that wasn't official yet, I was relieved.
But that didn't answer the question. Why was I acting this way towards him? Maybe it's about to earlier? When Samantha and Zed came back into the gym, and Zed said he'd 'keep it a secret', I was wondering about it all day. What did he mean by that? Why happened between them? I remembered that it was the same way with Sasha and Elijah. The two had gym class together without me and now, it's obvious they liked each other.
I felt jealous before, an example of it was with Sasha and Elijah. But now... It's a bit... Stronger. I was annoyed at Zed and I wished I was the one who went with Samantha. A nasty feeling settled both in my stomach and chest. I didn't want to feel this way all over again.
I needed to answer Zed. "It's nothing." My tone didn't sound too convincing. "I'm just thinking about earlier."
"Oh, about how that girl slapped Samantha? Yeah, I feel sorry for both of them. The fact that Samantha was the one who got hurt and Ashley sounded like she wasn't about to show mercy on her." Zed shrugged. "Though, she tried to hit on me first. Thanks for the save, Matthew."
Oh, yeah. I got between Alana and Zed before she found out I was an elite.
At that, the corner of my lips lifted. Zed was a good guy. He didn't forget about yesterday. I shouldn't ignore him. I didn't want to lose another friend because of this childish attitude of mine.
"Don't worry about that." I sighed. "You would've done the same thing for me if you were only there."
"Trust me, I would." He told me. "But Samantha got to you first." He chuckled. Something behind his voice caught my attention. Was he... Teasing?
"Well, we gotta go now. It's already five o'clock." He informed me. Making sure I didn't forget anything, Zed and I walked towards the elite building. While walking, we kept talking about the event that happened earlier. He said Samantha's wound was not that deep, it was mainly the epidermis that took most of the damage. Nothing serious.
Zed dropped me off at the elite building. I saw the principal waiting at the front of the building together with the elites that weren't in our batch.
Mister Angelo looked up and saw us. "You're here. We'll go now." Then, he turned to me. "I heard about what happened with you and Alana Jang. You must have felt uncomfortable."
I rubbed the back of my neck. "If I'm being honest... Yeah, I was."
"Don't hesitate to tell us if that kind of thing happens again." The principal said. "I will not tolerate that kind of behavior on school grounds."
I was glad mister Angelo had a good heart and mind.
Waving goodbye, mister Angelo, Zed, and his batch-mates were all going to the parking lot. But mister Angelo stopped for a moment and turned to me once again. "I don't know what you talked to Samuel about, but I'm happy he finally decided to wear it."
I blinked in confusion. What did he mean by that? What did Samuel decide to wear?
I didn't get to ask as they were already out of hearing range. It'd be best to enter the elite building and see for myself.
I was a bit worried though. Did I force Samuel to do something? Hopefully, that wasn't gonna be the case.
I got my red button out of my pocket, placed it on the scanner, and said the password. I placed the red button on my sleeve.
Entering the building, the artifacts would never fail to amaze and intrigue me, no matter how many times I saw it. I still couldn't fully comprehend that these things, that 'normal' people also use, would be the same things that could summon a powerful entity made to defeat creatures from the underworld. If I was one of the people who had a faint heart, I would've passed out from too much information loading on my brain.
I climbed up the stairs and onto the second floor. The double metal doors remained unopened by anybody. I recalled Samuel said that door was a portal that leads to the abode of the first elites and where Selene used to reign. I was still mystified about how that would work. But then again, I was part of a group of people who fight ventifios - a word and a creature that didn't even exist in the dictionary.
I arrived on the third floor. All I could see was a fighting ring in the middle with a lever inside the net, punching bags, and a high table with tin cans on top. There wasn't anything much to see here.
Finally, I got up to the fourth floor. My batch-mates were all there, sitting on their desks. Samantha had a hand covering her mouth while Ashley stood with wide eyes. Both of their expression showed disbelief. I followed their line of sight and couldn't believe the view myself.
Samuel was studying his gun and red button. What caused me to be surprised was the red hat sitting on top of his head with a gold rose in the center. When Samantha said he wouldn't even go near the thing, I knew what happened to his sister left a big damage in his heart. But for Samuel to wear the captain's hat - the very same hat his deceased sister used to wear - I was more than happy he wore it.
Samuel noticed my presence in the room. He saw the smile on my face and copied it. "Hey, Matthew."
"Hey, Samuel. Nice hat you got there. It suits you."
He chuckled. "You think so? I'm not a fan of fashion."
"Maybe it's not fashion," I said. "But rather... Memories?"
Samuel huffed and leaned back on his chair. "More like you opened my eyes." Then, he went quiet. "You really did. I thought about what you said and... I think my sister would want me to wear it."
"She w-would, brother." Samantha's eyes had tears in them. "She would."
Samuel laughed at the confirmation. He took the hat off and grazed his fingers on it. The smile on his face vanished. "But nothing will ever change that it's my fault."
"What is?" The three of us asked at the same time - Me, Ashley, and Samantha.
Samuel gasped as he swiveled his head towards us. "I didn't mean to say that."
"Well, you did." Ashley crossed her arms. Samuel winced at the action, knowing what it meant. "What's this 'fault' you're talking about? You even kept repeating the same sentence two years ago!"
Samuel didn't say anything. The whole room was quiet.
I was starting to see it again. The storm, the hurricane, the wild waves in his eyes. I also thought about it - why did he keep saying it was his fault? Then, it hit me.
"How exactly did Samara die, Samuel?" I had to ask. I couldn't help myself. Samantha and Ashley nodded, the same question was in their head.
"When we got you, you were already cradling Samara in your arms." Ashley looked down and furrowed her eyebrows at the distorted recollection in her mind. "I know you two had a fight and you ran off. Then, the ground shook. I couldn't get to you quickly as I was busy fighting a ventifio. When I defeated it, I went to look for the one who needed back-up and found you crying with bruises and scratches. Next to you was Samara with a hole on her-"
"Stop it!" Ashley didn't get to finish as Samuel abruptly stood up and yelled. The action caused everyone to look at their captain, startled.
Samuel was breathing heavily, and his eyes were just... broken. The aftermath of the calamity showed. He had his hands in fists as he gritted his teeth. With a shaky voice, he spoke. "H-How could you... Say that like it's nothing?" He stared at Ashley. "And you remembered every detail. Does her death just stay in your mind like another memory? Can't you show at least a little bit of restriction? How can you say all of that so... Nonchalantly?"
I caught sight of it. A flicker of regret in Ashley's eyes. She had just realized her mistake. "Samuel, I didn't-"
Again, she didn't have the chance to continue as Samuel shook his head to stop her. "You're not the one who wakes up every night screaming because of her." And at that, Samuel left the room to presumably take a walk to cool down.
No one said anything after that. They didn't dare to. The elites kept glancing at one another before all looking at Ashley. The blue-eyed girl needed the assistance of a chair as her legs buckled and gave up.
"I... I didn't know I was already rambling." Ashley whispered. "I forgot who I was speaking to. Samuel... Had a strong bond with his sister. I-I was the one who was there for him, so I should be the one who knew him better than anyone. And yet... I was also the one who brought up the topic that I knew was sensitive to him."
Ashley buried her face in her hands. "I'm so foolish.
Samantha went after her brother and I was with Ashley. The blue-eyed girl was biting her lip, her eyes soft with concern.
I felt what she was feeling right now. In the fight I had with Samuel, my mouth had acted on its own, resulting in him not talking with me for a week. And when we finally made up, I also said words that might have insulted him. So, I felt sympathy for Ashley as I experienced the same thing.
"You should talk to him, Ashley." I gave an advice I was always told. "Explain why you did that and maybe apologize to him."
The girl gripped the hem of her skirt. "I... I think I should give him some space first." She whispered. "Samuel always needs time to think and calm down."
Yeah, I knew that too. He ignored me for a week because I accidentally made him remember his sister. He didn't talk to me because he was mad, but that he needed some time for himself. It finally dawned on him that time was essential to humans.
"Yeah, you should." I was about to place a hand on Ashley's shoulder but stopped. She was never the type for physical contact so I decided against it.
I gazed at the door where Samuel left.
'I thought I had finally seen the real you, Samuel. But I have a feeling what I learned about you was just a scratch of the surface. I wish you could tell me how to get over the wall - the highest anyone had seen - and see the Samuel without the captain facade.'
After Samuel's outburst, we waited for him to come back. It wasn't until 8:30 at night did he appear again with Samantha.
His eyes were clouded in mist, covering the damage and mess the storm brought in. In other words, his eyes were dull. Ashley noticed this and took in a ragged breath. She probably didn't expect the weight of her words.
"The principal is waiting outside." Samuel said monotonously. "It's time to head out to the Night Fog Forest."
The other elites stood up and went out the door. They kept glancing at Samuel warily as they walked out, still wondering what caused him to lose his cool like that.
If only they knew.
Ashley was the next one to stand up and walk out. Unlike the other elites, she kept her eyes in front and didn't spare Samuel a glance.
Samuel visibly sighed as his shoulders sagged. Samantha was worried for her brother when she spoke out, "Are you o-okay?"
Samuel simply smiled in response. I was the last one in the room. Instead of walking straight out, I stopped to greet Samuel. "Hey. How are you feeling?"
The blonde-haired boy grunted. "Awful. I shouldn't have yelled and said all that, but at the same time..." He held a firm grip on his gun. "Ashley should've at least showed restraint. The thought of my sister's death that held no meaning to her just made me lose it."
He raked his hair back. "She, out of all people, should know how I feel." The captain whispered.
I shook my head and said, "Ashley does! She didn't realize her mistake until you left."
"We knew each other ever since I helped her get a grip on reality." Samuel forced out angrily. "And she didn't know? I can't believe that."
'Grip on reality? What does he mean?'
I could further think about it because Samuel turned his back and walked away.
I called out to him but felt a hand on my wrist. I saw Samantha with her head lowered. No words were needed as I got what she was trying to say.
'He needs time. He'll eventually forgive her.'
I cursed. She was right. But I couldn't just stand when the two has to talk. Ashley with her personality at ignoring most people and Samuel not talking to anyone when he's mad proved that talking would be a bit impossible. So, that's why I wanted to help them talk to each other.
I stared at Samuel's retreating figure. 'Maybe not now. I guess I'll talk to both of them tomorrow.'
It was only Samantha and me. Samantha still had her hand around my wrist. I scratched my head using my free hand as I felt a blush creeping up to my cheeks.
"So, are we going outside or...?"
Samantha blinked as her eyes darted from me to the hand she was holding. She squealed in embarrassment and apologized. "S-Sorry! I was just... E-Er..."
"You don't have to say sorry." I chuckled and peeked at the stairs. "We should catch up with the others though."
She agreed and we made our way outside. Everyone else was already there so, as soon as Samantha and I stepped out, we started to walk towards the school gates.
The air was chilly as it was night. The trees' leaves rustled as the wind whizzed by them. I happened to take a glimpse of the moon and saw it was still a bit full, but you could see it waning at the side. That meant we would still be stronger than the ventifios - not at full power, but still strong.
We arrived at the school gates.
Mister Angelo raised a hand towards the ten-foot-tall double-doors and spoke, "Ad Sekim Yu Melia."
Purple lights aesthetically surrounded the gate. The aura came in waves as it circled the gates and a portal emerged. Ironically, such a beautiful scene leads to the land of the dead.
One by one, the elites jumped into the portal.
Samuel hopped inside the portal and I followed soon after.
I didn't feel the ground underneath my feet anymore. I was still not used to falling. I hurriedly plucked the red button off my sleeve and tried to summon Matt. Keyword: Try. It was hard as the friction of the air kept hitting my back.
Finally, I managed to toss the red button up. I felt my insides turn warm and a sting in my chest afterward. Matt appeared on top of me and maneuvered in the air to grasp my hand. My soul protector put me on his back before colliding with the ground of the underworld.
"Thanks, Matt." I said before the soul protector reverted into a button.
I took a look around the place. Nothing's changed. There were still dead trees all around, a significant drop in temperature, mist affecting my line of vision, and a creepy atmosphere.
I heard Samuel marched closer to me. I turned around as I thought he was going with me again when he suddenly said, "I think you can fight on your own now, Matthew."