His eyes widened in surprise. To be honest, he was actually expecting more. Somewhere around twelve zeros…at least. He tried to hide his shock.
'Did you put it in an account then?' he asked her.
'Are you forgetting that our safest bank is in ashes?' she reminded him.
'Oh, right..,' he scratched his head, remembering the Flicker's destruction. 'Just deliver it back to my house then.'
'You think it's safe?' she asked him in precaution.
'It will be fine,' he said smiling.
'Fine, then…I'll swing it by your house this afternoon.'
She folded her arms behind her back, 'So…are you still coming?' she asked him.
'For dinner? Tonight? Of course I am.'
She broadened her smile, 'See you then.'
He nodded in response.
She scampered off into the crowd.
Brendan started looking for Owen and Simon. He found them a few minutes later, sitting under a small tree and joined them.
'Man, I can't stop thinking about that fight! If only I had brought my phone,' Simon lamented, shaking his head in disappointment. 'It was much cooler than hearing about Thomas' expulsion,' he added.
'Brendan, what do you think about that giant freak that got massacred yesterday?' Owen asked him. 'You think it was an alien from outer space?' he supplemented another question.
'Well, I…I don't know but it sure put up a fight,' he answered.
'It did, but it was no match for the Anonymous,' Simon said.
'No match for whom..?' Brendan raised both his eyebrows at them looking puzzled.
'Didn't you hear..?' Simon said. 'That's what they're calling him: "The Anonymous". '
Brendan brought his right hand knuckles over his mouth, deep in thought. 'Owen, did you manage to get that book I asked you for?' he suddenly asked him.
'I tried but my dad told me he donated the book to this school. So most likely it's with Miss Pudding. If you want another one, you'll have to look in bookshops maybe.'
'It's Miss Putin and its pronounced "Pu-tin" Simon corrected him.
'That's what I said; "Pudding",' Owen repeated his pronunciation.
'No, no, you're saying it wrong, it's "Put-in"; say it with me,' Simon further prompted him. He sounded like a teacher desperately trying to teach a child basic math.
'Yes, that's what I keep saying; "Pu-dding".'
'I give up,' Simon said, tossing his hands up in defeat.
Twenty minutes later, everyone was called over by Principal Johnston who was standing by a small guava tree.
'Quiet down, quiet down everyone,' he silenced them whilst waving his hands in the air. 'I am sure you all know what happened here yesterday, but not even I can explain what you saw.'
People whispered to each other in anxiety and excitement when he said this.
'You will all go home now and when the school is in good condition and much safer, you will be informed through the news to return and continue your lessons. For those of you who do not have television sets you will be informed by your schoolmates and friends.'
As Brendan walked home, he pondered over the nickname people had chosen for him. "The Anonymous". It explained the rhyme; "Blessed with wealth and riches yet he had no name." The Finch had been right so far, which made him feel anxious. This wasn't even half of the rhyme, when including the potion he drank. Which meant there was still more disaster to expect.
His life had already plunged into the world of fiction and fantasy. If only it were a fairytale, where he would be guaranteed victory in the end. Slaying the dragon, in this case the witch, then riding off into the sunset on his noble steed, and then the book would be closed. The story would be over. But this was insanity. A different story. A story about potions and giant monsters with a craving for mayhem.
He thought of how the police and the rest of the Bradwield citizens would handle this matter. The investigations had begun. It was now just a matter of time before a squad of police would be banging on his door, rifles over their shoulders and pistols in their hands. The people of Bradwield would be standing not too far behind, ready to destroy him once he got out.
When he arrived home, he went straight for bed. He pushed all the negative and stressing thoughts aside and started to look for what to wear for the dinner at Samantha's house. He soon got distracted with his homework and after that, dozed off on the bed.
While he slept, a dream began to take place in his mind. It felt so real though. He was standing alone in a dark hall and there was not a single soul in sight. 'Hello!' he shouted, but there was no reply. 'Is anyone here?!' he shouted again. He walked further into the darkness then suddenly, he saw a flickering white flame in midair the size of a ball of cotton ahead of him, at least a few meters from where he was standing.