Miss Greene and Robert sat in silence as the bus made its way back to school. She couldn't take the suspense any longer. She was dying to know what was going on with him. Finally, after two minutes of silence, she spoke.
"Robert, what's going on?" she asked, her brow furrowed with concern and curiosity.
"I'll tell you. Umm, Poison, can you come out," Robert said, looking down at his chest.
After a few seconds, he felt a strangely familiar sensation and a brown, spectral figure emerged from his chest and turned to face him. It looked like a grotesque old man.
Robert nodded and Poison turned and faced Miss Greene.
"Hello, ma'am," Poison began with a calm voice, "My name is Poison, I'm with Robert for some very personal reasons that I can't disclose. All you need to know is that I am a spirit, and i merged with this student of yours because he's my descendant. I've given him powers to utilize earth magic and i assure you that he's using it for good. We're on a secret mission, and I promise that it won't affect anyone, on the contrary, the fate of the entire world depends on it. I hope you do not reveal to anyone what you withnessed today." Poison spoke with the authority of a stern professor.
Robert could barely believe his ears. Since when had Poison ever been so serious? Maybe this exposure thing was a bigger deal than he'd realized.
Miss Greene glanced at Robert, her expression one of complete shock.
"I understand," she said finally.
Without another word, Poison vanished back into Robert's chest.
Miss Greene glanced at the bus driver and heaved a sigh. He was wearing a head phone and listening to music. Evidently he had not noticed Poison. Also, he didn't follow them into the hospital, so the secret was still safe.
In his living room, Mr. Williams paced back and forth, glancing at the television every few steps. He let out a heavy sigh.
"Damn, I never thought Hanshi's son, Gabor was that strong. He wasn't even killed by that idiotic servant. I thought Solomon was a master of both the wind and ice elements. How could he lose to someone who's only mastered one element?"
Mr. Williams turned his attention to the news, hoping to find out more about what had happened. A reporter's voice filled the room.
"Breaking news, there has been a major incident at Heiss City General Hospital in Axille," the reporter said, her voice urgent and serious. "The hospital staff have reported seeing monsters - one covered in ice, the other in sand. We were unable to get any footage from the CCTV cameras, but we did find a cellphone video from a patient that shows an ice monster in the air, before it's struck by a metallic dagger made of earth. We've also been given this dagger, which was found on the hospital lawn." The reporter held up the dagger for the camera. "Now, we're headed to Bright Future Models School - the school that the patient who's ward the incident took place attended. We'll be speaking to the principal and any witnesses to find out more about this mysterious incident. This incident certainly raised a lot of questions. Was the government still secretly supporting magic and sorcery, as had been rumored? And if so, what was the purpose of such support? Was it for research, or something more sinister? And what do they have to say about these monsters that had attacked the hospital? Where had they come from, and what was their purpose?"
Mr. Williams switched off the television and hurled the remote control at the floor, letting out a stream of curses as he did. "That was the most perfect plan, and that incompetent doctor couldn't even execute it properly. Even Solomon failed. But how could that be? In my script, he died a long time ago. What's he doing here?"
Mr. Williams began to pace around the room, his mind whirling with questions.
"Maybe he caught the curse," Mr. Williams said to himself. "Yes, that's the only explanation. But who is his chosen descendant? If they're not at this school, how did he know that Robert was going to the hospital? Could it be Jackson? No, I used the green orb on him and he didn't react. But what about Oliver? He's definitely a bit strange. And yes, I read from the script that these ancestor souls do not take lightly to unpermitted exposure. Miss Greene would probably be dead by now, she saw Robert change and Gabor may have killed her already, and I'm sure the doctor exposed me... He would be coming for me now to finish what he started... Oh what do I do...?"
He heard the screech of a tyre and rushed to look out the window and saw the school bus driving into the school. To his surprise and disbelief, Miss Greene stepped out of the bus and helped Robert out.
"She wasn't killed? Then I've still got hope of living."
He sank down onto the couch and drifted off to sleep. He knew that he wouldn't be able to put up a fight if Poison were to come for him, so he decided to take a short nap instead of worrying about the unknown.
"Thanks again, teacher. I'll be heading to my hostel now," Robert said. He tried not to look directly at Miss Greene, but couldn't help but admire this teacher of his. "Is she even supposed to be a teacher? I mean, look at her, she's more beautiful than any model i have every seen!" He thought, "Just a kiss, just one kiss," His thoughts were interrupted by a sharp rebuke from Poison. "You have to remain faithful to Dora you pervert!"
"Don't worry about it, I'll go see the principal," Miss Greene said and turned to head to the principal's lodge. But as Robert watched her walk away, his thoughts began to wander.
"Look at those butt..."
"Robert!" Poison interrupted before he could finish uttering his words, "Just so you know, Miss Greene would never look at you the same way if she knew what you were thinking," Poison said, his voice full of conviction. "So it's best to keep your thoughts to yourself."
Robert ignored him and headed back to the hostel. When he entered the building, the dining hall was full of students eating lunch, but the dormitory was empty. Robert went to his corner and sat on his bed. He glanced at Oliver's corner, but he was not there. But then a cold breeze that could make a fire demon shiver blew through the room, and Oliver materialized right in front of him.
Robert reached out his hand, beaming with pride. "Nice fight, partner!" he said, an ecstatic grin spread across his face.
But Oliver just stared at him with a stony expression, his face as blank as a mask. He made no move to shake Robert's hand. Instead, he pulled off his shirt, revealing a gruesome wound on his side that was clearly the result of a stab - Poison's rock spear.
"You did this," he said accusingly, his eyes boring into Robert's.
"Hey, dude, it wasn't my fault," Robert said, trying to keep his tone calm and reasonable. "The fight was fair and square." He folded his hands, while preparing an earth dagger incase Oliver made a move.
Oliver's eyes narrowed, and his voice was like ice. "Two days to heal this wound. Unfortunately, I can't heal instantly unlike you. Don't you for a second think you can just walk away, like nothing happened." A menacing look crossed his face. "Cus I'll make you pay, Robert, one way or another." He then pointed at the wound, causing it to freeze.
"But I have something I need to ask you," Oliver continued, rubbing his wrist. He flashed a smile that made Robert uneasy. "I know we're not on the best of terms, but I've managed to convince Solomon to forget about hurting you for the time being. Honestly, I'm getting sick of it. Let's go out and get some food. We can use our powers to sneak out, and steal a little something to eat. What do you say?"
Robert's heart sank. Oliver was clearly up to something, but he couldn't put his finger on what it was.
"I can read Solomon's mind, Robert. He's got no ulterior motives. And I agree with the kid, we missed lunch and I'm starving. Just a little stolen food would do, we won't steal much, just a little from any shop." Poison said, like he needed food 😅. Why not take the opportunity to bury the hatchet with Solomon?
"Well, just a little petty theft, no hurting people, deal?" Robert said and extended his hand again.
"Deal," Oliver shook his hands. "When do we leave?"
"During siesta."
The students returned from the dining room, laughing and chattering. Robert sat down on his bed, waiting for the hostel to get quiet and the other students to fall asleep so that he could sneak out with Oliver. As he waited, He telepathically communicated with Poison.
"So, when are we going to start hunting for the ancestor seal?" he thought.
"Well, it should be..."
Two figures suddenly entered his corner.
"Robert! I thought I'd never see you again!" Dora exclaimed, throwing her arms around him in a tight hug. Robert returned the embrace, but noticed that Vanessa was standing nearby, her expression unreadable.
He winked at her and gave her a secret handshake, a gesture that was lost on the other students, who were still chatting amongst themselves. Some of them were asleep, while others engaged in more intimate activities.
"You'll always see me, Dora. I can never leave you," Robert said gently. She wiped her tears away and looked at him, her eyes filled with hope.
"Really?" she asked.
"Yes, really," he said, his voice firm and reassuring.
Just then, Connor's voice rang out from his bed, which was close to the window. "Hey guys, Mr. Bous is coming!"
Within three seconds, the hostel went completely silent. Even the fake snores of the other students fell away. Robert looked around for Vanessa, but she was nowhere to be seen.
"What do I do?" Dora whispered, her voice shaking with fear. "If Mr. Bous catches me awake, he'll make me work in the cafeteria all weekend!"
"Don't worry," Robert whispered back. "Just lie down on my bed and pretend to sleep."
"But where are you going to stay?" Dora asked, her eyes wide with worry.
"Just lay down," Robert said in a low voice, gesturing towards his bed.
Oliver sat up in his bed, a knowing smirk on his face. He knew that Robert's powers would help him avoid Mr. Bous without any trouble. Having powers gives one an advantage over everyone, he could tell that Robert was going to evade the teacher with his powers effortlessly.
Dora was flabbergasted as she watched him leave the hostel. Was Robert crazy? That's Mr Bous; the harshest teacher in the whole school. What was he even thinking?..