Most of the students were staring at Oliver and Jasper. Oliver sounded so loud that those in the front row also turned to see who made such noise. He prayed that the headmaster wouldn't call him.
Jasper looked around him, then said,
"What?"
"Do you mean there is ginger in the drink?" asked Oliver, super cautious of the sound of his voice now.
"Of course," replied Jasper.
Oliver's heart jumped when he heard what Jasper had said. Right now his heart was uneasy. He was allergic to gingers, which meant that he might throw up anytime soon.
"Oliver, what's the problem?" asked Jasper, with a look of concern. He had noticed the tension he was in.
"Nothing, it's just..."
"What?" asked Jasper, with a questioning expression.
"I think I'm gonna throw up," Oliver whispered.
"Oh my..." muttered Jasper.
"So gingers make you sick?" he asked.
"Yeah," replied Oliver.
"Wicked," muttered Jasper under his breath.
Right now, Oliver was sweating so profusely. Jasper was worried.
"Oliver," called Jasper.
"What?" replied Oliver.
"You don't look right," said Jasper.
"Your eyes are red, and you're all sweaty."
"Jasper, I need to leave now," grunted Oliver.
"You must wait. No one leaves the hall till the headmaster is done with the announcement," Jasper explained.
"Ow, this is not good," muttered Oliver.
Jasper looked at Oliver with concern in his eyes. He could imagine the amount of pressure upon him. As he looked at him, he could see the other bench behind Oliver, Drake, and his gang, laughing and whispering in a sinister manner.
"Oliver," he whispered the lowest.
"Look behind you."
Oliver looked over his shoulder. His eyes met with Max's now. He quickly looked away.
He later felt a tug on his jacket. He turned around and saw Max staring at him, with a smirk on his face. The other boys continued like they weren't aware of what was happening.
"Hello mate," whispered Max.
Oliver looked at him with questioning eyes. He sighed and looked away.
"How was the shower."
When Max heard this, he turned at Max again. This time he was red in the face and had his fist clenched.
"So it's you. You're the one who reset the switch," said Oliver.
"That's right Oliver, it's me," replied Max, proud of himself.
"You should have done that," Oliver protested.
"Why shouldn't I, isn't it my room?" replied Max.
"The room is mine too. You had no right to do that without my knowing," said Oliver.
"Says who?"
Oliver looked away angrily.
"Don't worry about that jerk," whispered Jasper the lowest.
Oliver couldn't wait till the announcement was over, he got up now and went straight out to the restroom. He had been enduring it for so long. He found the nearest stall, and there he threw up all he had eaten.
Oliver made it to the hotel right before the lights out. He could have been there earlier, if not for the delay by the inquisitive hostel master, Mr Gary, who patrolled all through the hostel block, looking for students who were yet to mount upon their beds. He termed them, naughty.
When Oliver got to the room, Max was already there, waiting for him. Max started his trash-talking, trying to get him to talk back, but he was so tired and dizzy. He wasn't even paying any bit of attention. Sleep soon carried him away unawares. Max soon fell asleep, seeing that Oliver showed no interest.
"Oliver..." hissed a quiet whisper.
Oliver kept turning from side to side, on his bed, switching to different sleeping postures. His forehead was covered with several spherical balls of sweat.
"Oliver..." the whisper sounded for the second time, echoing around the room.
Oliver kept on tangling himself in the sheets. He was getting more and more uncomfortable.
The voice came again, this time it sounded so loud and aggressive. A blood-curdling scream.
"OLIVER!!!" came a deafening ululating scream.
Oliver sprang up from the bed, glaring furiously around the dark, in confusion. The darkness had disorientated him for the moment. He searched around blindly with spread arms, knocking down a few objects on the side drawer, and then he found the lantern. He quickly gave a slight tug to the strings, and the darkness was expelled instantly.
As the light brightened up the room, Oliver became fully conscious of his surroundings. The room had been left unkept, and Max had forgotten to close the shutters. He lay motionless on his bed, like a log of wood, snoring away loudly.
Oliver discovered that he still had his jacket on, and this was the reason why he was drenched in sweat. He quickly changed into pajamas.
Right now, he couldn't get back to sleep. He had heard someone screaming out his name, and it all felt real. He picked up his wristwatch from the floor and tapped on the screen. The time showed that it was exactly twelve midnight.
Oliver climbed back on his bed to go back to sleep, but the moment he closed his eyes, heard something that made him sit back up. The low whispers he heard continued. He listened carefully, to detect if he was actually hearing whispers.
The whispers became a bit louder. It sounded with a hissing sound, and it was so unclear. He couldn't make out anything it said.
Oliver climbed out of his bed now. He was so anxious to find out where this disturbing sound was coming from. He followed the sound. It seemed to be coming from the passage outside. He tip-toed to the door, making sure not to make even the slightest noise. He didn't want to awaken Max.
He looked at Max again. With the way he slept, it felt almost impossible for him to wake up now. He was in a very deep sleep.
Oliver quietly leaned his head against the door. He could hear the whispers. It sounded like it was coming from the end of the passage.
Oliver snapped the door lock open, then he quietly pulled the door open only a crack and stocked out his hand. He looked to the right and saw the figure of a man, staring straight at him.