Pushing the door open in response to approval that she comes in, Madam Claris shut the door behind her and then proceeded towards Edric who stood staring outside the open window with his hands crossed behind his back.
His body was warmed up in the black sleeve shirt which was neatly tucked into the pair of trousers he was wearing.
The office — was large and a nice fragrance filled the room accompanied by the cool morning breeze that forecasted the weather for the next hour.
A mini library was at the right end consisting of at least four shelves of various books. On his fine wooden rectangular desk were three big-sized books stacked together on the left while smaller opened ones laid on each other at the right and a small cup of customized pens just behind them. In between was his laptop and behind all these was nothing else.
In the left corner were the awards he had earned. Some hung on the wall not too far from the photos of a couple in black and white. The fragile awards sat on the shelf in the spaces carved for each of them.
"Good morning Master Edric." Madam Claris greeted warmly as she remained standing in her blue uniform.
"Do you think stormy is at it again or it actually is going to rain?" He responded, turning towards her.
"I very much doubt it is her, after the last issue, she has found it rather hard to use her powers." Madam Claris responded.
"It wasn't her fault she almost killed her boyfriend. How is he recovering?" He asked,
"Oh, very well sir, his healing ability keeps improving." She replied,
"Have your seat." He said, slipping his body into his which was at the other end of the table bringing their faces to a meeting.
"Thank you," She said as she took hers and crossed her legs.
"Were you able to carry out the assignment?" he inquired.
"I did. Master, if I must say, it is quite too much of a risk to have her around. I carried out your orders and like the former reports I could not detect good or evil inside of her." She replied.
"Then she is human," he said,
"She would have to be a stranger species because I have come across many humans and I believe you gave me that task knowing my qualities so well.
So therefore you must believe me when I say there is something— different about this one." She said,
"Is it possible for her to be one of us and be unknown to even herself?" He asked calmly.
"It is possible," she said, rolling her eyes as she blinked them.
"Make me understand." He told her.
"It's— actually a very rare case scenario but some of us have very late turns meaning these abilities can be hidden from even the bearer for as long as possible.
The reason could be genetic or caused. By caused I mean, a turn could be deliberately prevented." She said,
"Why?" he inquired.
"Perhaps her guardians wished to hide it from her to protect her and make her live a human life or worse, to protect the world from her." She responded.
"That would take a higher power to do which makes it important to know who her parents are or were." He said,
"Yes." She voiced,
"If she is indeed one of us then it's safer she stays here." He said,
"And if our theories are—wrong?" she asked,
"If — your theory is wrong, I still think she must stay." He said,
"A human? Here?" She said in an unsure tone.
"You are a smart woman. You know why it should be." He said, alighting from his seat.
"It would not be easy." She said, looking into his eyes from where she sat.
"Nothing is ever easy around here." He said, walking away towards the mini-bar. He soon returned with two glasses of wine and handed one over to her.
She appreciated with a smile while he returned to his seat.
"The wedding is in two weeks." She said, dropping the glass on the desk and gulping down.
"I assume your dress will be the finest." He said,
"Oh, you know me, Master Edric, as much as I love to stand out, I don't intend to steal a show. It's going to be her day and I — will respect that." She told him.
"Very well. Take me to her." He said,
————
Rockie had sneaked in again. It was how it seemed. He was in a disguise he believed— had some sort of cape on which had a cover for his head.
He was in the sick bay and was kneeling before the sleeping girl hoping to hide under her bed once he heard someone come in.
"Hey. I know when you open your eyes, I will be a stranger to you and I don't mind at all. I just— gosh. You are so beautiful when you sleep.
I wonder what you look like when you are awake. What colour your eyes would be? If— you would be nice or—mean.
Still, none of that matters. I can absolutely cope with any kind of personality. My mom used to say I was just too accommodating." He smiled.
"But picture it. Just how lovely the world would be if everyone could just—try to be nice." He added,
"The world would suck." the sleeping girl said, followed by a cough.
She had sat up with struggle and he was too much in shock and excitement to have assisted.
He breathed out in delight and his eyes glowed brightly.
"Y—you are awake. Oh my God, you are awake." He voiced getting on his feet.
"Where am I? Is this some sort of hospital?" The lady looked around and got on her feet immediately.
"You should calm down. You need more rest. " He told her.
"Where— am I?" She asked again and this time in a higher tone.
"You are in the Ark." Madam Claris responded from behind her while exiting from the portal she had used in bringing Edric just in time.
"And Rockie, you have just earned yourself a strike. " Madam Claris added.
The young lady took a swift turn and her eyes met with Edric's.
He blinked. He never blinks. As loud as he knew his heartbeat was, only he could hear it and it was better that way.
The young lady's blond hair rested behind her head and extended on her back. Despite how rough it looked, it was pretty.
Her eyes were bright blue, the kind of eyes that could look into yours and hypnotize you in the instant, locking your mind in the belief that time stopped. This was Edric's experience but he had to snap out of it.
"Did you just—walk through a portal?" The young lady stood in shock.
"Yes. You know—portals?" Madam Claris was stunned.
"What do you mean? Everyone knows about portals or did I — am i— is this not— wait." The lady responded, running towards the opened window.
"The war. No war? Where am I? Where are my parents? Are you the enemy? Have I been captured?" She asked, having peered out through the window to see nothing but peace.
"Yes. There was a war but— not anymore." Rockie said,
"We rescued you from that war. Some gratitude would do." Edric said,
The young lady turned back almost immediately, rushing towards him. He stood with his hands in his pockets unwilling to move.
"Gratitude? Take me back! Whoever you are. Whoever you all are!" She said to him,
"There is nothing to go back to," Edric responded.
"Let that be my problem. " She said, looking into his eyes scornfully.
"Uhmm, as much as I hate to concur to that— he is right," Rockie said,
"There is—nothing out there." He added.
Her eyes blinked quickly and away from Edric as she turned her body towards Rockie.
"You are lying. All of you are!" She vented.
"I'm sorry. You were the only one— breathing." Rockie replied to her.
It hurt him to see how bad she was hurting. He didn't find it to be a strange feeling, he was that affectionate. As the tears built up in her eyes, he knew she had lost someone dear but dared not ask.
'I can't be here… " the lady said, wiping her eyes.
"Which is perfectly understandable but you can't leave. Not yet. It's not safe. " Madam Claris said, taking glances at Edric.
"Whatever that means, I don't care. " The young lady said, heading for the door.
"This is a special school for persons with abilities. A shield serves as the entrance to this place— The Ark. Going through that shield is currently unsafe for the danger that lies outside of it. " Madam Claris said to her in a louder voice.
The young lady paused her steps.
"What are you talking about? Who are you people? " She inquired amidst tears with her back still turned to them.
"It was more than just a war. Some group, a cult, took advantage of the situation and carried out executions on special ones like us. Science would call us— mutants.
The ones who invaded the underground safehouse you happened to have crawled out of were members of this said cult. They call themselves— the Executioners." Edric said,
"The executioners? I have never heard of them." The lady said, turning towards the three.
"They have been groomed long before the war began. The government see our kind as a threat and this war was the perfect moment which even they started purposely to eliminate us. " Edric said,
"So —why? Why will they attack us? We were only harmless humans trying to stay alive!" the young lady said,
"Except, maybe, they weren't." Madam Claris said,
"We go around the world to rescue our kind and bring them here, a safer place. We got the intel about the underground safe house which was why we came there and I didn't rescue you. He did. " Edric said, referring to Rockie.
" Pssss. If my parents were anything far from a human I would have known.
My dad, he just— wouldn't listen. He fancied saving people, he believed he could save everyone and — it got him killed. " The lady said in a rather sad tone.
"What is your name? " Edric asked her,
Unwillingly, she responded.
"Blue."
"Your full name. " Edric said,
"Blue Aiva Jameson. " She said, rolling her eyes away.
"And your father's?" He asked again.
"For what? Is this some interrogation?" Blue got defensive.
"Answer the question," Edric said, calmly.
"Carter Jameson." She said, spitefully.
"What you have just told us, is more reason we must keep you here until we find out what link you and your father have with us and what he assembled them in that house, for. " Edric said,
"You —must be out of your mind. " Blue said,
Rockie gulped down saliva and rolled his eyes from side to side having heard her words. He showed uneasiness.
Madam Claris raised her brows in shock. No one talks to Master Edric like that. She stood praying he did not give her orders to badly hurt the girl.
"Said something?" Edric inquired from her.
"I will not— be your prisoner. With or without you. I am walking out of that shield or whatever she called it. " Blue said, walking towards him quickly with her eyes fixed on his.
"Flaunt my orders and that makes you the Ark's enemy and better the Ark's enemy than mine," Edric warned.
Rockie remained standing behind Madam Claris and Edric doing some sign language with his hands and fingers, hoping that Blue understood that it was totally unsafe to not respect Edric.
"You don't scare me. " Blue said to Edric.
He smirked.
"Have the doctors run another check on her for any infections or diseases, once she is cleared, hand her a uniform" Edric said to Madam Claris.
"Yes sir. " Madam Claris responded with a lowered head.
Behind stood Rockie whose eyes
twinkled with joy and satisfaction. He had never heard better news.
"Welcome to Callans Academy. Try not to die." Edric told blue before walking out of the room.