"Excuse me?" Brandon said quietly, interrupting Sienna's momentary stare.
"What?"
"Can I borrow the device for a moment?" Brandon asked, nodding toward Sienna's hands. Sienna wondered what he needed it for but still handed it to him automatically.
Brandon took it and his slender, long fingers danced quickly across the screen as he concentrated, drawing Sienna's gaze back to him once more.
About one minute later, they heard commotion from the print office next door. It sounded like something had toppled over, possibly a shelf. Sienna shot a quick look at Brandon beside her, noticing the device he had returned to her. A new program had been set up on it, connected directly to the main power switch in the corridor, including the print office and this lab. Instantly, Sienna saw that the device screen displayed an unfamiliar image. Their gazes met for the third time, and Sienna realized what was happening - Brandon now had control of every digital device in the print office, and he was about to monitor every move inside with crystal-clear detail.
"Are you...?"
"If you want to see more of what's going on, you better come forward," Brandon said, maintaining his utter composure.
Startled for a moment, Sienna leaned forward involuntarily to watch. On the screen, three boys dressed in caps and masks appeared. Their faces were obscured by the masks, making it impossible to detect their features. However, as Brandon effortlessly manipulated a button on the small device, the camera zoomed in, revealing their eyes. Brandon swiftly pressed a record button, capturing the pupils, and saved the footage.
Sienna smiled brightly, inwardly thinking what a brilliant idea he had come up with. After observing for a while, she delicately tapped her fingers on the screen, and soon, the lights inside the print office began to flicker from each corner.
The three people inside the print office were startled.
"What's happening?" One of the most timid among them nearly screamed.
"Don't be foolish, it's just a flickering light!" The apparent leader countered.
"But the light seems to follow me wherever I go, as if it's watching me!" The third person also found it peculiar.
As they spoke, the lights in the print office shifted once more, and more significantly, the printing machines began to release paper with a constant buzzing noise, causing the surrounding paper to cascade like a storm that would soon engulf them all.
"Ahhhhh!" The third boy cried, "There must be someone out there!"
The leader boy had an idea flash across his mind, and he quickly commanded, "Get out of here, now!"
The three of them dashed out of the print office directly, with the leader boy shutting the door behind them and disappearing from sight.
As they reached the bright and grand lobby downstairs, the third boy heaved a sigh of relief, removing his mask and saying, "Ah, Ed, were you scared of the ghost as well?"
Edward abruptly lifted his buddy's mask to cover his face, snapping, "You fool, keep the mask on! We might have triggered the system in the office, and if we don't hurry, someone might catch us!"
"What? Didn't you turn off the camera..."
"You! I specifically told you to give me a complete map of the print office. Why didn't you mark the location of the system button?" Edward pointed accusingly at the shorter one, his anger escalating.
"I didn't expect there would be system buttons..."
"You think our school is so behind the times?" Edward asked incredulously.
"I..."
At that moment, they heard hurried footsteps approaching from the corridor behind them, heading towards the lobby where they stood.
"Run!" Edward shouted, sprinting as fast as he could. The three of them dashed into the woods without daring to look back.
Meanwhile, in the lab, Sienna burst into laughter, leaning back as she watched Edward and his buddies' awkward fright. Brandon also wore a subtle grin as he tapped on the device once again. After a short while, he muttered, "Edward Milton, Jamie Sanders, and Liam Collins..." In the shadow, he curled his lips, smiling contemplatively.
Sienna's phone vibrated. It was a message from her roommate, Amanda Smith, asking where she was and if she was coming back to the dorm as it was getting very late.
"I need to get back to the dorm now," Sienna said to Brandon. "I'll fill you in on my thoughts tomorrow. Bye."
She swiftly packed up her belongings and exited the lab, making her way down to the lobby where her scooter was parked. However, when she tried to turn on the device, it stubbornly refused to budge. Upon closer inspection, she discovered that the power switch was broken.
Unaware that it had been one of the boys who had accidentally damaged it, Sienna bent down to try and fix it. That was when she noticed Brandon walking past her.
Sienna stopped and attempted to greet him, but he walked by without a word. In an instant, the good feelings she had developed towards him back in the lab plummeted. A wave of illness mixed with confusion and disappointment washed over her.
"You..." Sienna began to inwardly complain when she saw Brandon returning with a helmet in hand. Then, to her surprise, he passed it to her.
"If you want, I can give you a lift," Brandon said in a very mechanical way.
"What's the helmet for?" Sienna asked.
But soon, Sienna's question was answered. As she followed Brandon out to the lobby, she saw a shining, magnificent, roaring motorbike parked in front of them, the epitome of state-of-the-art technology.
Brandon hopped onto the bike, then turned to ask Sienna, "You can return the helmet if you don't need the lift."
Without saying anything more, Sienna hopped onto the vehicle, contemplating how to maintain stability. Just as she was about to voice her concerns, Brandon lightly turned his face to the side and said, "There are two grips by the seat."
Brandon set off like a flash of lightning, the ride steady as if they were traveling on a smooth, broad flat road. Sienna felt the urge to scream, but she wasn't sure if it was from fright or amazement.
-
The next morning, as Brandon walked onto campus, someone suddenly rushed out from around the corner and blocked his path. Sensing the approaching figure, Brandon came to a halt before the person could get any closer.
To his surprise, it was Edward Milton. Brandon wondered why he was here. Edward couldn't have known that Brandon and Sienna were behind the "ghost manipulation" last night, so what was his motive for being here?
"Brandon Myles, right?" Edward asked rather rudely. "You know we have the mid-term examination today, and I'm considering making a deal with you."