Brandon neatly organized the stacks of files before turning to Joe. "I'll let you know when I need your assistance. Until then, there is no need for reckless actions."
"I'm never reckless," Joe protested.
Brandon chose not to engage further. He trusted Joe on this.
"It's time for bed. There's an exam tomorrow," Brandon announced, signaling the end of their conversation as he rose from his seat.
In that moment, Joe suddenly realized where he was. "Ah, so this is your home! No wonder it is NOT my taste."
Without commenting on that, Brandon held the door open, gesturing for Joe to depart. "Then feel free to leave."
Before Joe could bid a proper farewell, Brandon swiftly shut the door, narrowly missing Joe's face.
Joe scowled at the closed door, muttering, "I feel VERY free to leave!" He then mimicked a punch, as if contemplating teaching Brandon a lesson in return.
But at that moment, he caught a glimpse of his watch on his wrist and had a hunch that something was different than usual. Clicking open the tiny screen, he scrolled down, examining each item. It became increasingly apparent that the device's storage had decreased. Something had been added to it and occupied the space.
Curious, Joe scrolled back to the top of the screen, where he found an untitled folder. Tapping it open, he watched the contents. It was a short video lasting around two minutes, and the image seemed to be captured from a surveillance camera, positioned at an inconvenient angle. The footage revealed three masked individuals skulking around what appeared to be a school office, its shelves laden with piles of paper and folders. Joe recognized the setting. He had been in that office before, when he helped a teacher in retrieving confidential documents.
However, Joe never wore a mask to conceal his identity. So, who were these mysterious figures?
As Joe pondered this dilemma, the video suddenly zoomed in, partially revealing the faces of the masked individuals. They seemed oddly familiar to him, but the partial reveal wasn't enough for a definitive identification.
In the next moment, the scene shifted to a brighter location, where the masks were forcefully removed. One of the individuals, unwittingly facing the conveniently placed camera, exposed his face.
Joe's breath caught in his throat as he recognized the person. Everything fell into place. So, this was what Brandon had referred to as "another threat" to the Collins. The son of the family, potentially the heir apparent, was engaged in a reprehensible campus crime, with no escape unless the Collins paid the price.
And Joe had a pretty good idea of what price Brandon would demand from the Collins. The realization sent a shiver down his spine, particularly when he considered how Brandon had callously disregarded the pawn's deep dedication to his daughter, allowing the father to destroy the only emotional support he had left.
Brandon Myles was even more frightening than Joe had anticipated. He resolved to warn Sienna to exercise greater caution around him, as it seemed clear that this man was devoid of any emotions.
-
The early dawn crept across the sky like a hesitant painter's brushstroke, casting a subtle palette of pastel hues against the fading darkness. Soft tendrils of light reached tentatively over the horizon, slowly but surely pushing back the veil of night. The air was cool and crisp, carrying with it the faint scent of dew-kissed grass and earth. A gentle breeze stirred the leaves, causing them to rustle softly in the quiet morning air.
However, in the main campus canteen, a different atmosphere prevailed. With mid-term examinations underway across all departments, students found themselves rising earlier than usual. Some had even pulled all-nighters for last-minute reviews. Consequently, the scene was one of widespread drowsiness, with students yawning and dozing off at their tables. The air was thick with a sense of lethargy and reluctance to fully engage with the day ahead.
Sienna approached the day with her typical preparedness for examinations, feeling nothing out of the ordinary. She looked forward to a quiet, energy-filled breakfast, eager to finish the exam quickly so she could return to the lab. There, she had another idea to test on the robot.
Just as she settled down with her tray, ready to take a bite of her baguette sandwich, Joe hurried in. Between large bites of his own sandwich, he began to ramble about the need for extreme caution.
"Alright, alright," Sienna interrupted, halting Joe's repetitive warnings about watching her surroundings.
"So, what's the issue?" Sienna inquired, frustration evident in her tone. "Who am I supposed to be careful about, and why?"
Joe could not possibly divulge the unsettling encounter he had with Brandon the previous night. After a moment of consideration, he adopted a mysterious tone and began, "I recently crossed paths with a Taoist Master who shared a foreboding prophecy. According to him, this year will bring forth significant and perilous events on campus, catching us off guard with unexpected, potentially dreadful occurrences. It seems as though none of us will be immune to their impact."
Sienna felt as though she had been a balloon that had been deflated right after being blown—what kind of excuse was this? With skepticism evident in her tone, she questioned, "Since when did you start putting stock in Taoist Masters?"
Joe shrugged nonchalantly. "Oh, just since yesterday," he replied casually.
"Alright then, I'll be careful," Sienna replied. "Oh, by the way, what did Allan say?"
Joe nearly spilled his tea in surprise, shaking his head. "Haven't seen him since last night. But I suppose I'll run into him in class today."
Sienna raised an eyebrow, sensing Joe's avoidance of Allan. Joe, aware of her suspicion, raised his hand in a gesture of sincerity. "I'm telling the truth."
"Put your hand down," Sienna said, reaching out to lower it. "Didn't the Taoist Master warn you against making vows lightly? It invites bad fortune."
-
Brandon had hardly slept the night before, his mind preoccupied with the intriguing events awaiting him today. Distracting himself from the anticipation of Sienna bringing him coffee, he tried to bury himself in reading materials, unaware that he had already reviewed them multiple times.
Glancing at the time, Brandon realized there were still two hours before the examination. He couldn't shake off a sense of unease as he felt time dragging its feet. Motivated, he tapped on his wristband and navigated through his system, double-checking that time controlling had not been the many items of superpowers he had gained after the transformation.
He heated a mug of milk in the microwave and was about to take a sip when a text notification interrupted him.
"I've bought you coffee. Do you mind meeting me at the second cross of the campus path on the way to the examination?"
Brandon placed the mug back in the fridge, replying with a simple "OK." He quickly adjusted his outfit and headed out.
-
Upon receiving the straightforward "OK" from his "beloved girl," Allan swiftly purchased coffee and steamed buns with a variety of fillings from the restaurant below the hostel. With his treats in hand, he made his way directly to the designated meeting spot. As he passed by the canteen, he noticed Joe exiting alongside someone else. Allan deftly sidestepped them, veering onto the grassy path to take a shortcut to the second cross.
Peering ahead, he watched as Joe disappeared into the main building, apparently unaware of Allan's presence. A wave of relief washed over him.
Just as Allan began to calm himself, another silhouette entered his field of vision. For a fleeting moment, he thought it might be the girl, but upon closer inspection, he recognized the tall, short-haired figure of Brandon, and the hope faded.
Brandon noticed Allan too. Allan offered a smile in greeting, which Brandon acknowledged with a brief nod. However, Brandon remained silent, opting instead to check his phone as if expecting someone to arrive.
The two men continued to check their phones intermittently, glancing up and scanning their surroundings. Despite the passing time, whoever they were waiting for had yet to arrive. Strangely, neither of them made any move to text the individuals they were expecting.
As the examination time drew near, both Allan and Brandon grew increasingly anxious. Finally, on the verge of picking up their phones to text the girls they were waiting for, Amanda's and Sienna's voices suddenly emerged nearby.
Sienna apologized, "Sorry, I didn't wake you up this morning. I was preoccupied with something else."
"It's fine, Sienna. I have my own alarm," Amanda replied, waving her phone in hand gleefully.
"You go ahead, I have something to deliver," Sienna urged, and the two girls parted ways. However, they both paused at the second cross, seeming to peer into the areas where Brandon and Allan were "concealing" themselves.
"Someone is there," Sienna remarked cautiously to Amanda.
"Yeah... I don't like it when people sneak around in the grass," Amanda complained. "It's so creepy!"
"Agreed," Sienna concurred.
Upon hearing the girls' conversation, a shared realization seemed to dawn on both Brandon and Allan. They both suddenly assumed that the reason for the no-show was a desire to avoid any unintended observers witnessing the coffee delivery.
Exchanging a glance of slight embarrassment and mutual understanding, they parted ways in different directions, each busily texting on their respective phones.
"The place is occupied, let's switch to the pavilion."
"The pavilion,"
In their separate locations beyond each other's views, Brandon and Allan both broke into smiles as they received the text about the identical location at the same time.