Something serious was going on at the Military Academy, something intriguing that Larry knew nothing about. He had been racking his brain, trying to figure out why he had been summoned to the staff room. He was called publicly by the sergeant in charge of their department, causing his heart to panic as he navigated through the labyrinth, heading toward the staff room with his brown stick leading the way.
His thoughts flashed back to the conversation he had with Bred yesterday, and fear gripped him almost immediately.
'The Cruz family... or have they come for me?' he wondered, but then shook his head. 'I did nothing. They attacked me first,' he concluded, but when he recalled Silver's words, a feeling of uneasiness washed over him.
The door to the staff room creaked open, and he followed the sound, entering the room, which was occupied by four individuals. The figure standing by the door was none other than his homeroom teacher, Alex.
Two women sat on chairs before a table, with another empty chair facing them. Larry looked around the room, trying to figure out who the other people were. He had already noticed his homeroom teacher, Alex, which calmed him more than anything. The women were staring at him, watching how he acted strangely, their gazes following his every move until he finally stopped at a certain spot where a woman was leaning against the wall.
"Silver," he muttered quietly, but it was enough for everyone in the room to hear. This surprised the two women sitting down, while Silver tried hard to hide her expression.
The only person who remained calm was Teacher Alex. He placed his hand on Larry's shoulder, but Larry didn't flinch.
"I'm aware you already sensed my presence, but how did you know it was Silver over there?" Teacher Alex questioned, making Larry's heart skip a beat.
The truth was, the name had just slipped out after thinking about what she had said to him. The more he heard her voice, the more familiar he became with her presence, to the point where he could sense her even in a room like this.
"I didn't know. I was just able to sense her."
"You were able to sense her despite the fact that you both aren't familiar. Or are you both...?"
"No, no, we don't have anything together. It's just that she helped me out yesterday, and I've been looking for her since then to show my gratitude. I guess that's why I was able to sense her immediately." Larry cut the sergeant off almost immediately, and a smile crossed her face as she gestured for Alex to seat him.
"Larry, there are things going on in the school, and we've been trying to figure it all out, but it's complicated, and now the matter involves you."
"It involves me?" Larry couldn't help but say, trying to guess the situation by listening to their heartbeats, though he struggled to focus.
"So, we're going to ask you some questions. Do your best not to lie to us," the lady sergeant named Karitha said as she grabbed Larry's right hand and placed it on a device on the desk.
'What's that? It's very cool,' Larry thought as his body relaxed after placing his hand on the device.
"What's your name?" asked Karitha.
"Larry Quinn."
Beep!
A soft sound came from under the device, and the two women nodded in response.
"Have you awakened any energy core?"
"No, I haven't awakened any core."
Beep!
"Do you know who Peter is?"
"Yes, Peter Cruz. We attend the same combat class, along with David Crez and Zach, who is David's friend."
Beep!
"Were you attacked yesterday?"
"Yes, I was attacked by Peter and his crew. They nearly killed me, but Silver came to my rescue."
Beep!
"What's your relationship with Silver Stone?"
The device had been beeping consistently since Larry started answering the questions.
"We're friends."
Beep! Beep!
The machine beeped differently this time, and Larry realized that the device his hand was on was a lie detector. Silver and Larry were nowhere close to being friends, so the device picked that up.
'I have to be careful this time,' Larry thought nervously.
"Where were you last night?"
"I never left my dormitory."
Beep.
"Are you involved in Peter's predicament?"
"No."
Beep!
As the device beeped for the seventh time, Karitha exchanged a glance with the woman beside her, who nodded. Larry had a lot of questions on his mind but decided not to ask them. He knew better than to speak out of turn while seated before the head of his department. He waited to see what they had in store for him.
"Okay, Larry, you already know this is a lie detector, and from your answers, we're now sure you're not involved in Peter's predicament, either directly or indirectly," Sergeant Karitha said, while Larry listened attentively, picking up on the key words.
"I already told you it was a waste of time. Who would go against the Cruz family for a blind loser like him?"
Larry's heart sank when he heard Silver say those words. They touched him deeply, and again he picked up on the key words, especially Cruz family. But something was still missing, and he was left in the dark.
"What happened to Peter?" he couldn't help but ask.
"Peter Cruz, David Crez, and Zach are in critical condition right now. They were beaten up so badly that they were admitted to the hospital shortly after they attacked you," Teacher Alex announced.
"That makes both of you the prime suspects, but I think it's safe to say you're both free now. You can go," Sergeant Karitha said as she relaxed in her chair.
Larry grabbed his stick, stood up, and began navigating his way out of the staff room, with Silver trailing behind him.
"Silver," Sergeant Karitha called, and Silver stopped in her tracks. "I don't know why you helped him, but be careful out there. Word has already gotten out to the Crez family."
Sergeant Karitha finished as Silver continued walking without replying, shutting the door behind her. She turned left, only to see Larry standing there, fidgeting with his fingers.
"I didn't get to say thank you last time. Thanks for saving me yesterday," Larry said, struggling to find the right words, which caused Silver to arch an eyebrow.
Silver Stone was a young woman in her early teens, much taller than Larry, with a well-defined figure. Her silver hair was tied in a ponytail, and she wore a blue top and military trousers. Most of the students were dressed similarly, except for Larry, who was always seen in martial arts outfits.
"Blind fool is an understatement, Larry. You're so daft to think the Cruz family will let you go just like that. The only advice I can give you is to find the person who put Peter and his friends in that situation, or else you're a walking dead man," she said before walking past him, leaving him to his thoughts.
The information was too much for Larry to process, leaving him in a confused state, but one thing he knew for sure was that the Crez family was at the center of everything.
"I'm sure Bred must have some valuable information for me," he said to himself and turned to navigate toward his dorm when he recalled Silver's words.
'I have to find the person who attacked Peter and turn them in to clear my name,' Larry thought as he moved leftward, his stick leading the way as usual. He was already familiar with the layout of the buildings, making it easy for him to locate his dorm.
'But how does she expect me to figure out who it was when she knows I can't see? Wait... who on Earth would attack Peter for my sake unless they wanted to frame me? I have a lot of enemies. I don't even know where to start…'
A hand suddenly came out of nowhere and pulled Larry into a corner, jolting him out of his thoughts. Fear gripped his heart immediately as he clenched his stick, standing before a figure whose presence he couldn't identify.
Although afraid, Larry remained quiet, waiting for whoever it was to speak up. But after waiting for a while, he began to worry and tried to pull away, only to crash his back against the wall.
"Why were you called?" he heard a familiar voice and looked up. The voice sounded familiar, but he still couldn't place who it was.
"Peter and his friends were attacked last night, and they think it was me, but I've cleared my name," Larry replied, and the masculine figure sighed in relief. "But it's not over. The Cruz family is on my tail. I have to find out who was responsible for the assault before they find me."
Larry couldn't tell why he had revealed the truth to Eric but decided that it was for the best.
"Here I am," the figure said, causing Larry to open his mouth wide in shock. It wasn't the revelation that shocked him, but the fact that he recognized the voice. He had figured out that it was his third roommate.
"Eric," he called out.
"Yes, Larry. I'm the one who attacked Peter and his friends."