Cuapter 32: The unraveling tension
Meanwhile, on the hospital steps, Mr. Thompson stood glued to the spot. His heart raced as he watched Adrian wreak havoc, but his mind was on something else entirely.
Ms. Caldwell, standing beside him, caught his eye, and in the middle of the chaos, he felt the need to say something.
"What is he?" He muttered in disbeleive.
"He...." Ms Caldwell bit her lip as she hesitated.
"Don't look at him differently Mr. Thompson, although he is seems out of character, he is a good kid... I can vouch for him..." Ms Caldwell looked into the eyes of Mr. Thompson, half expecting a nod of approval.
Mr. Thompson had his concerns, "What of if one day he hurts you, what if he uses his freakish ability, I won't be able to survive if that day comes..."
Instinctually, Ms. Caldwell reached out a hand to hold Mr. Thompson's arms as if to comfort and stop him, but she wasn't totally aware of how her actions would look like to others.
"I can promise you Mr. Thompson, he is a good kid" Ms Caldwell said before realizing her actions and sharply taking away her hands like she had come in contact with hot potato.
Mr. Thompson had his heart beating furiously, all his emotions were erupting in the heat of that moment.
"Uh, Ms. Caldwell," he started awkwardly, rubbing the back of his neck. She turned to him, her focus torn between the scene and his sudden nervousness.
"I need to tell you something… something I've been holding back for a while now."
Ms. Caldwell blinked, utterly confused. "Mr. Thompson?" Ms. Caldwell kept looking lost as a myriad of thoughts raced through her mind, wondering why his voice suddenly became softer alongside his looks.
He took a deep breath. "I… I love you. I've always loved you."
Ms. Caldwell's mouth fell open. Her cheeks turned beet red as she stared at him, trying to process the confession amid the madness unfolding around them. Seriously, now? Her brain screamed.
"I—" she stuttered, unsure what to say, her emotions a mix of shock and disbelief.
Before she could answer, Adrian's roar echoed again. Mr. Rudbick was on his feet now, gun drawn, fury radiating from him as his SSG agents lay defeated on the ground.
---
Adrian stood there, blue blood trickling from a small wound on his shoulder, his breathing labored but his eyes still glowing with that intense alien energy. He stared Mr. Rudbick down, unmoving, as the man pointed his gun at him.
"You've revealed yourself," Mr. Rudbick sneered, stepping closer. "You think you can protect Tessa, protect these children, but you've just sealed your fate."
Adrian's jaw clenched, his alien bloodline tingling with rage. He could hear the heartbeats of every student behind him, their trust in him pushing him forward. For Tessa. For them.
They didn't seem to mind at the moment that he had blue blood dripping or that he was dusting off bullets like one would dirt. At that exact moment they were one in trust, the fearful students had made their way out of sight.
"I will save her," Adrian growled, his voice low but full of determination.
The students, still gathered behind him, seemed to sense the intensity of the moment. It wasn't that they didn't feel fear too, but they were too in the heat of the moment to stop themselves from following Adrian.
"He's going to do it," someone whispered. "He's really going to save her."
Mr. Rudbick raised his gun, his finger tightening on the trigger, but before he could pull it, Adrian moved like lightning.
He was on him in an instant, grabbing the barrel of the gun and twisting it away with enough force to snap Mr. Rudbick's wrist.
The man screamed, his eyes wide with pain and fury.
"You don't deserve to live," Adrian snarled, his eyes glowing brighter as he launched forward, grabbing Mr. Rudbick by the neck, squeezing him with just enough force to render him unconscious and lifting him high like a rag doll.
The wind was heavy with unspoken words, thickening the tension between Adrian, Mr. Rudbick and the men lying on the ground before him.
The soft hum of Riverdale Academy's students in the background was faint against the pulse thumping in his ears.
Adrian's eyes burned with an otherworldly light, that Kaelrian blue, as he stood with Mr. Rudbick cluthced in his outstretched right hand.
His chest heaved with each breath, and his fists curled tighter. The air around him buzzed as if it could snap under the force of his rising emotions. And yet, despite the quivering silence, every eye in the vicinity was locked on him, waiting.
Ms. Caldwell appeared in the corner of Adrian's vision. Her figure was a sharp contrast to the storm swelling inside him—calm, yet determined. The fabric of her simple, worn coat flapped gently in the wind as she stepped forward, her presence steady. Her voice, though firm, carried an undertone of care.
"Adrian," she called, her tone more of a plea than a command.
She could see the strain in his jaw, the ripple of power that only hinted at his true potential. He was on the precipice. She had to reach him—now, before the chaos he held inside him spilled out.
Her footsteps crunched on the pavement, drawing closer, pulling him away from the edge with every step. "This isn't the answer."
Adrian didn't move immediately. The knuckle of his left hand whitened as the energy in his body built up, a battle of wills between destruction and restraint. His breath came heavy and labored, though not from physical exhaustion.
It was the mental fatigue of fighting back the urge to lash out, to punish the man who had manipulated them, who had dared to use Tessa as a pawn in his twisted game. To send him on a journey of no return.
But Ms. Caldwell knew Adrian wasn't like that. "You're better than him," she said softly, her voice breaking through his clouded thoughts like a beacon. "You're better than all of them."
Adrian's eyes flickered. The raw, searing power pulsing beneath his skin wavered. His hands unclenched slightly, though they still hovered, dangerously close to losing control. His chest rose and fell with long, deliberate breaths. He was trying—trying to rein it all in.
Ms. Caldwell stopped just a few steps away, carefully watching him, the pain in her eyes mingled with hope.
She saw the boy behind the power—the one who fought to remain human, even as his blood told him otherwise. "You're not alone in this, Adrian. Let it go."
The tension seemed to dissolve into the night. Adrian's arms fell to his sides, trembling.
He dropped Mr. Rudbick on the ground like one would a sack of dirt.
After a moment, his gaze finally dropped from Mr. Rudbick to the ground. The power inside him dimmed, fading back into the depths of his soul.
"Let's go and save her!" He muttered before marching towards the hospital room where Tessa lay weakly, with her life slipping away bit by bit.
--
Inside Tessa's Hospital room
The hospital was eerily quiet, a stark contrast to the chaos unfolding outside. The sterile walls, painted in dull shades of cream and grey, stood as a cold reminder of the fragility of life. The constant beeping of monitors filled the room, counting down time as Tessa's heartbeat grew weaker by the minute.
Dr. Pierce adjusted his glasses nervously, staring at the screen in front of him. "The toxin's spreading faster than we can counteract," he muttered under his breath.
He hadn't seen this kind of poison before—deadly, precise, and nearly impossible to cure without the proper antidote, and that is without adding the way it affects the skin, and to worsen matters, on one had enough knowledge of this ailment, so how could they make an antidote with time running out?
The nurses around him moved with quiet urgency, their faces a mask of determination, though the fear in their eyes betrayed their professional calm.
Suddenly, the door burst open with a gust of wind, rattling the small vials and instruments on the metal tray. Adrian stood in the doorway, his eyes locked on Tessa's limp form.
His heart thudded painfully in his chest at the sight of her pale face, her eyes closed as if she were already halfway gone.
"Tessa…" His voice was barely a whisper, yet it carried through the room like thunder.
Ms. Caldwell entered behind him, placing a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Adrian, you need to focus. You can help her, but you need to be calm."
Adrian nodded, stepping forward, his eyes never leaving Tessa. He felt the weight of responsibility settle onto his shoulders, heavier than ever before. He could feel the energy within him, but it wasn't enough to simply want to save her. He had to control it.
Dr. Pierce glanced at Adrian, his brow furrowed in confusion. "What do you plan to do?"
"I'll heal her," Adrian replied, his voice steady despite the turmoil raging inside him.
The doctors exchanged glances, hesitant to let anyone else near her, but they were out of options. Dr. Pierce stepped aside, his reluctance clear. "If you can, do it now. We don't have much time or a clue on what is going on with her."
Adrian knelt by Tessa's side, his fingers trembling as he brushed a lock of her hair from her face. Her skin was cold, far too cold. He closed his eyes, focusing all of his energy on her.
The room seemed to grow warmer as his power surged. A soft blue light enveloped his hands as they hovered over Tessa's body, flowing from him into her.
He could feel the poison, like black threads of darkness winding through her bloodstream. With each pulse of his power, he tore at the toxin, the salt which was eating away at her life, dissolving bit by bit.
Minutes stretched into what felt like hours. The light from Adrian's hands grew brighter, intensifying with his concentration.
His muscles tensed as he gave everything he had, pouring his very essence into saving her. His heartbeat synchronized with hers, as though they were linked by more than just fate.
The monitors began to beep faster, signaling life. Tessa's heartbeat steadied, the pallor in her cheeks fading as color returned. Her fingers twitched slightly, then her eyes fluttered open.
Adrian slumped forward in relief, his hand still resting on hers as her gaze met his. "You're okay," he whispered, his voice thick with emotion. "You're going to be okay."
Tessa's lips parted in a faint smile. "Adrien...how?" She started to take in her surrounding as her energy level rose rapidly like a growing hurricane.
"I am alive, thank you… James he..." she whispered, her voice barely audible.
Adrian put a finger on her lips, putting her to rest.
---
Outside the Hospital
The news spread like wildfire across Riverdale Academy. The cheering that had begun as a low murmur exploded into a roar that echoed throughout the campus. Students filled the streets, their arms raised in victory, chanting Tessa's name like a rallying cry.
From the shadows, a figure watched.
Mr. Rudbick, still nursing his injured wrist, had regained consciousness, he retreated into the dark alley behind the hospital. His expression twisted with anger and frustration. He had underestimated them—both of them.
This wasn't over.
With a grimace, he disappeared into the night, plotting his next move.
---
Adrian remained by Tessa's side long after she had fallen asleep again, his hand still holding hers as if afraid to let go. Ms. Caldwell stood in the doorway, watching the two of them and Mr. Thompson stood beside her, partly hoping she would finally give him an answer to his proposal.
A bittersweet smile tugged at her lips. For now, they were safe. But she knew the storm was far from over.