Arsenal watched Fred slam the door at him, the terrified look on his face can not be overemphasized and it made Arsenal truly question what he looked like.
He wanted to step out of the stall but what If there was still someone outthere who would see him and freak out, this would draw a lot of attention to him, the same attention he was avoiding since he got the system.
"System?" He called out like a helpless child because truly this was out of his control,
"Can you help?"
[ Take a deep breath and focus on what you wish you could accomplish.]
...…..
In less than a minute, Arsenal was out of the stall, he stole a glance at the mirror to ensure that he no longer looked hideous, and at the same time, think of an explanation for what Fred saw in there.
But on his way out of the bathroom, the door was flung open and four security men trooped in with guns and rods. Terrified, Arsenal stood still with his hands in the air, praying that this didn't become the end of his life.
"Uhm, where is it?" One of the securities asked him,
"I did not see anything," Arsenal replied, his gaze shifted to Fred who stood behind the security to keep himself safe.
"Are you sure that there was no animal, big and hairy, or anything like that?"
"No, not at all." Arsenal shook his head from side to side, and this time the security man left him alone, only for Fred to approach him immediately.
"Bro where were you?" he asked, and Arsenal pointed to the last stall in the bathroom. Yes, it was a lie, but it was the only way that he'd avoid further questions.
"Are you alright though? How many fingers am I holding up?"
Arsenal's shoulders dropped as he stared at Fred disdainfully,
"I'm fine, not drunk at all. I just need to get out of here."
Without wasting another second, Arsenal hurried out of the bathroom. He could still hear Fred grumbling behind him, but he ignored it knowing that Fred would get over it in no time.
He thanked Fred for the drinks and went out of the bar where he hailed a taxi to take him to his uncle's house, thirty minutes away from there. It was the best option for him at the moment because he wasn't quite sure what to tell those on campus about what they saw yet.
"System, I noticed something," He began speaking to the system while in the taxi, but without saying anything to the driver's hearing.
"The side effects are triggered based on my emotions at the time, like when I get upset I could feel the surge of electrifying current, and sometimes it feels like my veins are going to pop out. And… for some reason, I become tempted to either tear a person apart or bite them."
[That is quite an impressive observation. Anything else? ]
"Well I don't know so much about when I get drunk and all, but while drinking, I felt the same way. One more thing, when I froze time by accident, it was because Edmomd wanted to hit me and I tried to dodge it. The same way I wanted to survive the gunshot and save Ohana."
[ It's in response to your survival instincts it seems?]
"I don't know, what do you think?"
[ If I tell you everything, you will not learn anything. I wouldn't make the same mistakes I made with the other hosts I inhabited. I'll take it slow on you.]
"Alright," Arsenal nodded his head, unaware that the driver noticed his strange behaviour and weird facial expressions.
"If I am determined enough, I can activate the skills at will. Might take a while to master but I think I've got it. Now I need to figure out what lie to tell the campus tomorrow.?"
[ Don't try too hard. Trust me ]
After a brief conversation with the system, Arsenal adjusted the seat to allow him to lay back and keep his eyes closed. It's a good thing he is rich enough to call an uba and ride in comfort until he arrives at his uncle's apartment.
Now, his uncle Jonathan wasn't a very wealthy man, just a struggling bachelor who took on the role of keeping an eye on his elder brother's child after his passing.
He wasn't lazy either, but a man whose job was to drive a garbage truck from one house to another wasn't so wealthy to pay his rent, eat and make sure his nephew was comfortable in school all at once. He did his best with his little earning and Arsenal wasn't a fool to not appreciate it.
"Who is there?" Came Jonathan's voice from inside the apartment, this was after Arsenal had pressed the doorbell.
"Oh, you?" He uttered, shocked to see Arsenal at his front doorstep a day before the exam. He only hoped that the young man wasn't here to ask for money while he was thinking of how to renew his rent before the month ended.
"Good evening Uncle," He greeted, before walking into the house.
"You smell of alcohol," said Jonathan,
"Your broke ass is drinking vodka? Don't tell me that you have gotten yourself into this shit man?"
"I've not," Arsenal replied nonchalantly,
"Just once in a while, that's all."
"Why are you here then?"
"School is chaotic right now," Arsenal replied,
"I just want to spend the night here and go back…
"Are you in trouble?" He interjected, taking his seat opposite Arsenal, ready for the interrogative session.
"No?"
"And before you ask, I have cleared out my payment so you don't have to worry about it." Arsenal's words took him by surprise, but he shrugged as said,
"Okay good."
"I also sent some money to you on my way here, a little something to say thanks," Arsenal concluded before walking toward the room he'd normally stay, leaving Jonathan speechless.
He stood up and went to pick up his phone from where he had plugged it in to charge, and was dumbfounded when he saw how much he had sent to him.
"How on earth did he?"