tobert slipped out of the door and stood in the corridor, out of sight of the students in the hostel. He glanced downstairs and saw Mr. Bouse making his way toward the boys' dormitory.
"I wonder why he always visits the boys first," Poison grumbled, a tinge of fear in his voice. "What if he sees you?"
"No need to worry, Poison," Robert said, his tone light and casual. "I've got a little trick up my sleeve. After I'm done with him, I'll meet up with Oliver outside. I'm starving, and a juicy, greasy burger sounds amazing right now."
"Robert, be careful," Poison warned. "You can't just rely on your... my abilities to get you out of everything. We need to focus on finding that seal as soon as possible, and not on messing around."
"Oh yeah? And how focused are we on that?" Robert asked.
Poison was silent for a moment, before he spoke, "Robert listen..."
"Enough with the lecture!" Robert whispered as he heard the footsteps of Mr. Bouse climbing the stairs. "He's coming."
"Alright, let's do this," Poison declared, his voice low and determined.
Robert carefully walked down the stairs, making sure his footsteps were loud enough to be heard by Mr. Bouse.
At the sound of approaching footsteps, Mr. Bouse's curiosity turned to indignation. Who dared to defy his authority so brazenly? His mind immediately turned to Tom and Zarie, and he sneered at the thought of their newspaper excuse. This time, he vowed, they wouldn't be so lucky. Clenching his jaw, he steeled himself to deliver a stern punishment to the unsuspecting student.
Robert kept walking down the stairs until he reached the landing, where he suddenly became invisible. With silent steps, he continued to descend the stairs unnoticed by the oblivious Mr. Bouse.
"Piece of cake," Robert said telepathically after he walked past the teacher, a note of triumph in his voice.
"That was fun," he continued. "Let's try something even more daring." He suggested and sand particles gathered in his palm.
"Robert, no!" Poison protested. "We've talked about this! You can't use your... my power to mess with people, especially not a teacher! You might be exposed!"
"Oh please, what could possibly go wrong?" Robert replied.
Almost immediately, Mr. Bouse turned around sharply and stared straight at the spot where Robert was standing.
"Who's there?" Mr Bouse asked, his eyes wide with suspicion.
Robert realized with a jolt of horror that he had spoken out loud, not telepathically. He had given himself away!
Mr. Bouse scanned the area, but couldn't see anyone, clearly oblivious of Robert who was standing a few meters away, invisible. Shaking his head, he turned and continued up the stairs.
Once he was out of sight, Robert became visible. He let out a deep breath and slumped against the wall, his heart pounding in his chest.
"That was close," he said.
"You know, I'm starting to rethink having you be the one to carry out this descendant stuff, maybe I should transfer to your sister, she must be more cautious than you are," Poison said, sounding more annoyed than disappointed.
"Hey, don't talk about my sister like that, she only five," Robert said.
"I can bet she'll make a better host."
"Poison," Robert snapped, "I'm sure Oliver would be waiting for us outside."
Robert became invisible again and made his way towards the school gate, slipping past Reece, the gatekeeper, with ease. He was soon standing outside the school grounds, where Oliver was waiting for him.
Unlike Robert, Oliver was dressed in regular clothes, not the school's casual wear.
"Wow, you really went all out," Robert said, approaching Oliver. He reached out to touch the fabric of his shirt, but Oliver smacked his hand away. "Don't touch that," he warned, his voice cold and serious.
Robert backed away with a smile. "So, where are we headed?" He asked enthusiastically. The act of sneaking out of school was a novel experience for him, one that brought with it both a sense of excitement and nervousness.
"Greenline market," Oliver replied, his tone flat.
"Alright," Robert said, starting down the path to the market, "Now Oliver, I'm curious, tell me about yourself and how you met Solomon." Robert flashed him a peculiar expression as he asked. Oliver never had a genuine smile on his face, who knew if the question would agitate him?
"Well, since this is a period of peace, I wouldn't mind telling you about myself," Oliver replied, his tone flat and indifferent, as usual. He kept his eyes fixed on the horizon, not looking at Robert as he spoke.
"My story begins with my status as an orphan," Oliver began, his voice steady and emotionless.
Robert gasped, taken aback by the words. Oliver glanced at him and offered a slight smile, but his eyes remained cold. "Now, before you ask," he continued, "I should tell you that I don't know who my parents were. I was raised by an adoptive father who was extremely dysfunctional and abusive. In my darker moments, I've often been struck with the thought that he had chosen to adopt me because he needed someone upon whom to unleash his anger and frustrations when his wife was absent. A human punching bag, if you will. His wife was a lot better, but she was just a fishmonger. She often took me with her when she went fishing, and we were what you might call a second-class family living in the countryside. But my life didn't really start to change until one gloomy Terraday, when my adoptive father went out for drinks with his friends and left me alone at home, starving. I was only twelve then. His wife had gone to the market a few days earlier and hadn't returned yet, so I decided to go to the river where all the village kids liked to swim in the evening. As I swam, I noticed the water getting colder and colder, even though it was still summer. A strong gust of wind blew across the river, and that was when..."
"Solomon," Robert mumbled and smiled.
"Yeah, that was when he surreptitiously possessed me. Well, as I returned home just before dusk, I was received by a sudden and devastating blow that sent me crashing to the ground. I looked up, only to see my stupid A father glaring at me with bloodshot eyes. He raised his hand to hit me asking why I left home without permission. Evidently, he was drunk, but at that moment all I remembered was suddenly transforming into Solomon and freezing the moron half to death."
"What about your foster mother?" Robert asked curiously.
"After I froze him, I discovered a faint whimper coming from the door," Oliver continued, "It sounded like a cat on the virge of death. I walked over to the door and saw his wife lying on the floor, a broken bottle sticking out from her sides. Clearly, my foster father who was drunk had attacked her when she returned from the market. I tried to help but was too weak and couldn't do anything. All I could do was watch her die in my feeble arms. As a tough kid from the countryside, I didn't cry or fall apart. Instead, I grabbed her purse and ran away. I'm certain the villagers had thawed him out from the ice and he is still alive. I hope I meet him again, wanna finish what I started."
Robert was silent for a moment, taking in the story. "I'm so sorry you went through all of that," he said at last.
"Oh it's nothing," Oliver waved him off.
Robert looked around at the tranquil market, his thoughts consumed by Oliver's distressing story and the deep-seated trauma it may have caused.
As they walked through the theft zone - er market, the mood lightened as the boys caught a whiff of sizzling steak, lamb chops, hot dogs and other tantalizing smells. The boys couldn't help but salivate.
Solar Springs High School was located in Axille, a sparsely populated town in the city of Heiss. The town was quiet and serene. It was the ideal location for a boarding school, far removed from the cacophony of car horns, train whistles, and roaring aircrafts that defined the urban landscape.
The school's culinary offerings at Solar Springs High School prioritized health and wholesomeness. The students could only dream of foods like chicken and ham while they were in school, as such delicacies were strictly off-limits.
Greenline market was located near the heart of Axille and in Robert's current opinion, it was the most desolate and abandoned market he had ever laid eyes on. He reminisced about the times, several years ago, when his mother had taken him to this very location, and it was bustling with life. Now, it was a silent wasteland of shops and stalls. Even the faint whispers of customers and store owners and the scuttling of racoons seemed lost in the stillness, like echoes of a long forgotten past.
Among the small number of open stalls, one particular structure stood out. Like an oasis in a desert of desolation, this small building exuded a sense of vitality, resembling a supermarket with its clean lines, bright signage, and tall glass doors, standing in stark contrast to the dilapidated stalls that surrounded it.
Robert and Oliver watched the stall for a moment before exchanging a glance, a knowing smile fleeting across their faces as a silent agreement seemed to pass between them.