Karim

Ace smiles mischievously at my announcement.

"Break all the rules? Are you insane?" Safari asks.

Morrow just folds her arms, confused.

Praisch looks unsettled.

"There's no other way to leave the school until the end of the semester. We're stuck here otherwise."

Safari's shoulders slump slightly. "What about our academic reports? Our parents?"

I lean against the iron bar behind me.

"In two weeks time at most, there would be no school and no home remaining. This building that holds so much promise for you would be reduced to nothing."

Ace nods in agreement.

He just sits at one side, watching everyone. Everyone else seats at the other side, far enough from Ace to be considered safe.

This is an improvement from the last meeting we had, but, I would like for them to stop being afraid of him.

"What rules can I even break?" Morrow asks.

Praisch raises his palms up. "This is completely absurd. All I have to do is kill someone."

"So what's the plan when we leave the school?"

I run a sweaty hand through my hair. The morning breeze messes with my hair, tossing it into my face every now and then.

Praisch zips down his hoody and unbuttons the first three buttons of his shirt.

I stare at the metal stadium seats weal with rust. I trace the welded joints with my eyes, trying to come up with the right words.

"We will have to regroup."

"That's not possible." Praisch argues, his voice heavily accented.

I raise a brow at him, shoving my left hand into my pocket.

"I come all the way from Scotland. I can't possibly meet up with the rest of you. Besides, my hometown might not be standing by the time I return."

Safari's expression mirrors his.

I glance at Ace for assistance. He just shrugs.

"I thought of not drinking the sleep potion they usually offer."

Wide eyes greet my suggestion.

"How would that even work?" Safari asks, pacing the small space restlessly.

We watch her movements, but no one asks her to sit down. We all feel as restless as she does but choose to show it differently.

"I've been thinking about it all night, and I came up with a suggestion." I pause to see if they're following.

"If we're all conveyed in the same car at first - before we're split up, my plan might be possible."

Praisch leans his chin on his palm. "Just say the plan already."

I dart a glance at Ace. He nods in encouragement.

"Say we're all together, when we're offered the drink, Morrow freezes time long enough for us to discard the potion, and we pretend to sleep."

Their faces brighten up. "That's a pretty sick idea - but it's got two loopholes."

I cross my feet, feeling more at ease.

Leadership is harder than I thought. Thank the heavens for Praisch and Ace.

"Which are?" I ask.

Safari stops pacing, preferring to perch herself at the edge of the seat beside Morrow.

"First, they usually make us take the potion at school, not while in the conveying car. Second, they'll still split us up at a point - that is if we're going to be moved in the same car initially."

I consider his points.

"I can help with that." Ace says.

Everyone turns toward him. "Stay out of it, maniac. You're probably itching to hurt people." Praisch says acidly.

Ace regards his carefully, his brows twitching comically.

"I would… maybe when the world ends." Is all he says in response.

Safari starts tapping her feet nervously. The rhythmic noise is unbearable. I glance down at her, glaring.

To my annoyance, she doesn't look up at me.

Then, I step on her foot. The tapping stops.

She looks up. "Why'd you do that?"

"I don't like the noise."

She smiles and glances away in embarrassment. "I can't help it. I just always find myself doing it when I'm nervous."

I slide my foot off hers.

"You don't have to be nervous around us."

She looks up, surprised. "I don't?"

"Not nervous. Be insane. Loose your mind - that's the only way you're going to be prepared to face hideous creatures and piles of dead bodies."

She gulps, paling instantly. Her knees lock as a shudder ripples through her.

Fear. She's afraid.

Who the hell isn't?

Others just do a better job of masking it. Like Ace. And myself.

Praisch clears his throat. I realize that they've all been watching our exchange.

"We want to hear how you… can help, Ace." Morrow says.

Ace stares at her, shocked.

"Go ahead." She urges.

He blinks a few times. His ears are pink from the cold morning wind.

"I can ensure that we all wind up in the same vehicle."

I nod.

"As for being splitted up, we may have to play dirty in that regard." I mention.

No one seems surprised at my words. If anything, they seem… eager.

Their curious expressions beg for me to continue.

"We'll play the slumbering students for the greater part of the journey, but when we get to our individual checkpoints, we are to take out the driver."

Safari and Morrow gasp in shock.

"As in… kill him?" Morrow asks.

"No. No one is killing anyone… at least not yet. We're just kind of supposed to make them unconscious."

Sighs of relief erupt from the girls.

"We can do that." Safari says.

Praisch still looks confused.

"But there'll be more than one vehicle - that would mean several drivers."

"Yeah. We'll take them all out. Then, we'll take one vehicle and escape." I explain.

"What if we have to fly?"

"Then we fly. That is if they're still airports left standing in this region."

He leans back against the rest, seeming satisfied with my answers.

"I guess everything is settled." Morrow says, rising up from her seat.

"Not quite." I gesture for her to resume her seat.

"I'm not giving a peptalk here - this is serious business. I need all of you to improve your powers."

Ace raises an eyebrow, wondering what I'm talking about.

"Improve our powers? What's wrong with them?" Safari asks.

I sigh. "Since you ask, I'll start with you." I pause to examine their expressions.

What I'm about to say might come through as an insult h especially when I have no powers of my own.

"With me?" She touches her chest, confused.

I nod. "Your control of gravity is nice. Handy, even. But… it's not very useful if you can only control one object at the time. You'll have to work on manipulating the gravitation pulls of more than one object at once - if you hope to survive."

She folds her arms across her chest, pouting. "You make it sound like it's so easy to do. I've been trying - it just hasn't happened yet. When I pick up more than one object, it's harder to control all of them."

"Try harder. Also, work on manipulating your own gravity. It's no use if you can save everyone else but can't save yourself." I say.

"Huh?" She looks baffled.

Ace shoots me a warning glance - I had overstepped it.

"Never mind that." I turn to Morrow. "Your turn."

She tenses, folding her pale hands delicately on her lap. Her eyes are fixed on my lips, waiting for me to give out instructions.

"Your power is handy, no doubt. But in a scenario in which you can only exempt one person from your time freeze - except yourself - is not very handy." I study her expression.

She just stares at her slender fingers.

"If we're fighting several monsters at a time, it'd be wonderful if you could free only the monsters and exempt the entire squad from your time freeze."

She gulps.

"Is that possible?" I ask her.

She keeps looking down at her fingers. "I don't know. I've never really tried - exempting one person is hard enough."

"Work on it."

I turn my attention to Praisch. He knows what's coming.

"I'm not going to tell you what you already know. What we're dealing with is out of this world. Don't expect to wear them out within a few minutes. We can't even be sure if they breathe oxygen."

He brows draw together in confusion.

"The hell!" He mutters.

"Yeah. But, I'll advice that you learn how to-"

"Kill more than one creature at a time." He completes for me.

Ace holds his arms out. "What advice do you have for me?"

I tilt my head, surveying him thoroughly.

"Get used to the fact you won't be wearing designers out there." I tease.

My comment incites laughter from everyone - including Ace. The tension fades into the air.

"What about you? Your shoes are very expensive." He says, his eyes twinkling.

I shrug casually.

"I don't mind damaging them one bit."

He looks down at his shoes.

"Neither do I."

I smile at his words.

Praisch glances down at his Rolex - probably to make me notice.

"You too." He looks up, wearing a knowing smile.

"I want to sign my rustication documents before today ends. Get to work - all of you."

We all file out.

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