Karim.

The hallway is supposed to be empty, but it's not.

Voices are coming from the other end. I decide to walk past, but the subject of their conversation gives me pause.

They mentioned Furuno.

I halt in my tracks, leaning closer to the wall.

"She said the time of his becoming is near. Since then, I haven't seen her." One of them says.

Another voice says, "She went to bring him. That's the last any of us heard from her."

Silence.

"She never came back wi' him, did she? Have you seen him this morning?" A third voice asks.

The urge to have a glimpse of the speakers cloud my better judgement.

"The ritual was to be held this morn. If she's not here, then someone else has to do it."

I barge in on them.

There's four guys all clad in long black cloaks.

Each person has a different broach pinned on their cloaks.

My breath tightens in my chest. It's the same cloak I had seen on Furuno's bed.

"Are you lost? Get back to the hall, Freshman!" The one with crooked yellow teeth sneers at me.

I survey them calmly, gripping the edge of the wall so tight that my fingers threaten to snap.

Then, one of them snaps his fingers and they disappear in a burst of dust.

The dust tickles my throat, causing me to cough violently.

How did they do that?

I look at the hallway behind me - they are nowhere to be seen.

Footsteps echo on the marble at the end of the hall.

I glance in that direction.

Only one person stands there.

He starts walking towards me. His calm and almost lazy gait reminds me of Ace instantly.

"I've been looking for you." The person calls out.

I shove by hands into my pockets and wait.

A tall and slightly buffed out guy approaches me.

"Daylong. At your service." He sketches a little bow.

I regard him with narrow eyes.

"Is that your name? Daylong?" I can't help asking.

He grins.

"Marco. Everyone calls me Daylong - my surname."

"I'm of the knowledge that my rival has joined your little society."

I raise an eyebrow.

"I'm talking about Praisch - my opposition for the position of school president. The odds are stacked in his favour, though I'd die before I admit that to anyone else. People just love him."

I clear my throat impatiently. He's just beating about the bush with information I can't give two figs about.

Ace said something similar about Praisch's leadership skills, but I have yet to see it myself.

"Ah… yes. I want in."

"What?"

"When I heard that Praisch resigned from the campaigne this morning, I confronted him. The entire school would be devastated. All he said to me is that 'no position is worth a human's life.' He even said I could go to hell with the position if I'd liked."

I tilt my head lazily.

I've never met someone who wastes words as much as this guy.

"And your point is?" I pretend to not understand his banter.

"I also want to join your resistance." He mutters, staring at the ground.

"We're not accepting any new members. A lot has been done, and we are plenty enough as it is." I turn to leave.

He grabs my sleeve.

I stare down at his hand.

He slowly peels his hands away.

"I can be useful. I can even carry the load. I am willing to do anything."

He jams his hands together as if in supplication.

"Why?" I ask.

He blinks at the simple question.

"What do you mean 'why'?" He tosses back.

I remain silent.

He runs a hand through his hair, biting his lower lip.

"I want to be a part of your group." Is all he says.

I shake my head. "That won't do."

He glances down at his arms, as if the answer to my question lies there.

"I just want to, okay? This isn't an interview." His voice is contrite, his jaw hard.

"If you don't know, I'd tell you."

He meets my gaze, raising a questioning brow.

"Tell me what?"

I glance along the empty hallway, trying to frame my points in the best words possible.

"You're only interested in our team because Praisch is a member - that's all I deducted from your inconsequential chatter. Everyone in the Resistance is there because they understand they have nothing to gain and everything to lose. If you've watched the news, instead of fawning over your political status, maybe you'd understand what I'm saying."

With that, I walk past him.

He remains there, stunned by my words. He tries to stutter something but no words would form.

My mind had already barricaded the door against more members. The current ones are much more than I can handle. And Furuno is not any help to anyone.

Even worse, he tried to kill Safari.

That is completely unlike him. And Angela's being missing adds another layer to my suspicion of him.

That cloaked group must be tied to Furuno's current problems somehow. I can feel it.

I shiver unconsciously.

I travel up the stairs leading to Furuno's room. He's going to answer all my questions - starting from why he refused to attend the meeting.

Muffled voices come from within.

"Angela, no!" I hear someone cry from within.

"Do something." A calmer voice instructs.

I grip the doorknob with unsteady fingers, hesitating for a beat.

The door opens with a click and bright light floods the hallways from within.

Angela lays sprawled on the floor, foaming at the mouth.

Ace and Furuno are kneeling beside her.

For a brief moment, the scene before me plays out like a movie - only that it's not scripted.

"What happened?" I ask.

No one bothers to register my presence.

My question falls on deff ears.

Ace slips a hands beneath her head and pulls her up.

"Don't move her." Furuno half-yells at him.

"I need to find her and keep her mind active until you can get the poison out of her system."

Furuno touches a hand to his chest. "Me? How the hell am I supposed to do that?"

I clear my throat audibly. "Was she poisoned?" I ask sheepishly.

Ace looks up sharply. "Do you need to be told?" His tone is sharp.

Then, he turns to Furuno. "If you're waiting to be taught how to use your gift of healing, you can find a kindergarten sorcery school."

Furuno glares at him.

I run a hand through my hair.

Furuno grasps her hands with both of his and closes his eyes.

Ace watches him briefly before resuming his own task.

Her eyes are wide open, so is her mouth. They are filled with terror.

Guilt washes over me for suspecting Furuno.

I move further into the room.

Slowly, her skin starts glowing where Furuno touches her.

It's beautiful - just like it had been the time he healed her hand.

I inch closer, careful not to step on her hair scattered on the floor.

The glow starts moving - first her arm, then it travels to her neck and rest of her body.

His eyes slide open and he stares at her.

She doesn't move.

Ace falls back, pounding his fist into the floor. The rug swallows his punch gracefully.

"This wasn't supposed to happen." He says to no one in particular.

Perspiration slides into my eyes. I brush it hastily with the back of my hand.

This can't be it.

Furuno rests his head on her abdomen.

He makes a little sound - like a strangled sob.

Then, she starts coughing.

Ace rushes to her side. Furuno glances up at her face.

Even I kneel down beside her.

She claws at the air for something to hold on to. I help her up.

She heaves on me, drenching my clothes with the foul-smelling contents of her gut.

Ace pats her back with a tenderness I've never seem him display before.

Colour returns to her pale skin. She clutches my arm tighter as she continues throwing up.

When she's done, she buries her face in the unharmed part of my chest.

I cradle her head gently.

Ace leans back on the reading desk behind him, rubbing his eyes.

"I've never been more scared before." Furuno admits.

Ace gives him a thumbs-up.

A loud bell chimes somewhere in the distance. The birds resting on the window sill fly away in a flurry of feathers.

She pulls away from my arms and stares into my face.

"I don't know why I did it." She mutters, shaking her head violently.

Hot tears stream down her cheeks.

"It's okay." I say, smoothing her hair.

I glance at Furuno above her head, raising a brow at him.

He averts his gaze, refusing to give me the satisfaction of a response.

I shake my head at his antics.

Then, Mrs. Val shows up at the open doorway.

Her face is pinched up, her mouth a thin and firm line.

"I thought I'd find both of you here. To my office. Immediately!"

Ace and I exchange glances.

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