บท 21: Rock in a Treasure Chest
Chapter 21: Rock in a Treasure Chest
Doll didn't know if she can believe what the old man Rios had said. But he was the only one she spoke to when they visited her town. She hasn't had the chance to know if it's true because, after the mess that happened in the town square, Principal Lyns went to them instantly when she had heard what happened. Since that time, they went back as per the Headmaster's request.
Principal Lyns was angry. What Doll did was very risky. Just a small mistake and it will become a big mess. She nearly dragged Doll alongside her inside the car. She can't understand why was his Dad was this strict to make her be watched out by Principal Lyns.
But if there was one thing Doll was thankful for, that was when Principal Lyns gave some serious punishments to those four men who have made the trouble to the old man Rios.
Doll couldn't sleep that night. Or even the next night. She was worried about Sher Heart. She wanted to know where she really was. Maybe the old man Rios made a mistake, and wrong referring. Sherry Heartly, that evaluator, had no impression to be Sher Heart! Their attitudes were of the opposites.
She knew that Sher Heart can leave their town if she wanted to. She was, after all, at the legal age. But what about her family? Did she take them with her? Why did she leave?
She cannot be that Sherry Heartly. That was the most impossible thing that she knew won't come true. Sher Heart was nice. Sherry Hearty was cruel, as she remembered.
"Stop looking at me, you peasant."
That celebration was an embarrassment. She can clearly remember how Sherry Heartly pointed her with her right hand. She was petrified at that time, and all of the people inside the conference hall were staring at her. She suddenly felt her hair was being caressed slowly, as Sherry's hand hardly pressed her scalp.
As Doll thought of it, she touched her scalp. She can still feel the pain that it caused her. But that "hair caressing" thing was familiar. She cannot admit it to herself, but yes, she somewhat resembled Sher Heart. Their names sounded the same also.
Still reminiscing what had happened at the ceremony, she remembered her anger at Sherry Heartly that time, but before she could shout at her, she was stoned as she saw that even the rest of the evaluators were looking over them. Maybe all of them were shocked. Even she was shocked by that incident.
"You left an impression on me…"
That was the sentence that made an impact on her. How Sherry Heartly spoke that with some class as she continued to caress her blue hair —it can't be. She was not Sher Heart! Maybe it was just a coincidence.
"I have selected you so you can leave me alone. Don't stare at me that way again, or else…"
As she continued to think about it, one question prevailed in her mind. A question that she didn't want to face since earlier but whatever she do, it always tried to stick in her mind. Did Sher Heart hate her, that she decided to take revenge as Sherry Heartly?
A few days after they have visited the town, it was Lucas who continued practicing his skills as usual. There were no important matters happening inside White Day High in the last days since the Skill Selection had just ended, and the welcome party for the selected participants was held. They can't afford to hold so many festivities from time to time.
Later on, as he continued walking, he noticed something. Thursday morning began and he get irritated with the way all the students stared at him. It was strange. It started on Monday when he entered the newly renovated canteen. Like something was not right. There was something different in their stares.
"What?" he asked in irritation. Early in the morning and that was what greeted him.
Maybe it was because of the Godly Potential thing, and they knew that he can use fire. Now that the canteen was renovated and the issue resurfaced, were they blaming him for their burning canteen?
But, he has a lot on his mind at that time to think about. One of them was the incident with Doll's Hometown, and the other was their new training about survival skills with Coach Clive. In fact, it was easy for him, almost basic. Almost everything they do was familiar to what he usually do back then at Aspho High.
He tried ignoring all of their stares. They quickly looked away when his eyes landed on them. Some left the hallway. Lucas frowned more. What was their problem? The way they act was as if he did something bad. It was really annoying for him.
But everyone was sizing him up from the very start of his transfer here, and the behaviors of the students now were still the same. Nothing changed. Though in the back of his mind, he knew that there was something queer in the way they stared.
He just can't point out what.
He was walking in the hallway in the afternoon when he heard someone calling his name. He knit his brow and turned in the direction of the voice.
A freshman student approached him. He didn't know who this man was.
"Mister Lucas?"
"Yes?"
He didn't know if he was nervous or what. He look like he was about to cry. Was he scared?
"Miss Lyns called you to the Null Room."
The freshman student suddenly ran and left after he had said that. Lucas was confused and his gaze followed him. Null Room?
He continued walking while thinking about what the student had said. He should go to Principal Lyns. If he remember correctly, she didn't give any schedules this day except for the discussion of advance healing aid with the other participants this morning, especially for Ghaile.
He sighed. He was really lazy to go. He preferred to sleep this afternoon. But what Principal Lyns was going to say? He knew he needed to listen to it. Students shouldn't become complacent now, especially since the school was hinting that the Overall Skill Selection was nearing.
He turned to the hallway where he could see the classrooms from afar. Like before, it was quiet whenever it was this time of the day, except for the coaches' voices that came from the occupied classrooms. Also, the rails in this room haven't changed. Every floor of each building has it.
"Hey, Lucas—"
Lucas paused walking. He was so familiar with that irritating voice. He turned back to the narrow staircase he just passed through. His mood immediately turned sour when he saw Nath coming down from there.
This girl… "Nath." he greeted and tried his best to be civilized for once in front of her.
"What are you doing here?"
"It was none of your businesses. I just need to go somewhere."
Her brow slightly rose as if puzzled. But she immediately got so much interested when he didn't reply to the actual answer. "You were so mean to me lately."
That was the last thing he heard before she continued walking down the stairs and passed through her. He also continued walking as if nothing had happened. A while later, he turned to her when he felt guilty.
"By the way, where is the Null Room here?" he asked. "Nath?"
Nath was already far away but she still managed to stop. She looked back like she knew what she had heard.
"Null Room?" She started going upstairs again. Her forehead furrowed as if wondering what did Lucas need to go in that place.
"I need to go to Principal Lyns."
The confusion in her face still didn't disappear. Some moment later, she sighed. "West Hall. End of all the classrooms."
"Okay."
Lucas turned from her and continued walking. But before that, he noticed that she wanted to say something. He waited for a few seconds but he didn't hear anything. He slightly turned in her direction and saw that she was leaving. Maybe it was just his imagination.
It took him a few minutes of walking before he reached the hall that Nath told him about. He noticed that the classrooms here were not ordinary like they looked like a garage. No, there was something in it, he felt a strange ambiance in here. It seemed that these rooms have specific purposes like the training room. And it was really far from the main classrooms. Lucas was pissed.
He opened the door of the Null Room they have mentioned. The moment he touched the handle, Lucas felt it— the danger radiating from the room… But he was too late when he realized it.
Pairs of hands instantly pulled him inside! They violently dragged him further in! He had been too complacent— he had felt some strange things beforehand but he ignored it. It bothered him but why did he not take heed?
The door quickly closed after he was dragged inside. The room became black, and he couldn't see his own body, but he knew that he was stepping on a solid floor. He tried looking around but it was futile. It was like he was wrapped in darkness.
What was this place? Was it another illusion? Was it Mister Vacio's doing? But how did it happen? He was aware that Mister Vacio wasn't at their school now. He can't even smell his scent in here.
Lucas flinched when he heard noises. Those were impaired footsteps coming. Oh— he couldn't see anything and his powers weren't responding.
Out of nowhere, a cold hard rod hit the side of his body. The air was almost knocked out from him because of that. It was so painful that he fell and kneeled to the glass-like floor. Lucas held on and desperately closed his eyes. He tried to use his fire— What? Again, it didn't work!
"Your ability won't work here," a guy's voice said. It was familiar to Lucas! This voice that was calm but rich in tone was familiar. The quality of his vocal cords— no!
"This is the Null Room. A self-explanatory name, the room that can fully nullify every magic. Nothing works in here."
Lucas heard the footsteps again. By sensing it, he can say that the man who spoke wasn't alone. He tried to get up from the floor. "What's your problem?" he screamed. Whoever they were, it was their luck that Lucas can't use his flames. But they better be prepared. If they've known them, they have to pay for—
Something hit Lucas on his back! He was hurled to the floor by the impact. Was what hitting him a metal rod? He heard the voices around him laugh. Do they have the guts to mock him inside this room? Such cowardice! Curse that! That hit was painful!
How many are they? They sounded to be quite two or three. Or maybe four. He didn't know.
"Heh, well, well. Where's your courage now, Lucas?"
"Lucas Martin," someone called him again as if they were mocking him.
"The boy who burned the canteen from Aspho."
Lucas froze. It felt like something stuck in his throat and he couldn't breathe. He couldn't answer as his mouth felt it dried up so much. He waited for them to blast what they'd learned.
"Are you surprised? You didn't expect that we'll find out your secret?"
Lucas didn't know why, but instead of getting scared for his own safety, things just started to sink into him. So they were already aware.
"Why? Why aren't you speaking?" another voice sounded. It was, just like from the first boy who spoke, also familiar to him.
"You're just from Aspho. Why are you here? Tell us what trick did you use so they'd let you study here? You were even selected, God!"
Lucas laughed, and he felt that it startled them. They didn't know how he got here? How stupid. If they're going to dig out a secret from someone, it would be better if they could find out everything.
Now, he knew why the other students looked at him that way. All of them found out that he was a reckless student that was expelled from Aspho for burning a canteen, and was brought into the Principal's Office for causing the same incident at White Day High. Probably, that was what they have heard.
Funny though, but Lucas can still consider himself as lucky because only these people were the ones that were courageous enough to slap him the truth. That he shouldn't be here. He had expected that all of the people inside the school would roast him when they found it out. It was such a disappointment.
Something hit Lucas for thrice, this time it was his arm. Lucas almost whimpered in pain. He bit his lip to stop the cry that was about to go out of his mouth. The Lucas he knew wasn't crying!
His hands were itching to create fire and burn them all. Even though he knew that he couldn't. He didn't want to be expelled again. He just wanted to at least hurt them, too, if he has the chance.
Then, a hand roughly squeezed Lucas' face. He could feel the blatant hostility coming from it.
"We almost made the mistake of respecting you as White. You act as if you're such a strong student. You had just selected and you think you're superior to us? We are more than you estimated!"
"You had just defeated us, but that won't change everything. Don't be boastful enough, Lucas! Remember this; no matter what you do, a rock placed in a treasure chest is still rock—"
Lucas yanked away from the hand that was gripping his cheeks and he felt that the man who squeezed him had a wristwatch on his hand. "Continue your speech without touching my face."
The surroundings became quiet and the atmosphere intensely shifted. It felt like they were scared of what Lucas had said, or maybe that he has still the courage to berate them.
"Done?" He asked when no one spoke. "Do you have anything else you want to say? Speak! Do you think it would affect me? You think I would care?"
Lucas laughed cockily, as he felt the pain in his body searing inside him. He stood straight even though he couldn't even keep his balance. His whole body was in severe pain. Still, a few of them took a step back. He heard their footsteps.
"You're right. I studied from the school's opponent. I am an Aspho! I burned their canteen! Is that what you want me to tell you?"
"You still have the nerve to refute us!" One of them shrieked at him in anger.
Lucas smiled sardonically. "Why not? I'm one of you now. Oh wait, I'm more than you'll ever gonna be. Because I'm selected while you are not. NOW SUCK IT UP!"
A strong impact came from behind Lucas that made him almost crack the glass floor. The sudden hit, once again, almost knocked every air out of his body. He fell and cough hard. Crap! These people…
"Let's go."
A debate seemed to be building around Lucas. It looked like some of them were still willing to hurt him but they soon agreed to the man who called for the stop. One by one, those feet around him walked away until he heard the door opening.
Lucas didn't turn to look at their faces. He didn't want to see them now, or ever. If he would know them, it would cause trouble since he may not hold himself. He can't make the same mistake twice.
He was just a transferee here, and they seemed to be studying in here for so long. Knowing this room and using it for this purpose, they sure have some time spent within this school.
Lucas didn't know how long he was lying down on the glass floor. He tried to stand up but fell back down again. He needed to get out of this room.
But it was so painful. He needed to use his skills to at least give him some power to stand up. He didn't care now if he will be breaking the rules that no one can use their powers without accordance. If he didn't break that rule, he might lose his consciousness.
Lucas didn't know why, but he wanted to laugh at what happened. In fact, he didn't belong here. It was his bad for almost believing that he was. Because to think of it, they were right; no matter what he do, he will never be one of them.
That was the contradiction of Aspho and White Day that even became bigger with his issues. It was his bad for being an Aspho and suddenly fitting himself into being Whites. Laughable.
So this is how it feels like: To be a rock in a treasure chest.
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