บท 15: They Can See You. They Will Hunt You.
"I won't get caught."
A girl knelt on the floor, her legs were trembling. She had squeezed herself between a row of boxes and the storage wall, on top of a tangle of useless wires and plugs strewn around the place. The girl had been cornered, she knew that. Her only way out was to pass the people chasing her, but the girl already knew that she would never be fast enough, as she would end up being shot dead or captured by the countless men in hoods around her.
Through the tiny cracks in the many boxes, she had a few glimpses of these people pacing back and forth as they surveyed the place. There was nowhere for her to go, but the girl tried to crawl back slowly.
At the same moment, there was a loud crashing of something, and the farthest computer toppled towards the wall. A tall man in a mask attacked once more, shattering the screen once and for all, then headed for the boxes beside it, continuing to strike one by one in a rhythmic motion, destroying everything in its path and getting closer and closer to the hiding place of the girl.
The cluster of boxes inches from her hiding place hit the wall with a thud, and she flinched even further. He was getting closer than ever; The girl heard the men's mad laughter and the grinding of teeth from ther others, getting louder.
"How did I get into this situation?" She clutched her head, desperate and with no way to get out of that spot.
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Back a few hours ago, the academy was still full of people excitedly watching the mirian competition. In the midst of it all, a girl with black hair tied back in strands and a long ponytail watched Olivia and the people surrounding her in the stands.
The first day's matches were over and now people just walked around talking about the next day's upcoming events, however, the girl was alone, leaning on a bench near the arena where the first matches of the virtual competition had occurred.
She waited for everyone to leave that place, when she finally got up, stretching. The girl had decided to go get something to eat, going to the academy cafeteria with quick steps, she opened a bitter smile when she saw the people who were in front of the sign and continued walking, as if they just didn't exist. The world wasn't any different inside the cafeteria, but she felt a mixture of anxiety and nervousness as she passed Olivia, who thankfully hadn't seen her.
She got in line as she wondered how her sister was doing, who had she become, after all, the girl hadn't been in touch with Olivia in years, and was just watching her from afar as a mere spectator. She hadn't seen Olivia since she was 12, in childhood they still used to send messages to each other, but over the years they became more and more distant.
"Next!" The employee at the snack counter yelled.
The girl was startled because she was lost in her own thoughts, but stepped forward as she walked towards the cafeteria counter. She took one last look in the direction of Olivia and the people she assumed were her sister's friends, but what she hadn't noticed was that one of the people in the group was staring at her with an expression of curiosity.
"ID and money, please." The woman at the counter said, as she reached out a hand toward the girl.
The academy's security systems and means had been strengthened after the midnight incident, despite appearing to be extremely drastic measures, many people agreed with the choices and the situation remained that way.
"Layla Mina Caseste," the girl said as she showed a small ID card, "I'll take one of those sweets if possible." She pointed towards some sweets that were sitting on the trays.
The girl took the candy and began to taste it in a subtle way, passing unnoticed once again by Olivia's group, but this time she noticed the black-haired boy who was watching her intently. She shivered and turned her face away, even though she knew that wouldn't make the boy stop looking at her.
Leaving the cafeteria, she began walking through the academy's vast hallways, heading for her room in the Clay Class dorm. She was surprised to look to the side and see the black-haired boy right behind her, giving a little scream that hurt her throat.
Layla quickly corrected her posture as she looked into the boy's eyes that resembled those of a dead fish, completely soulless.
"Who are you?" Layla asked.
"Who are you?" The boy said at the same moment.
They stayed there, facing each other strangely for a few minutes, until Layla gave a few dry coughs just to be able to destroy the awkward silence that had formed in the place.
"Um, what's your name?" She asked. ''Mine is Layla Mina Caseste, do you need help with something?''
''It's Quagmire, just Quagmire.'' The boy replied, holding out his hand as he suggested a handshake between the two. ''And no, I don't need help with anything, quite the contrary, I think you're the one who needs something here.''
Layla was sweating a little cold, her suspicions that this was the student Landra who had joined the academy were confirmed, and above all what worried her the most was that apparently the boy had a personality very similar to hers… this would be a little complicated.
"I guess I don't owe you any satisfaction." Layla said, smirking as she shook the boy's hand.
"That name, Caseste, is the same as Olivia," Quagmire commented. ''But why is Mina and not Marian like hers?''
"You want to watch your sister, see how she's doing, don't you?" Quagmire said as he shook Layla's hand, and looked more happy than ever in the girl's direction.
Layla knew that boy was not normal, he had deduced it correctly in a matter of seconds, not that it was a case worthy of 'Sherlock Holmes', but being able to come to the correct conclusion in seconds was something quite impressive and frightening.
''Yes, so what? Do you want some trouble with me?" She asked, speaking in a somewhat hostile tone but still keeping the smile on her face.
People passing by in the hallway believed that these two were having an excited conversation just like the others, as they were both smiling and talking in a 'respectful' way towards each other.
''No. In fact, I'm not the one who has a problem with you, it's 'they'.'' Quagmire let go of Layla's hand as he changed the expression on his face. ''I came to know if your nature was good or not, and apparently you are, well, someone between the two options.''
Layla felt a little irritated by the boy's comments about her personality, after all, she had never contacted him before that conversation, what gave him the right to judge her so quickly?
"Just know that 'they' want you." Quagmire pulled a small piece of paper with a scribbled number from his shirt pocket.
''I suggest you to be very careful in the next few days, if you see anything suspicious this person can help you."
Layla grabbed the paper from Quagmire's hand as she checked the large letters that said 'Detective Leon' and a number below it.
''Well, thats it for now. All the bad and the worst for you!" Quagmire waved lightly at Layla as he turned his back and walked in the opposite direction of the girl.
"What just happened?" She wondered, as she thought about the boy's words.
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kouboutes_07
kouboutes_07 As with the other two chapters from yesterday, I'll leave the review for later, as I didn't have time for it. If possible add the story to the library, and consider voting with your power stone!
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