Chapter 4

Zandro

"Zandro! I'm glad you're back!"

Zandro almost jumped in surprise as soon as he stepped on the classroom doorway. He turned around to face Akaesha. Her blonde hair was still as bright as the sun, and her beautiful emerald eyes were like blackholes trying to pull his soul, preventing him from moving. 

He knew he should say anything, at least greet her, but his heart beats so loud and rapidly, unable to move his whole body.

"You've been absent the whole week. I was worried and thinking that your illness has worsened. Did my ointment not help?"

That caught him defenseless. He creased his forehead."I-Illness?"

"Yes. You didn't look fine on our first day and you haven't attended school since that day."

Zandro's cheeks flushed as he averted his eyes. "It actually helps, but in a different way."

"Huh? What do you mean in different ways?"

He felt bad that he hadn't had a chance to actually use it. But seeing her ointment become his reason to go to school.

He scratched his nape. "I-I don't know how to explain."

"Well, you can tell me once you're ready."

"So it's you!" Kairus interrupted as soon as he arrived. "The one who wasted my time and left a sarcastic note!"

Zandro flinched, watching Kairus bite his own palm, drawing blood and transforming it into a scythe. "I'm going to kill you!"

Zandro jolted away from him. His chest beating more intensively like it was going to explode. "W-What?"

"Don't what me! Let's settle it down through fighting!" he smirked his lips, an adrenaline rushed excitement throughout his body. 

Show me what you got!"

"Kairus!" Akaesha tried to stop him.

"Everyone! Sit on your chair!"

All their eyes turned into the teacher holding papers.

"Do you not hear me?"

"I apologize, Ma'am!" Akaesha quickly reacted and dragged Kairus to sit. He clicked his tongue in forfeit as the scythe melted into blood, staining the floor. The teacher stepped back in disgust.

"Kairus! Wipe your f*cking disgusting blood on the floor!"

Kairus sighed as he stopped walking with hands on pockets. "Fine. Whatever."

"Whatever? Mind your language!"

"Says who says f*cking in front of the students," he whispered while going out of the room to get cleaning tools.

"Are you saying something?"

Kairus raised his hand nonchalantly while in the hallway. "None!"

Zandro then also raised his trembling hands, with his gaze averted from the teacher. "M-May I go to the bath–"

"No! No one's going anywhere!"

Zandro gulped and rushed to his seat like a shadow. Though it's a lie. He was going to his favorite spot in the backyard to cut classes again.

The teacher went to her desk in front of the blackboards, announced while Kairus was cleaning his blood on the floor. "These papers are the parent's consent that your guardians need to fill up for you to come to the said school field trip this Saturday. Those who fail to comply with this document won't be able to participate. Understood?"

"Yes, Ma'am."

"And also, let me remind you: Don't you dare fake your guardian's signature."

"Yes Ma'am!"

"Additionally, I would like you to form buddies with at least three members. You are required to look out for each other's sake in times of our field trip. It is to ensure your safety since you are too many for me to have an eye for. Submit me a paper of your names before the day of the field trip. Understood?"

"Yes, Ma'am."

"I would also like to repeat that I'm encouraging everyone to join. This field trip is educational so you could understand more about the industrialization of the world from the Professional experiences. Now, let's continue our discussion yesterday…."

Zandro sat at the rear of the class, facing his table, lost in his deep thoughts. It reminds him of when he was in grade seven, desperately asking everyone in his class to let him join with their buddies. But no one even hesitated to reject him.

He ended up not going. What's worse was that, his mother even forgot to sign the consent before the exact date and only filled it up the day after the field trip, giving him encouraging words to enjoy his highschool life. It's like someone's believing in you to reach your dreams after they killed you, inside the casket, waiting to be buried.

The bell rang for morning break and he barely understood anything in discussion. He didn't feel hungry. Resting his head sideways on his arms, he shut his eyes. A few moments ago, he sensed someone watching him. However, upon opening them, he didn't catch anyone. 

Upon closing his eyes, he heard the creak sounds of the wooden chair and sensed an uncomfortable stare again. As soon as he opened his eyes, he was captivated by emerald eyes, the fiber of her blonde hairs spread across through her table while resting her head to her arms, mirroring his position.

Zandro's cheeks felt on fire. Akaesha gave him a cute giggle in response. He jolted out of exploding emotion, toppled himself into the chair and he crashed on the floor.

Akaesha worriedly stood up. "Are you okay?" She lent her hand.

Zandro's back rested on the floor, supporting himself with his forearms, completely defenseless. He stared at her small soft-looking hands. He asked himself, Is it okay to touch a girl's hand?

Despite his uncertainty, she grabbed his hands to help him to stand up. That's the first time he touched a girl's hand at his age. Hers was as smooth and soft as silk.

"I was just wondering if you already have a buddy."

Back to reality. His parents were even far away to fill his consent. Plus, he has a part-time job to do. He bowed down in frustration.

"There's no way someone would like to group with me, anyway."

"Yes. I knew it. It will be hard for you to have a group with our classmates."

His eyes widened. "W-What do you mean?"

"It's simple."

He clenched his fist, assuming what she would answer. 

What do you expect from a loser like you? You're a family of criminals. Who do you think would like to hang with you? Everyone hates your kind!

She's just like his classmates in his past sections. She shouldn't have bothered him if she was just going to insult him. The pain when you finally try to open your heart to someone, then they'll crush your trust, tear your soul apart. Those officers were just kind to him because of the King's law. He bet that they were talking behind him when he was gone.

"You're new in our class and you haven't attended these days so they missed the chance to get to know you. So it's normal for the individuals to only choose someone who they already know as buddy."

Zandro's deep thoughts stopped. He raised his chin to look at her upon hearing unexpected words. "Huh?"

"And since I'm the class representative, it's my duty to look out for my classmates' well-being. Kairus and I are inviting you to be one of our buddies." She placed her hands on her back and smiled. "What do you say?"

"Who said I was inviting him?" Kairus protested upon his arrival and bit the burger he bought. He spoke in his full mouth, pointing to Kairus. "You! We're not done yet! Let's fight!"

"Kairus! Do you want the teacher to get mad again?" Akaesha scolded him.

"And what would I get from not getting her mad?"

"You can be expelled!"

"That's the point! It's just you who forced me to study! You said it's going to be fun but there's no fun at all without picking a fight!"

"You can fight with grades! It doesn't mean fighting always has to be violence!"

"Grades? Huh? Lame!"

"Knowledge is power!"

"I don't need it if I'm already powerful!"

The two continued to argue with each other.

"What do I say?" Zandro asked himself, lost in his own world beyond his chaotic surroundings. "A girl inviting me to go with her on a field trip?" 

Suddenly, his chest tightened in excitement but in frustration as well. First, he has a part-time job every Saturday and second, his parents are too far away to sign his consent. 

But inside his heart a burst of fire embraced his desire to go. He wanted to at least experience this kind of memorable event before his junior high school ended. To build high school memories, just like what he read in novels about high school life, one of his main reasons he insisted on going to school.

"Are you even listening to me? Let's go now and fight!" Kairus shouted at him, waking up in his senses. 

"W-What?" he flustered.

"Don't mind him, Zandro! Just let him talk all he wants!"

Zandro wasn't sure what was happening. But strangely, the conversations felt fun.

~

Zandro thought a lot about the field trip a hundred times. Until Friday, when the sun was setting down after the class, he went to the Civil Guard camp. The Major was busy in the middle of the conference so the Civil Guard guided him to the conference hall, made him wait on the door, unintentionally hearing them.

"A report from Herculia City details a bombing incident yesterday, Sunday. The criminal executed a Time Bomb Quiz in a horse farm, similar to the incident here in Gazian last Monday. The Civil Guards successfully countered and restrained her, but she donated herself. A bomb appeared to be installed inside her body."

"The bomber we restrained also exploded herself as soon as she woke up. It's like she also has bombs inside her body."

"Even in Kastoria, Rhodes, Icarus, they all did and said the same. It's like someone's brainwashed them."

"They targeted the shipbuilding factory in Kastoria 4 weeks ago, Thursday. On the following week, Wednesday, the train manufacturing. Then followed by the automotive factory, then a bicycle shop. And yesterday was a horse farm in Herculia town."

"What's also puzzling is that they were all girls with the same descriptive outfits."

"Not only that, in Kastoria's autopsy result, the body they recovered was linked to the missing person in their city a day before the incident. And the most surprising thing is, the missing person was a man."

"My head's hurting. Can we take a lunch break first? Though it's already six in the evening."

"This case is too alarming. Please finish your breaks as quickly as possible to continue."

"Sir, Yes, Sir."

Zandro watched the wide wooden door swing open, revealing men in brown uniforms exiting, which most of them displayed stars pinned on their uniforms, indicating their respective rank. As soon as the Colonel stepped on the doorway, his eyes shifted sideways and locked onto Zandro. With his rigid broad shoulders and posture radiating authority, he sauntered to Zandro, imposing his commanding presence among the others.

"Zandro, what brings you here?" he asked with his serious tone as always.

Zandro averted his eyes, fidgeting his hands. "O-Officer. T-There's a girl… Field trip… S-She invited me to go–join their buddies. Tomorro–"

"Of course, Zandro. Enjoy your highschool life and leave the rest with us. Consider your last week's attendance as advance for your tomorrow's schedule," this was what Zandro anticipated to hear, but he made a terrible calculation.

"No," the officer didn't give him a chance to finish his words. "If you stayed here an hour, you should've heard everything. How shameful of you that you could even think to prioritize your lust while many people are dying with this serial bombing?"

"I-It's not lust. We-re just fr–"

"I don't care if it's about f*cking someone or just having alone time or whatever," he said calmly but piercingly, "Once a country is destroyed, living becomes a luxury, and freedom is nothing more than a delusional dream for children. Be early tomorrow for our operation."

-inkofdeath