Chapter 18: The Hospital, The Bills, and The School

The scream of the alarm awakened Sam. Groggy, he rolled to the side of his bed, reaching for the electronic clock to give it a nice hard slap, making it shut up, then he sat on the bed, looking around slightly confused.

The bedroom was dimly lit by what light was able to fall through the window so early in the morning. Normally he would quickly begin his preparations for school, but moving twenty years into the future meant there was no school for him.

He got out of bed, went to wash, then dressed. As he did, he recognized that the three cards he picked last night were still in his pocket. He pulled them out, staring at the pictures. The first one showed clearly a mage surrounded by symbols representing all major elements. At the bottom was the name of this title, 'Elementalist'.

Sam had already seen it, as he kept glaring at each of the cards, one by one, during his ride back home in the taxi.

He changed the card, shuffled it to the back of his stack, and checked the second one. A mysterious hooded figure with a book in one hand, and a ball of light in the other. This one was titled 'Thaumaturge.' He changed it again, revealing that the last one was a mighty knight with a two-handed sword raised above the head, striking a glorious pose. This one was titled 'Champion.'

„So which one should I choose?" he asked aloud, before snorting and putting them all back to his pocket.

The decision seemed important, so he didn't approach it lightly. Deep inside he wished that there was somebody with whom he could consult his decision.

'There is somebody. Or rather there should be somebody,' a thought struck him. He grabbed his phone, quickly going through the few numbers he had saved on the device. He picked the one under the name of 'Mister Kirk.'

Putting the phone to his ear made him hear the beeping. He patiently waited for his guardian to pick it up.

„Yes?" an unfamiliar voice asked.

„H-helo?" Sam was confused. „Is this Mister Kirk?"

„No. This is Johnatan Solomon, I'm Mister Kirk's attorney. I'm afraid mister Kirk can't pick up the phone, he had an accident a few years ago and has been in a coma ever since. Who is this?"

„Uh… My name is Samuel Shepherd. I was Mister Kirk's mentee in the orphanage. W-what happened to him?"

„A car accident. Almost twenty years ago."

Sam's eyes went wide. This meant that his guardian had to have an accident shortly after he had to disappear in the past, to move into the future. 'So that's why this flat didn't change… But it makes no sense. The attorney would have taken care of it, wouldn't he? Not to mention this place was clean. It had to be used… What the hell is going on in here?'

„Hello? Are you there, mister Shepherd?" Johnatan asked.

„Y-yes, sorry… It's just a lot to take. Me and Mister Kirk used to be close. I-is there a possibility to visit him?"

„Yes. He is currently in the Forum Metropolitan Hospital. There shouldn't be any problems with a visit, but this will be very much a one-sided meeting, I'm afraid."

„I understand. Thank you, and I'm sorry to call so early."

„I was just having breakfast, so you didn't wake me up, Mister Shepherd. Have a good day."

„Yes. You too," Sam retorted, then ended the call. „What the fuck is going on?!" he hissed to himself.

He threw the phone on the bed, then dug his fingers into his messy hair. A growl of frustration escaped his lips. 'I will get to the bottom of this! But how? The flat didn't change the owner because Mister Kirk is in a coma. The attorney could be taking care of it, but then he would know of me, but he doesn't… There has to be somebody else... The bills! The bills had to be paid by somebody!'

He jumped back on the bed, to grab the phone. Since he was paying the bills from the money he won from a lottery, he had the proper numbers. It was only for two months. One during summer vacations, only to show that he could take care of himself with minimal oversight, and the second one during school, but it allowed him to acquire the proper information about any institutions he had to be engaged with.

He started by calling the electricity provider. After the long frustrating wait, followed by a furious search for the proper documents, he was able to verify the fact that indeed the bills were paid for over twenty years from his account.

How did it happen? He was unable to say. The same thing with water, and gas. Internet too, as well as the telecommunication provider. Every bill, throughout the time he was gone, was paid.

Frustrated, he opened his internet bank account to check the payments, hoping to maybe find something in there, but the only thing he discovered was that the intrigue ran deeper. Not only did he have the same amount of money in his account as he should, but there was also no trace of the payments that should be there.

He went through the history, month by month, trying to find anything, but failed. He was about to yell in frustration, but his phone rang. A number he didn't know showed on the screen. With a beating heart, hoping that it could be the mysterious person who sent him the message about the church of Mutato, he pressed the green.

„Yes?"

„Hello. This is Principal Wood. I'm calling because Samuel didn't show up to school for the second day. Is he sick perhaps?" asked a manly, deep voice. „If he is, he needs a proper note from a doctor of medicine."

„N… Yes. A mild cold," he stuttered, almost saying something he shouldn't have. 'Who does he think I am? My father or something?'

„I understand. I will relay this information to the homeroom teacher. Please submit the proper note through our site, or bring it personally to school. Thank you."

„Mister Wood, p-please wait!" Sam called out before the man managed to disconnect the call. 'How the hell can I figure out where even is this school, without telling him? It can't be the same school I was going back then, can it? Does it even exist?'

„Yes?"

„Would you mind… Would you mind telling me which bus station is closest to the school? Sam was supposed to check the schedules and figure it out, but I'm not sure if he did because of the cold..."

„Yes, of course. It would be the one by Albert Einstein's street."

„Thank you. Have a good day, mister Wood."

„You too mister Shepherd," said the school director before disconnecting the call.

„Whoof," Sam gasped, wiping his forehead. „I saved it," he added before pocketing the phone to check the school's location on the computer.

He quickly figured out what institution it was. He was right not to make assumptions that it was the same establishment as in his past because it wasn't. He also checked his former high school and discovered it thrived as the best private academy for the wealthy.

A bit envious that he lost an opportunity to receive a prestigious education, he dressed up properly, grabbed his backpack, and headed out.