Chapter Twenty-Four

24

"Mnnh...mmh..." Alexis moaned as her eyes slowly fluttered open back into the world of consciousness, surrounded by three slifer boys that all wore a look of concern for her.

"Well, well, good morning, sleeping beauty~" Jaden grinned as he welcomed her back into the waking world.

"Where am I?" she blinked,"What are you doing here?"

"Well now what kind of a thank you is that!?" Jaden laughed," We're here because we had to find the bad guy, win the duel and rescue the damsel in distress!"

"Yeah, that's right..." Alexis groaned,"Some creep snatched me."

"Yeah he was just some side show phony." said Jaden,"All sorts of smoke and mirrors, but I'm glad you're okay."

"Even if it was some illusion that duel was still really intense Jaden." said Syrus.

"Yeah, we really thought you were losing your body to the shadows!" said Chumley.

"I keep telling you the Shadow Realm isn't real!" Jaden laughed," Oh yeah, here Alexis,we also found this." he said as he handed Alexis the framed photo that Connar had handed him before they parted ways.

"This is...my brother!" Alexis blinked,"This is the first trace of him I've seen in a long time."

"Yeah...Connar thought you might like to have it." said Jaden,"I figured I would give it to you myself to let you know...that we want to help you find him, you know, rather than letting you get locked up again trying to search for him alone." he laughed.

"Connar..."Alexis blinked and sighed softly with a sad smile,"Wait...where is Connar?" she asked.

"Connar wasn't feeling well." said Syrus,"She kept having dizzy spells and wound up collapsing to her knees...we tried to get her to walk but she told us to go ahead without her to make sure you were okay." he blinked, "Norika stayed behind with her."

"That's right..." said Jaden, "Now that you're safe, I'm about to go back for them." he stated, "I promised them I would..." he glanced up at the sky as it began to take light,"Uh-Oh, sun's up...you guys better get back before they notice that we're gone." he said to his room mates,"I'm gonna go grab Connar and follow right after you."

"Bye Alexis." said Syrus as he waved,"Stay safe, okay?"

"Yeah, later!" Chumley grinned.

"See ya in class." said Jaden,"And if anyone asks, remember...we were never here!" Jaden grinned and stood to dust his knees before going back toward the dorm for Connar. If he remembered, they weren't far from the entrance where Connar stayed, so he aimed to make haste.

"...But you were here Jaden." she said to herself as she watched them all walk away,"And you saved me...and now..." She looked down at the photo and smiled,"I might still be able to save my brother too, so thank you, Connar."

"Connie~!...Connie!?" Jaden called her name repeatedly as he searched the area where he left her,"I swear we left her right here!" he snipped in a panic,"I told her to stay put! CONNIE!?"

"Jaden! This way!"

"Kaibaman?" Jaden gasped and darted off into the direction the spirit's voice called him in.

"Jaden!" Norika called waving him over as she hovered over a limp mass on the floor,"Jaden Help!" she cried out, speaking between sobs, "Please help! It's Connar- She-"

"Norika!?" Jaden called running toward her,"Norika, what happened!?"

"No time to explain right now!" she sobbed, " We need to get her out!"

"Ah...right..." Jaden said as he leaned down to tap her cheek,"Connar...hey? Connie!?"

"She's not waking up, Jaden!" Norika sniffled, "I already tried everything-"

"That can't be!" he said as he began to shake her lightly,"Connie? Connie!?" his eyes widened and panic began to fill him when he couldn't shake his pink haired friend awake,"No...CONNAR!"

Connar lay unconscious in Jaden's arms as he and Norika rushed together to get her to one of the hospital cots offered in the school's infirmiry. As the dawn approached, the two needed to quickly escape before being caught.

"Let's go, Norika!" said Jaden trying to urge the red head to follow him. "The nurse will be here soo, they'll take care of her..."

"R-Right..." she sniffed, though she was relectant to leave, she quickly snaked out with the brunette.

The whole event caused a ruckus in the morning. When the nurse walked in and found a sudden body in one of the empty beds she panicked and moved quickly to give her a proper examination when the girl showed no sign of consciousness. Once they had the girl stable once again...Chazz sat in a chair next to her with a heavy heart, and a mixed expression on his face of confusion, fear, awkward discomfort, and worry

Connar...What happed to you?

He thought to himself as he closed his eyes and thought back to the incident that led him to this point.

XXXXX

"It should be about breakfast time..." said Chazz as he made his way to the hall. He was held up in the reference room since early morning,studying the notes that Connar had loaned him, which he now carried crossed armed against his chest.

If not for Connar's notes I might not have done well on the up-coming exam...

"I guess I owe her one." he chuckled, but then sudden scene played before him just down the hall.

"Hey...isn't that the slacker and Connar's other Slacker friend?" he blinked with an awkward glance,"They sure look worked up."

Curiosity made him linger as he tried to get a better look at the panicked faces of the Slifer slackers. Jaden seemed to be especially animated, which kind of made Chazz feel a little better inside, until he got a closer look at the body in Jaden's arms.

"That's...Connar...!"

"Quick, let's lay her in one of these beds and hurry out." he stated.

"Are you kidding!?" huffed Norika, "No way!"

"I know you don't want to leave her." said Jaden, "I don't either, but it will only rise suspicion if we stay!" he stated, "We might get in serious troube. What could we do for her then!?" he asked, "Come on, the nurse will know how to take care of her, and we'll come back as soon as we can!" Jaden said to the worked up female. Reluctantly, she had to agree.

What's going on...?

Chazz thought to himself with narrowed eyes of suspicion, gripping tightly to the girl's notebook that he held in trembling hands.
"Don't worry Nori, She will be in a good hands." said Jaden.

"B-But can't I stay with her?" Norika asked, "I'm her room mate...I could just tell them I found her like that and-"

"I understand your concern for your friend, Nori," said Jaden, "I'm worried too...but if we do that, then they might suspect something else." he sighed,"This is an emergency medical matter. They will have to call her family, and I'd hate to be at the center of more trouble..." he stated, "They might think we're the cause- and then we might not even be able to see her..."

Norika's face looked distraught and Jaden patted her on the back.

"Come on Nori, we did all we could." he said, "We should go back to our rooms."

Norika wanted to rebuttle but she remained silent and bit her lip. She looked as though she was refraining from something more she wanted to say. But without risking anything further she nodded and followed her friend back to their dorm.

XXXXX

Chancellor Shepperd sighed as he sent the students off

"This is gonna be a hard phone call to make..." he said after the nurse verified that the mystery student was none other than Connar Rose K."But I am certainly going to have to call her father." he sighed, " Perhaps we should set her up in an isolation room so as to not receive visitors until we have the approval..."

"But sir, in such a state she really shouldn't be left alone..." said the nurse,"Not to mention the classes she may miss."

"What else can we do?" the chancellor sighed,"There aren't many of us even in the faculty who are aware of who her father is.
he sighed,"Only a select few, we thought it best the student body don't know so we can't really let anyone in to see her...I suppose we will have her teachers drop the materials in the offce...?" he said, "After all...if she's not waking up, there's not much she can do for her assignments..."

"Uhm...pardon my interruption." Chazz stepped into the hall between the whispering adults.

" ?" Shepperd blinked,"What are you doing in the Infirmary so early?"

"I was studying in the reference room until the student store opened to grab a light bite." he said,"Not the best quality but It will do in a pinch." he shrugged," Then I saw Connar in the infirmary and wondered what happened...I couldn't help over hearing, and if you'll allow me..." he straightened his shoulders and spoke up,"I'm in Connar's classes...and unlike the rest of the student body, as well as some of the staff I'm sure," he cleared his throat a bit and shrugged,"I already know who Connar's father is." he said,"I could bring her notes, missed lesson plans, and visit on occasion to see how she is until her father can arrive."

The nurse and the Chancellor exchanged glances of concern with one another, pondering over the thought.

"What do you think, sir?" asked the nurse,"It would be a big help."

"Yes it would..." Shepperd stroked his beard and gave a small huff, "Very well, Princeton,I'll allow it." he stated,"But you are still to attend your classes normally, gather any missing work for Connar abd leave it for her to catch up on." he gave a warm smile and gently patted Chazz on the shoulder,"Connar is very lucky to have a friend like you."

And now... here I am.

Chazz huffed as he leaned back in the chair.

Class will be starting soon, so I'm gonna have to leave...

He sighed, and gave one more long hanging look over the unconscious female.

"It's so creepy..." he muttered as he leaned in closer and tapped her cheek a few times,"No reaction at all...and her body is ice cold...it's like she's dead." he shifted his gaze when he noticed her chest heaved, though slowly and very slight, she was indeed breathing.

"Well atleast we know she's not dead." he sighed and leaned back one more time.

Connar...what on earth happened to you?

Chazz let out a heavy sigh and twitched when the clock in the room chimed its time.

"It's probably about time for me to go and get things ready for class..." he groaned and glanced back down to the sleeping female,"I'll be back soon, Connar." he said softly, as he gently caressed her colorless cheek with his knuckle before taking his leave.

Once he got out the door ans gently closed it behind him the sound of a muttered conversation hit his ears and he glanced back to listen.

"What? They were seen at the Abandoned dorm!?"

That's the Chancellor...

Chazz thought to himself and raised his brow.

Wait...the abandoned dorm!?

"I see...so Connar collapsed at the dorm then..." Sheppard sighed,"I remember that incident happening before when she was smaller, back when the dorm was being constructed..." he huffed another sigh and stroked his bearded chin,"I will call and let her father know of the situation."

What!? Connar was at the abandoned dorm!?

And...looks like they're gonna call her dad...that's not good.

Chazz was now hiding behind the corner wall listening in on the conversation between the Chancellor and whoever may have been on the other end of the phone call.

"I suppose I have no choice...especially not now that we have Connar Rose in such a state..."the Chancellor sighed,"Her father isn't gpoing to be too pleased to hear about this at all." he pinched the bridge of his nose,"Send in The Diciplinary Action Squad...See that Syrus Truesdale, Jaden Yuki be taken into custody, at once."

Chazz's eyes opened wide as he caught the snippets of this conversation, and he began to tremble while watching the Chancellor walk away with a heavy heart.

Connar collapsed at the abandoned dorm...

He thought as his fingers clawed into the drywall he hid behind.

And she was there with those losers when it happened!

They were with her...and they brought her back here and LEFT her here... about LIED the whole thing!

He gritted his teeth and let out a low growl.

Of course that slacker would have some part of this...But I know I saw Norika, too!

He huffed to himself.

She seemed to know what was up...If she really turns out to be the reason for Connar being in such a state...

I'LL NEVER FORGIVE HER!

She will pay...

To Be Continued...