The Card Shack, Academy Island
November 7, 2027
1:16 PM
Gerard, investigative journalist for the Domino Gazette, slumped into a hard-backed chair and stared gloomily down at his cheap coffee. Gathering information for a story always took time, that was just the way things were, but he'd never had so much trouble just introducing himself, much less striking up a conversation. Part of his job was integrating himself with people, building up trust and getting them to talk, and Gerard had done it many, many times before. He'd befriended business tycoons and gang leaders, housewives and the homeless, professional duelists and sanitation workers. But apparently doing the same with spoiled teenagers was beyond him.
He'd been trying all day and all he'd gotten were the same insults hurled at him again and again: Osiris outcast, Osiris slacker, red-jacketed reject, and of course, the very imaginative loser. After an uncomfortable night spent in a storage cupboard, having to constantly dodge security, and even being forced to skip lunch because he'd apparently walked into the wrong cafeteria, it would have been nice to have something to show for it. Gerard, however, was empty-handed and more than a bit discouraged. Thankfully he'd stumbled upon the Card Shack, a presently deserted store with a little café attached, and finally been able to take a break.
"You look down in the dumps."
Gerard startled, twisting around in his seat to see that a young woman in a uniform had approached his table. He blinked. Was she talking to him?
"Sorry. Didn't mean to surprise you. I'm Sadie. I work here." She held out her hand for him to shake, and the journalist was suddenly overcome with the realization that he had no idea how introductions worked. He didn't know what to do beyond stare, because standing before him was the loveliest woman he'd ever seen.
Lips twitching in amusement, Sadie reached out and grabbed his hand herself. "And you are?" she asked, quirking an eyebrow at him.
She must use moisturizer, Gerard thought. Her hand was cool in his, smooth and soft. Wait… she'd asked him something, hadn't she?
"Oh!" Gerard jerked his hand back. "I'm, uh, Ger— Gerry. Gerry Feldman."
"Nice to meet you Gerry." She smiled at him. It was a thing of beauty. "So, do you want to talk about it?"
"What?"
"Whatever's got you down in the dumps. I can see something's wrong. Sometimes talking helps."
"Oh. Well. It's just…" he hesitated. Telling her the truth could be risky, but the idea of lying to her… for some reason it made him uncomfortable, even though lying had always been a regular part of his job. Maybe he could compromise with half-truths? "I'm an investigative journalist."
"Oh?" Sadie leaned forward with interest. "What are you investigating at Duel Academy?"
"Well, uh… Duel Academy… is one of the most prestigious schools in the world, and yet people on the outside know next to nothing about it except what they hear from official releases given by KaibaCorp— like brochures and stuff. My editor and I wanted to get a look at the less official side of Duel Academy— what it's like for the students, the staff, on a daily basis. Real, authentic stuff, not just the whitewashed version in the ads."
Sadie pursed her lips thoughtfully, pulling out the chair opposite him and sitting down. Part of him felt a little thrill that she was going to spend more time with him, his stomach fluttering. The other part scolded him harshly. Nothing could ever come of it, not when it was very possible he would end up ruining her bosses and turning her life upside down.
"Let me guess," Sadie said, tapping her fingernails on the wooden surface of the table, "none of the students will talk to you, and instead just throw insults and tell you to get lost."
Gerard blinked stupidly at her. "Uh… yeah! How did you know?"
She laughed. "You picked a rather inconvenient disguise. The red jacket marks you as part of the Osiris Red Dorm, the lowest-ranking one on campus. Osiris reds are an anathema to most of the Ra Yellows and Anubis Blues. They don't want to be caught associating with those 'beneath' themselves."
Gerard's fingers itched, and before he knew it he had a notebook and pen in hand and was scribbling away furiously. "That's something they don't tell you in the brochures."
"Certainly not," Sadie snorted. "If you ask me, though, I don't think there's anything inherently wrong with the dorm system. I think it was a good idea that got corrupted along the way."
"Really? Why do you say that?"
"Because it was originally supposed to promote merit-based advancement. Those who worked the hardest and, consequently, got the best grades, would reap more rewards than those who slacked off and, logic presumes, got lower grades. The problem is that it ignores extraneous factors, like the inherent disadvantages that might exist in the school systems the students are coming from, or students' varying strengths and weaknesses. Judging them all on the same scale can't give an accurate picture of their skills, because they're all unique individuals.
"Combine that, then, with the fact that not all of the staff at Duel Academy live up to its ideals. There are those who will accept bribes to get students into the higher-ranking dorms regardless of test scores; or, if the student comes from a well-known or wealthy family, they might push through their promotion to stay in that family's good graces. And of course, there's the flip side of 'merit-based advancement'— Professors will try to motivate students, especially Anubis Blues, by threatening them with demotion, rather than trying to encourage them. It creates a feeling of fear and stress that's probably not the healthiest for teenagers. So, what originated as a good idea got twisted up and ended up becoming a bad one." She shrugged. "That kind of thing happens a lot, I think."
Gerard, his hand cramping from taking notes, couldn't help feeling impressed. "You seem to have put a lot of thought into this dorm thing."
"I see these kids on a regular basis. I've sat with some of them right here, like I'm doing with you, and listened to their struggles and fears. Of course I've put thought into it. Besides that, I'm in business, and business is all about selling, and selling is all about knowing people. My aunt taught me that."
The reporter glanced up questioningly. "Your aunt?"
Sadie nodded. "Aunt Dorothy. She owns this place." She nodded in the general direction of the counter.
"Oh?" Gerard was surprised. "It's not owned by Duel Academy? I'm surprised Seto Kaiba allowed another business to set up on his turf."
Sadie smirked. "So were we, to be honest. But Aunt Dorothy wasn't going to let her card shop be run by anyone else. When she and Mr. Kaiba negotiated the deal, she fought him tooth and nail to get what she wanted, and he was so impressed that he agreed to her terms. They have a lot of respect for each other and have been friends ever since." She leaned forward, lowering her voice to a whisper. "If you want to know the truth, I think Aunt Dorothy sees Mr. Kaiba as the little brother she never had, even though he's got like, five or so years on her."
"Really? So she doesn't know about these less-than-stellar opinions you have of his dorm system."
"Oh, I don't blame Mr. Kaiba for the problems inherent in his system. Aunt Dorothy says he's a genuine believer in merit-based advancement, and like I said, it's not a bad idea conceptually. It's just in its practical application that it doesn't work out."
"I see." Gerard finally put his pen down, flexing his hand. He wasn't sure he agreed— most filthy rich businessmen he'd met couldn't care less about merit, as long as they kept making money— but he wasn't going to argue about it now.
Meanwhile, Sadie's look had turned thoughtful. "If you really want to do an article on what it's like for Osiris reds and the flaws in the ranked dorm system, you should interview some Osiris students. You'll have more luck with them than with the Yellows and Blues."
Gerard really wasn't here to write about dorm rankings, but if he got two stories for the price of one, who was he to complain? "I suppose you know a good place for me to start?"
She grinned at him.
Main Campus, Duel Academy
November 7, 2027
2:03 PM
A little less than an hour after meeting Sadie, Gerard found himself sitting on a bench in front of Duel Academy's main entrance, twiddling his thumbs and waiting for the student Sadie had said he should interview. Now that he actually had a lead, waiting was hard. He wanted to be on his feet, following clues, not waiting for them to come to him.
About ten minutes later, he noticed two students in Osiris red jackets approaching— one taller with dual brown hair, and one shorter with light blue hair. They were making a beeline straight for him (well, the taller one was. The shorter one seemed to be dragging his feet) and Gerard resisted the urge to groan. He couldn't be distracted now, not when he was about to—
"Hey, what's up?" the taller one greeted, plopping himself down on the bench beside the reporter.
"Um…"
"Sadie said you were expecting us. I'm Jaden. The short nervous one is Syrus." He nodded at his companion before offering his hand to shake.
Oh. So this was the Jaden Sadie had spoken of, he'd just brought a friend. The journalist hadn't expected that. Hesitantly, Gerard accepted the greeting. The boy's— Jaden's— face screwed up in thought, before relaxing back into its original grin. "I can't believe you were gonna try and sneak around the island pretending to be a student. You're old. Really old. What was your story gonna be, that 'it took you a while to get accepted'?" The kid laughed at his own joke.
Gerard felt his face heat up a bit in embarrassment. "Uh, I uh—"
"But hey, it's cool. Sadie said you wanted to get the inside view of Duel Academy, from an Osiris's perspective. I think that's awesome." Jaden leaped back to his feet, grabbing Gerard's hand in both of his and yanking him up too. "Let me show you around, old timer!" And then he took off, Gerard flailing desperately and trying to regain his balance as he was dragged along behind.
"Wait up!" the smaller boy, Syrus, called out after them, sounding resigned. Apparently, Jaden taking off running abruptly wasn't an unusual occurrence.
…
After being dragged all over the island at least twice (Jaden had to take a second lap because he kept remembering things he'd forgotten to point out the first time) Gerard found himself invited back to the Osiris Red dorm for a rather measly dinner (though you wouldn't know it, considering the enthusiasm with which Jaden ate) and also to "hang out". This consisted mostly of deck organizing and strategy brainstorming, and Gerard could feel his eyes drooping shut as Jaden laid out his deck on the floor for what seemed like the thousandth time. He was exhausted, and he had never had much of an interest in Duel Monsters, anyway. (Despite what the media tried to portray, a great number of the world's population didn't).
"So, what'd'ya think of Duel Academy, old timer? You got any questions you wanna ask us?"
"Grr… stop it with that! My name is Gerard!" Immediately he winced. He hadn't meant to give away his real name. At least "Gerry" was a reasonable nickname for him to have given Sadie.
Jaden just grinned at him. "Cool. Gerard it is."
The journalist shifted uncomfortably. "I'm, uh, sorry I snapped. I'm just a bit tired is all." He pulled his notebook and pen out of his pocket. "You're right, there are some questions I want to ask. Your friend— Sadie— she said that Osiris Reds have it tough here at Duel Academy. She told me about the normal exclusion and name-calling, but I was wondering if things ever got more heated than that. Do you guys feel… safe here?"
"Safe? Of course we feel safe!" Jaden laughed. "I mean, even if someone did corner us, we can always duel our way out. Most everyone, even Anubis Blues and Ra Yellows, respect the outcome of a duel."
"Really? They wouldn't see getting beaten by an Osiris as a humiliation and try to get back at you?"
Jaden considered this. "Well, maybe. But like I said, eventually it comes down to a duel. And they're generally not keen on getting beaten more than twice."
Gerard nodded, scribbling on his pad. "And what about you, Syrus? Has that been your experience as well?"
The smaller student seemed to consider his question carefully. "Some students here aren't quite as good at dueling as the others. Since confrontations do usually come down to a duel, they have to rely on having friends who are better duelists than they are. We met some Ra Yellows like that— Brier and Beauregard. Brier is a good duelist, so he helps protect Beauregard from some of the nastier Anubis Blues."
"So friendship is an important way to avoid bullies, then."
"Yeah, definitely," Syrus nodded.
"What about loners, then?" Gerard kept up the pretense of being interested in the dorm conflict at Duel Academy for several more minutes, asking questions and taking thorough notes. He was really hoping for a bigger scoop than this, but if the worst came to the worst…
"This is all great stuff guys, thank you," he said finally, clicking his pen shut. "I'm glad to hear things aren't as dire as some of the rumors make it out to be."
"Why? What do the rumors say?" Syrus asked.
This was it. "Some pretty scary stuff, honestly. Stories about hazing gone wrong, absurdly dangerous dares. Some say students have even vanished right off the island. You boys haven't heard anything about that, have you?" The reaction was instantaneous. Jaden's open, friendly expression closed off and went scarily blank, while Syrus went white as a ghost and began trembling. "Guys? What is it?"
Jaden glanced at Syrus— it was brief, but Gerard caught it— and said stiffly, "No, we haven't heard about anything like that. Sorry."
Gerard frowned. The boy was lying to him, right to his face, and not even trying to be convincing. "Are you sure?" He probed gently. "You said you feel safe here, but if there's even a chance—"
"No," Jaden cut him off. "We don't know anything else. Sorry, Gerard, but it's almost curfew and we're not allowed to have visitors after a certain time. Can you find your way back all right?"
For a moment, Gerard considered pushing. But it was clear that both boys were already on their guard, and they might get even more alarmed if he didn't leave when they so clearly wanted him to. It wasn't worth the risk. "All right. Sorry, didn't mean to make you upset." He put his pad and pen away as a sign of surrender. "Thanks for the interviews. You guys were a huge help."
Walking back to the main campus, his hands stuffed into his pockets, Gerard contemplated what his next move should be. Jaden Yuki and Syrus Truesdale— he was glad he'd thought to glance at the papers on the desk; they were old written assignments with the boys' names at the top. They knew something. But how to find out when they wouldn't tell him…
…
"He knows, Yuki, he knows, he knows, he knows—"
"Whoa, there Sy." Yuki put his hands on the smaller boy's shoulders to steady him. "I need you to breathe with me. In, out. In, out, all right? Copy me. Come on." They'd done this many times before in middle school, and it didn't take long for Syrus to fall in sync with Yuki's breathing, the habit ingrained in him. "Better?"
"Yeah. Thanks, Yuki. But he still knows. And he's a reporter. Uncle was quick to hush everything up after what happened to Zane, but there were still rumors that got out before he could stop them. It took months to stamp them all out. Mom and Dad wouldn't let me leave the house alone in case I was ambushed by a reporter or a journalist or something— well, more than usual anyway." Yuki nodded in understanding— he knew all too well the treacherous task of avoiding newspeople. "I'd thought they'd given up," Syrus said miserably. "Why won't they just leave us alone?"
Yuki sighed, running a hand through his hair, a tell-tale sign that he didn't know quite what to do— yet. "Lots of reasons, Sy. What I want to know is how Gerard knew about Atticus disappearing. Mr. Kaiba doesn't do things halfway."
"You think there's been a security leak? Or someone paid to be quiet broke their promise?"
"I don't know. But it needs to be taken care of, and fast. We should talk to Alexis, see if she can get in contact with her dad. He has connections everywhere; he'll be able to figure out who Gerard really is and what he knows."
Main Building, Duel Academy
November 8, 2027
4:54 AM
The next morning found Gerard darting as quickly and quietly as he could through Duel Academy's halls, his shoes clutched in one hand and his ears straining for the sound of any movement. He'd set his watch to wake him up extremely early, even before the food service people who had to prepare breakfast in the cafeterias, so he could go about unseen.
As fascinating as the plight of the Osiris reds was, Gerard had come here with a specific story in mind, and he wasn't going to give up until he found it. He'd been hoping that, as teenagers more motivated by risk-reward than logical reasoning, the students would prove a deep enough well of information and that he wouldn't have to break into the Academy's system at all, but, well, needs must. It was dangerous and technically illegal, but if his source was right and Duel Academy was covering up the fact that some of their students had disappeared…
He'd located the school library easily enough yesterday and headed directly for it now, his stockinged feet silent on the polished floor. The computers available to students would probably be blocked from accessing the main system, but they were still hooked up to the same network, and that was all Gerard needed.
It took a matter of seconds to find one and turn it on, and only a minute or so to plug in his decoding device. It was his own design, able to run complex algorithms (based on the rules of probability) to determine the most likely passwords protecting various systems. With Duel Academy's system having been designed by KaibaCorp, it would probably take a bit longer than hacking into, say, a Yakuza boss's safe, but Gerard was confident it could get the job done.
Satisfied, he sat back, laced his fingers together behind his head, and watched the little asterisks fly across the screen.
…
It took almost forty-five minutes to get into the computer. That was longer than Gerard had anticipated, and he bit his lip in frustration as his fingers flew across the keys, bypassing the restrictions and opening a backdoor into the Academy's main system. Once he had access to the student files, he was quick to look up both Yuki and Truesdale. To his surprise, two names came up for the latter— Syrus and an older student (a brother? A cousin?) named Zane.
To his great frustration, neither Jaden's nor Syrus's files turned up anything of interest— he learned they were both fairly average students (though Jaden's grades were very heavily skewed towards the practical side), that Syrus still had about half of his semester's meal points left while Jaden had used up almost all of his, and that the brunet was also recorded as tardy every single day whereas Syrus had a near-perfect attendance record, but that was about it. There were no red flags, no anomalies, and no obvious gaps in the information. Gerard scowled. So much for a lead. He glanced at the clock in the corner of the screen. He still had a few minutes; might as well check out the other Truesdale while he was here.
Alarm bells started going off in the reporter's mind as soon as he glanced at the older Truesdale's grades. Almost all the classes from Zane's sophomore year had little D's, T's, and/or S's next to them, marking them as Deferred, Transferred, or Summer courses. Why would a student of Zane's apparent caliber have needed so much extra time? A list of possibilities ran through Gerard's mind, most of them relating to some kind of trauma— illnesses or injuries that took a long time to recover from.
Or the shock a person might go through after one of their fellow students suddenly vanished.
Eagerly Gerard began to read through the rest of Zane's information, searching for more clues. He was willing to bet that Syrus and Jaden knew what had happened because of Syrus's relation, though that still didn't explain why they had clammed up the night before.
Unlike the two Osiris reds, Zane's grades were incredibly impressive, despite the delays he'd had. It was easy to see how, on paper at least, the ranked dorm system seemed to be working— Zane was an Anubis blue, entitled to all the benefits thereof. Like his own private suite.
Or not, Gerard realized, looking at Zane's housing information more closely. He'd been an Anubis since he'd started, but he wasn't listed as a single occupant until the beginning of his junior year. His very first semester, he'd roomed with a boy named Atticus Rhodes, and the two semesters after that, a boy named Nathaniel Simmons had joined them. During his fourth semester, which would have been the second half of his sophomore year, he was listed as a remote student.
The reporter glanced at the dates and did some math in his head. It all added up— if his other source was correct, it had been late 2025 when the disappearances had occurred. If Zane had been a part of that, it would explain the drastic changes in his schooling immediately afterward.
He was almost out of time now, so he quickly downloaded the files related to Zane, Atticus, and Nathaniel (he could read the latter two later) onto his phone and then proceeded to erase any record of his presence in Duel Academy's system. There was no chance of them tracing him, but now they wouldn't even know there'd been an intruder in the first place— and an extra layer of protection never hurt.
Main Campus, Duel Academy
November 8, 2027
8:37 AM
Gerard wasted no time in finding an isolated, secluded spot to go over the data he'd downloaded, and it didn't take long for him to realize he'd hit a motherload. Both of Zane's former roommates' attendance had mysteriously stopped a little over two years ago, all of their courses, meal plans, housing payments, etc. being listed as Deferred or On Hold. There was no mention made of where they might have gone or what they were doing rather than attending class, and yet the school still had them registered as students. Something was definitely up.
Reading through Atticus's information and taking notes, Gerard was surprised to find a mention of a younger sister attending the Academy, having just started at the beginning of the year. His eyebrows practically rose past his hairline. Someone's son had disappeared from Duel Academy, and instead of informing the authorities or the media or suing KaibaCorp, they had decided to send another of their children into the proverbial lions' den? What kind of a Ponzi scheme was KaibaCorp running here?
As bizarre as Gerard found it, the enrollment of Atticus's sister— Alexis— was a stroke of luck for him. Perhaps she would be more willing to talk about her brother than Syrus had to talk about his. And of course, he could always track down Zane himself, since according to his records, he was also currently still in attendance. Gerard made a note at the bottom of his page and circled it several times: Alexis Rhodes. Zane Truesdale.
Now all he had to do was find them.
Twelve hours later…
It was long past sunset by the time the Domino Gazette's leading journalist finally managed to spot Alexis Rhodes, headed down a side hallway towards an exit, seemingly about to head back to her dorm after a long day. This being perhaps the only chance he would ever get to talk with her, Gerard hurried to catch up.
Hearing his footsteps behind her, Alexis paused and glanced over her shoulder, watching his approach warily.
"Why, hello there," Gerard greeted her, flashing his most disarming smile.
"Hi, uh… do I know you?"
"I've seen you around. You're Alexis Rhodes, right?"
"Yes…" If the way she was backing away from him was any indication, his charming act wasn't working. Time to switch tactics.
"Listen," he said, dropping his voice, "I know about your brother's disappearance, and the Academy's refusal to do anything about it. Here, take my card," he pulled one of the small rectangles from his pocket and held it out to her. "If you want to find out what really happened to your brother, give me a call."
Alexis looked at the business card, then at Gerard, then back at the business card, and finally burst out laughing. "So you're the reporter Jaden and Syrus warned me about," she said, smirking. "I'll admit, you're not the first one to ask me about my missing brother, but you are the first to approach me like that. It's kind of refreshing."
Gerard just blinked stupidly at her. Um, what?
"Come on, let's take a walk," the girl nodded toward the exit she'd originally been headed for. "I think there are some things we should discuss."
Alexis led him almost all the way to the edge of the woods before she turned to face him, her gaze steely. In the back of his mind, Gerard idly thought he ought to take out his notebook and pen, but somehow, he couldn't bring himself to reach for them.
"All right, listen up. Yes, my brother Atticus disappeared off this island two years ago, and no, it wasn't made public, but there's a good reason for that. Seto Kaiba, the owner of this academy, has spared no expense in searching for my brother— I know; I've been a part of the process from the beginning. All he's asked in return was that it stay quiet, and given his reasons, my family and friends decided it was only fair to comply. So, if your main concern is that there's a cover-up going on that's hurting people, put it out of your mind, because it's simply not true."
She took a threatening step forward— and yes, it was threatening. Gerard had never imagined he could be so intimidated by a teenage girl. "If, on the other hand, your main goal is to become rich and famous by getting a major story published… it'll never happen on Mr. Kaiba's watch. I've already been in contact with him, and by now he probably knows exactly who you are and what paper you work for. You make one move against him, and he will destroy you." She smiled sweetly. "Are we clear?"
Gerard swallowed hard. He wouldn't deny that fame and fortune were a part of what had attracted him to the story— didn't everyone dream of being rich and famous on some level?— but there was more at stake here than that. "Let me guess. Mr. Kaiba's 'reasons' came in the form of quite a few yen," he challenged, crossing his arms over his chest.
"So what if KaibaCorp gave money to those involved?" Alexis snapped right back. "People are entitled to compensation for distress, and that's all there'd be if everything went public— the media dragging things out and using people's misery for their own benefit. The families of those missing students should be allowed to grieve in peace!"
"What about the public's right to know?" Gerard demanded. "If this place is dangerous, you can't justify keeping people ignorant of it. They'll keep sending their kids here, putting them at risk. What if someone else disappears, and Mr. Kaiba could have prevented it by shutting this place down? That family's loss would be on his head."
"Don't you think we— he knows that?" Alexis's fists were clenched, her eyes flashing with rage. "That's why he's doing everything he can to find out what really happened and make Duel Academy safer!"
"If he has nothing to hide, why has it all remained secret?"
"There are some things people just don't need to know! If my brother had been— been— been abducted by aliens, and Mr. Kaiba was trying to contact them to get him back, what good would it do to have the whole world know about it? They would panic, thinking aliens were coming to abduct everyone. There would be riots as people fought over resources and solutions. There could be violence in the streets. People could die!"
Gerard stared at her. Somehow, Alexis Rhodes hadn't struck him as the type to believe in conspiracy theories. "You think your brother was abducted by aliens?"
"Of course not! That was just an example! It—" the girl visibly reigned herself in, pinching the bridge of her nose. "Look. All I know is, there's enough evidence— or lack of evidence, I should say— that I agree with Mr. Kaiba that going public won't help anything. And I'm not saying that because he paid me off." She looked at him pleadingly, the ferocity from a moment ago nowhere to be found. "Please. Just… leave well enough alone. My family's been through enough."
With that, she turned on her heel and strode away.
Card Shack, Duel Academy
November 9, 2027
4:17 PM
Gerard could hardly believe it had been only two days since the last time he'd sat here, staring into a cup of coffee and feeling discouraged. His entire viewpoint had been… well, not flipped around, exactly, but challenged enough that he was wrestling with what to do next. He'd always been of the firm belief that there was nothing good about multi-billionaires and all the power they held, and any opportunity to strike against them should be seized with both hands. True, Seto Kaiba wasn't quite as obviously despicable as some of the others he could list, but Gerard had been sure it wouldn't be too hard to dig up some dirt on him, especially when he'd gotten this lead.
Now, though, he wasn't sure following through on said lead was even going to be possible, much less advisable. The victims in this case were reluctant to talk to him, and not because they were scared or frightened, either. They genuinely seemed to believe it was for the better that their stories not be made known to the public.
Syrus and Jaden had certainly acted scared, but the fact that they'd warned Alexis about him belied the idea that it was Seto Kaiba they were afraid of, since she seemed to be one of his most avid supporters. When Gerard had finally managed to track down Zane this morning, he'd received a similar lecture from the senior as he had from Miss Rhodes— Mr. Kaiba was doing everything he could and the public finding out about the case would help absolutely nobody. The entire situation defied belief.
On top of that, he had suddenly remembered, on his way back here after that fruitless interview, the fond way Sadie had spoken of Mr. Kaiba when they'd first met.
When she and Mr. Kaiba negotiated the deal, she fought him tooth and nail to get what she wanted, and he was so impressed that he agreed to her terms. They have a lot of respect for each other and have been friends ever since.
I think Aunt Dorothy sees Mr. Kaiba as the little brother she never had, even though he's got like, five or so years on her.
Oh, I don't blame Mr. Kaiba for the problems inherent in his system. Aunt Dorothy says he's a genuine believer in merit-based advancement.
If someone as kind and caring as Sadie seemed to be could talk like that about Seto Kaiba… maybe it really wasn't worth his time to attack the man in the press.
"Wow, déjà vu." Gerard jumped, turning to see the lady herself standing over him, one hand on her hip.
"What?"
"Déjà vu, I said. Wasn't it just the day before yesterday that I found you in this exact spot, looking just as despondent?"
"Oh." Gerard let out a weak chuckle. "Yeah, it was."
"Well, you're not wearing an Osiris red jacket anymore, so that can't be it," Sadie said, plunking herself down across from him. "Did you not have any luck with your story?"
"Oh, I had luck. You were right; the issues with the academy's ranked dorm system will make a great piece. It's just…" Gerard hesitated. He really didn't want to admit to being a liar. "…I actually came here looking for a different story. I got an anonymous tip that some students had gone missing from the Academy, so I decided to check it out. I found out enough that I could publish something, but…"
"But you don't know if you should," Sadie said knowingly.
"Right."
"Well… you don't necessarily have to give up on that story. You could just… change it a little."
Gerard blinked at her. "Change it how?"
"Instead of 'Students go Missing from Duel Academy', you could write a story called 'Missing Students Found at Duel Academy." She winked at him.
"But the students haven't been found."
"So? You're an investigative journalist. Find them yourself. Aunt Dorothy always says that everyone should be the hero of their own story."
Gerard was flabbergasted. "But that's— I mean I can't— what about—"
Sadie laughed at his flustered stuttering. "It was only an idea; just think about it." She got up from the table and went back to work, disappearing into the back room.
So, Gerard sat and thought about it. Could he really help to find the missing students? It would make a much better story. But how could he succeed where someone like Seto Kaiba had failed? Still, it was an enticing idea. Part of the reason he'd become an investigative reporter in the first place was for the thrill of uncovering the truth when no one else could, of solving a mystery.
He was drawn out of his thoughts by the sound of the bell over the door tinkling, announcing someone's arrival. He glanced up to see none other than Alexis Rhodes herself striding into the Card Shack— and it didn't take long for her to notice him. (He was, after all, the only other person there.)
"What are you doing here?" she asked.
"Trying to make up my mind," Gerard answered honestly. "About whether to be satisfied with a story on Duel Academy's ranked dorm system… or stick around and see if I can help find those missing students."
Alexis blinked in surprise. "You want to help find my brother and Nathaniel?"
"I didn't become an investigative journalist just to dig up dirt on people," Gerard said wryly. "People in my profession are ultimately supposed to be helpful— and not just by being a check on the government and the filthy rich. Finding out what really happened to students who have mysteriously disappeared qualifies, don't you think?"
"Yeah, but how are you going to manage to help without being caught and thrown off the island?"
"I thought of that," Sadie said, reappearing with her hands hidden behind her back. "Ta-da!" She pulled out a pink shirt and a pair of navy-blue slacks— a man's version of the uniform she and her aunt wore. "He can work as an employee here at the Card Shack. Since we're an independent business, we can hire whomever we like."
Gerard felt his face flush red as Alexis snorted out a few giggles. Pink had never really been his color.
Does this end too abruptly? I feel like I rushed it after spending so much time rewriting the duels in chapters 8 and 11.