My apologies for the delay, friends! This chapter took me longer to get out than expected with the holidays and post-wedding recovery! But I hope everyone had a happy holiday! I thought about taking a break from this story to work on Bad Omen, but a recent review motivated me to keep on with this one! So thank you for that! I have set a New Year's resolution/goal to finish this novel by the year's end.
And with that, I also have other goals and plans I would like to set with this story. I'm currently learning Blender so that I can make 'fan' art for this story and show my vision in a more visual way. Let me know if that would be something you would be interested in seeing. Eventually, I want to turn those 3D models into a fan animation once I learn how to animate and stuff. :)
Chapter 7 - The Harvest Festival
Days passed after my strange incident in town, but what was stranger was that no one seemed to ask about Joseph's whereabouts that Monday in classes after he was expelled. Everyone went on with their usual routines as if Joseph had never existed. It was either Joseph was not that memorable or popular enough of a student to be missed, or everyone was too scared to talk about it for fear that they might be the next to go if they were to ask too many questions. Dick would certainly put that fear in others if he were used to giving out the same warning to everyone that he had to me.
Those days had turned into weeks, and before I knew it, it was mid-October, and most of the trees here had completely turned orange or red. Regardless of everyone avoiding the topic of Joseph and the increasing nervousness effect the Elites had on most of the student body, there was a sense of festiveness at the school. Most of the students had turned a lot of their conversations on the Earthly holiday known as Halloween, which was soon approaching. Apparently, it is the one night out of the year when children dress up in costumes and go door to door saying the phrase 'trick or treat', and then adults pass out various treats to each child. It is a very peculiar tradition but endearing all the same. Gar certainly seemed excited by it.
"Oh, come on, Rae!" Gar whined. "It will be fun! I thought you would want to go since you're into all that spooky stuff!"
"I don't count trick or treating as a 'spooky' activity." Rachel told him, "And aren't you a little old to trick or treat? You'll kind of stand out from all the other kids going. Well...actually...you are still the same height as most children, so you probably would blend in. I don't think anyone could tell that you're 15."
"Ha, ha," Gar managed to get out with a mouth full of cotton candy. "I'm actually turning 16 soon! We could all go to a haunted house afterward. A real creepy one, just for you!"
"Sure, if you can find one in this sad little town." Rachel droned, "Judging by what they have going on at this festival, I can hardly think they would be able to provide anything mildly entertaining for the youth here."
Gar shrugged, "Maybe I'll find one in a different town nearby, and we can get an Uber over there or something. I can do some research!"
"Or how about you start helping us sell more cotton candy instead of eating it before Babs comes back to catch you slacking off again."
Gar let out an exaggerated sigh as he hopped off one of the counters of refreshments we were selling for the Harvest Festival the town was hosting. "I don't see the point of all of this. Isn't the whole reason why Dick is dictating everyone is so that the school is already properly funded, and then we don't have to do these stupid fundraisers."
"It's volunteer service," Rachel said, "Better to get the hours done and over with. Now get helping that line over there."
"Volunteer?" Gar muttered under his breath as he dragged his feet over to the line of the impatient-looking people waiting for their orders to be taken. "More like voluntold."
I silently agreed with Gar, with the students of Titan Academy not having much choice but to assist with the festivities in town. The Elites made it a requirement for the underclassmen to take at least one shift for a vending tent of our choosing to fulfill our volunteer hour quota for the semester. I was required to take two shifts as directed by the 'oh so charming' student president. That was sarcasm, by the way. I think I am getting better at it.
Regardless of my initial opposition, Rachel said she would take on an extra shift at the same tent I signed up for so that it may not be as bad. Naturally, Gar agreed to do the same, but part of me felt he was only doing it because Rachel forced him. It was a kind gesture of them to do that, but the work was not as bad as I thought it would be, and I probably would have been just as happy to do the work myself. I enjoyed talking with the town's citizens and supplying them with treats. Seeing their smiling faces while I presented them with their requested items was fulfilling, and I felt like I was doing some good for the town.
Even though most of my customers had been friendly and exuberant, my next customer did not seem to enjoy the festival like the others. It was an older man who looked like he had not slept in days and held a very gloomy expression. As if he never had a happy day in his life. If I remember correctly, this customer was the same man who came running into the coffee shop a few weeks ago in hysterics, proclaiming that the drinks there had been poisoned. It was good to see that he did not think our drinks were poisoned.
"What shall I get for you today?" I asked him kindly, and he seemed to flinch at my words. His unfocused eyes started blinking as if he had difficulty understanding what I had asked him.
"What?" He said sleepily, "Oh yes, I will take...uh...coffee! Yes! That will be good, thank you."
"Would you like any cream or sugar?" I asked him. I was proud of myself for remembering to ask that most important question since humans like to add those substances to help improve the bitter taste of coffee.
"No, thank you," The man responded, slightly swaying back and forth. His eyes turned unfocused again as he seemed to look through me when he said this. "Just black."
"Um...sure!" I said, maintaining my cheerful humor. This man must have really needed coffee, for he looked like he was about to fall over in exhaustion. Upon handing him his drink, I could tell his hands were shaking since the coffee started splattering out of his cup when he took hold of it.
"Are you alright?" I asked him softly. His behavior signified more than just exhaustion now.
"Oh, I am fine, Miss," He forced a weary smile. "Please, keep the change." He said as he handed me several notes of the human currency and shuffled away from the tent as quickly as possible.
"Strange..." I muttered to myself as I counted the money he gave me and placed the extra bills in the tip jar. It was more erratic behavior, but this man was known to behave that way, so perhaps that was normal. Humans are so strange.
"Hi, Kory!" I heard a familiar voice call to me, and I eagerly turned around for I knew who it was.
"Xavier!" I exclaimed happily. "May I interest you in something sweet? Or perhaps a hot beverage of chocolate or apple cider?"
Xavier gave me the usual smile whenever he saw me and said, "Yes, but the particular sweet I want is not on the menu, so I suppose I'll settle with a hot chocolate."
I do not know why he said that first part, but I grinned and announced, "One hot chocolate coming up!"
I cheerfully prepared his hot beverage and turned back to him to say, "This one is on the tent! Since I feel bad about leaving you the way I did the other night and have not come to see you recently at the coffee shop."
"Do you mean on the house?" He asked.
"Well, we are not in a house, so I thought the word 'tent' would be more appropriate," I told him. Quickly covering up that I said the wrong phrase.
Xavier chuckled. "You're funny. And don't worry about it. I actually thought that I was the one that left you. I heard a scream from someone in one of the neighborhood houses, and I ran to see if everyone was okay. Now I feel like a total jerk ditching you like that."
"You heard the scream too?" I asked quickly. But probably a little too quickly, as I heard a small voice in my head telling me to stop talking. I still questioned what I witnessed that night and whether it happened. Therefore, I did not want to reveal much of what I thought I knew. "I mean...it is ok. It is very gallant of you to want to help people in trouble. And I did catch the last shuttle to the school since the driver was running late. Was everything okay?"
"Ah yeah, everyone was fine. Another false alarm." Xavier said almost too casually, "I just hope you didn't get into too much trouble with the 'Dick'-tator."
I laughed. "Oh yeah, that. He did give me a hardly intimidating warning, but he is certainly keeping a more watchful eye over me...like right now."
I do not know how he does it, but Dick seems to have this ability where he seems to know when someone mentions his name and then materializes as soon as it happens. Only this time, when he approached, he seemed more focused on Xavier than me.
"Are you keeping the students distracted from their work, Xavier?" Dick asked, but in a tone that was far from pleasant and a hint of bitterness. Xavier said that he had come across Dick before, and it did not end well. Sensing the sudden tension between the two boys, that was quite evident.
"Oh, are you not allowing the students to speak to any of the townspeople now? I was just trying to catch up with Kory real quick. Last time I checked, that wasn't again the law."
Dick's stoic face remained, well, stoic when he said, "I see you got your drink, so why are you still here?"
There was a tense pause that seemed to have lasted for hours until Xavier broke the silence with a hearty chuckle. "It looks like the police of normal human interaction is telling me to leave now, cutie. I guess I'll see you around!" He winked at me before he strolled away.
"Bye!" I called out to him and then giggled at the passive insult Xavier made at Dick. The moment I started giggling, Dick flashed me a look that I had never seen before. Usually, his face held no emotion, but this time, I noticed something different in his eyes. It almost looked like disapproval, or was it anger?
"Get back to work," Dick said coldly as he left the tent. I stuck my tongue out at him when he turned his back. How rude of him to shoo off Xavier like that. He did not seem to mind when I talked to the other citizens. I knew this was because he did not stray far from the tent I was working at. In other words, he was watching me. But he never actually bothered us until Xavier started talking to me. Why was Xavier so different? And why was Dick seeming to be only keeping an eye on me and none of the other students?
Noticing that the lines were not as long anymore, I turned to Rachel and asked, "Would it be alright if I go to the lavatory? There are fewer customers now, and I need to relieve myself."
"No one says lavatory here, Kory. We use the word bathroom." She corrected me.
"Very well, may I go to the bathroom that does not have baths?" I asked her.
Rachel rolled her eyes, "Yeah, I think Gar and I can handle everything now."
"Wonderful! I will only be a few minutes." I told both of them as I hopped over the serving counter. As I started walking toward the lavatory/bathroom building of the festival field, I caught Dick's glance as he gave me a 'what are you doing' look.
"I am allowed bathroom breaks, am I not?" I said, passing him swiftly before he could respond. I was mainly going to the bathroom so that I could get out of Dick's sight for a moment and to walk off the anger I was holding toward him.
There were so many times throughout the day that I wanted to run over to Dick whenever I would catch him looking at me and pin him to the ground with my strength until he told me why he and the Elites were specifically being so cruel to me. It had been weeks since I had challenged him, and I had given him the space he requested and stayed 'out of trouble'. However, Wally would still heavily tease me in class whenever I would get questions right or prove my academic superiority. And whenever Babs would see me in the corridors, she usually gave me an unfriendly look before forcefully bumping into me or purposely trying to trip me. And Dick...it seems like every time I am in his field of visibility, he watches me as if I am about to perform some act of terror on the school. It is ironic since he seems to be terrorizing the school, not me.
Regardless of me being the number one target for the Elites, they were bullying less of the students now, and I was getting the brunt of their authoritative force. I suppose I would be willing to take that sacrifice for the time being until I was able to find a way to dethrone Dick. Or find more evidence if he was behind the strange mysteries of the town. Then, I could expose him for what he truly was, and then he would have no choice but to step down.
While relieving myself, I happily imagined Dick and his father being carted away by the Earth authorities for their unlawful conduct at the school and being locked away at whatever the humans' equivalence of a penitentiary was. Nothing would give me greater joy than to see the look of Dick's shocked face once he discovered that I was the one to find him out, even after all the trouble he went through to slow me down and keep me distracted. He will surely pay, and there will be justice and peace for Titan Academy once he is gone. I just needed more evidence on him.
After spending a few more moments visualizing Dick and the Elite's fates, I went off to wash my hands at the bathroom's sinks while singing the Tamaranean song of victory to myself since no one else seemed to be in the small building with me. That was until I noticed the mirrors on the wall started rattling.
Turning the sink off and silencing the rushing sound of water, I could hear a muffled grunt behind the wall each time the mirrors shook. I could only assume that the men's bathroom was on the side, and it sounded like someone was struggling or in pain. Knowing the reputation of strange things happening in the town, I did not hesitate to run over to the other side of the building, not caring at all if there happened to be other men there.
The sight before me was peculiar but not nearly as terrifying as the night I witnessed the spider-like man. Still, I stood in bewilderment as I watched the man ordering coffee from our tent furiously rubbing his arm in a sink while pleading to himself or at some unknown entity in the room. As he grew more desperate, the man threw his arm against the wall beside him, his pleads turning into sobs.
Sensing that someone else was in the room, he paused and turned to me.
"Please," He whimpered, taking a staggering step toward me, "Please help me!"
"What's wrong?" I began to take a step toward the man, but he quickly closed the space between us as he roughly grabbed me by the shoulders.
"Please!" His cries turning frantic now, "He has me marked! They will be after me next!"
"Who will-?" I started to ask, but the pressure of his hands on my shoulders was getting harder as his panic grew. "Stop, you are beginning to hurt me! Calm down! Who will be after you next?"
"The red demon!" He cried, his eyes turning wild as he pushed me against a wall. "He has marked me to be turned next! Please, Miss, you have to help me!
His hysteria was now making him lose control of all rationality, and that was when I knew this situation had turned dangerous. I pushed enough distance between us so that I could kick him off. I probably kicked harder than I should have since he rolled over several times on the bathroom floor, and he let out a groan of pain.
"My apologies, but you were..." I paused when I saw a large red 'X' on one of his forearms. The skin around it almost matched the color of the mark from how roughly he must have rubbed it. I could even see a few scratches trickling with blood from how deep he might have clawed at himself, thinking it would take the mark off.
"Wait here," I told him shakily, "I will get help."
Leaving the man whimpering on the bathroom floor, I started to run back towards the tent where I was supposed to be working until, to my relief, Rachel stopped me.
"What are you doing? Dick is getting-" She started to say, but I had to interrupt her to let her know the urgency of the situation. Dick can eat a bowl of slurgal worms for all that I care.
"Rachel, you have to help this man! Maybe you can use your powers to..."
"Quiet!" Rachel hushed me instantly while looking around to see if anyone else was listening. "What are talking about?" She asked in a lower tone.
"There is a man in the bathroom!" I said frantically and then grabbed one of Rachel's wrists to drag her along behind me as I began walking back to the bathroom building, "I do not know what is wrong with him, but he was going on about how they will be after him next, and he has this red X on his arm."
"A red X?" I felt Rachel tug her arm away as she clarified what she heard. "And I can walk myself. I know where the bathrooms are."
"Yes!" I exclaimed, but kept running toward the bathroom, not wanting to waste more time. Someone else had to witness the abnormalities of the town. "He said something about being the one to turn next because of it, and I have no idea what that means! But perhaps you will-"
I immediately froze when I watched the same man, who was only a few minutes again manically pleading for my help, calmly walk out of the bathroom with a cheerful smile. The red X and cuts on his arm were no longer there.
"Oh! Hello there, Miss!" He said brightly. "Your cup of coffee saved my life today! I hardly got a wink of sleep last night, but after drinking that delightful coffee, I'm now finally able to enjoy the festival and the beautiful weather we are having today!"
I felt my mouth moving, but no words were coming out in response to him.
"Have a wonderful day, young ladies!" He said in that same bright tone as he walked past Rachel and me.
When the man disappeared among the townspeople, I heard Rachel ask unenthused, "Was that the guy you were talking about?"
"Yes," I said, but even my voice betrayed my certainty. "Rachel, I swear to you! That man was in distress only a few minutes ago! And now everything is fine! I do not understand this! Nothing in this town is making any sense!"
"I see Gar has taught you the art of impractical jokes," Rachel said, crossing her arms. "This wasn't a very good one, you know."
"This was not a joke!" I said, defending myself. It was as if some Earthly force was purposely trying to make me look like a fool among my human peers or, at the very least, was slowly trying to make me go insane. I have now witnessed two accounts of odd and dangerous events, but no one else seems to be present at them besides me.
Rachel let out an impatient sigh, "Whatever. Let's just get back to our posts before any more of the Elites notice we are gone. And I don't trust Gar to manage the concessions by himself."
I did not say anything when I watched Rachel turn from me to walk back to the festival. I did not know what else to say. Any more details I would be able to provide would seem quite ludicrous to someone who had not seen what I just saw. And again, there was no evidence that my story was factual.
Feeling defeated, I miserably followed Rachel back toward our stationed tent. I was frustrated by the fact that I had a chance to prove something was amiss at the town and potentially the school and be one step closer to dethroning the Elites, but now I was looking more and more like a foolish and naive girl instead of being someone to be taken seriously.
I watched Rachel casually type on her mobile device from afar and wondered how she quickly dismissed everything I said and went about her day as if our previous conversation never happened. Was Rachel now at that point of not taking me seriously? I have already once told her a story that turned out to be false based on what she heard and saw, so naturally, she would now think of me as someone who makes ridiculous stories up.
Once we got back to the tent, my spirits immediately took another dive when we were greeted by Babs, who was currently wearing a smug grin on her face.
"It's nice of you to decide to get back to work. Or do you feel too entitled to do any labor? Being a princess, I'm sure you haven't had to work a day in your life." Babs said, her smirk never fading.
"You know nothing about my past and where I come from," I growled at her, already in a foul mood from being made a fool of again. "Hence, you have no right to make any assumptions of my title. Now, leave us alone so that we can work in peace. I fear you will scare away all the customers with your callous presence."
Babs let out a fake laugh, "You're not very good at comebacks, are you? It's a good thing you have a pretty face because you don't have much going on. Not very clever...not a very good fighter..."
"I will show you who a good fighter is!" I snapped as my fury had completely taken over, and lunged at Babs with the intention of tackling her to the ground. I immediately felt Gar and Rachel on each side of me as they, with great effort, held me back from going any further.
"Hey ladies, let's turn it down a notch!" said Gar, positioning himself between Babs and me, "It pains me to stop what could potentially be a hot girl-on-girl display, but in front of the whole town, it may not be the greatest idea. But if you two want to go at it back at the school...ouch!"
Rachel had smacked Gar beside the head. "Really? You're no different than the rest of the guys here."
"Your little green friend is right, Princess," said Babs, "I would hate to have to embarrass you again in front of the entire town this time."
"What are doing here anyway, Babs?" asked Rachel. "I thought you were supposed to be supervising the pie tent."
"I'm here to let you and Kory know you are assigned to clean up duty after the festival. So don't try to get back on the first shuttle back to the school with everyone else." Said Babs, seeming to take great pleasure at the last thing she said.
"What about Gar?" I asked, still glaring at her. "Will he be able to help us?"
"We need Gar's abilities for another job back at the school. You two will stay here until all the trash is cleaned from the field," said Babs.
"All of the trash?" I scowled at her.
"Yes, all of it." said Babs while emphasizing the word 'all', "Do you think you're above trash duty now?"
I could tell she wanted me to be angry with her again as if she wanted to provoke a fight and make me look ill-tempered in front of the town. I would not give her that satisfaction. My glare smoothed into a smile as I said. "I am not above anything. Well, there might be some trash over there that is currently rolling on the ground. I guess I am above that since it is on the ground, and I am standing on it. But do not worry, Babs. I will ensure all the trash below and above me will be taken care of to ensure this will be the cleanest field you have ever seen!"
Babs gave me a blank and confused stare, and that was when I figured out how to get Babs to stop talking. Just say the most ridiculous statement I could muster, and then she will not know how to react. I could battle her with words if I could not fight her physically.
She opened her mouth to say something but must not have had much of a response as she glowered at me and then turned to leave. Inside my head, I was doing a little happy dance to celebrate her leaving and finally finding a way to make her disappear quickly.
The last hours of the shift seemed to go by quickly, as the festival participants were all trying to make their last-minute purchases before we had to start packing up. Once the festival had ended, the vendor tents had been deconstructed, and the ones fortunate enough to leave with the first shuttle rides had packed the remainder of the food and merchandise not sold to be taken back to the school.
I watched them enviously as they loaded the bus back to the school while I picked up something slimy from the ground. I did my best not to look disgusted in case Babs was watching me, but the smell was unbearable. Whatever I just threw in my trash collecting bag gave off a terrible odor, and I had to get rid of the bag quickly before I regurgitated my lunch from earlier.
I ran to the closest garbage bin to throw away my bag. But the smell worsened as I stood next to the bin. I gagged loudly, knowing that I was now out of the listening and viewing range of the Elites.
"What are you doing?" I heard Rachel ask as I was bent over, still gagging. Apparently, I was not as hidden as I thought.
"Trying to keep my lunch down," I told her, "I do not know you humans withstand this stench."
"We humans don't normally hang around dumpsters for long," said Rachel.
"That is what that thing is called?" I asked her with another cough. "It is an appropriate name for it."
Rachel rolled her eyes with a chuckle. "Ok, Princess...are you ready to return to work, or would you prefer to try to immune yourself to the stench here?"
"Please, not you, too," I told her, narrowing my eyes playfully. I knew she was joking with me, but I did not want her to get into the habit of calling me that. "And I suppose we have no other choice. I just want to get this work done and over with so that we can go back."
"Well..." Rachel said with a mischievous grin. It was something I was not used to her doing, and for a moment, I was a little scared at how unnatural it seemed. "We may be able to finish faster than you think."
"Really?" I asked her hopefully. It was already late into the afternoon, and I noticed the sun was getting lower in the sky. I did not want to be picking up trash at nightfall.
"It seems that all of the Elites have left," said Rachel, looking around to ensure they were gone. "So in that case..."
Rachel raised her arms with a look of determined concentration, and I gasped when bits of garbage over the empty field started to levitate from the ground.
I watched in awe as Rachel moved her arms in a way that controlled where the garage was going. Once she managed to collect all the bits of garbage in one place, a large bag floated toward us, and I watched all the garbage she collected fall smoothly into the bag.
"I knew you had more than just healing powers!" I exclaimed excitedly when she effortlessly flicked her wrist toward the dumpster, and the bag full of garbage flew into it on its own.
"Yeah...well...I try to use them sparingly, especially around the Elites." She said, "I don't need them knowing I take shortcuts when doing their stupid chores. Otherwise, they'll give me more to do. And I would much rather spend that time reading."
"That is understandable," I agreed, "But you still should not be ashamed of your powers. I think your powers are amazing!"
"Sure, you say that now," Rachel muttered softly. Almost inaudible.
"What was that?" I asked, trying to get her to speak up a little more.
"It doesn't matter," Rachel said, shaking her head and then changed the subject. "It looks like the field is just about clean. At least clean enough for the Elite's standards. Let's see if any more shuttles are left going back to the school."
I looked around and noticed that almost everyone had left already. "I think we may be the only ones here. Are we going to have to wait for the next shuttle?"
"It looks like it," Rachel said grimly. "Let's just hope they remember to come back to get us."
Knowing how the Elites are, I would not be surprised if it was part of their plan to make us stay later so that they could tell the driver that everyone had been accounted for and there would be no need to come back to pick us up. That would seem like an 'Elite' thing to do. I understood why they would want to do that to me but not to Rachel. Was it because she appeared to be my closest friend, and they wanted to punish her by being associated with me?
"Yes," I said flatly and with little enthusiasm, "Let us hope."
"There's no point hanging around here. Let's go somewhere where it doesn't smell like a dead rotting animal." Rachel said, and then I nodded in reply.
I blindly followed Rachel wherever she was going as my mind returned to replaying the events of the man in the bathroom. I was still trying to determine if what I saw was real. I had no idea where we were going, but I trusted Rachel enough to take us somewhere we might be found by someone who could help us get back to the school. We were only walking for a few minutes until someone did come to our rescue, but it was a rescue I was not expecting nor really wanted.
When we reached the street at the end of the town's park, a shiny silver car with what looked like a missing roof pulled up beside us. The one driving the car was, to my misfortune, Victor Stone.
"Hello there, little ladies!" He greeted us as he stopped the car before me and Rachel. "I heard you both were staying late to clean up the trash, so I thought I would stop by to see if you needed help."
"Help us?" I asked in perplexed astonishment. I was sure my eyebrows had disappeared into my hairline because it felt that way.
"You're a little late, Victor," Rachel said in an annoyed tone. "We just finished cleaning up all the trash Queen Babs ordered us to do."
Victor's human eye looked down toward the seat of his car floor as if he felt ashamed. "Yeah, I'm sorry about that. That wasn't supposed to be part of the plan. Since Dick had to step away for a moment, she took it upon herself to change the after-festival chores for everyone and made it so that only you two were in charge to take care of the trash. There were supposed to be ten people to stay back to help with that. I'm surprised you were able to get it done so quickly."
"We're just good like that, I guess," Rachel said while side-glancing at me with the tiniest smile. I knew what she meant, so I returned the same smile.
"Well, call me impressed!" expressed Victor approvingly, "I'm sorry I wasn't able to get here in time to help you out, but let me make it up to you by giving you two a ride back to the school."
Did I mention that Tameraneans tend to be stubborn? At that moment, my genetics seemed to have taken over all reason. "I think I would rather walk."
Rachel reeled around to look at me, "Oh, come on, Kory! I know you have beef with the Elites, but will you let your rivalry keep you from taking the only ride you have back?"
"It is not that far of a walk," I said, raising my nose slightly while refusing to look at Victor. "I am sure I can get there back before dark if I start now."
Rachel rolled her eyes and then turned back to Victor. "We'll both be riding back with you."
"Not me, I will see you..." I said, and though I attempted to walk away from Victor, I suddenly felt a heaviness around my ankles, and I could not move my feet no matter how hard I tried.
"Stop being so stubborn," said Rachel, "Victor is not so bad. Come on, I highly doubt you can walk fast enough to get back to the school before it gets dark. And you know the new curfew now."
"Yes, at twilight now, I know," I said irritably. The newest rule the Elites had made up shortly after my warning from Dick on the previous curfew. "Fine, I will go with you."
As soon as I agreed to go back with Victor, I felt the heaviness of my ankles fade away, and I could walk freely again. Surely, Rachel was the reason I could not walk away, and I could not help but feel slightly resentful toward her. She had never used her powers on me before. Therefore, for whatever reason, she wanted to prevent me from going on my own and forced me to share a space with one of my rivals.
"Great!" Cheered Victor as Rachel and I hopped in his car. I took the backseat while Rachel took the front, which was perfectly fine with me, for I wanted to be placed as far away from an Elite as possible.
We remained silent as Victor started to drive away from the park, and again, I was ok with that. The less interaction with him, the better. I was content with my head resting all the way back on the car seat while I watched each puffy white cloud hurry over us across the blue sky. With Victor's car not having a roof, I could absorb the little sunlight left of the day and try to focus on something that gave me happiness while trapped with an Elite.
"Once again, I'm sorry about Babs. I saw she was giving you a hard time back at the festival." Victor said, speaking up a little more so that he could be heard over the loud engine of his car. "She's been getting a little power-crazy lately and had getting more possessive over...and I think that's why she's trying to show off more."
As Victor spoke, a car raced past us on the road, and I could not make out everything he said. "Possessive over what?" I asked. I was unsure why I needed to keep the conversation going with him.
"Dick," Victor replied.
With his name being mentioned, my tone instantly soured. "Why is she possessive over him? That would mean that she owns him like a slave, and I thought he was the leader of all of you. That does not make any sense."
Victor let out a chuckle. "I mean possession in another way. She is worried that something she thought she had will be taken away from her." I noticed him glance at me through the rearview mirror hanging above him. He gave me a look as if I should have known what he was talking about, though I did not. "Perhaps, one day, you will figure it out. We humans can be a bit complicated."
"Very complicated," I muttered so he could not hear me. "But if you believe her to be so 'power-crazy' and possessive, why are you still part of their group?"
"That is also complicated," Victor said, glancing up at me ever so often through his mirror. "I guess you can say I am in debt to Bruce Wayne, and by 'hanging around' with Dick, I am paying back that debt for me and my Dad."
"Again, that makes no sense," I told him. The Elites sound like they have a strange hierarchy, even among their families. "How does merely being around someone help pay a debt?"
"And again, like I said, it's complicated." Victor repeated, "All I can say is that if it weren't for Bruce, my Dad and I would probably have ended up living on the streets of Gotham. Bruce got my Dad a job with S.T.A.R labs when no one else would hire him after the controversial experiment of turning his only son into a cyborg."
"A what?" I asked curiously.
"A cyborg. A half-man, half-robot." Victor said, his one laser red-eye now seemed more apparent in the mirror.
"Oh," I murmured, and I felt my face grow hot from embarrassment for not realizing what Victor was sooner. "Your father turned you into a cyborg? Why would he do that?"
"To save my life," said Victor simply, "It was the first act of compassion that man ever gave me. It's funny that his own son had to be on his deathbed for him to realize that there was more to life than just work."
"Why did he have to save your life?" I asked.
"You know...for someone who didn't want to talk to me, you certainly ask a lot of questions," Victor said amusingly. "But we...I had an accident. I don't want to go into any more details than that."
"Oh...I am sorry." I apologized, suddenly feeling awful for treating Victor like I did earlier. I did not know of the tragedy that led him here. From being in a life-threatening accident to the financial uncertainty of his father losing his job, I was baffled at how he still seemed the most cheerful out of all the Elites, "I truly did not know that you went through all of that."
"It's okay. You're only curious, considering you're new to the planet. I can only imagine you have a million questions about everything. I know I would be if I were on your planet."
"You have no idea how many questions she asks." I heard Rachel say. Suddenly interested in joining the conversation.
"Oh, I am sure." Victor laughed and then returned his attention back to me. "So, what do you think of Earth so far?"
"It is...nice?" I replied. Victor looked as if he was eager to hear more about my opinion of Earth, but I was unsure how to respond to that question. I was expecting a 'What do you think of our school and how my tyrant friends run it?' not for an opinion on an entire planet.
Fortunately, I was spared to give my full review of the planet once I realized we had stopped in front of the girls' dormitories back at the school. Rachel hastily exited the car and said a quick "Thanks!" before disappearing into the dormitory. I could only assume she was anxious to get back to her book in our room.
Before I followed Rachel back to our room, I stopped by the driver's seat to tell Victor, "You can do better than the Elites. I hope your debt is paid quickly so you can leave them soon."
Victor sincerely smiled before saying, "I know you're probably tired of me saying this, but it's more complicated than that. Life on this planet is like...one big complex puzzle. The pieces you see on the surface might not reveal the true picture hidden beneath."
I blinked at him, trying to piece that statement together like a puzzle. "I do not understand."
"One day you will," Victor said as he looked over his shoulder to check his surroundings before backing his car up. When he turned his car to get back on the road that led to the Elite's manor, he called out, "Catch ya later, Goldie!" before driving away.
Goldie? Well, I guess that was better than Princess.
