WATANABE HAD INSISTED that everyone had to let Eien sleep early because tomorrow would be his first day as a Yamato student. Declan was the last person to leave the unit. Jaxon had to kick him out quite literally before Declan let go of Eien's hand.
Now that Alasdair is alone in his unit—he doesn't fancy the idea of sharing space with anyone—Alasdair has more room in his head to recollect everything that happened tonight. The reunion was simpler than Alasdair had anticipated. Whilst Declan couldn't stop eyeing and pinching Eien as though he would be gone from his grasp again, Eien wasn't that enthusiastic. At least, in Alasdair's watchful eyes. He wonders if anyone saw how mechanical Eien conversed with his best friend. It was almost perfect.
Alasdair is aware that there are people who are poor at displaying their emotions. Eien, however, is another story. He is still asking himself if the youngest is technically dead. If Declan is aware of this, either Alasdair will tread carefully or ask him directly.
Declan doesn't act like it, but he's actually intelligent. As a son of a police chief officer, the Phoenix boy has developed an ability to detect threats. Even without his hydrokinesis, he can be a formidable foe when he wants to be.
Alasdair casts his shirt and jeans, before changing into a more comfortable pyjama. He's about to plop down on his bed when he directs his attention to his scattered clothes. Tutting, he stands up and gathers them randomly, putting them in the hamper that stands beside the doorway.
Watanabe and Noritaka love coming into his room before they have breakfast on the rooftop. According to them, if they don't remind him to grab a bite, he won't grab a bite. His studious best friend also pesters him to maintain tidiness. Mostly, he agrees, but tonight, Alasdair is too eager to care. He shoves his clothes into the basket and runs to his bed, draws his notepad from under his pillow, and starts listing down the details.
1. Eien is (perhaps) dead and has aerokinesis.
2. Jaxon has pyrokinetic abilities.
3. Eien healed Jaxon (for what reason?)
4. Jaxon's power didn't feel anything special when we first met.
5. Jaxon's energy tonight has changed. He's not a regular human being.
6. He's also not a normal gift wielder(?) That can't be right.
He racks his brain as he searches for possible clarifications. His pen skims and draws lines after lines until he finally comes up with a hypothesis.
'Eien's healing thwarted Jaxon's energy from becoming stronger.' He underlines the word "healing" so many times that his pen tears through the next page. 'Impeding someone's energy by using his aerokinesis or the effect of his healing fades out after a few days. After the healed person gets better. Does that mean Jaxon hasn't had the opportunity to use his pyrokinesis whilst he was recovering?' Plausible. And yet, something tells him that Jaxon has yet to master his power.
His sharp face breaks into a grin, his pen snaps in half in his hand.
There's a boy right in this building who is a walking corpse; he can heal and reduce energy. A boy who can rival his power.
Alasdair has finally found him. Everything has always been easy for him. No longer will he be bored.
'That child...' he pauses. It dawns on him how ludicrous it is to call Eien a child. 'Uchiyama Eien... you're a wonderful creature.'
Alasdair sleeps without showering, without calling his father, without arranging his room to perfection. For the very first time, Alasdair sleeps with a smile on his face.
* * * * *
Alasdair locks his shoes in the small locker and dons his school slippers. In his peripheral view, he sees Jaxon doing the same thing. The Zone 3 boy is adjusting better than they all initially thought.
Once inside the classroom, the students organise themselves in their seats. Mister Williams stands in the middle of the room, waiting for their greeting. As the class president, Alasdair orders everyone to stand up straight, bow, and say good morning to their homeroom teacher. After acknowledging them, Williams tells them to sit down.
'Attendance!' Fumihiro reminds Jake. The latter grumbles. Usually, Jake wrongly pronounces their names, but today he calls each of their names perfectly.
'What has gotten into that anaemic banana?' Declan whispers to him.
Anaemic banana is the nickname Declan has secretly given to Jake since the loner is too pale—even for a white standard—with yellowish spots on his skin. They had all suspected he had jaundice. They all soon found out that Jake was just ugly.
There's another overly pale person in this school, but thankfully, his paleness compliments his turquoise eyes and pink lips.
'Dude, stop that,' Declan says, and then raises his hand to say, 'Yeah, I'm present!' when his name gets called.
'Stop what?' he whispers back.
'You've been smiling like an idiot. It's creepy. What's making you happy anyway?'
Alasdair drums his fingers against his desk as he listens and memorises his classmates' voices. With a sharp memory, he does not have to do it.
He simply likes to recheck if he's got it all right. Force of habit, more like it. 'Oh, nothing. I discovered something truly remarkable last night.'
Declan glares at him. 'Okay, whatever you say, ginger.'
He is about to say that his name is not Ginger, but then remembers that his hair is red, inherited from his mother. He shrugs. It doesn't offend him. He's, in fact, proud since his hair isn't orange, unlike any other redhead out there. It's darker, especially in the sunlight.
'But for your sake,' Declan's voice drops, almost drowned by the chattering surrounding them, 'let's hope that it doesn't involve Eien.' In a snap, his bored demeanour gets replaced by the boy who had iced his two bodyguards with burning white eyes and blue lines circling his skin. He's not showing his other side today, but Declan's voice alone, his warning alone, is enough to remind him that this Declan, who's always nonchalant, is the most dangerous gift wielder they've found so far.
Alasdair smirks. 'Don't worry. I'll be careful,' he answers, raising his hand as Jake calls his name.
YOU ARE READING
The Enemy Beside Me + The Liar Beside Me (Book 1 and 2)
Science FictionIn a not-so-distant future, the world has been divided. The prospering countries label themselves as Zones, while the defeated are left behind to fend for themselves. Sixteen-year-old Jaxon "Jax" Evans belongs to Zone 3, previously known as the Unit...