Reform

Chapter 17: Sudden Importance

         Darren woke up drained as he got off his bed. He went towards his cabinets and on the top was his pair of white headphones. He grabbed them as well as his watch. Darren placed his headphones around his neck and wrapped the watch on his left hand's wrist. Darren went downstairs and saw Tuomo resting his head on a table.
    "Hey, wake up," Darren yawned.
    "Huh? Oh, it's you; if you're wondering why I'm resting here, go ask Kieran," Tuomo said as he went back to sleep.
    "It's always Kieran," Darren mumbled.

    Darren went out of the underground home and into the icy white mountains. Waiting outside was Kieran; he was only wearing his black coat and pants in such cold weather. The Sun has yet to come out as it was 5 AM.
    "Bedhead?" Kieran asked.
    "Yeah, I woke up like a few minutes ago," Darren sighed.
    "I've got something for you to do today. Keep an eye on Aloysius and Jolanda. I'll be planning something," Kieran said.
    "What are you planning?" Darren asked.
    "Don't worry; you'll see," Kieran grinned.
    "History tends to repeat itself, huh," Darren thought.
"Don't do anything overboard," Darren warned.
    "Remember who's in charge," Kieran said as he walked away.

Darren rolled his eyes as he sat on the ledge of the mountain. He looked at the view in front of him. Darren saw more mountains and, below them was the city.
    "Bored?" Evony said.
    "No, it's not that; I wish that it was like how it was before," Darren said.
    "What do you mean?" She asked.
    "You wouldn't get it," Darren sighed.
"How did you even get here that fast? Don't you monitor the outer ranges of these mountains?" He asked.
    "It's good to look around this area sometimes," Evony said.
    "It's troubling to talk to people, no offense," Darren said.
    "None took; socialization isn't one of my strongest points either," Evony said.
Darren got up and stretched his arms as he yawned. He walked and stood in front of the academy.
    "I dislike the fact that we live under this building," He said as he turned around.
"It's very inconvenient for certain things and, it sounds like a bad idea for a story," Darren said.
    "I honestly don't care since it isn't me living under there," Evony added.
"Although, I suppose it is quite lonely down there," She added.
    "I don't care about that," Darren yawned.

    Darren turned around and, Evony was gone. He sighed, knowing it was usual that happens every few months. The students would soon wake up as Darren saw the hour hand move closer to six.
The Sun began to rise as Darren entered the building for another day of educational learning. In his dorm, Aloysius heaved himself weakly from his bed. Yesterday's events took a hit on him both mentally and physically. Aloysius even noticed a small bruise on his wrist.
    "That Kazios dude really beat me up badly," Aloysius murmured.
"My head feels like it's spinning; he had some intense strength," He thought as he got up from the ground.
Aloysius exited his dorm after doing his routine. He decided to sit at the cafeteria early before the shouting came. For Aloysius, it felt abnormal to not have students making a ruckus. What made it more irregular was the coldness. The tables were like ice, and the same could go for the floors and chairs. Aloysius did not think it would be that cold for the winter. It did make sense for a building that is located at a high elevation to be cold. Headaches were something Aloysius was lucky not to experience.
    "Please, do not embarrass me like that again," Natuso asked.
    "Says the one who helped at the last moment," Aloysius sighed.
    "I helped at last moment because whoever that was had very few flaws that I could exploit," Natuso said.
    "I have no idea what you said and, I could not care less besides the fact that I am still breathing air on this planet," Aloysius said.
    "I'm really hoping that you choose a thema before you die," Natuso said before disappearing.
    "One more hour before breakfast. Can time be any slower?" Aloysius groaned.

    As Aloysius groaned for food, Darren roamed the halls. He ended up bumping into someone he believed was asleep; O'Shea. Darren looked at O'Shea with a rare look: Confusion. Meanwhile, O'Shea was trying vigorously not to laugh. O'Shea could not have held in his laughter for long as a grin started to appear on his face. Darren raised his finger against his lips, gesturing for him to remain quiet as other students were well asleep. Too late, O'Shea suddenly burst into laughter as he pointed at Darren's face.
    "And here I thought you were finally maturing since our last meeting," Darren said.
    "I'm me! What do you expect? But, your face! Oh god, that was hilarious!" O'Shea laughed.
    "Keep quiet, O'Shea. The last thing we want to do is be a disturbance," Darren ordered.
    "You're no fun. Why can't you loosen up a bit from time to time?" O'Shea asked.
    "Because there is no time to loosen up. You know what's at stake after the disappearance of that person," Darren said.
    "What pers-? Ohh, that girl. I mean, nothing bad happened yet," O'Shea said.
    "My God, don't I prefer your battle act than this," Darren said while irritated.
"Please, can you just monitor Aloysius? I need to observe someone else," He asked.
    "Sure, I'm starting to feel fond of the guy anyway," O'Shea said.
    "Thanks, now go!" Darren said.