Coding Decoding | on going

t h r e e

Nights at the CPA were charmed.

The Felix dorms were often kept serenaded with charms of the willxhery flowers — a flower possessed with the abilities to sing sweet lullabies at night. The oder it releases can often put any person in deep dark slumber. This doesn't only makes the spying run smoothly but also keep the CPA protected from invaders. After midnight, with the release of willxheries, the spies too gets shunned until the morning.

The Professor dorms were locked with dark sword-mens guarding the locks. Neither the sound nor the scent of willxhery could reach there.

"Hey psst."

Isla looked up from her notebook to find Alvero hanging down from the windows upside down. "What are you, a bat?"

"Hilarious," he rolled his eyes, jumping down on his all fours and sitting casually on the window seat, right in front of Isla.

"I know," Islared hummed, about to going back to her notes. "You better not make a noise. I don't want the guards to inject us with willxhery just yet."

"Oh shut it," Alvero hushed as he searched in pockets.

"No, no. You need to tell me,"

Isla knew how her friend was. Alvero was anything but silent. He was even louder than CPA's alarm that goes off at four in the morning.

"I swear to god, if this is one of your stupid inventions. You know we are always being watched, don't you?"

"Hey, my inventions are genius, okay?"

"Almost got us kicked from our department previous year. Oh, so genius."

"You dare disrespect me!"

Isla rolled her eyes at this. The moonlight had now entered their room, shying out on Isla, gently bathing her with ludicrous whites.  The settling silence crept in. From the background, a deep humming was heard, so sweet as tune, so hushed as stars.

"Willxheries!" Alvero exclaimed. "They are awaken!"

Isla, though, was in a trance. This suddenly took her back to the time at the Michelle's.

—  "Go on, open it!" His face was dark but the little moonlight which was slipping through the window made it look like a white silhouette on a black canvas. She kept staring at his tough face, trying to make out what exactly was going in his mind.

The clock stroke twelve. It was midnight.

It was just like the night when Beethoven wrote the moonlight sonata for his beloved Giulietta Guicciardi.

So, was it just like tonight when the moon shone brighter than the sun when the whole world was fast asleep and only magic seeped through the cracks of this world.

She wondered. After these numerous thoughts, have finally dared to open the box to find a small porcelain doll in it. It was a tiny figure of a girl made with porcelain. It had long blonde hair curved beautifully down her cheeks, just like hers. It wore a bright yellow dress which indeed looked glamorous. She kept staring at it until the mosquitoes song broke her concentration.

"How is it?" Jordan asked breaking the melodious silence.

"...it's so pretty!"  —

A sudden shake dragged her out of the tranquility. The night was dark and the moon shone the brightest. Her thoughts battled surfing between the seas of flashbacks and the loudness of reality.

"You alright?"  Alvero whispered.

Liar, she thought. Liar. Liar. Liar. Liar.

Both of them lied to her.

—  "Mother?"

"Yes, love?"

"You will never me, right?"

"Never."

"Promise?"

"Promise." —

"Liar," she thought out loud. Her palms involuntarily rolled into fists.

The trust, the love, the innocence, the pain she had locked deep down inside her heart — did she ever deserve them? All these seven years of her life she couldn't figure out where she went wrong. Was she not enough to be a daughter? Did she never deserve being the girl wearing dresses and having friends? Was she not worthy to have parents?

"Islared!" Alvero whisper-cried, shaking her hands, "Have you been possessed? Do I need to call the guards?"

Islared who was almost immediately pulled out of her trance, rolled her eyes and smacked his hands. "Touch me again and I'll burn you."

Alvero snickered not before giving her a blank look. "Calm down tiger and here have this quick" He said distancing himself.

Alvero knew Islared like no one else; or at least that what he liked to believe. He knew what was her favourite food or drink or even the fact that she hated physical contact. There were times — like once or twice — were they hugged, but even though, Isla retreated herself as if her skin was on fire.

Although less in number, he, with all his lonely heart, cherished those moments like no other.

"Avocado juice? I am not five,"  Islared mocked, "Or, wait, are we sneaking out?"

"Can you like shut up for a minute and do as I say? Geez. Who knows they might hear us?"

"No." Isla said putting down the glass, "Not until you say why. It's Saturday tomorrow and I would really like a stress-free, training-free, detention-less day. Is that too much to ask for?"

"Oh my God, do you not trust me?"

"No."

"You wound me."

"Gladly," She shrugged, slowly closing her paperworks and laptop. The air was turning thick with the willxheries and her eyes started getting droopy.

She yawned, settling her legs up the mattress and wrapping her hands around them. "You have like one minute to explain everything — and, i mean it, everything, from top to bottom. Don't leave anything behind."

"Ugh, I hate you, you know that right?"

Isla nodded, awaiting for his answer.

"Fine," Alvero sighed. "We are sneaking out because i, i mean, we need to investigate the Politics And Governance Department. I think President Christian is hiding something."

"What do you mean, hiding something?"

"Like, something big. I believe, i don't know — a terrorizing plan cheat, maybe? You know, about the Lehan Project. I heard it from my father that the decision will be soon declared among the masses and they are waiting for the President because 'he is on something.' And we, as curious little teenagers, are going to find it out."

Islared nodded, her head getting drizzier with every passing seconds.

"And what made you think that i will help you?"

Alvero stayed calm for a while, carefully examining Isla as she struggled to keep her eyes open.

"Because, Roger," He paused and closed his eyes for a moment to heave a sigh, "I think it's related to you."