The Republic of Linae (Book 1)

Chapter 12: Eric

Neither Allyson nor her brother have been at school for the past few hours. After spending some time with her, I've gotten the sense that she is not the type of person to skip school— unlike her brother. There is a chance that I could be wrong about that. I have been wrong about a lot of things in regards to Allyson Hansen.

Last night, I stayed up late trying to think of an appropriate way to apologize to her. I had been planning to apologize in math, but she hadn't shown up.

Jared fidgets in his seat when I show up to the lunch table. His green eyes move to my face, wide with surprise. "Did you hear about what happened to the Hansen twins!?" He asks in a loud whisper.

"No," I respond shortly.

Jared fishes for his phone in his bag. "It's been all over the news! They were attacked at her doctor's house by the Calamities this morning!" I watch as he taps on the news icon on the device. Every news headline talks about the Hansen twins.

'Failed attempt on Hansen twins' lives!' Reads the Republic Express.

'Assassination attempt thwarted by the Hansen twins', says Linae Times.

Jared opens up the Linae Times article, handing me the phone. The first thing I notice is the picture the article has on all the apprehended suspects. There are five of them total: including Frostbite, one of the Calamities most ruthless. According to the article, each of the men were knocked out upon arrival. Only Frostbite sustained any injuries, a gigantic gash across his forehead. The rest of the men have no remarkable physical injuries.

The reports do not exactly say what happened to the twins or these men. They do have details on what happened to the Hansen family's doctor, who was shot dead along with his wife. The report also says that the twins discovered the bodies and reported the incident to their father. President Hansen is going to have a press conference later today to give out all the details.

"Holy Hell," I murmur while skimming the article again in search of any details that I missed.

"I know!" Jared states.

No wonder why neither of the twins came to school today. They're probably dealing with the repercussions of the failed attempt on their lives. I wouldn't show up to school either if someone tried to kill me.

The chair on the right side of Jared squeals while it gets pulled out. Jared and I startledly look up at Allyson, who is currently giving us a smile that does not reach her eyes. "Hello boys," she states calmly. Her eyes flicker between the two of us. "What are you two talking about?"

Someone tried to kill her, and she came to school.

"The news reporters from the park yesterday think that we're dating," I lie smoothly. The truth would just be a painful reminder of what she went through earlier today. I'm sure she doesn't want to think about the fact that someone tried to kill her.

Blinking several times in surprise, Allyson picks up her spoon. It's odd that she finds such a thing surprising. She's a beautiful girl, the daughter of the president, and she recently returned to Linae. If she were to ask any boy in this school to be her boyfriend, they would gladly agree to it with no hesitation. Even if they already have a girlfriend. "Really?" She asks.

Tipping back in my chair, I nod my head. "Yep. All everyone was talking about yesterday was how incredibly hot I am and how lucky you are to be dating such a fine specimen."

I'm not prepared for how hard she hits my arm with the back of her hand. The amount of force she uses nearly causes me to fall backwards onto the ground. "Idiot," she hisses under her breath while tearing off a piece of her grilled cheese. "I don't know why I even believed you."