The Matters of Power

Chapter 36- Trip to a Past

Today's a Saturday, perfect for some information gathering. I start my mission by browsing through the Internet, going through various websites to see what they all say about him. Unfortunately, there's not a whole lot that is particularly concrete: being born to a large family of Spanish and Italian heritage, attending a high-profile university, even being co-founder of a pharmaceutical branch until he willingly stepped down from it, now being the CEO and founder of Star-Cor Technology. Business articles and tabloids all talk about him with a lot of praise and very little negative news has been shown, with nothing sticking to him. If only everyone knew what he actually was deep down. I keep scrolling through every single bit of information, frustrated that very little progress has been made, until a certain line catches my attention. Apparently, Mr. Corvanez had attended a high school in a countryside town just outside San Anton, and after looking at the address of the high school, isn't very far from my home and is also on a bus route! Yes, this is just what I needed to know! Scrounging every little bit of spare change that I leave around my room, I ready everything I need and say goodbye to Mom, saying that I'm going to be trying to exercise around the neighborhood. With my parents feeling somewhat secured, I hurry on over to the nearest bus stop and manage to catch one heading towards the countryside.

I've never been a fan of the countryside, considering that I could never get used to the open areas that I never had back in Austin or in San Anton, but I have to endure and find any and everything useful I can learn about Mr. Corvanez. Almost an hour later, the bus stops at the town center, or what can be considered one with a few cluttered shops and the town hall being here. Never mind that, I have to focus on finding the high school, which is still conveniently still accessible to see on my phone. I still get a few glances from the occasional passerby, but their thoughts don't seem to faze me at this point as I more pressing matters than someone's own opinion. In my mind, I would have thought that the high school would have been still open to the general public, but to my surprise it's completely abandoned, no sign of life anywhere inside the campus grounds. "So, you're here to see the great high school in its state as well?" I turn to my left to see an old man with a walking cane talk to me. I nod. "It's still good to see people still remember of the school that they graduated from. Y'know, I used to be one of the substitute teachers that taught at almost every single class, even during that time when one of the students was the star pupil of this school." Is he talking about Mr. Corvanez, with the use of his abilities? "Star pupil? There was something that talented?" He seems to smile a bit more, "Oh yeah. The teachers adored his talent and know-how, and his peers wanted to be like him. Sadly, he graduated when I was early into my profession, so I never really got to know him a whole lot. I think his last name was Corvis? No, Cornelius? Ah, crap, it's been a good while but it's one of those weird names you get if you understand it." No doubt about it, he's talking about him, and it sounds like he made a lasting impression around here to the point that the old man still remembers.

"Ah, well, it's just a trip to the past, right? We all have those days, anyways. If you want to go inside, I certainly won't stop you, heck, not even the locked doors could since they're probably all dinged up and rusted to that point. Thanks for taking the time to talk to an old man, kid, hope you have a good one." I wave him goodbye, and the old man casually walks away without a care in the world. At least my conversation with him gave me a little bit more information, however small it was. Now that I realize it, he assumed that I had graduated from here and must have poor eyesight or misjudged my appearance. The door entrances were, just as the old man said, really easy to pass through and nothing too difficult to break. The forum is eerily quiet, just as expected from an abandoned high school, though I doubt this is a segment for a horror film in this story. Nothing really stands out, so I decide to move farther inside the building, making sure not to trip over the stray piece of glass or running rodent in the halls. Suddenly catches my eye, and I turn my head to see a trophy case that is absolutely full of golden trophies that are from sport and academic contests. It's amazing how such things stand out in an abandoned school, but one thing stands out to me as I observe the details of the trophies, 'Howard Corvanez'. No way, the old man wasn't lying when he said all that about him! To think that he had accomplished so much that it took multiple shelves to display all of his trophies, it's obvious that he used his powers to gain an edge against the competition. Still, it feels like it's not enough, there must be something in the lockers that might have something. Not farther in do I see a largely decorated line of lockers, though decaying and falling off that seem to point towards a specific locker. Locker Number 103, surrounded by plastered paper arrows and sticky notes saying about how great Mr. Corvanez is. I expected some lockbox that contains some of his worst secrets during his high school years, but to my dismay find almost nothing inside. Everything, gone, and very little to show for all this hassle. Then I spot something taped on the side of the locker door, it's a photograph that has a lot of dust on it. I blow it all off and pull out the photo of the locker, seeing what appears to be a high school version of Mr. Corvanez, surrounded by two other people who look about his age. They must be very close friends to him, or at the very least well associated.

Maybe this photo has some meaning to find out what Mr. Corvanez has been hiding from me. I neatly fold it and tuck it in my pocket, satisfied about my findings into his past. I leave the school grounds, careful to not damage or destroy anything, and make my way to the bus stop to get on the earliest bus back to San Anton. I look at the photo again as I sit down on the bus and wonder about the other people next to Mr. Corvanez, wondering if they are still associated with him or are even alive to meet with.

With a sigh, I lounge back on the bus seat and rest mentally for I have to prepare to ask Yan about the other gangs, just as Mr. Corvanez suggested.

Man, what a messed-up situation I've gotten myself in.