(Layla Hart pov.)
[January:]
Looking out of the window, we see all of the students assembling on the grounds.
They're all so organized, as if they already practiced this.
Even so, all of them are doing the same movement, like robots, their eyes staring forward, their moves... not quite human.
A cold chill runs down my spine.
Is this some kind of ability?
But why doesn't it affect us?
This is definitely not TOL's doing, right?
"They all look kind of creepy... are they... being controlled or something?" Ben stammers.
Then we hear the Headmistress Harris' voice through the speakers once again:
"All of the students have to wait for the next instructions and remain in their current position until told otherwise."
"This- isn't good. Mostly because we have no idea what's going on." Jian stares at the view from the window. "They are clearly being controlled, but how? It really does look like Headmistress Harris planned this-"
"No, she wouldn't!" Ben dismisses Jians idea immediately.
"Ben, I mean- we don't know for sure, but this cannot be something positive. On that you have to agree."
Ben remains silent.
"It means we have to go." Amaya decides abruptly.
"What?" I turn around to face her.
"We can't hide in here for ever. Something is wrong here." She steps away from the window and turns to us "Or do any of you have a better idea?"
They look at each other and nod in unison.
This is absolutely unsuitable.
Seriously, why doesn't anything ever go according to plan?
After each of us got the most important stuff in their bags, we head outside the academy, the same way we did on New Years.
What surprises me is that no teacher or guard noticed us.
Aiden looks at me with concern:
"Don't you worry. We'll find out what happened here soon enough. Should I carry your bag?"
"Ah- no. No thanks." I reply with a smile.
As soon we're outside the gates we run as fast as we can.
I'm feeling like a criminal.
"We have to watch out for-" I want to warn them but my sentence gets cut off because Aiden and Valerie crash into someone and fall backwards.
"George?"
"Valerie?"
"Aiden?" Asks Samir, who just turned visible again.
"Samir?"
"Jian?" Asks Ben, while pointing at Jian, who then looks confused at him.
We all look to Ben.
"Oh, I thought we were all announcing each other's names..." He chuckles nervously.
Eric and Zain come running behind George and Samir, surprised when they see us.
"So you're not affected as well?" Jian ponders while Ben helps Valerie up, Samir picks up his bag, Aiden brushes the dust from his trousers and George questions:
"Yeah, what even is this?
"We don't know either." I confess, noticing that Samir wears fingerless gloves, the ones he has with him since New Years.
I've heard that Zain got them for Samir as a gift. It's her voice that pulls me back in our situation:
"Cool. Always wanted to know what it's like to be on the run from authorities."
YOU ARE READING
Problems of the Gifted
Science Fiction"That's it, right? Everything you did was because you were afraid that things would go this way. You were afraid that you would fail. You were afraid of me. Let me tell you something. You should be." (Quote from a character) A new year at the Academ...
