Irene Vaughn and the Eternal Captive

The Mist

Adriana Louis Marks, Christina Elizabeth Houju, and Christine Elizabeth Mae Houju. They are my best friends since fourth grade but this year, we are in different sections. They are in section C, but we still meet each other during lunch time. 

Today at lunch, we ate while we tell each other stories about our classes. Although we transfer from one room to another for our subjects, we don't have the same schedule. My schedule is the same with my classmates. 

My next subject is different from Adriana and the twins so I bid them goodbye to go to the laboratory.

<In the Lab>

I was seated at the back row. I was people watching when someone sat beside me. It's him. I haven't seen him in years.

It was a bit awkward so I decided to break the ice, "uhm... Hi!".

He looked at me,"Hi Mystery".

"What did you just call me?", I asked as I heard my nickname.

"Isn't Mystery your nickname?", he asked.

"Well, yeah! but... how did you know?", I queried.

He didn't answer my question because the teacher came in.

Mr. Rollins announced that whoever is sitting beside us would be our lab partner. I felt a chill when I realized he is my lab partner.

How could he know my nickname? After our first subject, I chased him down the corridors. "Hey!", I called. He stopped in his tracks and looked back, "Hey, wait up!". Once I was able to catch my breath, I spoke up, "What's your name?".

"I'm Duke", he answered. 

Then I asked him, "So uh... Duke. Doesn't that mean leader? So maybe there's a leader in you huh?"

"That's what people expect.", he said then he continued walking.

"Wait! uhm... Is it okay to ask you a few more questions?", I inquired. 

"Maybe this afternoon. After the classes.", he said.

<Dismissal> 

I asked him, "How did you know my nickname?"

He answered, "Simple. I know what you are."

"I don't get it. You know... WHAT I am?", I said with confusion.

"Yep.", he said.

I stared at him blankly, not knowing what to say.

Then I asked, "Okay. So... you're in this school during your fourth grade, right?"

He answered, "Yes, and I'm in that room when you froze it."

"How did you survive that temperature without feeling cold, or at least trying to lessen it?", I asked. 

"You picked a spell to cast that doesn't affect our kind", he explained.

"What kind?", I asked.

"I couldn't tell you. It's not the right time."

"When's the right time? I want to know who I really am. Is this related to my mom?", I asked.

"Well, sort of", he said. 

Then I remembered my dream. Mother said I should be patient so I said, "I guess I should wait. Just... tell me soon."

He smiled. It is the first time I saw him smile. He's cute though. I smiled back at him and said, "See you tomorrow. Bye!".

I went home and checked my notebooks if I have an assignment to finish. I thought I finished all of my homework but when I grabbed my mythology notebook, I still have a research to start. Its due date is on Friday. I still have time to do it on the coming days but it would be much better to start it already.