Stonebrook High School

Chapter 21

Holy crap, I just realized I forgot to make an announcement about this last chapter.

Thank you for 1K reads!! ♡ I seriously love you all and I hope you'll continue reading my stories!

There will be a special reading in Chapter 25 to celebrate :)

~*Ω*~

"Down the hall, third door on the left."

"Thank you."

Jess walked down the marble hallway, feeling as if she was going to trip on her own feet and fall sideways. This hospital gave her a strange feeling of fright and vulnerability despite having been here multiple times when her mother and father were ill. All those other times, she held felt nothing but fear for her parents- so why was today different?

Her hand shivered as she reached for the door. A chill ran down her back, giving her goosebumps. She wasn't ready to see Petra, especially if she looked like how Lukas had described her.

She opened the door anyway.

Thank god, there was a curtain.

"Are you-" the nurse in the corner of the room snuck a peek at a monitor- "Jesse Ryder?"

She nodded and took in a deep breath, turning the corner of the curtain.

She held her breath when she laid eyes on Petra. Her skin was a sickly gray color and her veins were visible on the surface, seemingly dull purple.

Maybe it wasn't that her veins had gone to the surface, it was that her skin was now sticking to her organs, looking as if all her muscle had disappeared.

Instead of her normal outfit, she was dressed in the mandatory hospital clothes and her hair was spread out on the pillow, similar to how leaves branched out from a stem.

"How is she?" The words struggled to leave her mouth.

"She's only living through our life support," said the nurse, speaking calmly to carefully choose her words. "We don't know what this malady is, but it causes amnesia and the entire body to shut down. The veins become swollen and the skin thins down to a mere layer of a few cells. It's not good. Some other patients have also been seen going through extreme pain as their veins swell up and clog, but your friend was different."

Jess blinked in astonishment. That was what had been happening to her? "Why has this been so spread out?"

The door clicked open and a tan-colored man with a thick, curled mustache stepped into the room. "We're not sure about that, but we can confirm most men who have contracted the illness have worked together at some point. Many also worked for a company which is now defunct."

Jess stared at the man in the doorway who shut the door behind him. "Then if most of them have worked together, how did my friend get it? Has she been working with shady people?" Her head reminded her of Petra's 'night' job, dealing underground, but there was no way Petra was stupid enough to get herself into this kind of stuff.

The man stood upright and put his hands behind his back in a soldier-style. "We don't know, hence why my team was wondering if you could answer a few questions."

She raised an eyebrow skeptically, unsure if she could trust this man. "Before you go asking me any questions, who are you?"

The man pulled out a thin wallet and held it out to her. She grabbed it and read the ID card.

"I'm Captain Reginald of the Stonebrook Key and Aether Force, otherwise known as Sky City Guard."

She scrunched her eyebrows. She knew who he was but never had to see him around the city. Now that he was here in front of her, she could tell these cases were serious. After all, the Sky City Guard were the elite of the elite in all of California, stationed only in Stonebrook and Aether– they never had to show themselves.

She returned the wallet and frowned. "Why did you come to me?"

"Your friend is the youngest to contract this illness. Most people who were diagnosed with it were in their thirties and forties, and yet we have a teenager who is almost 17."

Jess glanced at the redhead in the bed and bit her lip. "I'll answer everything truthfully."

The Captain pulled a chair and sat down, taking out a notepad. "Then let's begin."

~*Ω*~

Should I take the elevator after or just use the stairs? Jesse was stuck between the two choices.

If he took the next lift, he wouldn't know what floor to exit on, and if he took the stairs, he might move slower than the elevator and lose the man.

"Agh, I'll just take the stairs."

He waited until the man entered the elevator and dashed up the first two flights, waiting for any sounds of elevator bells dinging. Finally, after another three flights, he spotted the man exit and turn to his left. With careful awareness, Jesse waited for the man to turn a corner in order to follow. Eventually, Jesse could see him knock on room 102.

The door opened and a woman showed her face. He strained his ears to hear the woman:

"Ah, what is your name, sir?"

The man straightened up. "Orvi, miss."

She went through a list and pointed at a scribble on a piece of paper. "Mr. Orvi. Please, come in. Mr. Gabriel is out at the moment but he will be coming back in two minutes."

The man, now known as 'Orvi,' nodded and entered.

Jesse cursed and dashed at the door, sliding through as the woman closed it, who was focused on Mr. Orvi. He panicked and rolled into the next room, hiding behind the wall. "Hey, at least I rolled into the kitchen. Got knives in case I need to stab someone," he joked, mentally slapping himself at how stupid he was.

"What is your relation to Gabriel, miss?" Orvi said, eyeing the room. She smiled and replied, "I'm his maid, sir."

"Are there any other people here?"

"We have one assistant, one secretary, and one head organizer, but the assistant is out with Mr. Gabriel and the secretary is on break. The head organizer is busy filing documents."

"Hmm. Interesting."

"Would you like a cup of tea?"

Oh god, please be hydrated, Jesse pleaded.

"Yes, I would. Thank you."

Damn you, human biology!

"I will make a cup of green tea."

Footsteps were getting louder and louder towards Jesse and he leaped behind the table, lying flat and hyperventilating.

The maid walked into the kitchen and sounds of metal were heard. As she was occupied, Jesse slunk back into the main room and hid in the corner behind some long window drapes. "What am I doing?" he muttered under his breath.

The maid returned and Jesse held his breath. The sound of the tea cup clinking against the small plate was muffled by Mr. Orvi talking. "Thank you... ah..."

"You can call me Reyes, sir."

"Thank you, Miss Reyes."

The door opened and Jesse peeked into the room. Gabriel entered and held the door open for another woman, presumably the assistant.

"Ah, are you Mr. Orvi?" Gabriel said, closing the door.

Mr. Orvi turned his head and smiled, although it was not warm. "Why, I am."

Gabriel gasped and the assistant and maid looked at him in confusion.

"... Ivor?"

Mr. Orvi/Ivor smirked and stood up, facing him with his entire body. "Hello, Gabriel."