End of tomorrow

Chapter 16

"Had a good birthday party?"

Alessa looked up from her cup of stung coffee with a frown – she hasn't been able to find anything about the vision she had last night from Gigi. Sam slid on the stool with a newspaper in one hand. Alessa quirked an eyebrow at the unusual sight.

Sam ignored the look and spread the newspaper in front of her. Alessa thumped her chest as the sip of coffee took a wrong turn.

She couldn't believe the image of her and Ethan holding each other on the dance floor and smiling at each other whilst looking each other in the eyes. Above the picture read: "Future Love?"

Alessandra snatched the newspaper off the table and held it in front of her.

"Alessandra Saunders (also known as Alessa by her close friends and family) has possibility found her future love. The sensation teen, who has the ability to predict the future, celebrated her eighteenth birthday yesterday in Crystal Hall in London. The heart-throb seen dancing with her is Ethan Trueman, one of the football and badminton star players at Eastmont Academy. It was not the first time these two danced."

"Ethan and Alessa are very close. He even asked her to the prom in front of everyone," revealed Hailey Jardine, Alessa's best friend for a long time.

"It seems like the love story –"

With a scoff, Alessa slammed the newspaper on the table and muttered something about 'so-called friend'. The last time she checked, Hailey and Alessa hardly saw eye to eye.

"Well?" asked Sam impatiently with her arms crossed. "Who's this 'Ethan' guy?"

"He's just a friend I was dancing with," replied Alessa, going back to sipping her coffee. The sharp pain in her head she managed to press down returned.

"I hope everyone knows you are friends or else..." trailed off Sam.

"What do you mean?"

Sam hesitated for a moment and then sighed. "What I mean is everyone reads the newspaper t HIRI and the first thing they're – Dmitri – is going to see is you and Ethan plastered on the first page of the newspaper."

Alessa paled. Not now damn it! She just managed to take the next step in their relationship with Dmitri and this could ruin everything. It will ruin everything. She needs to explain everything to him and soon.

Alessa held her head in her hands and winced in pain as her headache got worse. Sam looked worried at her friend's depressed posture.

"We need to go," Sam whispered, smiling apologetically. Alessa slid off the stool, her every step sending agonising jolts of pain to her head but all she could think about was Dmitri's reaction. It was a good thing she decided to eat in the living quarter instead of the cafeteria.

"Alessa. Sit down." Alessa complied with the command and laid down, resting her head on the chair. Through the corners of her eyes, Alessa watched Dmitri study the brainwave machine with his back stiff. Alessa's stomach plummeted. She recognised that stance – he was angry.

Dmitri turned around, his face and eyes blank as he checked Sam's handy work of placing the electrodes and stood back with his clipboard.

"Today's tests are going to be different," he said emotionlessly. "We're going to show you images of disasters that happened recently from the countries identified yesterday and we want you to tell us if you see anything."

Alessa nodded hastily causing her to wince at a sudden pain. A faint hint of worry flitted across Dmitri's cool exterior before it disappeared as soon as it appeared.