The High 5

Chapter 17: There is Only Forward

It was lunch time, and both Aivie and Colette had a role to play in incriminating Kite. They found him in the library, eating a sandwich and reading a comic book. Aivie went in first and approached him. She slowed down momentarily to swipe the book from the table. Kite hadn't noticed her until the book was off the table, and passing by his head.

Aivie waved the book midway in the air and looked back at Kite. "If you ever wanna know if Storm Starling survives the invasion, you'll follow me." She continued towards the bookshelves near the back of the library. Kite glanced between her and his half-eaten sandwich a few times, before giving in and getting up to follow her.

She stopped between the fiction and non-fiction aisles of the bookshelves, then swung the comic book around to her back, and leaned against the fiction side of the shelves. Kite stood before her, as calm as he could make himself, and stuffed his trembling hands into the pockets of his polyester pants. He hoped this wasn't about what he thought it was about.

"It took me a while," Aivie started, "but I recently realized that you've been avoiding the Five of us." She seemed calm, much calmer than Kite was trying to be.

He almost didn't hear her. "What? Uh, what? What are you talking about? I haven't been avoiding you guys." He tried to cover up any doubt with his brilliant laugh.

"Stop lying to me."

Kite stopped laughing. "W-what? I haven't-"

"You know, you really never struck me as a comic book kind of guy," Aivie interrupted.

Kite was lost for a moment, but quickly tried to follow along the conversation. "Well, I haven't been a fan for so long. I got interested just a couple years ago."

Behind Kite, Colette had finally appeared, and was inconspicuously making her way over to Kite's light brown knapsack, which he had left by the table he was sitting at. Aivie discreetly peered over Kite's shoulder and spotted her. Rion had instructed Colette to wear sneakers and latex gloves for the task, so that she wouldn't make much noise, or leave any fingerprints.

"What made you get interested?" Aivie asked. She frowned while watching Kite furrow his brows as he thought about his answer.

"This...very persuasive voice, just found me one day. It said some things, like about the future and whatnot, and it sounded so unreal and fictitious but I believed it. I started reading comics to...I don't know, compare the prophecy to actual fiction. Eventually I started to realize that fiction would one day become fact, that everything we read in comic books will soon not be too far off from reality. I think, reading those might actually be a fairly good way to prepare for when it happens..." He laughed softly as he trailed off and gazed at the floor.

But Aivie wasn't finding any of this amusing. She stomped on Kite's foot with the heel of her navy blue high-tops, and when his head flinched up in dismay, his pained eyes were met with a vile glare.

"You think this is funny?" Aivie said in a loud hushed tone.

"N-no, I-"

Colette had just finished slipping a small, clear plastic bag of Vampire Dust into Kite's knapsack. She had taken a seat in the vacant chair next to where Kite was sitting to do it, and was about to leave, when she managed to overhear the two between the bookshelves. Though it could have risked her getting caught, she snuck over and hid on the other side of the fiction bookshelf.

"Are you on something?" She had taken a threatening step closer to him, forcing him to put weight on his pained foot and take a step back.

"What, n-no. Aivie-"

"Why are you saying this to me? I told you that stuff in confidence, you know how I feel about it. Now you're trying to make fun of me, mock me?"

Kite wanted to smack himself. He had completely forgotten that Aivie had confessed to him last spring about the mysterious voice from space, that had told her 'The High 5' was destined for something greater.

Aivie didn't share that information with just anyone, just people she trusted, and that wasn't a very long list. Kite had taken the disclosure quite well, as if he were the voice himself, proud that she had finally discovered who he was. At the time of the confession, he was completely supportive, and had no doubt that the Five had an extraordinary fate in store for them. This was because Kite knew more than he was letting on, but he wasn't allowed to say anything about it until the time was right. He couldn't believe he had just done so now.

"Shit...no, Aivie. I'm so sorry, that's not what I'm trying to do..." Kite's gaze fell to the floor.

Aivie took a step back from him. "Did you change, or did I?"

Kite looked up at her.

"You keep saying and doing things that you promised you would never do, if elected. It's like everything you've been doing, isn't even about the presidency. It's like you're your..." Aivie sharply looked away from him, not wanting to finish that sentence. A part of Kite was glad she didn't finish it, but another part knew she had a point.

Kite never thought in a million years that he would be anything like his father, but he was starting to realize that he might be going down a similar path.

It was Viktor Ceroz who first introduced his son into the wonderful world that was politics. Although, Viktor never really cared about politics, in fact one of the few exposures he's had with it was when he was elected Student Body President in his own senior year. Viktor Ceroz didn't care about politics, but he did care about power, and he could have a lot of it if his only child one day became the most powerful man in the world.

Kite remembered how he had confessed this to Aivie that same day, before she had confessed to her.

"Maybe we've both changed. We've changed and we haven't even noticed it, because one usually never can recognize how they've changed. It's usually someone else that recognizes it for them. And I don't think it's necessarily good or bad change, just change that makes us see each other in a different way." Kite lied, he had to. It wasn't Aivie who had changed, it was definitely him, and he knew it now.

Aivie slowly looked back to him, her voice was calm again. "Why have you been avoiding us?"

"Because...I know you, and you need solutions, explanations, answers. After what happened with Cassandra, you didn't really get any of those, probably just a lot more questions. And I know that in some way...I am a part of that issue, but I can't really tell you anything to make it better. I can't explain, not just yet anyway."

"So, seeing as there is something to explain, at some point this year...you did lie to me? To us? The school?" She had said it like a whisper, but she also sounded angry.

"...yes." Kite wasn't sure of what exactly brought about this suspicion against him, but he knew for sure that it was inevitable. He stood there, hands tucked in his pants pockets, waiting for whatever judgement Aivie saw fit.

Aivie wanted to punch him, though she knew it wouldn't make her feel any better. She clenched her fist in anticipation for it, but then her phone buzzed in her back pocket. She furiously unclenched her fist, and grabbed her phone.

It was from Colette: mission accomplished.

Aivie discreetly glanced behind Kite again, and saw Colette leaving the library. She shoved her phone back in her pocket, then she swung the comic in her other hand back around into sight, and shoved it onto Kite's chest. He fumbled to pull his hands out of his pockets, and take hold of the book.

"Enjoy your comics," Aivie said, sounding calm once again. She stormed past him, harshly nudging his shoulder while she did, and continued out of the library.

Kite stared blankly at the comic book in his hands. His heart had plummeted 50 stories. He had never imagined things going this wrong, but there was no going back now, there was only going forward -- even if he had to keep lying to go there.