Aces: Ace of Spades

Chapter 1: Two Justines Are Better Than One (Part 4)

Knock!  Knock!

“Who is it?”  I yelled out.

“It’s Amarie!” Her voice rang outside my door.

I opened the door.  “Hey Amarie!  What do you need?  I’m reviewing some of my old spells.”

Tomorrow is Justine’s and my battles but there’s still no sign of her.  I’ve been asking Amarie where she could be these past few days but she too didn’t know. It was already nighttime and Amarie must have some news of her.  Mr. Lewis and the rest of Group B are already worried sick.

“It’s about Justine, with an e!”

I closed the book and focused my attention to her.  “What is it?”

“As you know, Justine, with an e, has disappeared and not one of us knows where she is but I have read Andrew’s mind.”

“And?!”

“Andrew’s hiding something.”  She sat on my bed and looked at me with these big, serious, brown eyes.  “I don’t know what it is but it’s about Justine, with an e.  Also, I’ve been doing a little bit of investigation.”

“What?”

“Well, I know the reason why Celina and I lost in our battles and why there was a gruesome pain afterwards.  The day before my battle, Justine, with an e, Celina and I ate something that Justine and Andrew baked.”  She reasoned.  “I had Matthieu check them in the school laboratory and-“

“WHAT?!” I demanded.

“They contained some sort of potion that weakened the consumer when she starts using her power.”

“Is that all?” I asked as my anger towards Andrew flared up even more.

“No.  Remember my cute pet, Betsy?”

I shuddered. “Unfortunately, I do.”

Betsy is Amarie’s pet radioactive hamster.  When Amarie was a kid, it accidentally bathed in some kind of dangerous chemical. It still looks the same (except for its razor, sharp teeth which kind of scares the hell out of well, everyone except Amarie). It also pukes on anybody it hates, including me.  It has a power though.  It can find anyone in this world once it picks up its scent.

“I made Betsy sniff on Justine’s iPod which she practically carries everywhere and Betsy couldn’t find her.”

That’s weird.  Yes, Betsy is a baby hamster but it’s got great searching skills.

“Th-that means-“  I stopped with a horrible realization.

“Yes.  If Betsy can’t find someone, this person is either separated from his or her body or he or she is dead.” She said with a grim tone.

~*~*~*~

”Hey buddy, are you nervous?”  Matthieu said.  “Buddy?  Justin!”

‘Wh-what?”

In a few more minutes, my battle against some guy named Eliot Rainsworth would start. I was with the rest of Group B but I wasn’t nervous.  I wasn’t nervous at all.  Yes, I wasn’t nervous but I am 100% scared.  Not of my battle but of Justine, with an e’s.  I know how much Justine wants to win this and now she can’t even show up and I can’t do anything about it.

“Justin, it’s time.”  Mr. Lewis said.

Well, that’s my signal.  I bade Group B goodbye and went to the changing room to change to my battle armor and prepare myself.

After preparing myself, I went to the doors that would lead me to the battle arena. I heard Mr. Wu’s voice introducing me in the battle.

“On the red team, we have Mr. Matt Justin Ong of Group B or Valkyrie Profile, ranked fourth!”