NOVEL FROG Chapter 29: The Eleventh Hour
Chapter 29: The Eleventh Hour
I sat down, placing my cup of iced Milo on the table as Scarlette joined me, taking a sip from hers.
“Can we get started now? I don’t have all day,” Kazen sank heavily onto his seat and grumbled, clearly impatient.
The three of us were gathered at one of the outdoor cafes in the campus park area. It had been a few days since I had revealed my past to Scarlette, and with our camp starting tomorrow, we had agreed to keep my past hidden from Kazen for the time being. I had then requested Kazen to meet up with the two of us. He was strongly against it at first, but when I had mentioned his brother, he had begrudgingly complied.
This was a suboptimal place for us to meet, being so out in the open, but Kazen had refused to meet anywhere else. It seemed he had been in a particularly bad mood lately, which I didn’t blame him for. This was saying something, for he always seemed to be in a bad mood.
Aside from that, I was also already aware of some rumours circulating around the first-years about me, saying that I was actually more powerful than I let on. The rumours could have originated from several sources. It might have started as a joke that spiralled out of context among my peers, or someone might have seen me use my powers and began spreading the word. I was sure this would have happened eventually, but the least I could do was to ignore it.
Back to the present, Scarlette and Kazen were refusing to make eye contact. You could cut the tension in the air with a knife.
"Right, let’s make this quick," I said, getting straight to the point. "Remember how Scarlette asked about the existence of 6-Stars in class? Well, after the fight you two had at the Dome, Scarlette was taken backstage by Dr Connor for breaking the match rules. That’s when he revealed something—your brother, Soren Rain, is a 6-Star. Are you aware of this?"
I paused, intending to observe his reaction. A cool breeze rolled past as Kazen gathered his thoughts.
Unexpectedly, he let out a sigh. “I’m not surprised. Honestly, that sounds about right. How much did he say about Soren?” he continued, narrowing his eyes at Scarlette.
“Dr Connor just said that he was a 6-Star. He doesn’t know anything more,” she replied.
Kazen beat his fist on the table. “Did he say how he got that information?”
“He said he had some friends over in the Research Division. They’re doing a little bit of rummaging with the Administration logs.”
“So you guys want me to give you more information on Soren, right?”
“Bingo.”
“Forget it.” Kazen stood up, indicating his displeasure. “If y’all are lacking any additional information, I have nothing to gain.”
“Wait,” I called. “You just found out your brother is a 6-Star. And now you’re leaving?”
Kazen growled. “I’m not stupid. You’re clearly hiding something from me.”
Scarlette swallowed. “What makes you say that?”
“There’s no way Dr Connor would punish you for rule-breaking, and then proceed to randomly tell you information about 6-Stars right after. He clearly had an ulterior motive. He’s giving you details about my brother for a reason. What is it?”
Scarlette fidgeted in her seat, using her eyes to signal that she needed help coming up with an answer.
“Maybe he uh… likes me?” she mumbled, obviously not being serious.
“How does that even make sense? Don’t be ridiculous,” snapped Kazen.
“He wants us to ask you more about Soren,” I interrupted.
“What for? Why didn’t he just ask me himself?”
“He didn’t tell us. He said it was classified.”
“And you’re going along with his plan without even knowing the reason?”
I cursed silently. Kazen was more perceptive and inquisitive than he let on. However, I had expected him to ask that question.
“He said Scarlette would get expelled if we didn’t follow his orders.”
“Some hole you dug yourself into,” Kazen said, scoffing at Scarlette. “Whatever. You guys just had to ask me, right? You’ve fulfilled your task then. Doesn’t mean I have to actually tell you anything.”
Scarlette tilted her gaze to the ground. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to stab you.” Though apologetic, I could sense a little bit of sass in her tone.
Unfortunately, Kazen didn’t seem to appreciate it. “You only won because you cheated. Fight me again. This time whoever cripples the other, wins. I'll change my approach this time.”
“Technically, you were the official winner of the fight. Anyway, we’ll consider your offer if you tell us more about Soren,” I cut in.
“Hey, wait a min—” Scarlette started, but Kazen interrupted her.
“Come on. Everyone knows Scarlette won that. And now you’re trying to negotiate with me, huh? Yeah right, better luck next time.” He pushed his chair back and started walking away.
I reached out and grabbed his hand. “I’ll find your brother during semester break and challenge him to a duel.”
I saw his facial features twist in contemplation. “There’s no way you can win. He’ll probably kill you,” he smirked.
Scarlette got up as well. “Hey! This is Cadel we’re talking about! Who do you thi—”
“Shut it. I don’t like my brother, but I don’t like two random people thinking they’re hot shit enough to challenge him even more.”
“Can you stop interrupting me…” Scarlette’s voice trailed as Kazen shook my hand off and left.
“He’s so FREAKIN’ ANNOYING! UGH!” she seethed.
“Relax. We now know that Soren’s the real deal. Thing is, after our duel back then, as we were heading back to the dorm, he mentioned he didn’t know where Soren was currently. He had cut off contact with Kazen prior to enlistment. Apparently, he was supposed to enter District 1, which was why Kazen enrolled in District 4 in the first place—to get away from him,” I explained.
“Kazen’s scared of his own brother? What a wuss!” Scarlette was really rubbing it in now. It was a pity that Kazen wasn’t here—I would’ve loved to see them continue trash-talking each other.
We finished our drinks and headed back to the dorm. “Have you finished packing?” I asked her.
Our group had recently collected our bags and Abizium suits from the foyer. The tents were provided as well. Jonah and I had volunteered to carry both tents for our team.
“Yeah, I’m quite excited to be honest. But I heard we’re gonna be near the coastline. I hope we don’t have any aquatic activities…” she grimaced.
“Oh yeah, you can’t swim,” I recited. Our first encounter had resulted in me having to float her out of the water because of that.
Scarlette whacked my arm. “I just… have never liked water, okay? I just feel so powerless in there. You know… water and fire don’t mix…”
“Is that the reason you’ve never taken up swimming?” I asked.
She blushed. “Y—yeah… Anyway, the rest of you guys can swim, right? I’ll be cheering y’all on from the beach!”
“What happens if you encounter a Water-Ability user?” I asked out of curiosity.
“I run.”
I couldn't tell if she was joking or not.
As nighttime rolled around, I made my last-minute checks for my packing list. Spare clothes, some basic toiletries, snacks just in case... everything seemed to be in order. The camp was going to be intense, and I hated being caught unprepared.
“Alright, everything looks good to go,” I muttered to myself, dusting my hands.
I zipped up my bag and got ready for bed. We were due to report at the foyer at 10 AM tomorrow, where a bus would take our class to Covecreek Forest. Just as I was about to turn in, a sudden, blinding flash of white light erupted outside my window.
My senses were instantly on high alert, and dread gnawed at my stomach. Was it the Horizon High kids again? Who was the one with the flashbang Ability—was it Lumia?
I rushed over to my window and peered out, but there was no one there. Suddenly, my phone buzzed, nearly making me jump out of my skin. I opened it and observed a text message from Jonah.
“Yo dude? Did you see that light? Sorry!”
I quickly put two and two together.
“That was your Ability? What did you do?”
“I think I have a better understanding of my Ability now. I’ve been testing all sorts of things every night. “
I could sense the amount of effort Jonah had put in over the past week. During our recent team practice sessions at the Dome, he had been making all sorts of weird light simulations, bending the light rays in various forms. Nothing had been on the scale as what he had just performed though.
Jonah continued, “I hope I’ll be somewhat useful during the camp. Can’t have you and Scarlette hogging all the limelight, know what I’m sayin’?”
“I’ll be counting on you,” I replied. I would have loved to continue the conversation a little longer, but I was starting to feel tired. With that, we ended the conversation and I headed off to bed.
The next morning, I headed down to the dormitory square to meet up with my group. The area was buzzing with activity, students clad in school tracksuits and hauling large bags as they gathered with their groups before making their way to the foyer. I spotted my group huddled in one corner, already gathered and waiting for me.
“Morning Cadel!” Kaede greeted me. She had her hair pulled back, tucked under a baseball cap.
“Morning,” I replied with a nod, adjusting the strap on my bag.
Scarlette, as usual, was already taking charge. “Great, looks like we’re all here. Let’s start making our way to the foyer.”
“We’ve still got 40 minutes before we need to be there,” I said, glancing at my watch. “But yeah, it’s better to get there early. I don’t want to deal with the rush either.”
Scarlette nodded, satisfied. “Exactly. That’s why I asked us to meet up earlier. Let’s go.”
The foyer was only a 15-minute walk, but with our bags weighing us down, it would probably take closer to 20.
We set off through the campus, the morning air crisp with the promise of yet another long day ahead. Other groups of students trickled in from various directions, all headed toward the same destination. I wondered just how each of them would perform at the camp. Were there any interesting people? Others who secretly possessed significant amounts of power like me? I would just have to wait to find out.