Chapter 100

Chapter 100
Aidan's POV

I lost control again!

I could hear Alan Walker's 'Lost Control' playing in my head like it was made for me; like it was made for this particular situation.

The sting came and I couldn't control it. I almost killed Elly!

And how old man Rockwell forced me out of that state, I had no idea.

I was going crazy. I was losing it.

I wanted to step out, get some fresh air and maybe run... But where would I go? Sitting in a class with the people I've come to cherish and care so much about wasn't a good idea, especially when I couldn't even understand what the fuck was going on with me.

I zoned out the entire time he spoke to Elly about her dreams. One part that struck me was when he said "I believe your dream is way deeper than you think. And it's not just relevant to you."

So Elly's dream wasn't just a dream?

I couldn't get him clearly as he kept speaking as I was in and out, wandering in my own mind. It felt like a dark space, cloudy and murky.

"Aidan," Professional Rockwell broke the silence.
"I'm asking again. What's going on with you? Because I know something is definitely wrong. You're not yourself."

I raised my head, and I couldn't stop the new wave of anger boiling in me. I can never accept I was broken, even if I knew deep down that he was right.

I'm fine. I wanted that to be a reality.

Are you? Just talk to me here. I heard his voice echo in my head.

I blinked, looking away from him. I wasn't ready to have a therapy session in my fucking mind. No way!

"I'm perfectly okay," I said out loud, clenching my fists.

I caught Elly's worried eyes on me. My heart melted, washed with a feeling of hurt. If I decided that hiding this was the right thing, I would end up hurting her.

"I got kicked out of my basketball team... temporarily," I forced the words out.
They gasped. Ryan, however, didn't react.

"Oh, damn. I thought your coach said he was giving you till next practice?" Jimmy asked.

"Apparently, he could not even hold himself together. Burned another of his teammates and broke the other's arm," Ryan chipped in, rolling his eyes.

"Well, he asked for it."
And he deserved it. Trent was the only person I could feel sorry for.

"Right. Why did you burn him?" Rockwell cut into our conversation.

I grunted, annoyed by those very words.
"He called me a loser."

Rockwell smiled and nodded, leaving me confused. "It's a good thing you showed him. You're not a loser, Aidan."

Everyone was shocked by his response, including me.

"Before you burnt him, what happened? I mean on the inside? Your flames, they weren't normal. They look like they are being amplified."

I hesitated a bit, taking notice of my friends' eyes on me.

"I... I felt angry," I started, still thinking how to tell them what I felt each time I lost control.

"There's this sting I feel in my chest. It starts small and then becomes very persistent. It's as if I'm feeling a burst of adrenaline all at once. I feel my body heating up on the inside and then my flames come up."

I glanced at them. They all were leaning towards me, wanting to hear more.

"Sometimes I try to fight it, to control it, but... I end up losing it. I don't know what happens after I lose it until that feeling cools down."

I bowed, solemnly, hurt by my own confession. Elly appeared beside me and pulled me into a hug.

"I don't understand what this is," I added, staring down at my palms. "But I never meant to hurt you, Elly. I never meant to hurt anyone, not even Dunn. I..."

"Shh," she placed her forefinger on my lips, "It's okay, love. I totally understand. We'll figure it out."

"I'm sorry I doubted you. You were right after all. The dream wasn't just an ordinary nightmare." I admitted.

She giggled, "I love to know that I was right and you were wrong."

I nudged her a little, grinning. The sour feeling was slowly disappearing, leaving me with a flowery warmth that only she could make me feel.

"It's a shame that you won't be playing in the game this weekend, man," Jimmy said, walking up to my side too. "I was really looking forward to seeing you whack those Storks hard."

"Same here," Ryan said.

"Oh wow, are you for real? I thought you weren't a fan of basketball?" Adrian teased from the front row.

"I never said that, you stone head," Ryan frowned, a bit annoyed.

"Of course, you did. You said you thought Aidan looked a bit too childish to be bouncing around a circle with a ball along with other kids."

"You don't have to always wash our secrets in public. Secrets are meant to be kept in the room they were told."

Jimmy bursted out laughing. Sometimes, I thought he was cursed to never stop laughing. I shook my head. I felt better as they conversed but at the front of the class, Professor Rockwell was in deep thoughts, soliloquizing.

Elly was right, we'd eventually figure it out especially after we told the professor. I was right after all. This was the best base to fall back to when things spiralled out of control, and Rockwell was what kept this base together.

"It all makes sense now," he finally said, nodding. "Your dream, Elly. And what's happening with Aidan."

"What do you mean?" Elly asked.

Rockwell, looked away. "You're not losing your mind, Aidan. And it's not just your anger that makes you flare up." 

I frowned. "Yeah, but what about the sting? It always bites before I feel the burning feeling within me. Always feels like my blood is molten lava and it's just boiling inside of me."

"And are you saying Aidan's condition is somehow related to the events in my dream?" Elly chipped in too.

"Yes, I am."

"How? Nothing I saw had a direct link to Aidan."

"That's the thing with dreams, Elly. They are never straightforward. If they were, you would have deciphered your dream that very night."

"Still doesn't make it clear, Prof," Ryan said, crossing his arms on his chest.

Rockwell smiled. What was so fucking funny about this?

"Nothing, Aidan. It's just you both kept this to yourselves for so long when you should have reached out to me first, especially after you had a fight with that villainous Lycanthrope."

I was getting even more confused.

"I'm not getting it. What has that got to do with this?" Ryan asked, unfolding his arms.

"I haven't figured it out yet. But..." He focused on us with a straight face. "I think I know what is wrong with you, Aidan. And Elly, your dream is crystal clear now."

"What?" Elly leaned off me.

"What is wrong with me then?" I asked, curious to know what hellish reason was behind what was messing my head up.

I don't know how Rockwell did it, but he always had a solution to almost everything. And if he didn't, he knew well how to figure it out. I regretted not reaching out to him first, yet I felt happier than ever to hear the big reveal.