Chapter 68
Ixora made sure her mind stayed focused, the sound of camera shutters helping her concentrate.
Romeo slapped Warren?
Well she'd have poured the arsenic on him if Romeo hadn't slapped him, so it still counts.
A win is a win.
\--
Getting out of the studio, Bethel couldn't help but notice some new faces around, all acting suspicious.
They're hefty men who looks like they have hidden aim as they loitered around the studio building.
"Are they scout members? But ILC doesn't support scout" she muttered.
"They're Tina's undercover men, she called them to protect your brother" Clover said beside her, and she swiftly turned to behold him.
"You again? And how did you know they're Tina's men?" She blinked.
"Cos I heard her making the call" he replied with a shrug.
"Why are you following me around?" She folded her arms on her chest.
"I'm not following you, geez. We just coincidentally happen to always be in the same place at the same time, not my fault. And don't get weird ideas. You're Romeo's younger sis, so you're my sister too" he poked her forehead, and she slapped his hand.
"I'd be daft to believe that" she scoffed, walking away.
But suddenly, she held her mid stomach when pains slashed through it, and she leaned on the wall.
"Hmm!"
"Bethel!" Clover rushed over, and this time, he held her, preventing her from falling.
She quickly broke free, and Clover squinted when he saw bumps of sweat on her face.
"You should go for checkup" he said.
"It's just menstrual cramps, I don't see why I should go to the hospital. And you dare not say anything about this to my brother" she threatened, leaving as fast as possible.
"Menstrual pain in the mid stomach?" Clover muttered.
\--
\[Off-Limits Nest\]
‘Dark Things’ by ADONA played like hell's chant from the radio on top of a black table, the sounds so portentous as it poured out of the speakers, bathing the Nest with shrillness.
It's some minutes to 10, so there's still time before their classes. They're all present.
Ashton replaced Anfisa, playing chess with Capri on that same black table.
Warren is by the south wall with Konstantin, both staring up at the pictures attached to the glass.
Pictures of the people whose days are numbered.
Mrs. Ortega,, Elder Creed, Hawke, Ixora.
Konstantin passed a picture of Romeo to Warren, and Warren took it.
He pasted it on the glass too, adding to the list.
"He better be strong enough, weak opponents are a bore" Konstantin said, inserting his hands into his pockets.
"Is there any lead to where Mrs. Ortega is calling to yet?" Warren asked, turning to face Ashton.
Ashton is like the crew investigator.
"She uses octave waves to block the background sounds of her calls, so it's not traceable yet, but she'd soon bite the bait, trust me. I'm also tracing her late husband's bank records" Ashton replied, standing.
"And Hawke? Tell me that bastard is getting a lifetime of sorrows in jail already" Capri stood too.
"He has been getting it before I got released." Warren replied, using a remote to open a safe in the wall.
The safe box rolled out—an ice box, and inside the ice, there are three fingers and three toes.
"They belong to Hawke, I cut them every month during my last three months in jail." Warren said, returning the ice box into the safe.
"Rule one; no secrets, how come you kept this from us?" Konstantin said, seeming pissed.
"Was never a secret, you're only surprised" Warren replied dryly.
"Well I hate surprises" Konstantin stated.
"If it was a secret, I wouldn't keep them here, fûcker" Warren glared, his lips thinning.
The sound of the ringing alarm on the table interrupted the talk, lessening the thickness in the air.
Each of them left the Nest for their classes.
Warren's med hall is located in the tallest skyscraper in the school, and he had to ride the elevator to the second floor.
The medical professor was already waiting in the overly illuminated class when he entered.
He took his seat in front of the class, on his special armchair.
"Welcome, sir Warren" the professor did a little bow, and the remaining students kept dead silence as Warren's eyes moved to the projector.
The theory class started.
\--
\[Stadium\]
Ixora felt so free as she entered the large building with Nadine beside her, both in their sports wears.
PE is happening in the stadium today, and she's somehow glad that it's not at the pool cos thanks to a satanist, she might have been traumatized.
"I can't wait to see your photoshoot pictures. By tomorrow morning, your pictures will be on the school gate and on the bulletin board and even the school page profile picture" Nadine said excitedly as they walked down the bleachers.
The stadium isn't very full yet, students are probably still busy gossiping around about the slap.
"I can't wait too, anxiousness is getting the best of me" Ixora replied as they began looking for snack stands in the stadium.
"That's the ice cream stand" Nadine pointed, and just as they were about to move there, someone pushed the two of them out of the way.
Nadine and Ixora stumbled forward, and a large glass table fell from the rail top, landing and crashing violently on the spot they stumbled from.
Their bodies trembled with shock, and everyone else in the stadium turned to them, confused murmurs breaking out.
Whoever threw this wanted to kill them, obviously.
Cos if the glass table had landed on them, their heads would scatter.
Ixora held her head, gasping as she looked up at the staircase, but no one is in sight.
Nadine looked forward to see who had pushed them out of the way, and she gasped too when she saw Matron.
"The woman...we kidnapped?"
Ixora looked up too, and her stomach twisted with unsaid anxiety.
Two minutes later, they were already seated at the back of the stadium with Matron.
"Thanks for pushing us out of harm's way" Ixora said respectfully.
"But...why are you in campus?" Nadine asked.
Without a word, Matron brought out two papers from her bag, handing the two to them.
They're mini mental state evaluation test results(MMSE), and the patient's name is Warren Creed.
When Ixora saw the score below the paper, her eyes widened.
"1 Over 30? He's only one percent sane?"
"I had Elder Creed's doctor run the test on him after he came out of jail, and yes, that's the result. His mental health state is one. I'm not telling you this to scare you, and I'm also not telling you cos I pity you, I don't" Matron said.
Ixora gulped.
"I'm telling you this cos I want you to know who you're dealing with, and also... Your father Rafael is a good person, and I wouldn't want him to lose you" Matron rounded up her talk and stood.
"Stay safe" she said, leaving the stadium.
Nadine and Ixora faced each other, their eyes wide.