Chapter 20 — It’s cold outside…

Felix Alvarez woke up with a heavy head and spinning vision, it took him a while to adjust and finally take in his surroundings. He found himself in the infirmary. He turned his head to his side and was surprised to see a brown-haired girl sleeping with her head on top of his bed and her body sitting on a metal chair.

The girl stirred on her sleep, placing herself in a position where Felix could see her face. And to his surprise, it was Cali.

“C-Cali?!” he exclaimed which made her jolt awake at his voice.

“What the—oh you’re awake.” She said with a smile of relief. “How are you feeling?”

“This feels like déjà vu but we switched places.” He jokingly said, making Cali groggily chuckle.

“Yeah, I thought we both could use a change of scenery.” Cali mocked. “But seriously, how are you feeling?”

“A little bit dizzy but I’ll manage.”

“How’s your hand?”

“My hand?” he asked in confusion. He raised his right hand and yelped when he saw that his thumb was covered with bandages. That’s when he started to remember what happened last night.

“Doctor Collins put back my thumb?!” he exclaimed with wide eyes.

“Yes, he did. He may be an old man but he’s got skills.”

“Wow,” he said as he started to flex it but shrieked in pain when he did.

“It’s not healed yet!” Cali snapped at him. “What happened to you last night, by the way?”

“Uhm… in the middle of the night the heater on our dorm room broke so it was so cold inside that we had to wear our outdoor clothes to sleep. We didn’t want to wake anyone and have them fix the heater, it was really late and it’s Christmas.”

Cali nodded as Felix recounted the events of last night.

“I was looking for my only pair of gloves when I remembered that I left in on Harry’s sled this morning when we were messing around after the race. The sleds were hidden in the basement and when I got there, they were all stacked up. I tried getting my glove from Harry’s sled when all of a sudden the sled fell on me then I lost my consciousness.”

“The basement? But I found you on the rooftop.”

“Really? What was I doing on the rooftop?”

“I don’t know. You were just there.”

“That’s weird.” Felix said with furrowed eyebrows. “Maybe I was brought there by the school ghost.”

“Felix, this is not the time to joke around.” Cali said, glaring at him.

“Wait, did I make you worry, Cali?”

“Of course, you did! I found you unconscious on the rooftop with a severed thumb!”

“But I thought you said I am not your friend?” as soon as he said this, the color drained on Cali’s face and she started to look away.

“I-I…I-I didn’t…”

“Hey, Cali.” He said, taking her hand on his. “It’s fine. I can feel your pain and guilt. It’s fine, I understand.”

“But Felix—”

“In fact, I should be the one to feel guilty,” he said in a low voice. “I shouldn’t have put so much pressure on you like that. It is your decision who you’re going to open up to. I’m really sorry, Cali.”

Cali stared at him with tears at the brim of her eyes.

“You are such a good friend.” She said as her voice started to crack. “I don’t deserve you.”

“You deserve the world, Cali.” He said with a smile as he placed an endearing kiss on her hand.

The door swung open as Andrea and Harry rushed inside towards Felix and Cali.

“Oh, wait, something’s wrong Andrea.” Harry said in a dramatic scared voice. “I think we’re in the wrong dimension. Felix is the one in bed and Cali is in—I told you to only turn the time turner necklace twice!”

“I did turn it twice!” Andrea defensively said. “Or at least I thought I did. I lost count. Wait what’s one plus one?”

When she said this the four of us started laughing our heads off.

“Nice skit, Harry.” Cali complimented with a chuckle.

“Thank you very much, it took me a total of five minutes to make it and I wouldn’t have perfectly pulled it off without my trusted partner here.” Harry jokingly said as he wrapped his arm around Andrea.

“No, but seriously, what happened, Felix?” Andrea worriedly asked. After Felix recounted the events of last night to them, they both gaped at him.

“Losing your thumb?” Harry exclaimed. “Did it hurt?”

“I don’t know,” Felix shrugged. “I blacked out after.”

“Good thing Doctor Collins is good at his job.” Andrea said with a sigh.

“Well, it’s his wife so he’s got to be good at it.” Cali jokingly said.

“Oh, he’s really good at doing it.” Harry added which made the four of them laugh again.

The three of them stayed with Felix like how they used to stay with Cali when she’s sick. They ate lunch together and talked about a bunch of random things. It was midafternoon when Doctor Collins threw them out so that Felix could rest.

“Hey, Harry, who’s in charge of cleaning up the sleds yesterday?” Cali asked as they were walking down the hall towards the dining hall to get some hot chocolate.

“Hmm… I think it was Felix, Clark, Connor, Will and I forgot the last one…I think it was Timmy?” Harry answered. “Why do you ask?”

“Nothing, just wondering.” She said with a shrug. “Wait, did you say Connor? Connor Williams?”

“Yes, my dove, the weird crazy kid.”

As they rounded the corner to the dining hall, James Corvort stood in front of them to stop them from moving any further.

“Miss Calanthe, may I speak with you?”

“Uhm—sure.” She reluctantly said as she followed the secretary to his office.

….

As I was walking behind James Corvort to his office, I couldn’t shake the feeling that I am heading towards my own death.

My heart started beat hard against my chest as I thought about what he could’ve possibly want to do with me. Does he know?

“Please sit down.” He said without an ounce of kindness in his voice when we reached his office. I obliged; I sat down on the chair opposite to his table.

“Ever since you came here in this academy, I admit I have never liked you.” He bluntly said. Wow, straight to the point, I like that.

“I strongly believe that your mere presence had destroyed the balance that this institution had built for years.” He firmly said. “And the fact that Professor Alexander had taken a liking of you make things a lot worse.”

“He’s not thinking straight when it comes to you. He boldly makes bad and risky decisions that goes against his own principle whenever it involves you.”

“What do you want me to do about it?”

“I want you to leave.” He said as he placed a white letter envelope on the table in front of me. “I have arranged your transfer to Elite Academy for Exceptional Students in France. I also took care of your plane tickets. I tried reaching your uncle a hundred times but he wouldn’t pick up.”

“However, you are turning 19 years old in a couple of months so basically you are considered an adult and can now make your own decisions.” He said in a serious tone. “And I suggest you make the smartest one. Miss Esmée Boucher will take a good care of you. She also has telekinesis so her academy is a better choice than ours.”

I stared at the white envelope in front of me as if it’s ticking time bomb that would explode and kill me any moment now. Leave? The academy? He wants me to leave this place?

“What makes you think I would do what you say?”

“Because I know that you lied.”

I felt my heart dropped to my stomach as soon as he said those words.

“W-What are you talking about?”

“You lied about last night,” he glaringly said. “I talked to Mister Alvarez and he told me that his last memory was blacking out in the basement. But you said last night that you found him on the rooftop.”

“Look, I am just as confused as you are—”

“And also, you have been gone the entire afternoon yesterday.” he said in a stern voice. “I don’t know what you did and why you did it but I suggest that you pack up your bags and go before I tell Professor Alexander this information and have him properly deal with you.”

“If there’s one thing that Professor Alexander hates the most in the world, that is liars.”

“Also, in case you are still thinking of not going,” he said in a taunting voice. “All the kitchen staff were knocked out for 45 minutes earlier this morning and upon checking the security cameras, you were the only one who stepped out of your dorm room at the same hour.”

“Like I said, I don’t know what you did and why you did it, I only ask one thing from you and that is to leave this place before the sun sets tomorrow.”

I stared at him dumbfounded. I couldn’t find the right words to say.

“You have a day to pack your bags.”

I stood up and headed for the door in a trance-like state.

I ran to my dorm room as fast as I could. It was empty since I Andrea was hanging out with Harry and Melissa.

How could I have been so stupid?! Of course, someone would notice! Of course, someone would know! How could I have been so careless?! Now my cover’s blown! I have to do something! But what?!

I took my knife from my pocket before I rolled down the sleeves of my jacket. I stared at the scars on my arm with a sense of pain in my heart.

Maybe I should just end it.

I lost. I didn’t do my mission which means I could never see my family again. And I can’t ask Professor Alexander for help knowing that James Corvort could easily tell him what he recently found out about me. I can’t risk telling Professor Alexander the truth about all of this when I just found out that he hates liars.

I have no hope. I can’t finish my mission. I can’t leave this place. And I have a walking ticking time bomb with the name of James Corvort who could easily expose me.

Maybe I should just end it.

A knock on the door snapped me out of my thoughts. I quickly hid my knife under my mattress before answering the door.

I opened it and when I saw the distraught Professor Alexander on the other side, I felt my heart shatter and my knees became jelly.

“Cali, I know you said I should stay away from you and I did say that I intend to keep my promises but you see—”

I didn’t let him finish as I threw myself in his arms and sobbed in his chest.

“What’s wrong?” he whispered in my hair as he slowly moved his hands up and down my back to comfort me.

“H-He wants me gone,” I said to his chest.

“What?”

“He wants me gone and I don’t want to go.” I sobbed. “I don’t want to leave this school. I don’t want to leave you.”

“Who?” I heard him say in an angry tone.

“James.”

….

Around nightfall, Professor Alexander was finally able to calm Cali down and put her to sleep. As he stared at her sleeping face, he saw how exhausted she is which made him feel guilty. He placed a kiss on her forehead and whispered in her ear.

“I will keep you safe.”

He marched to his secretary’s office with clenched fist and anger boiling in his veins. In their almost a decade of friendship, Professor Alexander had never felt this mad at James Corvort.

He swung the door open and James Corvort greeted him with his usual polite smile but this time Professor Alexander did not return it. Instead, he marched towards him and punched him straight in the face.

“How dare you go behind my back?!” he bellowed at James Corvort who’s now on the ground with a busted lip.

“Look at what that bitch has done to you!” James yelled at him as he stood up.

“What did you call her?” Professor Alexander said as he attempted to punch him again but this time James blocked him.

Professor Alexander swung his other fist to him and as James tried to defend himself, they have now engaged in a scuffle that involved throwing of books and chairs at each other.

“ALEXANDER ENOUGH!” James screamed at the top of his lungs when Professor Alexander was about to hit him with a lamp.

“Look at what she’s done to you!” he bellowed. “Are you blind?! Cali is not good for you!”

“Who are you to say who’s good for me?!”

“We have been friends for ten years! You only met her a month ago and now look at you! Fighting me like this!”

“You went behind my back James! You can’t just throw her out!”

“And why not?!” he snapped back. “She lied to you! She said she found Mister Alvarez on the rooftop but he said he blacked out in the basement! She also could’ve caused the kitchen staff to knock out too! She has a sleeping pill addiction, for crying out loud! Why are you so blind?!”

“What are you trying to say?! That she’s causing harm to everyone in here?!”

“Yes!”

“No! These are all assumptions! We don’t know what really happened to Mister Alvarez last night and to the kitchen staff this morning so—”

“Stop being so blind! And wake up!” James desperately said as he placed both his hands in Professor Alexander’s shoulder.

“I am awake!” he shouted back. “I can handle, Miss Calanthe.”

James Corvort stared into Professor Alexander’s eyes for a while before his eyes grew wide in shock.

“You know something, don’t you?” he said with gasp.

“I need you to trust me, James.”

The two man who had been friends for a long time before James extended his hand to Professor Alexander as a sign of a truce and that he trusts him.

….

I was desperate and stupid. Put that two things together and you get a sobbing girl who throws herself at men without an ounce of dignity.

I can’t believe I cried out to him like that. What’s even worse is that I let him comfort me to sleep. Now, as I stared at the ceiling with the sunlight shining through the window, I wanted to punish myself. I can’t believe I have been so weak.

“Cali, aren’t you going to get up?” Andrea called out to me snapping me away from my thoughts.

“Yeah, I’m up, I’m up.” I reluctantly said as I stood up and headed for the bathroom.

“Cali,” Andrea called out to me in a shy voice.

“What is it?” I said, turning around to face her. Her face is now all red and she can’t look me straight in the eye.

“I-I well…I thought about what you said…” she nervously said as she fumbled the hem of her sweater. “I thought about it a lot.”

“Okay…” I trailed on, not knowing what to say next.

“And I decided to move forward.” She beamingly said. “Our past may have been so complicated and painful but I don’t want that to define our future. I want to do better.”

“Wait so does that mean—”

“Yes, that’s exactly what I mean,” she giggled. “I talked to Clark yesterday and I told him that I’d rather move forward with him than spend the rest of my life stuck in my past. Besides, it’s not his fault that his grandfather is a maniac.”

“I told him that we are not our parents. We get to decide who we want to be in life, not them.”

“Wait, I’m getting a little confused here,” I said with a scrunched-up face. “So, you’re saying that you two are dating, right?”

“Yes! Yes! We are!” she jumped up and down as she gave me a hug.

“That’s great news,” I said, hugging her back. “Good for you.”

“The others don’t know it yet,” she said as we parted. “I wanted you to know first because without you this wouldn’t have happened. Thank you again, Cali.”

“Stop thanking me,” I groaned at her. “I barely did anything.”

We decided to pay Felix a visit and eat breakfast with him, on our way there we bumped into Connor Williams and I suddenly felt goosebumps.

I caught his eye and it definitely looked devious with hints of malice hidden underneath. When I we were at a good distance from him, I let my thoughts rush in. He’s a telepath and if he’s my watcher it makes perfect sense why he knows everything.

He could’ve infiltrated the mind of Professor Alexander or Harry or Andrea to know how much I have grown attach to this school. Actually, he doesn’t need to look into their minds to know how I have been happy pretending to be someone else. I was so good at pretending that I even fooled myself that this is my life that I am really Calanthe a Russian traumatized girl.

I need to watch myself when he’s around. If he really is my watcher then I need to be really careful, he can’t know that I have completely disregarded all my intention to fulfill my mission. I need to be extra careful. If I’m going to put my faith on Professor Alexander and tell him everything, Connor can’t find out for it will put his life in danger.

If he’s my watcher he can swiftly kill Professor Alexander before he could even help me. No. That can’t happen. If I want to ask the help of Professor Alexander, I have to get rid of my watcher first. But the question is how?

After meeting up with Harry in the dining hall, we grabbed some breakfast and headed straight to the infirmary.

“What are you all doing here?” Felix said in surprise. “You were here yesterday.”

“Well, we came to eat breakfast with you.” I smilingly said.

“B-But you were already here yesterday and—”

“Don’t you want us here?” Andrea asked as she started to unpack our food.

“No, I do, it’s just that nobody has ever visited me twice when I’m sick and—”

“Oh, stop the sentiments, my dove.” Harry said with a groan. “We are your friends now and friends stick together especially when the other loses a thumb and gets it back.”

“Gross, Harry! We’re just about to eat!” Andrea snapped at him.

“And also, Andrea has an announcement to make.” I said with a grin as Harry and Felix froze in their spot.

“Don’t tell me you’re pregnant?” Harry said in an anxious tone.

“What?! Of course not! I’m not pregnant!” Andrea defensively said.

“Then what is it?” Felix asked in confusion.

“Uhm—you see…” Andrea’s cheeks are as red as tomato and she started fumbling the hem of her sweater again. “Clark and I—”

She didn’t finish her sentence when all of a sudden, a gust of wind passed through the doors and without warning Clark is standing right beside Andrea with his arm around her.

“We’re dating.” He proudly said with a smile.

“You didn’t have to make a dramatic entrance.” Harry said, rolling his eyes at him before suddenly realizing what he said.

“Wait, you guys are dating?!” he exclaimed as he stood up from his seat. “OMG! Finally!! Andrea, my dove I am so happy for you!”

As Harry excitedly lavished her with praises and hugs, Felix and Clark did a fist bump after he congratulated him.

“I guess you’re not dumb.” I said with a smirk as we high fived.

“This is so exciting! Two people on our friend group getting together!” Harry excitedly said after he had finally let go of Andrea.

“Now, you’re turn!” he said, pointing to me and Felix.

“It’s not a game, Harry.” I said, rolling my eyes at him.

“Come on, you two obviously have feelings for each other!” Harry insisted which made me turn to look at Felix whose cheeks are now red as well and he can’t even meet my eyes.

“Felix and I are just friends.” I said in a sincere tone.

“Ouch! Rejected!” Harry teased Felix.

“No, it’s fine, I wouldn’t want it any other way.” Felix said with a nervous chuckle. “Besides, who would want to deal with Cali’s massive mood swings for the rest of their lives?”

“Hey, I do not have mood swings!” I protested which made all of them laugh.

We spent the entire morning teasing Andrea and Clark who’s now being all sweet and disgusting. I wanted that moment to freeze but then I realized I now have a chance to make moments like this continue for the rest of my life.

I have hope. A chance.

If I could just get rid of Connor Williams like what I did to Irene and Liam, I could tell Professor Alexander the truth with relief. And if what he said is true, he will help me escape from their grasp and finally come home. Maybe Professor Alexander could even help putting those bastards behind bars. What Ivanov is doing, kidnapping young girls and training them to be mutant assassins, is unforgivable.

Knowing Professor Alexander, he will get justice for this.

Don’t let me down, Professor Alexander. I am putting all my faith in you in getting me out of this catastrophe.