CHAPTER FOUR – THE GIFTED (2/2)

The next day at school, Alice remained restless. She couldn't wait for the bell to ring for break. And just as it sounded, for the first time, she was the first one to get up. Without the slightest hesitation, she stormed her way to Kiro's seat. "We need to talk. Now!" Alice demanded, much to Kiro's surprise.

"Oh, you're ready to talk now? Well sorry, I'm not," Kiro said as he attempted to leave, but Alice pushed him back into his seat.

"I wasn't asking," She said. She pulled him by the arm and as they left the class, they met Erica close to the door. "You too," Alice said to Erica. She still hadn't noticed that everyone else was staring. Alice had never as much as shown emotions before now, so the drastic change was a bit much for them to take in at once.

"I'm not going anywhere with you, Alice," Erica frowned. "And don't try to say anything. Looking at you is irritating enough already. Anymore from you and I might puke," Erica blurted out as she noticed Alice trying to speak.

But Alice still spoke nonetheless. "Didn't I save your life? I need to know everything that happened. You owe me that much, Erica," Alice said. But Erica wouldn't budge and her frown said it all. But so did she.

"You don't need me for that. I'll just be in your way," Erica sounded a bit remorseful but her face still depicted anger, perhaps a mixture of both. It wasn't really clear. All through that time, Kiro remained silent. But now he was starting to frown, even more than he usually. As he left with Alice, he and Erica exchanged frowns. But that soon turned to gloom for Erica as the other two left. She went straight to her chair and bent her head over. She felt an intense pain in her chest and she grabbed her shirt in response to it. But her pain was far from physical.

***

Alice and Kiro headed to straight Lucas's and Auron's class. "You're coming with me too. Where's Auron?" Alice said, banging her palm on Lucas's desk. Lucas, though surprised, just smiled back at Alice, whose eyes were brimming with curiosity.

"You really want to know, now? Well, Auron isn't at school today," Lucas said.

"Then, you'll have to do," Alice said as she pulled him along too.

"So, where are you taking us?" Kiro asked.

"The roof," Alice said as they walked through a surprised crowd. The school's 'freak' was pulling along the new kid and Lucas of the big three and no one could utter a word. As they got to the roof, Alice brought out her matchbox and drew her golden flame circle. "You ready?" Alice asked and the other two nodded in consent. In an instant, she took them all to the Niagara Falls. Kiro and Lucas were beyond amazed and couldn't help but giggle.

"This is amazing," Lucas said.

"Thank you. So, start talking," Alice replied emphatically.

"You might want to sit down for this," Kiro said.

A huge shadow is cast from above them. As they looked up to see what it might be, to Alice's surprise, it's the 'angel'. How was he here? Even if he were to be following her, there was no way he could have gotten there so quickly. And how did he even know she was here? Or was it just a coincidence? No, it didn't feel like it, for he headed straight at them, upsetting the wind as he landed. His wide wings made it difficult to focus on his face till he retracted them. "Hello, Alice." He said.

***

Far away, in a desert, Auron and a group of archaeologists make their way through a sand storm. It was impossible for anyone to see anything, but somehow, Alice knew her way. She navigated the rest of the group as the surrounding sand continued to try to find its way into spaces in their clothing. But they were completely covered from head to toe, even their eyes, with googles and a scarf, well tied around their heads. They came well prepared for the storm. Auron stopped in front of a wall. "I think this is it!" she cried at the top of her lungs.

One of the archaeologists walked forward to confirm. "Yep, this definitely is the place," she said. She pushed a couple of stones on the wall back in a pattern and the wall opened up, revealing a tomb within. Auron wandered around the tomb, observing the symbols. But then, she felt an immense amount of pressure from behind her. As she turned around, she realized it wasn't just behind her, it was everywhere around her. She could hear screams around her. She bent down and touched the floor, in a bid to feel the flow of energy and trace its source. But it was way worse than she could have ever anticipated. The energy was so immense that it threw her across the tomb. "Auron! Are you okay?" they asked as they got to her.

"Lauretta, we mustn't dig here," Auron said as she barely got herself up.