Chapter 10

LEVI'S POV

"S-Seo... S-Seoyeon?" I uttered when our lips parted. I was stiffed by the sudden shock that the kiss gave me.

"Um... I'm sorry. It's supposedly a kiss on your cheek, but you suddenly turned around so..." she said as she swayed her body, biting her lip as if she was trying to be cute in front of me.

"It's o-okay... I m-mean...it's an accident."

I simply turned to Adalee and I gulped the moment I saw how she nearly crumpled her sketpad.

"Why... why are you here, S-Seoyeon?" I asked Seoyeon when I looked at her again.

What the hell was going on, Levi? Why would it need to have a scene like this.

"I-I'll just go o-outside. E-excuse me," Adalee said as she inched outside the room.

"Adalee... ugh!"

I scratched my head as I tried to calm myself. I had nothing to do, but to watch Adalee walked away.

I couldn't leave Seoyeon like this after what had happened to her last time. I was just afraid to offend her.

"Here," she said as she handed over my jacket I offered to her that night. "Thank you."

"Oh. For lending you the jacket? It's fine... your w-welcome," I replied as I tried to give a her a genuine smile.

Adalee's expression awhile ago was bothering me. Why would she look like as if she was going to kill someone?

"Well, aside from that, thank you for saving me."

"Ah, yes. Of course. Well... how are you? I mean, are you doing good?" I asked her.

"Yes," she said while nodding. "Thanks to you."

I pointed myself and asked, "Me? How did y-you say so?"

She inched closer to me, so I stepped a little backwards until I felt that there was no space left.

"You told me that no matter how heavy I feel, I still need to find that one reason to continually fight," she said as she started to touch my collar.

"Y-yes, I remember."

I gulped.

I gently moved backwards, trying to keep a distance between us, but the wall behind me made me stop.

This was making me nervous!

"And I think... I found that one reason," she said as she kept on cornering me.

"Ah. R-really? What is it?" I replied as I took a quick look behind me, trying to check if there would be still some space to step backwards.

But there was nothing. I'm dead and cornered.

My eyes just grew bigger when she suddenly held my hand.

"It's not what, it's who."

"H-huh?"

"It's you, Levi."

"W-what?" I blurted out as someone suddenly shouted calling my name.

"Levi!"

I was saved when Pino suddenly barged in. I removed Seoyeon's hands and quickly turned to him.

It seemed that what was he going to tell me was another thing that would make my heart palpitate. He was rushing towards me as he desperately gasped for an air.

"Why Pino? What's wrong? What's with the rush?"

"C-Caius... Ca... Caius..." he whispered in between his deep breaths.

"Caius? What?" I asked, almost shouting as I frowned.

"What do you mean? What happened? Speak up!" I grabbed both of his shoulders as I asked him countless times.

"He's... he's suddenly shouting. He's afraid... I don't know exactly, but he keeps calling your name!"

"Where is he?" I asked with full of seriousness in my voice.

"G-garden. I left him in the g-garden."

I was about to run, but Seoyeon hindered my way.

She spread her arms to stop me and said, "Levi, where are you going?"

"Move," I uttered with authority on my tone.

"W-why?"

"Get out of my way!" I raised my voice on her and I saw how her body jumped a little.

"W-why are you s-shouting?"

I face-palmed, then gently grabbed her arms. "Not now, Seoyeon. Please leave. My friend needs me. Let's talk some other time, huh? Let me go," I said, left the room with Pino, and ran fast as I could.

I was damn worried about Caius. What's going on, Caius?

Don't tell me...

"Ahhh! L-Levi..."

"Caius? What h-happened? Why are y-you suddenly became like this?"

Caius almost caught the attention of everyone near the garden as I saw Adalee, trying to calm him down.

I saw how Caius pulled his hair, hugged himself, and shouted out of fear. I quickly drew near him as I heard him screamed my name continuously.

I slumped down with him and cupped his face.

"Caius? Caius!" I said, now brushing his shoulders. "I'm here, Caius. Stop please."

Slowly, he tilted his head.

"L-Levi... I'm a-afraid..." he whispered, tears kept falling from his eyes.

I tried to look around as I caressed his back. "It's alright... shit!"

I didn't help myself from swearing when I saw a rope just centemeters away.

I was right.

It was because of the rope.

That damn rope!

I stood up, trying to get rid of it immediately. I clenched my fist as I moved back to Caius.

"It's gone, Caius. Please stop already. Sshh..." I shushed as I hugged him. He didn't say a word, he just kept on sobbing.

"I'm... afraid. It's... there..."

"Sshh... it's gone," I whispered as I let him cried on my shoulders because it's the least thing that I could do now.

"I'm here and I'll help you to overcome it. Please be brave, huh?"

It was the second time that I saw him like this; breathes ragged and harsh, hands and body trembled in fear, and ridiculously sweating.

It was because of the trauma that eventually became phobia upon seeing his own mother hanging dead with a rope around her neck a year ago. It's the rope that could make him shiver in fear like this. I was trying my best not to let him see a thing, but whoever scumbag left this rope here must get his punishment.

I wouldn't let this slide even for once for I already informed the students in the department as their President about this. How could they be this so irresponsible?

"Pino? Adalee?" I called. "Announce an urgent department meeting now. Quick!"

"Y-yes," they said in chorus and moved right away.

Fear could be a shackle, a knife in the gut slowly twisted, and a constant hammer on the head. Yet fear could also evaporate like water under the dry heat of the summer sun.

Fear could come walking with confidence right past, because like the ghosts of children's nightmares, fear is an illusion.

Fear is part of being human, Caius. It's the precursor to bravery. We need it, Caius. It would wake us to what was needed to be done. So feel it, own it, and let it ignite your thoughts. Hang on, Caius.