Chapter Twenty-One

The next day we would go to the river dix, some of my room would look at me and their glances would say, don't go drowning again. This also bothered Keni who had thrown me on that occasion, he was bowing his head.

A man with a beard was our instructor, he explained to us about the fauna of this place, we walked all over the place.

While they were showing us the area we met other schools that were also there at that time. Including the Brustel, as we passed by I tried to talk to Deicy about what happened the night before.

-Deicy, sorry .... Do you know where Alison is?

Under the eyes of both schools she answered me.

-I don't know, yesterday they took you to the nurse's office and he was with you. I even went to see you.

-Thank you," I said.

I followed my group, they gave us a tour of that whole place and gave us permission to swim, so what happened that time, I preferred not to, because the looks would be with me again.

I lay down on a bench to sleep while everyone looked happy.

I heard a girl's voice.

-Didn't you go swimming?

Without looking at her I answered to avoid explaining.

-I almost drowned the last time. I even made the news. And everyone is looking out for me, I prefer not to hurt anyone's trip.

-Okay, I understand.

I thought that voice was familiar, when she opened her eyes, I saw that it was Deicy.

-It's you....Why are you here?

-I'm here to apologize for what my classmates did.

-It's not necessary, I know it's not your fault, but because you're here, you shouldn't be with your classmates.

-Well, I can't now.

While we were talking, some people were watching us and whispering things that we didn't know while we were talking.

When this journey was almost over, the rumor began.

-Let the bride and groom live-so they told us, several school groups, we both grieved and tried to talk to them, but they kept bothering us about it. There were too many people who seemed to be friends for many years, and from one moment to the next they were saying that phrase to us almost simultaneously.

It must have been all because of that video.

No matter how hard I tried to explain, they kept bothering us, all the way back.

Deicy, I was just trying to ignore them. Even her own classmates followed that same trend, leaving behind the difference between the school and the rest.

..... ..... ..... ....

At night, I followed the comments, perhaps for many, it was some kind of mockery they made of Brustel's people, but they didn't respond, and just laughed, and played along.

We made a fire again and in the middle of the conversation a well-known figure appeared. I didn't dare to approach him. I looked at him in the distance and went to the bedroom.

He followed me.

-He asked me, "Are you all right now?

I saw the scar on his neck, I felt sorry, it was too noticeable, because his skin was so light, the scratches made it too noticeable, it was as if a tiger had done it to him. I thought that to avoid comments he avoided today's activity with the group.

-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to hurt you, I don't know what came over me.

-It's normal, when you get stung by those kind of animals, don't worry about it.

He approached me and touched my head, but he was very close to me.

-You no longer have the same fever as that day.

At that moment, I felt unable to look him in the face again, I still had some doubts and without thinking twice, I told him about what I discussed with Samantha that day.

-Alison, you were using those girls to get them to do you favors, right?

-No, a friend invited them to train with us. In his classroom it was mostly girls and he wanted to be a stud at school, but I understood his purpose with me and left him. There he started inventing things and ordering the girls to do different things, making them think it was me.

-And who was your friend?

-I think I'll show you sometime, his name is Adrian, he's a sophomore.

-And, Hana?

-She was one of the girls closest to me, but I just wanted to train, that's all, I think she was one of the ones who got the most excited, because of Adrian. To this day everyone thinks that I caused all that.

-And why don't you try to clear your name?

-I prefer things to be that way.

I wondered what Alison's expression was at that moment. She sounded very determined and frank. I don't think he was lying, but I would go talk to Samantha about it myself, and get her to stop distrusting him.

A round of applause interrupted the moment, it was my cousin Henry.

-The two friends, already made the passes and .......

Before Henry finished the sentence Liz hugged us. I think I already knew what he was going to say and I avoid it at all costs.

-Group hug, she said.

My cousin immediately left, seeing that someone else was joining us.

-What's wrong with your cousin, he has a look of few friends," Alison asked.

-I think it was because of the test, he's jealous.

-Okay, so he's the one who got bitten by that bug.

-Yes, Liz told me.

-There's no way anything could have bitten you where we were staying. He must have gotten it from somewhere.

-It's true what Alison says, it was your cousin.

I couldn't believe what was going on, someone I once thought of as a brother, he hated me so much. I felt sad and lost.

My two companions were by my side, but I wanted to know where he was.

-Where were you, I asked him.

-I asked for permission to do something.

-Nobody wanted to tell me anything.

-Really?

-Yes. Liz promoted everything.

She started laughing. She even hugged Alison from behind.

-I see you became very close to Deicy.

-Ah...she...we just talked and all of a sudden everyone started picking on us.

-Could you go out with Deicy the day after tomorrow?

-You don't think I...

-Luan was all this time, analyzing this town with Liz. I need your help with that, I can't just approach Deicy, but you can. Certain people are after her and I can only know if you are there. Give Deicy the necklace as a gift.

-This...but....

I understood from what she said that it was serious and I agreed to do it. Liz wouldn't let go of it, for some reason, what I would have seen that had her like that, it would be best not to ask her anything for now, there was a reason Alison had settled down.

........... .................

The next day, they were going to do a new round of fights, like the last two days, in a small closed canvas, outdoors with several stands for the assistants.

We all sat together, to watch each fight.

I was still a little upset because everyone was teasing me about Princess Delta, but one of the ballots changed the atmosphere.

Luan Olivera vs Henry Gomez.

I felt annoyed, it was as if they had done it on purpose.

Liz touched my shoulder so that I wouldn't go, but I had to participate in the fights because they were for exhibition purposes and it didn't matter what year we were in, we had to do it.

I walked to the place where I was going to fight, and I saw Deicy watching me as I walked, and we were given a choice, either by hand or by sword.

Henry chose swords. I kept thinking about when he had become like that.

It was clear that he would win, so I tried to stand for a while.

But he attacked me without mercy.

He was two years older than my strongest and biggest, and he was in his third year, so he was much more experienced than I was.

I was just trying to avoid getting hurt again. I was sick of visiting the infirmary, and I didn't want Alison to cure me again. I felt like a burden.

With the few seconds I had left to breathe, I didn't know that everyone was starting to worry.

In one of them he elbowed me in the face.

And with his sword he reached out and scratched my chest. Seeing me so inferior and exposed to a worse attack. I throw my sword and shout:

-I surrender.

I turned my back on him and walked away from the canvas, but Henry didn't take it that way, he came at me with his sword, ready to really attack me.

Everyone noticed this and heard the screams trying to warn me.

Click, click.

Two swords sounded.

When I realized two people were in front of me.

Alison and Deicy, they stopped Henry from doing anything to me.

-Why are they here? -It's a problem between cousins. And especially your Alison.

He attacked them both and with his swords they defended themselves.

Four teachers from different schools immobilized him, for trying to attack us.

-Why are you so upset, young man?" asked one of them, but he did not answer.

....... ....... ..... .... .... ..... .

Little by little the night came and I was taken to Deicy's bedroom. The atmosphere had already changed and Brustel's people treated me differently.

She was calm and asked her classmates to leave.

-You're wondering why I helped them.

-Hey...yeah....

-Well, all this time, I wasn't the one who sent them to do this or any of my classmates, it was my father.

-Your father?

-Yes, it seems that the Fernandez brothers humiliated him at a meeting commemorating a national event. He didn't like their refusal and sent them to attack Alison, and to bother her school, as a warning.

-So that's the only reason I'm here?

-In the midst of the comments about the change of lodging that I made and what they are saying around here, my father got that gossip and will most likely come to scold me for it, and see if it is true. Well, we just have to explain to him that we are just friends.

While she was talking I remembered the matter of the necklace and I didn't know whether to give it to her now...and I preferred to ask her for something else.

-I would accept, as an apology, a date with you.

-A date?

-Yes, I want us to go to town together.

She blushed a little, and missed my words. Even I was uncomfortable, but she responded.

-All right, tomorrow before lunchtime.

With Deicy's response I felt a little calmer, but embarrassed, what she would think of me, at that moment. And I reminded Alejandra, the girl I was interested in, what she would think if she heard what I was doing, maybe I could get her attention if she heard this.

... .. ... ... ... .. ... ... .. ... .. ... . .... ... ..

The next day we were free to do the battles in the afternoon. Because Senator Lombardi was coming to watch the battles. Princess Delta was right.

Deicy was waiting for me to take a ride with her, knowing that her father was coming. She wasn't dressed in her uniform, she was dressed casually.

Some of her classmates were with us.

-I asked for a fight with Alison, who looks like you," she said, smiling.

-Why did you do that?

-Entertainment.

-However you win, I don't think Alison will let you off easy like any other freshman.

We walked around town and some people would salute us as we passed, knowing who she was. And that's when I decided to do what Alison asked me to do and take off my necklace.

-Deicy, uh.... gave you this, just put it on for today.... I think it would look nice on you.

She laughed for a while, what I was telling her didn't make sense, but she played along and put it on.

As we walked, I could tell that Deicy's classmates had abandoned us.

-I asked her, "What about your classmates?

-I asked them to accompany us to a certain place.

-Mmm, okay.

After we took a walk, we tried to return to the camp. But a guy dressed in red and black crossed our path, he looked suspicious. We tried to get away but, he attacked me leaving me on the ground with two simple movements, it was something inexplicable for both of us. Deicy didn't try to do anything, as she saw his speed and considered it far superior to hers, and took her away.

I tried to return to the camp to report what had happened. In the middle of the crowd in the park, I felt a hand touching my back.

It was Alison.

-Did you lose Deicy," he asked.

-A weird guy dressed in red and black took her away.

-Let's go get her," he said.

-He's very quick, we should get the teachers.

-She was kidnapped by someone from hate-you, if you go back now it might be too late for her.

-How do you know that?

-Let's go on the road and I'll explain.

I was a little confused, and I followed Alison's orders.

... .... ... ... ... ... ....

We walked close to the place where I had been attacked.

Alison asked me to run through the woods.

-It's dangerous, doing that could get me another one of those bugs.

-The situation is complicated, I need you to come with me, I can't do this alone. Liz is very far away and would take a long time to get there.

-Eh.....

- Hate-You, took Deicy, to prevent Lombardi from leaving before an attack on her, to the camp.

-What?

-Thanks to Liz, I've been following up with this group, and she concluded that they're going to go after several of that school, and get Lombardi, in the middle of those students from other schools staying.

-But why would they do that, we haven't done anything to them.

-In Brustel, some children of politicians and personalities who promoted the anti-irregular law are studying, as you know this was eliminated some years ago, but the people who suffered for this, want revenge. And what better than to give them where it hurts most? And leave a warning in this country.

-Why now, why don't they do it to those responsible for it? -Why do we have to pay the price?

I felt scared and I stopped running. The head of Hate-You was the most dangerous person, he killed about 4000 soldiers in another country alone, with his ability, there was nothing we could do, we would all die.

Alison immediately stopped and spoke to me.

-Calm down, I know you are afraid, but I need you, it is difficult for people in the camp to leave, there are several people who are watching us, who also have skills, and if there is a confrontation with the military the boss will surely act, and this will become a battlefield, where there will be many more victims.

-What do you need me for? -....?

- You remember what happened before the test.

-No.

-My power bounced off the necklace, and caused you some slight damage.

-Don't tell me you....

-Yes, we have to do it again, and annihilate all of Hate-You. My power is greater than that of the boss, you must approach Deicy who has the necklace and leave soon after with her.

He seemed so sure of his words that I tried to calm down, and regain my composure.

Running through more trees and bushes, only Alison followed, who seemed to know the way.

We were like this for quite some time, it was almost 20 minutes to 11 am, I began to worry, we did not seem to have a fixed direction.

Alison stopped for a moment near a tree.

And I walk to a small camp.

And we saw several subjects there. One of them spoke to us.

-Why are you here, children?

Alison, without answering, broke the seal again and released her ability and electrocuted them all. She approached one of them.

-Where is Deicy," she asked the subject.

-No, I don't know," he answered.

He used his power again to intimidate him. The subject had no more to say.

-She's tied up over there. ...

Alison, I walk to that address. And there was Deicy tied up and she had a tape in her mouth, and she took it off.

-Go away from here, this is the hate-you group, they will kill you without mercy.

Alison ignored Deicy's warning and removed the knots.

-Hide," he said.

A few steps were directed at us, it was the same guy who had pinned me down first.

-Do you think you're just going to walk away," he said without hesitation.