Too bad, but it’s too sweet

"I'm here at the scene where five middle aged men were assaulted last night by the same infamous gang that has been terrorising our town for more than half a year now."

My eyes are closed but everything in my body tenses and my palms get clammy as a voice of a reporter continues, hearing her words so clear and loud in my ears, now that I'm awake.

Sitting up is a struggle, but I can't miss this. I take a quick glance around me at the school's infirmary with squinted eyes before peering up back to the HD TV flatscreen on the ceiling.

She stands at approximately the same place where those men attacked me.

I can feel bile rising at the back of my throat as the scene transitions to one of the men in an interview. But this time, instead of an old and poorly dressed drunk, I see a man in a dark suit standing in front of a big building in the city.

Despite his dapper attire, the bruise on his eye and a few scrapes etched on his face does not go unnoticed.

"Four of them attacked my colleagues and I after we left work to go home." He seems to be looking at the interviewer, but his eyes shift suddenly to face the camera, staring straight at me, breaking the fourth wall. "They are very dangerous, and the fact that they are roaming around the streets attacking innocent people makes me sick-"

"Arden!"

I flinch, and look to my right to where Naomi appears on my right, sitting beside my bed.

Was she here the whole time?

"Naomi," I breathe out, my voice trembling, still shaken by the false report. "W-What happened?"

Naomi shoots me a worried look but continues on anyway. "You fell and missed the test," Naomi regretfully informs beside me, pouting her purple plum lips.

Naomi can't help but stand out I guess, due to her bold makeup and bright purple highlights. I couldn't imagine attracting so much attention like that especially as a scholarship student too.

I admire her courage but at the same time, I'd rather fade into the background until I graduate.

My hands go to my head as I finally notice the bandage wrapped around both my head and hands and sigh.

Well now that my whole entire body is broken I guess this isn't my week.

Like at all.

With a wince I look back to Naomi who bites her lip and makes a face, meaning to deliver more bad news.

"Wh-what?" My frown deepens.

"I heard your Mathematics marks and now that you’ve missed the quiz, it’s going into your record and you’ve accumulated some demerit points."

I stare at her with wide and unblinking eyes, completely dubious to the fact that I have sacrificed so much to keep my grades up so that I won’t be kicked out of here.

"But-But you couldn’t I retake the test...?"

"Well..." Naomi tucks a purple dyed strand of thin hair behind her ear. "I asked and I don’t think that’s an option..."

I ball up my fists to suppress my frustration, and Naomi shoots me an apologetic look.

"You know, you can take up extra credits by doing some volunteer work for the school, or take extra units next semester...."

The pattern is clear as day. Only scholarship students like me can rack up this many demerit points from just one or two bad grades.

"Also there’s an announcement, next week, we have a guest speaker come to the school, maybe you can try and convince him to like let you open some club to earn you some good rep" Naomi suggests.

I turn to her with raised eyebrows. "Who's coming?"

"I'm not sure. He's pretty important and may become part of the school's council as head."

My forehead scrunches up in confusion. The school's council is a tight circle, banded together by the richest students and backed and funded by their families to call all the shots for the school. Having a new head, means having a new and an even richer heir to Sevit High's throne.

"Arden?" I look to Valentina, who appears at the doorway. Her parents own some kind of antique jewellery chain that my Mom used to buy from all the time which instigated our first conversation.

She walks to me in small and graceful steps like a little shy bird. "Are you okay?"

I shake my head, plastering on a reassuring smile.

"I'm okay."

Well despite feeling like I've broken every bone in my damn body.

"We actually tried to recruit some members." Naomi fills me in and passes me a list of names.

“For what?” I ask.

She shrugs. “We know you do self defence. I thought maybe we can start up a club teaching others how to defend.”

I smile gratefully at her.

“And also I need some more points too,” She says a bit too quickly.

I laugh but then can only scoff at the lack of names, and toss it at the foot of the infirmary bed.

"Is something wrong?" Valentina asks worriedly, as she carefully picks it up again like she's picking after my trash.

I clear my throat and straighten myself up a bit and shake my head.

"Don't worry about it. We just needed a few more members to help convince the school council to let us start this."

She nods meekly and I feel guilty at my unmotivated attitude.

I lean in closer, and notice a difference about her. "You're not wearing glasses..." She squirms a bit under my gaze, with her doe brown eyes fleeting back and forth nervously.

"You look great!" I compliment, easing her worries. I bite my lip, internally scolding myself for magnifying her change in appearance, becoming the cause of her discomfort.

"Really? Thanks..." She visibly relaxes and smoothes out her skirt. I raise my eyebrows at her but still maintain my smile.

Valentina usually dresses mainly like she wants to hide herself, but today, she's swapped out the daily uniform skirt with a floral one that flows just above her knees, and a cute white golden laced tie that accentuates her fair milky skin.

The last thing I want to do is have Valentina go back into her little shell again when she's suddenly decided to be a bit more open and starting to stick up for herself.

I look around to see where the nurse is at but no staff appears in sight, and then panic when I see what the time is.

"Wait, wait! How much did I miss?"

If I had missed lunchtime too then I've missed all my morning classes!

"Don't worry, Blair has been running around from offices to offices all day, making sure to take any notes or work that you missed out on!" Naomi informs me.

"Wh-who took me here?"

I think back to the kind and sparkling eyes that was the last thing I saw before I blacked out.

His eyes were like one of the healers.

I suddenly experienced somewhat of a flashback to last night, triggering a memory of the boy that looked like my brother.

"Who- who took me here?" I ask again, hastily. Naomi and Valentina who is looking at me like I'm a bit off.

Valentina glances down at her clipboard briefly and then looks back to me with a slightly confused expression.

"Kai. He didn't write down his last name. After he carried you here, he also joined our club at lunch."

It is the first time I've heard of him. Despite it being a pretty big school, it harbours the majority of well known students who've been mentioned at least once in the press or magazines.

But his name doesn't ring any bells.

"I-I need to go..." I murmur as I stand up and walk to a mirror on the other side of the room.

The infirmity is empty and Naomi attempts to pull me back, but I shrug her off.

"The nurse hasn't given you the green light yet!"

I look in the mirror at my reflection to see a large scrape underneath my chin and just a small cut on my cheek as most of the damage was left on my arms and hands when I instinctively tried to break my fall.

I unwrap the stupid bandage off my head and chuck it to a nearby bin. I lift my side bangs up to access the extra bandage over the actual injury on my forehead. It's fixed carefully and all the blood has been cleaned up nicely. I give an amused look and face back to flabbergasted reactions of the girls.

"So where can I find this Kai guy?"

Valentina robotically points at the direction to a hallway out of the infirmary. "Wasn't he here a few minutes ago?" She asks Naomi, but her wide eyes are still on me.

Without a word of explanation, I limp out of the infirmary into the hallway that only leads to the cafeteria or the back of the school that no one really goes to, due to the undergoing construction, full of dust and rubble that the students of this school would not be caught dead in.

"Arden you're still hurt!" Naomi shouts to me, but I can't hear her anymore as I make my way to the cafeteria but to no avail as everyone are already in their last classes for the day, before deciding to head out back for one last look.

I don't know why I'm running, especially when I'm still heavily injured. But my adrenaline is pumping too hard for me to fully process the stabbing pain in my ribs.

Today, there are no workers, and only a few foundations are laid out. I hear that they're working on some kind of fancy garden, building a fountain and greenhouse to parade to the parents and press.

I stop in my tracks when I hear two voices. Because of the many construction tools and forklifts, I am unable to see anyone. I follow the hushed voices, leading me behind a shed.

Before me is actually Jace Archer and a tall figure who has already inconveniently turn away before I can make out his face.

"Hey, wait!" I rush forward to call him back but a figure blocks my vision. My legs are moving before my mind can even process anything, and I bump into the rock hard wall.

"Toilet girl?" Jace cocks his head to the side. "Why are you here?"

I glance up at him, my eyes full of chagrin. I have no time to really acknowledge Jace's presence, and no interest in why he's here, so I just cut to the chase.

"Who was that?"

One side of his lips quirk up, showing a slight smirk like he's amused. "Why do you want to know?"

"Jace, get out of my way," I scowl and try to brush past him but he persists in blocking my path every time, making my blood pressure rise. I purse my lips and begin to pound on his hard chest, frustrated at his annoying antics.

"What the fuck is your problem?" I shriek at him. I raise my hand again to hit him even harder, trying to evoke a larger reaction but he only grimaces and maintains an infuriating blank expression.

He catches my bandaged hands, and pulls me toward him so that my hand is now on his chest.

I glare up at him and his deep set eyes stares straight through me, with his eyes lit with flames under the blaring sun. I bite my lip and suppress the volcano brewing inside me.

"Are your hands okay?"

My expression falters and I furrow my brows in confusion, as his golden lit eyes bore into mine.

I immediately push him away. He only staggers back a bit and I glare at him. "I'm looking for someone named Kai. Do you know him?"

"I don't have to answer to you," He almost hisses. Even though his front was playful and arrogant, his tone is now indifferent and cold. His face, now hard and the contours of his face more prominent.

He is about to go when I place a hand roughly on his hard chest.

Something's not right.

"What are you hiding, Archer?" I narrow my eyes at him. "You know him don't you?"

His jaw tightens as his eyes darken and he steps forward, so close now that his breath is tickling my ears. "You're going to get hurt Arden, if you don't stop snooping around."

I bite my lip, and close my eyes.

Arden. Quite an uncommon name that most people usually mispronounces or says awkwardly for the first time. But yesterday, the way Healer said it was different. My name rolled off smoothly and effortlessly.

The same way that Jace had just said it.

No. It can't be.

I shake my head.

I refuse to believe he is Healer. Doesn't he have company meetings to attend? Some kind of intensive training from his older brother in dabbling in business deals and forging alliances? How does someone like him have the time to be out and about, slummin' it in the West side of Eastern Lights and on the run from authorities?

No matter how much I try, I cannot find a connection between the kind boy who saved me from the rich thugs and the rich delinquent himself.

I open my eyes before snapping out of my ridiculous thoughts. "Stop-stop spewing rubbish, and just take me to him." I demand.

He steps back and attempts to walk away, bumping into me in the process, like I'm nothing.

I rush behind him, stomping on the ground while he pretends that I no longer exist. "Do you think just because you're rich, you can treat people like shit?"

He stops to a halt, and I bump into his broad back. He turns around, his eyes blazing with fury and now I'm intimidated at his sudden change in exterior.

"Open your eyes Arden. Stop using my status in your feasible attempts to shit-talk me." He says lowly. "What's the difference between you and I?"

I am taken aback by his sudden serious front but scoff at his atrocious attempt to compare himself to me. "I worked to get here and all this was handed to you on a silver platter," I shoot back.

"You created that division in your head, Arden." He almost growls. "Stop taking my words as meaningless threats, but as warning."

"Stop now before you really get hurt."

I open my mouth a fraction but find no words coming out. Before I can even blink, Jace stomps off into the school again like if he stayed, he'd regret it.

I bite my lip and cross my arms, still tense and full of adrenaline from the confrontation.

At this point, does a 'Kai' even exist?

Not long, the sound of footsteps approaching can be heard.

My eyes meet grey ones, and ironically the name of this guy is supposedly Grayson.

Jace Archer and Grayson Knight are a set, they have been glued together ever since I arrived here at Sevit High. Some people think he's Jace's some kind of secretary or body-guard as he's always trailing Jace like a shadow. It's only speculation because there's absolutely no information on his parents or heritage. Usually that would make him belong to the bottom tier of the food chain at this school, but with Jace by his side, he's untouchable.

I raise my eyes at him and he lazily scans my face as he approaches closer.

He has dark hair and a strong jawline with an automatic scowl permanently etched on his perfectly proportioned face. Despite this, he is very handsome, and I'm actually jealous that he has better eyebrows than me.

"Shouldn't you be at the nurse's office or something?" He says lowly, taking in my bandaged everything and looking down on me like I'm nothing more than an airhead.

I guess this is what happens when you spend too much time with Jace.

"Like you care," I say through gritted teeth. "Please send Jace a message that whatever he's hiding I'll find out." I cannot help the edge in the voice despite it being a request.

I don't know what I'm expecting, but I'm just hoping to hear something real.

His eyes turn even more steely and he inches his face so close to mine that I can even guarantee he has no blemishes on his pale skin.

"I don't know what you're talking about and Jace doesn't either."

His words make me doubt myself, and his intense and unwavering gaze intimidates me and makes me question my sanity up until now.

"If this is your attempt to get Jace's attention, you can stop now."

"Who are you to tell me what to do?" I scoff.

Suddenly, Grayson edges even closer to me, and if he wasn't invading my personal space before, he is now.

"Listen, stay away from Jace," He whispers, but his voice is so deep and strong that he makes it sound so threatening and scary. "You've already given us enough trouble."

"Already?" My whisper is so soft but extremely clear and impactful. I can feel the hot breath of Grayson on my face, and I narrow my eyes at him. "What do you mean by 'already' giving you trouble...."

The vein on Grayson's neck bulges and his whole body tenses. "This will be my last warning... Don't bother us again."

I push him away with all my might and he staggers back in surprise at my underestimated strength. I feel a great need to get out of here, to go somewhere quiet to collect my thoughts. I speed-walk back into the building before he can ambush me again.

I let my suspicions flow naturally like a waterfall and I begin to properly acknowledge and entertain a theory.

They could very well be Healer.

To clear my thoughts even clearer, I make my way to the library since I’ve gotten the all clear from the nurse to not go back to classes.

I slump down on my seat towards the back of the library, and sigh. I close my eyes, and run a hand through my hair.

I've reviewed my test papers again, and that goblin, Collins, robbed me of my marks and there's a huge possibility he's been doing this since the start. I ponder at how I can bring this up. Do I demand a remark? Do I let it slide? How will I explain how the test papers came in my possession?

I lean back, and rest my head on the small couch. I lazily roll my head around, to take in the deserted atmosphere with a frown. Even though I'm hidden behind many bookcases, I know I'm probably the only one here.

I mean, even the librarian wasn't here when I came by.

Despite the grand architecture of the library with beautiful antique paintings, golden linings on the building structure and the endless swamp of books available, the students here would rather study in the comforts of their own home in their cosy spacious mansions.

People like me, know to take advantage of this space. But even though scholarships students are usually here, searching for free resources and material, it always is deserted on Fridays as everyone wants to rush home and quickly start their weekend.

I stand up to approach the book cases and cough as I pick up a random book engulfed with dust that lifts into the air like fog when I open it. I haven't picked up an actual book in ages.

Should I borrow something? I've had enough of numbers. Suddenly, something catches my eye. It is a simple plain white cover, but with a golden phoenix like image on a broken world.

Demien, by Herman Hesse.

I cock my head to the side, and flip to the back of the book for a blurb. However, it seems to be written in a different language.

"The bird rights its way out of the egg." I whip my head to the thick, clear voice.

An asian boy stands at the end of the book case, with a lazy grin on his angelic face. "The egg is the world. Who would be born must first destroy a world." He averts his eyes from the book to me. I look down at the book in my hands, and look up again to shoot him a confused expression.

"Are you quoting the book?" I ask. He approaches me slowly before reaching an arm out. I widen my eyes as my cheek grazes his chest slightly, but his hand moves past mine to reach out for a book on the shelf from behind me.

His tousled black ink hair falls just above his clear eyes, as he searches the book shelf for something, turning a bit to the side where his sharp jawline is in clear view, carved into triangular shape, with a rounded chin.

My feet stay planted on the ground as he steps back and hands me something. I peer down to see a copy of the same book, but with a different cover.

"It was the first fissure in the columns that upheld my childhood, which every individual must destroy before he can become himself."

He nods nonchalantly like he had not just recited anything deep and gestures me to take it. "This is the English version." I take the book from his outstretched hands, and put the other one back.

"Thanks," I say, avoiding his eyes.

I would be lying if I said I wasn't a bit weirded out.

"It's an interesting read." He smiles before taking a book and bringing it to his face again, covering his mouth and nose.

I take the time now to closely analyse him, now that he's looking away.

My eyes widen, realising that these pair of eyes are the ones I've been desperately searching for. In every angle, they remind me of my brother's.

Although there's a difference. Aiden held light in his eyes, always free and stupidly kind to even his haters and Kai on the other hand, has darkness in him like he's trapped in something I may not ever be able to understand.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" He asks, leaning back a bit with an eyebrow raised.

"You-you look like my brother," I mutter, feeling a smile creeping onto my face.

With this, he shoots me a small grin. "You have a brother?"

Had.

"Yes, I have a brother," I blurt out. I look down a bit, before asking, "You're Kai?"

He raises a perfectly arched eyebrow. "You know me?"

"D-Do you know me? I-I'm Arden Shields."

I hold my breath, waiting for an answer, trying to analyse his facial expressions, searching for any hidden secrets or evidence that he's part of Healer.

He squints a bit, taking a few steps closer before his face darkens and his eyes shift, avoiding eye contact with me.

I take this as suspicious and am about to question him further but he speaks up, his lips now morphing into a pressed smile.

"Ah, I know you."

I freeze.

"Y-You do?"

He nods, maintaining his friendly exterior, that no longer seems genuine to me. "You're the head of the Self-defence club. I signed up just today."

I release a breath I didn't know I was holding, not even attempting to hide my disappointment at his answer.

He must be nervous about this more than he makes it out to be though as I catch him gulping, his Adam's apple moving.

"We've also met before that right?" I drawl out slowly.

He looks to the left like he's in thought before glancing back at me with that same breezy smile again. "No. I've only transferred here recently on a scholarship."

"The admissions scholarship test was four months ago," I point out with a smirk, feeling like I somehow have caught a mouse in a trap.

But I'm surprised as he chuckles lightly, looking down and then glancing back at me again, producing his own smirk. "I didn't take the test. I was scouted."

My eyeballs nearly pop out of their sockets.

"Scouted?!" I nearly yell.

I look away.

That explains how he just randomly quoted a book out of memory like some genius. Only 0.8% of scholarship students are actually scouted and given a free and immediate entrance to the school without any tests or requirements.

He has to be some prodigy and have a crazy IQ.

I can feel my mouth hanging open.

"You've heard of Healers right?" I ask carefully.

He nods simply. "They're all over the news lately. A bunch of delinquents on the loose, feeding off the bourgeoise's greed and weaknesses."

I raise my eyebrows. "What do you mean?" He takes a step closer to me, a powerful move that somehow makes it seem like he has the upper-hand now.

"They make money off of the rich. They're night carriers, exposing corrupt dealings of big businesses with orders and requests from rival businesses."

I scoff weakly. "They're making money off this?"

A small cocky smirk plays on his lips, making me feel slightly annoyed but also intimidated by his surprising and overwhelming knowledge on Healers.

"Well do you think they'd being doing all this just for some lame, futile justice?"

I hold my breath, trying to process all this. Here I was thinking that Healers were just some dumb group, trying to expose corruptions for the sake of justice and with the cost of their own identity and safety. But it turns out, they're doing all this for money. They're not poor dumb kids trying to play superheroes.

They're cunning, using their smarts to take advantage of the rich for money.

"How do you know all this Kai?"

He pauses, and sighs heavily like he's slightly conflicted. "The other realm, however, overlapping half our house was completely different. A loud mixture of horrendous intriguing, frightful, mysterious things including slaughterhouses and prisons, drunk guards and screeching fishwives, calves and cows, horses sinking to their death, tales of robberies, murders and suicides."

His cryptic answer causes a shiver to run down my spine, and the hairs on my neck to stand. He shakes his head, with a calm and neutral expression that I did not expect.

"Can... Can you-you know... Talk normal?" I reply lamely, feeling small in front of him.

"This isn't a realm for you to know."

He slips away before I can say anything and he whistles a melodic tune that fades away as he disappears. I can finally get my feet to move so I step out of the exit, with the book in my hand.

My mind wanders back to Kai and what he told me.

Two realms. The one that I know, and the one that belongs to Healer.

Should I cross to it?

There is no doubt in my mind now that he is one of the Healers.

____

What do you think?

We're getting close to knowing who all Healers are...

But what's with Kai right?

Weird...