Calm Before the Storm

Few years back in Elementary 2, when my naivety was still top-notch. I was superbly ingenious and in most cases could not put two and two together, and I ended up being a gullible little lad.

Something interesting happened in Elementary 2. There was this boy in my class, we were sort of close, not friends per se but we are not enemies either. We talk and gist when necessary. His name is Kaze.

Kaze came to me one day and told me that there was a gate at the back of our school. He said it's the second gate that students are not allowed to pass there because it is prohibited. I knew Kaze won't just tell me about the other gate without ulterior motives.

Kaze told me that there is a place where we can get candies and other stuff for a cheaper amount than it is sold for in our school.

"We can even get some for free" Kaze told me.

It didn't a lot of words for Kaze to convince me. I told you how naive I was. It wasn't so much my fault because there was never enough money to get candies for myself so I jumped at the opportunity to get more candies for myself.

Kaze told me the place where the candies are sold is behind the back gate and we'll need to sneak out because his sources have informed him that there is a security guard stationed there.

We embarked on our candy hunt at lunchtime and sneaked all the way to the back gate, hiding between classes and behind flower vases. I and Kaze were having a hitch-free escape out of the school and we were a few steps away from the gate when we heard a loud, clear, and booming voice;

"Stop there! Who are you?" we froze. I froze.

I heard that voice, I knew that was the end of everything, the way I knew it was the end of my days in LFS, the end of rescuing Jane, the way I knew it was the end of my education, the end of my life just as I felt that day Kaze and I heard that voice and my body reacted just as it reacted that day.

I jumped out of the way at once and quickly hid behind some form of rock hoping to the goddess of luck that I was not seen. After staying behind the rock for a few minutes and seeing torches flash by, searching for an unfortunate intruder, I heard the voice from before again.

"Fred, was it you that I saw few minutes ago? It was like I saw someone approaching the gate" the voice said and the person who I believe to be the Fred answered;

"I was just passing by checking out the area. You must have seen me pass by." Fred replied and everything went silent thereafter.

I believe I was not seen or perhaps I was seen and was only lucky that the other guy said it must have been him that his colleague saw. I got out of my hiding and proceed with my mission, this time sneaking and treading more carefully.

I didn't face any problem after that moment where I was almost discovered and I navigate my way through the base with the aid of the map that Geo gave me. The base is a large one, larger than the other base and has more security guards armed as if awaiting battle stationed at every nook and cranny.

I avoided them with ease and if they felt that someone passed by them, they would only push it away as an illusion. That was how much I had learned from Cara. It was like a piece of cake sneaking my way through the base and into Davis' office.

I didn't face any challenge in Geo's office and I planted the device under his table, switched it on and did everything as Geo instructed me to. I finished everything and left the office, sneaking out of the office and out of the base just as easily as I had sneaked in.

I informed Geo and others with the device when I got out of the base and I join them at the van once more. When I got to the van, I didn't see Geo and Dad, Nate, and Cars had gloomy looks in contradistinction to the feat I just pulled. They were supposed to be happy and full of praises for me, rubbing my head and singing my name on a podium in front of a thousand people screaming my name and whistling and shouting in praise of a great hero but here they are looking like Kaze when his parents told him that they are packing to a city better than Old Town and that he will no longer attend LFS. Joy but greater sadness. That's the look on their faces. That little joy from my exploit but a greater sadness from what I don't know.

"You have done well Mason" Dad said breaking the awkward silence and hugging me. Nate and Cara seem to snap out of it and they also complimented me, telling me that I've done well. Even after their compliments that seem awkward in themselves, the gloomy atmosphere remained and I wish someone would let me know what the problem is.

"Mase, you have to return to the base immediately. They found out that you were not in your room" Dad said and for a moment my heart skipped beating. I would not say that I was intrepid at the thought of what might happen if they truly find out that I sneaked out of the base. For one, it won't be nice for me, Geo will surely need to explain how I got out of the base and in the long run, he will be in trouble which will in the long run affect our plan.

Nate entered the van quickly and head towards the base. We contacted Geo on our way and he confirmed that things are blowing up. He said he has controlled his boys not to let a word out to anyone and even Davis his boss.

"You just have to sneak back into your room through the hidden passage" he said to me.

The hidden passage Geo was talking about is the alternative route to sneak out of the room whenever the boys refuse to leave our door. I had burst our ceiling with the help of Geo and I climb the ceiling most times by climbing the bed while one or two pushes from Jane propels me into the ceiling and I most times get out of an outlet at the back of the building. This is where Geo wants me to pass.

Geo told me over the phone just before I was dropped off that when they ask me where I was, I should tell them that I was just hiding under my bed because I was scared that they might take me away just as they took Jane. He said it is a reasonable excuse.

Dad encouraged me to do well before I got off the van and they stayed not so far away from the van waiting for information from Geo. I left them to face my own challenge. I sneaked my way to the base. It was night so it was much easier for me to pass by people and hide here or there when necessary.

When I got to the outlet, I saw that Geo had prepared something for to stand on so I can get into the ceiling. It was a kind of stone so it won't raise suspicion, and I know Geo will take the stone away when it is settled.

I got into the ceiling pulling it back behind me. I crawled gently on the ceiling, trying to make less to no noise. It was most unlikely that anyone would suspect that there's a little boy in the ceiling. I crawled to the place where I had torn out in my room and having used it several times now, I was familiar with the way that leads to the room.

I got to the room-top quickly, pulled the crafted-out ceiling and jumped inside the room. It was all silent. Utmost serenity. It felt like that calm before the storm.