CHAPTER SIX- FACE OFF II

MADISON

I am obviously not mentioning about 'his' something in there, it was obviously about a thing that I have long been looking for. It was almost the end of his period and even if I have already finished answering, I have decided to just pass it when the bell rings.

Since my seat is in the most corner-back part, Otis won't actually be noticing me being finished and just staring to my arm chair. I was really stucked up about my thoughts.

He sometimes stands up and monitor my classmates who have questions, but that's it. I still feel chills in my body even just thinking, staring, and with the thought that he is here with me.

With almost an hour of thinking, the bell suddenly rang and so I stood up, went to the teacher's table where he sat and made an eye contact with him.

He scratched his head upon seeing my smirk before I turned around and went back to my seat.

I saw Sishy eyeing on me and on what I did and asked, "What was that?"

I just shrugged and started to keep my things from my desk and didn't wait for her. I started walking towards the door, I am already hungry maybe because of too much thinking and because of what I have discovered.

A wide smile has now been plastered on my face. I almost had a mini heart attack when Sishy was suddenly beside me and started clinging to me. I just sighed and let her do it.

She playfully smiled and looked at me, "What's with you and Otis, huh?"

I shook my head as an answer but that playfule smile on her lips is still there and so I looked away and just focused on where we are going.

"He girls," a boy suddenly was beside me while we are walking. I almost got concerned about us walking in the hallway but I realized that our whole way is already wide enough, even almost a dozen of people can walk side to side.

Just kidding.

"Oh, Otis! What brings you here with us?" Sishy asked with a wide smile that is now plastered on her face. I rolled my eyes mentally because of her reactions.

"You're going to the school's cafeteria right?" He asked and so Sishy nodded. I didn't mind and answered his question as if he wasn't there. "I just wanted to tag along."

"Hmm..." Sishy just nodded still with that playful with a wide smile and so I looked and glared at her.

"Hey, naughty girl." Now this boy really want my attention so bad.

"Wow! Coming from an over-assuming boy! Haha! You are too assuming, Otis." I said as I glared at him for seconds and walked fastly leaving the two behind.

Thankfully, the cafeteria wasn't really crowded by the time I got there and I don't know why though. I just didn't mind about it and went to the usual stall where I buy sandwiches for snacks.

"Miss, 2 egg sandwich with spread." Sishy immediately handed the money to the vendor before I could even react. She raised an eyebrow because of the look that I am giving her.

"You don't really have to do that."

"It's a compensation for what I have done yesterday. I am really sorry for what I did, it's just that there was a very disturbing text that I have received." She explained but I realized, when did I even start caring about these humans?

And so I just nodded and find a seat for the both of us. I saw her talking with the vendor about some things and she handed a money again to buy our drinks.

I have decided that I will ask her about what she also did in our neighborhood last morning. That was also very disturbing and suspicious for me. I hope she's not hiding anything.

When I saw her already approaching in the table, I then stopped myself from asking. I actually forgot that my mom didn't tell her that I lived in the Zedler's mansion, I just bit my tongue and helped her from putting what she bought on the table.

"I forgot to tell you..." Sishy started and so I looked at her while opening the plastic with the sandwich. "I was actually finding your house this morning, I'm sorry for invading your privacy and asking the teacher for your address but I was just too guilty about what I did yesterday."

"And?"

"And you are from Barangay Salvation, right?" I nodded while taking a bite from my snack. "I actually asked every people in that barangay but why is it that no one even know you exist and lived there?"

This girl... is just too nosy. Sticking her nose everywhere, most especially to my freaking life!

"You don't have to go that far just to find me. I actually don't know anyone from that barangay, I don't interact, and I think I already told you about how I was homeschooled." And of course those are lies.

"Well you've got a point, I was just confused awhile ago, maybe because you have moved in and you've submitted an old address?" she continued asking and asking and asking. Why is this Sishy girl so invested about my life?

Is this really what friends do? I think this is what everyone called, invasion of privacy. I just hope she doesn't go too far and too much or else I won't be able to stop myself from killing her.

"That's not an old address. Next time, just don't go looking for me. It'll be dangerous," I said and took a sip from the juice that she also bought.

"Dangerous? Why? Are there dogs in your house?" a series of questions again. "Don't worry, I don't bite animals." She laughingly added and started eating her sandwich.

"Just finish eating. I advice you to not be so nosy about my life, Sishy. We are not even that close." I seriously uttered and looked at the almost finished sandwich I am holding.

"That's so not nice of you to say those but we'll, maybe I went overboard about what I did. So... Are we okay now?" she smiled widely while asking me. I just nodded in order for her to be quite and stop bugging me about what she did yesterday blah-blah-blah 'cause first of all, I don't really care.

I was just disappointed. That's it.

"By the way, what's with you and Otis? Is there something going on with you two? You just met, right?" She started asking these questions again.

I rolled my eyes at her before answering, "He's just annoying me. I don't even know what's with him and he acts that way."

I finished drinking the juice and gets a tissue from the food tray and wiped the sides of my mouth and then my hands. I checked the time from my watch and it is almost the start of our second period but Sishy still has a long way to go before finishing her snack.

Again, I saw a playful smile that was plastered on her face before she replied, "Maybe... he has a crush on you? Or maybe he is interested in you?"

I flinched and cringed with what she said. She then laughed off my expression and suddenly stopped because of suddenly staring at my back.

Because of my curiousity, I slowly turned around just to see the group of Otis including him looking at our direction. I immediately turn back to Sishy who is now smirking at me.

This is just so annoying and irritating, what's Otis' deal, anyway?

When the bell rang, I was relieved when Sishy finished her snacks and that we instantly stood up while bringing our trashes and threw it on a trash can near the cafeteria's door.

The hallway was full of students running back to their respective classrooms and we are one of them. When we arrived at our classroom there was still no teacher but there is a one boy sitting at the teacher's table who really caught my attention.

Him. Again!?

I was about to welcome Sishy's annoying smile but I saw her being busy with her phone not noticing that Otis was looking at us while we are walking back to our seats.

He intently stared at me and so I did the same. Now that I know about him and what he has, I will never back down and let him win the fight for humanity.

"I forgot to tell you that I have a very close friend here in our school for years now, she haven't attended activities from our first day but she'll be here later. Maybe after lunch, " Sishy explained while busy texting from her phone with the friend she is referring to.

"Our General Math professor, is she absent?" I asked her so she looked at me with confusing eyes. "Absent?" She asked and looked at the teacher's table at the front.

"Otis again, huh. He mostly becomes a substitute whenever the teacher in our department is absent. Let me ask him," she immediately raised her hand and so Otis directly noticed her.

"What is it, Ms. Caccini?"

"Uhm Otis, why are the teachers of both our first and second period absent?" Sishy asked politely to Otis. Wow, what a great acting.

"Oh, I forgot to explain to everybody that both your professors in your first and second period are both not present here today with you because they got a meeting to attend the regional's office. School thing, I guess." He explained and so all of our classmates nodded.

Since it is still the second day of class this school year, the activities that are given by them were not really long and brain cell killers.

While Otis is talking with the boys at the front, I can't stop looking at him, specifically at the thing that I mostly has been waiting for. Ordinary people can't see the shine of that thing but since I am Madison, I can see that thing twinkling even if it's under a shirt.

Now, Otis stood up and gave us the answer sheets one by one. When he was about to give the sheet to me, I saw his sudden smirk that made it suspicious for me. I looked straight to him just to notice that playful smirk that actually has a  meaning behind.

What could that be? I accepted the answer sheet he handed me and started answering to finish it early. Like what I did in the first period, when I finished answering, I am actually thinking about things and that includes the man Infront of us who is now, again, intently looking at me.

And so I stared back, I saw that he moved his hands inside his pocket and grabbed something out from it. My eyes widened with what he's holding. I immediately looked down in order for him to not notice me knowing about what he's holding.

I bit my lip because of my stupid actions. I was really obvious and dumb. Damn it!

My feet are itching to stand up, go near him and grab that thing on his hands but there are just a lot of students here, my mouth is also itching to ask him about what he's holding.

If that thing that he's holding really is the original, then this is my lucky day to grab it and place my hand on humanity's lives and fate. But I guess, this isn't the right timing yet.

"Are you finished?" Sishy whispered and so I just nodded without looking at her. I just looked down the whole time, sweat is falling down and blood from my lips is falling down because of me keeping on biting it, to refrain myself in getting furiously excited about the happenings today.

Sishy won't notice the sweat and blood since half of my face is covered in my hair.

I licked my lower lips and wiped my sweat with my handkerchief before suspectioning Otis Hughes.

So it was him... he is the holder of the everlasting stone, the holder of the humanity's hope. The very man I am expecting in this school, he is actually dragging himself down just by getting close to me.

This will be so damn exciting!