"Raps, here are the things you ordered."
She glanced at him and pointed towards the floor.
"Why do you need these anyway?" He set them down.
"For the mission."
Puzzled, he asked, "Don't we just need our gear, though?"
"Fool. If that was all we needed why would our professors stress survival?"
Flynn shrugged.
She sighed. "I should have expected as much from a battle-crazed maniac like you."
"These are our supplies: food, a first aid kit, and other miscellaneous items. We need them if we are going to the Seventh Isle."
"But there is food at the bunker?"
"Yes, but that doesn't mean it's necessarily for us. We will eat there but must be cautious about being considerate of the people stationed there."
"I see…You are quite knowledgeable, Leader." He smiled.
"It's simply my duty."
"A duty you do well."He quipped.
She faced him. "Can you stop that?"
"What?"
"You know what you are doing."
"But—"
"It's disgusting."
She turned away from him and walked off.
He ran his fingers through his hair and sat on a nearby stool. "Haa…What should I do?"
He glanced at the clock. It was still quite some time before his next lesson. He moved the box to the corner and afterwards, he strolled to his desk and plopped down.
It was best for him to wait. He had nothing better to do anyway: Riley was out of commission and Michael was probably chasing Hailey.
As for Rapunzel…
He let out a yawn and burrowed his head into his arms as he allowed his eyelids to slowly droop when the door was burst open.
In walked, Xander with his classic bland expression.
Xander stopped in front of his desk.
"Here, a present from Father. " He handed over a crisp white letter with their family emblem.
He took it and turned it over. "What is this?"
"I am just a messenger."
Xander turned around without explaining further and began walking. Flynn raised an eyebrow when he, however, stopped walking.
"Something you need, Xander?"
"Yes…That weak girl whose room is she in?"
For a second, Flynn's mind went blank. He sifted through his thoughts, trying to determine which girl he was referring to.
"Who do you mean?"
"The one who was pummeled by that student from Class A"
"Riley?"
"So that's her name?"
"Why did you ask?"
"Which room in the infirmary is she in?"
Flynn sighed. His question was ignored. He pondered whether to tell him. If it were his other classmates expressing their concerns, he would have had no hesitation but it was his brother. His brother. The guy who only did things when they interested him. His grades were living proof: subjects that aligned with his interests never fell below the total whereas the others would be just an astounding pass.
That very brother wanted to know where Riley was. Had he developed an interest in her?
'No, by his intonation, it's not the case. He was not aware but he stretched the vowels as he spoke which indicates exasperation. He is acting as though his obligated which means someone is forcing him to meet her.'
Finally, the situation laws clearer, though he did not know who or why, it felt good understanding.
A smile blossomed on his face.
Xander clicked his tongue. "You figured it out."
"Somewhat."
"It doesn't matter to me. Just give me the number."
"Information exchange."
Xander stared at his brother before sitting on the chair in front of his desk.
"State your claim." He said with a bored expression.
"Reason for information purchase."
"Is that all? You grow more predictable by the day, brother." Xander yawned.
"If you are that interested, that foolish head dared to assign me as her tutor. I am just trying to stay committed."
Flynn stared at his brother, incredulous.
'Why did the head request that from him? What is the connection between Riley and the Head?'
Xaden glanced at the boy absorbed in his thoughts. Even a deep sleeper would be awoken by the turning of his gears. Xaden reached out and flicked his head. Immediately, his eyes cleared up.
"I zoned out."
"Yes."
"I apologise."
"Yes."
"Ah…it's the third room."
Xaden glanced at him and stood up. After a curt thank you, he went and sat down in his seat.
Flynn's gaze stayed on Xaden before he looked away when he heard his other classmates enter and sat facing the instructor.
The lesson was on the Theory of the Isles.
"I hope you have all retouched your knowledge on the Split."
"Yes."
He smiled. "Good. Let's begin."
***************
The door opened with an awkward creak.
"What are you doing here?"
"Tutoring," he responded curtly.
"I see…" Riley had almost forgotten about her lessons and she doubted she would have remembered had Xaden not come.
He glanced around and asked, "I thought you had roommates."
"They left."
"Good. It means no room for distractions."
He dragged a stool towards her bed and sat on it. Riley watched him dig through his bag for some books and hand them to her. She also received some parchment and a quill.
"Use that to write."
"Yes."
"What level would you say your History is at?"
"…Beginner."
"I figured. The books I have given you are an introductory guide to the history of the world."
"I have to read all of them."
"If you want to pass."
She nodded at his words and flipped open one of the books. After a quick perusal, she gleaned that the information was on the history of the landmarks of the world.
"So for the lesson, all I am doing is reading?"
"That's homework. For this session, we will be discussing the Seven Isles."
Riley flipped to the page she had seen before. A pencil sketch of intricately drawn islands in a straight line, surrounded by an ocean, was the first thing she spotted when she opened to the topic.
"These are the Isles, right?"
"Yes. The Seven Isles are the markers of the border. They are what divides and protects us from the Blighted World. Six of these islands are contaminated and infested with monsters. It is where we cadets are sent for our missions. The Six are ranked in terms of the strength of the monsters. The Violet Isle is the most dangerous with the Green Isle being the least dangerous. The last Isle, the Isle of trials, is where the Main Characters undergo trials when they reach 16 to start their stories."
"How do the Isles protect us from the Blighted World when they contain monsters?"
"The Isles are on the barrier that separates the two worlds. The barrier is strong, however, sometimes it falters and monsters escape and enter our world."
"How can something strong falter?"
"…I am not certain."
"What if—" Suddenly, a groan escaped from her lips as she gripped her head. She was struck by a headache that took away her vision.
After a few seconds, everything returned to normal.
She looked up. "What happened?"
Xaden with a blank expression, stood up and said, "Let's continue this tomorrow."