Karim

I rise up and follow her. This isn't as easy as I thought it would be. Angela tries to hold on to my hand, but I slip my wrist out of her grasp.

"Later." I whisper.

That's when Val notices that there are other people in the room.

Her eyes flick over my vomit- stained uniform, to Morrow disheveled state, to the broken glass on the floor.

"What in the seven seas happened here?"

Her voice is shrill and sharp.

She steps into the room.

Angela climbs to her feet awkwardly. Furuno remains exactly where he is, staring at her expressionless.

Mrs. Val crouches beside the broken glass on the floor and fishes the label out.

Ace and I exchange glances.

"Where did you get this?" She turns on us, her face scrinched up in a tight frown.

Beneath the facade, I can see the glimmer of excitement in her eyes as she stares at Ace.

She's problem looking for all the reasons in the book to have him expelled.

Ace winks at her. She shudders in response.

Her attention turns to Furuno.

"Young man, wherever was this gotten from?"

He regards her blankly - as if he can't comprehend her voice.

"I believe I'm not talking to myself." She says, clearing her throat.

Angela shifts towards me.

The old hawk catches the slight movement.

"It's you, isn't it?"

Angela twists her fingers nervously.

Ace leans against the doorjamb, watching the proceedings with a sly grin.

"On your feet, young man!" She commands Furuno.

He pulls himself up, towering over her effortlessly.

She gives him a thorough once-over.

"Are you a student here? Because if you are, you'd be dressed. Do you think the General Assembly is some casual thing you can miss whenever you like?"

He runs a hand through his hair, but still doesn't utter a word.

I fold my arms across my chest and watch the proceedings.

Mrs. Val's lips purse in anger.

"If you don't want to be here, then follow me. It's enough that we work here, we don't have to put off with your tantrums."

Ace and Angela exchange glances.

"Mrs. Val." Ace calls, smirking.

She ignores him.

"Turn around."

She mutters something profane-sounding under her breath and pulls out a notepad to scribble something.

"What's your name?" She asks Furuno.

When she looks up, her eyes widen.

"Where is he? He was just here." She murmurs to herself.

I follow the direction of her gaze. Furuno is still standing in front of her.

She waves her hand, slightly missing him by a hair's breath.

Angela giggles slightly.

Val turns around, her face red with fury.

"Who is there! Whatever game you're playing Skylard - it's not in your favour."

Angela parts her lips to say something. Ace quickly covers her mouth.

I glance at the furious old woman waving her arms about in an attempt to find us.

"I know you're here."

Furuno chuckles lightly, his face reddening with the effort of holding back laughter.

I, on the other hand, keep smiling sheepishly. This is just like the time at the seminar. Invisible bees, now invisible people.

She pauses to wipe a sweat off her wrinkled brow.

"This isn't funny."

"Enough, Ace. You've had your fun." I lean in to tell him.

"Fun sponge." He says under his breath.

Angela's shoulder's slump, also reluctant to end the torture.

Val stops, her eyes widening like that of a madman as she sees us.

"You." She points a wrinkled finger at Ace.

Ace shoves Angela in front of her.

Angela laughs slightly.

"We'll see who will have the last laugh. All of you, to me office!" She squeezes past us and precedes us to the office of doom.

"What the hell did I do?" Furuno asks.

Ace pats his shoulder.

"Wrong question. What you should ask is if someone has an extra pen."

The joke catches immediately.

All three of them burst out laughing. It becomes too contagious for me to remain aloof.

Angela bends, clutching her stomach as she keeps laughing.

"Good one." I tell him. "I didn't think you had it in you."

He beams. "We barely know each other."

True. But it feels like I've known them for an entire lifetime.

Angela grabs my arm.

"I don't have an official signature yet. This moment has to be special."

Furuno scoffs. "How are you all so sure that you're getting expelled?"

Ace winks at him. "I might have took a peek in her mind."

"That's badass." Angela cheers.

He runs a cocky hand through his hair.

It's good to see that Angela has grown out of her fear for him.

"Shall we?" Furuno asks, eager to get it done with.

The hall feels warm and welcoming for the first time since I came here.

Maybe it's because I'm no longer new and alone.

The door to her office is open.

Following courtsey, Angela goes in first.

Safari and Morrow are seated inside, covered in dust.

Papers with pens placed on them lie in front of them.

Their faces brighten when they see us.

A red-haired woman brings more chairs from an adjoining room and sets them before us.

"The Deans will see you all shortly."

Safari steals a glance at Furuno. When he meets her gaze, she quickly returns her attention back to her paperwork, smoothing her hair nervously.

Even Morrow notices the exchange.

Ace snatches up the paper in front of Morrow. His eyes narrow as he reads the contents.

I peer at it from behind him.

It's an expulsion form. I don't bother reading the specifics.

I turn to the girls, barely able to refrain myself from smiling like an idiot.

Ruffling Morrow's hair, I ask, "How did you manage to pull it off?"

She jerks her head away from my reach and tries to glare at me unsuccessfully.

"It's all Safari. She went nuts."

Safari shrugs. "Hey, give yourself some credit as well. I didn't do all the work myself."

Furuno takes the seat closest to him.

I had almost forgotten that seats had been brought in.

"Why are you covered in so much dust?"

Both girls avert their gazes. Morrow turns a dark shade of red.

Then, footsteps tear through the silence, scuffing softly along the polished marble floor.

"I'll tell you what they did." The voice precedes the person.

I slide into a chair.

A man with a dusty suit emerges. With each movement, a bit of dust shakes off his clothing.

This should be interesting.

"They collapsed the assembly hall."

Ace gasps, pulling a seat beside me.

"No way." He whispers to me.

I blink, thinking I'd misheard.

How the hell did they do that?

"It was an accident." Morrow mutters in her defense.

"So you said. Why then did you freeze time? You might take us for fools, but we've seen much worse than you."

Safari gulps.

I can hear her tapping her feet beneath the table. The sound annoys me beyond words.

"Was anyone hurt?" I ask.

"They managed to be of some use. The time girl managed to slow time long enough for all the students and staff to evacuate the hall."

The rest of his words fade away unheard.

The only part that stuck was that she had exempted the whole school from her time freeze.

That's wonderful news.

I nod at her.

She colours again.

"Such a mistake can never be overlooked. Same as the mistake of shoving someone down a balcony." His gaze falls on Furuno as he says the last parts.

"It's not the first time a student suddenly snapped and tried to kill another. But, I'll tell you one thing - it'd be the last. You all can continue your indisciplined behaviours outside our walls." He continues, perching himself at the edge of the round table.

The table creaks softly under his weight.

His wrist watch glimmers where light catches it, nearly blinding me with the reflection.

"What are both of you here for?" He indicates Ace and myself.

Ace traces something invisible on the table.

"We violated our Dungeon sentence."

The man sighs.

"There's no hint of remorse on your face, boy. If you're trying to make your father sue the school..."

"My father should be the last of your problems." Ace cuts him off smoothly.

The man with greying dust-adorned hair raises an eyebrow.

"Is that so? Then, what is our major problem?"

Ace tilts his head. "The coming Apocalypse."

Colour drains from the man's face. I notice his trembling hands before he shoves them into his pockets.

"Nonsense! It'd never reach the school." He says loudly, trying to convince himself more than us.

"What about your family out there? When was the last time you heard from them?"

His gaze flickers out the window, then back at us.

"This morning. Enough of this talk - it leads nowhere."

He rises up and leaves the room.

"Why are they so stubborn?" Safari asks.

I lean back on my chair.

"Their reputation is apparently more important."

Both girls roll their eyes.

Finally, Mrs. Val and her cohorts bless us with their presence.

She drops papers in front of us all.

"Don't miss a single box."

"Where's one person?" Furuno leans forward to ask.

I suddenly realize his absence.

Shit!

Praisch.

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