28 Pas

You aren't fully awaken if you're still keeping the dark feathers of the past.

~Third Person's Point of View~

\"OK, class. Today, the granddaughter of Professor Clint will be staying here and observe each one of you for two months. Make sure you all behave well.\" announced by the sole advisor of the classroom.

The students were all focused on the girl standing beside the advisor, at the front of the class. They were waiting for her introduction.

The girl then took a bow as she introduced herself.

\"The name is Zoey Fritz, your observer. Please think of me as part of the class.\"

Her grandfather was one of the respected professor inside the palace. He was a genius scientist and strategist. Mainly, her grandfather's work was to help the noble students on their improvements, and she was helping him by observing the main class which where the royal sons and daughters were. The class advisor told her to take a sit at the back, there was a vacant seat between the next table and the window.

And there she met Caleb Fortez.

As the day passed by, she noticed that there were some students who did not take classes. Most of the students in the class were doing great, and among these students there was only one who stood out most and that was Caleb. Except the three people who weren't attending, she couldn't find any student who was close to failing.

It was the time of recess when she headed out the class and went to see her grandfather to report.

\"Hey, are you going to see Prof. Clint again?\"

Zoey turned around to see who it was that called her.

\"Oh, Caleb. It's you.\" she friendly greeted him. \"Do you need something?\"

\"Ah, no. It just you always look for your grandfather every recess, aren't you hungry?\"

\"Thanks for your concern, but I----\"

She wasn't able to finish what she was trying to say when Caleb suddenly grabbed her hand and put a piece of sandwich on it.

\"I heard you growl in hunger.\" he said.

She wasn't able to react at first because of surprise, but then after few seconds of realization she slightly giggled. She knew that was just his excuses.

\"That's so kind of you, but I have to refuse this.\"

\"It's alright. My maid tends to give me a big portion of foods and I can't eat them all. It such a waste.\"

\"Is that so?\"

Caleb nodded, but then he gave her a pack of milkshake that made her forehead frowned.

\"This is different. I bought this for you.\" he said.

\"A-And why is that?\" she wasn't sure what to say and made her stutter. Never in her life she received this kind of kindness, even though this might be one of the so-called moves of a guy to get a girl's attention, but to her it didn't seem to be like that.

\"Obviously, because you might choked if you don't have any liquid to drink with you.\" he said. Then, he turned around and waved at her while walking back.

She smiled while staring at the foods on her palms. Then, she continued on looking for Prof. Clint.

On way back to class, she was reading the records when her attention got caught by the three people that were also walking in front of her. They look like noble students but she wasn't sure because this was her first time seeing them and they weren't wearing uniforms. Zoey did no longer pay attention to them as she put back her attention at the papers she was holding. She ignored them until they passed each other's way. But the young man behind of the two halted and looked back at Zoey.

He was looking at her as if there's something inside of her, and he didn't avert away his sight from her even though she walked far already.

\"Is something wrong, Aries?\"

But he didn't respond and started walking away.

One week left before Zoey's final report. She was observing very carefully to each of the students when her grandfather called her in the middle of the class. It was a sudden summon and it gave her a deep thought while on the way to its grandfather's laboratory.

But when she arrived the hallway, she noticed the door was open and heard people talking inside the laboratory. She got an idea that her grandfather might having an argument with someone. She slowly approached the lab's door and sneakily peaked inside. From there, she saw the back of a man wearing a long black leather jacket. It confirmed that it was arguing with her grandfather.

\"You can't be sure about this, Professor. This medicine can't be failed!\" the man resisted.

\"I am sure about it. This is the solely reason why your sister's disease is worsening. You have to believe me, take her in the hospital and she'll recover there than locking her up.\" Professor Clint calmly explained.

And the man suddenly got so angry and started breaking the apparatuses on the lab's table beside him.

\"This can't be true!\" he shouted.

\"I understand you, but you have to trust the people if you want her to recover.\"

\"It's them! Humanity ruined her future and you're telling me to trust it? How can I do that if it's the people itself gave that bullshit disease to my sister!? Why can't you just treat her, huh Professor? Treat her!\"

The old man got closer to the man and caressed its back.

\"I'm just a scientist, you know that. I can only give you advices, that's all what I can do. Give it a chance and you'll see the changes.\"

\"It's impossible... We're just an outsider, they neither accept us nor treat her.\"

\"No worries. I'll help you on that and I'll be there too.\"

After some time, the man left the room. Zoey didn't hide and was just waiting outside while her back was leaning against the wall near the doorway. She lowered her head when the man passed by in front of her, but she took a peak on him. And at that moment she could see him closely and saw a long silver crossed earring on his right ear.

As the man took his turn on the corner, she immediately entered the room.

\"Grandpa.\" the girl called her grandfather's attention, and the old man looked worriedly.

\"You're here.\"

From that point, Zoey could clearly tell that something's wrong. Her grandfather's self-compose and confidence wasn't there. She went closer to the old man and held its hand.

\"I failed.\" the grandpa said in low tone and disappointment.

\"The experiment that I've been working for so many years... I can't see the success in it. I failed.\"

\"Grandpa... For sure we'll find a way.\" she said trying to cheer him up.

\"You saw the man earlier? He's part of this experiment because of his sister. She once had a normal life being a helper but the people used her for their own safety. There was this blood virus that spreaded and gave disaster to most citizens long ago. Her blood was the cure. She was willing to help even though she should just stay silent. People were gone crazy that time because of the virus and knowing that she's the cure they did everything they could just to have her. War was held but in the end the nobles were the one who were able to get her since most of the great doctors are nobles. They had a deal. Doctors and scientists had to work together to make a cure by the help of her blood, and I was part of it.\"

The old man took a deep breath when he remembered all what happened to the man's sister. It was painful to him, but he continued on telling this to his granddaughter.

\"At first, it was going smoothly and we all thought that we'd succeed. But due to the process of making a cure, symptoms started showing from her body. We did our best to take care of her as well as making the cure, but time was running fast and the King itself ordered us to finish the project. As we were running out of time, an unknown and incurable disease starting to form in her body. She was in terrible state but she was still willing to help, and from that, other doctors took advantages of her. I couldn't stand to watch her suffer anymore so, I took her away.\"

\"If you did that then grandpa...\"

\"Of course, Zoey. I knew the consequences of doing that so, I asked for backups. I know some trusted people in the royal family and they helped me. While hiding, I took care of her and preventing the disease to spread on her body. As the time passed, I discovered something and made me study the virus from the beginning.\"

\"So, grandpa created the cure?\"

\"That's right, Zoey. I succeeded of making the cure and the mankind was saved. But I couldn't save his sister, all I could do was to prevent it from spreading fast. Months later, he showed up and took his sister telling that he knew someone who might heal her.\"

The old man became silent for awhile then he went to one of the sealed closets and took out a small bottle from there. He went back to Zoey and put the bottle on the table lab.

\"What's this?\" she asked.

\"Don't touch it, Zoey. It's a perilous thing, a handmade virus that put disaster to people and that is what I discovered. Humanity was the fault itself, but I kept it a secret. The man looked for me because of his sister. I told him this but I hid this sample so, only the two of us know this existence, Zoey.\"

\"You really love putting me in danger, grandpa.\"

\"Ahahaha... Is that so? Well then, always prepare yourself.\"

\"I am always prepared. But grandpa you haven't tell me about the experiment.\"

\"Oh, shall we back to the story again? Haha. Ehem. So, the reason he looked for me was because her sister was getting more sick and... crazy.\"

\"Crazy?\"

\"She's turning into a different person. He told me that every time the sun came down her sister started moaning and crying in pain for the whole night, then in the morning he just saw her body in bruises and cuts. So, I had no choice but to go with him and met her by myself. That's when I confirmed that an evil is trying to eat her soul.\"

\"Evil? You mean...\"

\"No, it's different. She's not a special like you, dear. That devil was created by the disease... By the unknown man who created the virus. Out of desperation, we decided to undergo an experiment. Since there's a small similarities on your case I thought that maybe if we succeed this, I might help you get rid the darkness inside you and to other people as well. I had high hopes but... The disease was contagious and we didn't realize that till we witnessed the others, who cooporated with us, gone wild and killing themselves. It was disastrous, and because of the incident he locked up her underground. I didn't give up on continuing the experiment. But when I managed to stop her from hurting herself, he didn't tell me that she's taking some medication. I was clueless. For some reason he didn't showed up and the experiment remained hiatus.\"

\"Does that mean, you just met him again today?\"

\"No. He unexpectedly showed up to me last week telling me about the medicine. He asked to continue the experiment. There'll be risks and the hiatus is almost two years, plus it'll take longer to start again because of the medication she took.\"

\"Is that why you refused him?\"

The old man got shocked by Zoey's question, \"Since when did you learn to eavesdrop?\"

\"I wasn't eavesdropping. I was waiting outside and of course I could hear everything since the door was open.\"

\"Hmmm... Ehem. I didn't refuse him. I just told him the truth and what are the possibilities. And the reason I offered him to them is because the people there can be trusted unlike before. They can treat his sister together with the data I have kept. I just hope for him to give them a second chance.\"

\"Then, how grandpa can tell that the experiment is failed already?\"

\"It's because I have to limit myself from discovering more about the blood virus and the mysterious incurable disease. As I told you, I can no longer see the success on it... Only the danger from it.\"

Zoey left the room when the bell rung and she couldn't stop thinking all what her grandfather said. It's a very important information along the secret of the virus sample.

While walking on the corridor she caught two people standing suspiciously near the class room, they seemed like waiting for someone. It was the end of the class, and so, many students there were coming out of the room to go home. She got the feeling of hiding and secretly watching their moves. After few moments of waiting, these two approached some students and talked to them, but it didn't last long as they ended the conversation. From that, Zoey hurriedly approached the students that they talked to. She got to know that they were looking for the girl with the surname Fritz. Gladly these students didn't seem to remember her surname so, they left after answering the question.

It confirmed that these two people were looking for her, but for what reason?

Several weeks after and her duty as an observer ended. Many things had happened for these past two months. She accomplished her duty by getting a lot of records of the noble students, but in the end she didn't meet the three students who weren't attending. In the past two months, she not only gained records but also memories of being part of the class. Many students got closed to her, except for Caleb.

To be exact, their feelings for each other were much deeper than others. But it wasn't declared yet.

They weren't talking to each other when they were in the classroom, even though their sits were just next to each other. But even so, they were not awkward. She had been observing him as he was the top one in the class. He was good at everything. Caleb sometimes being so nice at her by helping her in many ways or giving her foods, but there were times when he was cold and just normal.

Unexpectedly, because of observing him, she gradually fell in love and she was aware of that.

She was ready to confess her feelings when an incident happened that changed her whole life. An incident that made an uproar to the whole place.

And the start of her miserable life.

To be continued...