Segment: Confession

Autumn Break

Lyle's P.O.V

If they think that they gone unnoticed, they were wrong. My brow twitched at the memory. I can't believe Jamie and Amelia were following us along with another person. That sums up about everything about Chrelia.

Jason, that psycho.

To think he'd order someone to tail Chrelia because of me and start using her. Now I know why I was so attached to Chrelia and it's not because of my feelings, romantically speaking. My feelings for Chrelia is disguised as romance when it's actually duty and guilt.

But Chrelia can't be used if Jason doesn't have some dirt against her. That was the next step I needed to take before I do this head on. There's also this thing about the council that put more weight on my shoulders than before.

My life is full of mystery. The assailant. The threat behind Chrelia's follower. The council digging and Jason being on my throat. I haven't even completely healed yet and I haven't talked to Jamie and Amelia. Honestly, I'm so tired and drained that I could collapse at any moment.

"You see this? This brand is different from the other one."

He showed me two different brands.

I lift up my shirt and traced the brand lightly, not wanting to irritate it.

"Defect, huh? Like a toy."

A rectangle with a broken toy in the middle. A broken dragon toy. It still tings but it was more manageable. If I were branded by that other one, no doubt I was going to get insane.

My head spins suddenly, making me grip ahold of the mirror in front of me. I've seen this brand somewhere. The logo.

This brand on a man.

I grip my head tightly as well as the mirror and groaned. I grit my teeth and closed my eyes. Who's the man?

"Ugh," I fell to the ground and gasped.

I already have so many things to think about and this, this added. Just what fucker is controlling my life to bomb this all on me.

"Crap, I still have a meeting."

I breathe in and out in repeat, calming down. The stinging pain was still there but it went, gone little by little. I stand up and held my head for a bit before walking away with a stinging pain lingering on my back. I grab my bag and went to school. The meeting is going to be in school since it's a Saturday. There is no honest connection but that's what they told me.

I bet they just want to see how the school is doing with pests living in it.

"Good morning, President." Samantha greets.

"Morning," I wince.

"You okay?"

"Just a little headache, don't worry."

I must be lacking sleep.

"You should take a proper rest, President. You're still injured." I sigh.

"I wonder when that will happen."

"Hmm, it must be sooner than you think. Autumn break starts Monday."

"Even if it's a break, if these goons are going to give us something, it's not considered a break." she sighs too.

"You're right."

"We should go inside. The others are probably there."

She opens the door for me and we both enter.

"Good morning, President." they all said in unison.

"Good morning,"

"The superiors are on their way here." Cameron announces.

"Position, everyone." I say before standing first in line.

A minute passes by before the door opening. We all greeted and bowed to the superiors before staying completely still beside the call.

"Tsk," I hear someone say.

They take their seats. There was one person that I don't know who. She looks like she was in her early thirties. Her absence of wrinkles tells me she's a sophisticated woman. She held her head higher than everyone else, except for Mr. Young and Mr. Taylor. Now that I look at the two of them, they seem more at ease now.

She must be someone more important than the others if she's making the others feel like it.

"Good morning, council. I believe you haven't met Mrs. Brianna. Mrs. Brianna, they are lined up according to position. President Lyle, Mr. Cameron, Miss Allie, Mr. Gerald, Miss Kristine, Miss Joyce, Mr. Jamie."

Why did he call me President?

"I see, I see. So who was the person that beat up the council?"

"Tsk, it was me." Jason says and looks at me, leering at me with authority.

"And the other?"

"Me," Mr. Pearce hesitantly says.

They look so pressured just by her presence, it was funny. When that bastard Jason ruled over everything, he thought he was the king. Now looking at him, I can see how he's just a power-hungry empty man. If my life isn't on the line, I'd have killed him by now.

"A mission is coming up and you're telling me you beat up the only factors that we call success takers?" her calm and cold voice echoed through the room. Jason and Mr. Pearce looked down on their laps.

I look at Mr. Taylor and he was looking at me. He looks away and focuses on the both of them. Did I smile? Did I look evil? Did I have anything on my face? If he saw it, I wonder if he'll punish me later. Gosh, what if Jason saw that?

"They had it coming-" Jason was cut off by the intimidating Mrs. Brianna. But what's her last name? She nor Mr. Taylor said anything. She must really be someone important to be going incognito on us like that.

"You are to keep your hands to yourself and not touch the kids."

Kids?

"They had come across a hostile-" Jason tries again.

"Tell me, did you even interrogate them before beating them up?" her dominance shone above everyone.

I'm finally feeling happy. Jason deserved all this, even Mr. Pearce. I saw how injured Jamie when I came back. It didn't go unnoticed.

"We didn't." Mr. Pearce admits.

"Why you little-" Jason mutters under his breath but everyone heard him.

"Starting from now, you are to not touch them. They will be placed under the hands of Mr. Taylor, and Mr. Young. Both of them handling four students at the same time." Jason scoffs.

"You can't expect us to just go along with this."

"You are free to leave the System if you have any objections. You're standing on thin ice, Mr. Ryle. This is the last warning I'm giving you. The next time this happens, you'll be out." she was overpowering Jason that he can't even talk.

What is her position? Why is she only here now?

"If I find out that someone touches them aside from the two aforementioned, you will be, without any hesitation, out of the System."

"Fine," Jason says through gritted teeth.

"I understand." Mr. Pearce says with remorse.

"Now, regarding the mission, the highest ranks have decided."

The more I spend time listening to Mrs. Brianna, the more confused I was getting. There's another group above these people? The highest ranks? Who? They're head of what? Important decision making? Like a mayor and a city admin? Just like that? So there's someone with more value than Mr. Taylor?

"Mr. Taylor will continue." Mrs. Brianna sits down and Mr. Taylor takes over. He clears his throat before standing up. Woah, he didn't stand up before, so what gives?

"I, Mrs. Brianna and the other two heads have decided to stop the mission. The reason being that everyone needs more training and contact with hostiles will be a problem seeing how two of our soldiers are injured more than ever."

Oh, he's one of the highest rankers. Based on what he said, they're four of them? Are they like the ace inside a deck of cards?

"The highest also ordered, as one, to give them rest and postpone any high-demand missions for now until everyone is fully equipped for a fight as a group." Mr. Taylor continued.

I want to jump high. Tell the highest that I'm very thankful. I can now finally take a much needed rest. I can sleep without worrying what kind of mission I'm getting the next day. Ah. Yes. This is what we need.

"Any objections?" Mrs. Brianna asks, eyeing everyone on the table on by one.

"Good."

"A training program will be sent to the council via email after recovery. That is all for today's meeting. Meeting dismissed."

Jason clicks his tongue and glares at me before walking out as fast as his tiny legs could. The others followed suit but Mrs. Brianna and Mr. Taylor stayed behind. Mrs. Brianna walks to us and eyes us all with sympathetic eyes.

"I'm sorry to drag you all in this. If only we had the time, we would tell you everything." she says with such a gentle voice, soothing our confused hearts. She was reaching us to out but it was limited.

"Mrs. Brianna, soon, this will be our victory."

They were both talking about something that screams 'ending'. It was too early to think of something but I have a feeling that I was one of the last that they were talking about. I have that feeling and I felt more valuable than ever.

"I see. Then I trust you eight as our last chance."

Mrs. Brianna is a beautiful woman and how her authority overpowers Mr. Taylor, it made me think that she's Amelia's mom.

Is she?

She looks exactly like Amelia. She had deep blue eyes, darker than Amelia's, like the sea. The indifference made it more harder to deny the fact that she's Amelia's mother.

"Excuse me, may I ask a question?" her eyes shifts to me and smiles.

"Ah, Lyle. I've heard everything from my husband and daughter all about you."

She already answered my question without even hearing about it. Can she perhaps read minds?

"I, I see."

"Did I already answer your question? Tell me, what gave me away?" she chuckled so angelically that I thought I was seeing Amelia. An older version.

"The dominance you have over Mr. Taylor screamed Miss Amelia to me, Ma'am. And you have the same eyes, just not the exact color." she nods her head and walks to me.

"I see, I see. Do you want to marry my daughter?" my members turned their heads to me, making me nervous under all these attention.

"Dear, let our daughter decide that for her." Mr. Taylor tried to pry his wife off of me.

"Really? Weren't you the one who granted her threat?"

"Aha, dear, it's not like that." Mr. Taylor scratches the back of his head.

Mrs. Brianna smiles at me and grabs both of my shoulders.

"I don't intend on telling you everything but you should ask Amelia about it. Just go around it and keep on asking, she'll eventually break if it came from you."

"I- thank you, Mrs. Brianna."

"Oh, please. When you're done talking, call me mom."

"Uh," I uttered.

"Well then, I should go. I'll see you tonight, dear. You too, Lyle."

Tonight? Was I going to meet this woman? Did I schedule a meetup with her? Will I be okay? Is she interrogating me about what happened? Mr. Taylor will be there as well too.

"I'll drive you to work, honey."

Mrs. Brianna gives us one last look before leaving with Mr. Taylor. A swift second was all it took for them to surround me, like ants lifting their food.

"Can I help you?"

"Monday, it's settled. Pack up, we'll be going on a trip for hot springs with the student council and Amelia." Allie says. It wasn't even an invitation. It was a pure command from her.

"But I-"

"No buts, President. This is something that all of us agreed to. We won't be going without you but since it's a majority win kind of situation, we'll be dragging you with us." Gerald says.

"Got it. I need space?" they backed away, with just one step.

I sighed.

"President, how long till you're completely healed?" Joyce asks with urgency in her voice.

"Two weeks."

"We can do that."

"You bet we can."

"Patience is a virtue, they say."

"Two weeks then."

They must be thinking about the digging.

"Honestly, we just can't fight you off all at once. You'd defeat us even in that sorry state." Jamie scoffs. I wasn't sure if he was complimenting me or pitying me.

"That goes to your sorry asses then."

They all smiled at me, even the mighty Cameron whose pride is way over the roof. What happened while I was gone? You know what, all these questions aren't going to get answered without me voicing them out.

"What happened when I was gone anyway?" they all looked at each other before looking at me with smirks on their faces.

"Well, President. You have to wait until you're fully recovered." the last statement, all smiled like a devil. They sound like they practiced that line to get back at me with force.

"Right," was all I could say.

"Anyway, President, tonight, we'll be out of here." Kristine says with the biggest smile.

"Tonight? I thought it was tomorrow?"

"Nope. We're utilizing everything to the very last drop." Gerald says and grins.

"I'm excited and to think that Amelia Taylor will be with us! Gah. I never thought I'd be in the same room as hers." Allie fangirls.

"Right? Michelle too." Samantha says and looks at Jamie.

"What? You got something to say?" he proudly asks, chest out and a grin.

"President," Cameron walks to my side and looks at me with seriousness painted all over his face.

"What is it?"

"I'm sorry if I said something about you and Amelia when we were in the vehicle at that time." I pat his back.

"You changed and I don't see people change that often. That's more than enough for me." he smiles softly at me.

"Thanks, President."

"Sure, pal. No worries."

"Anyway, we should go."

"I agree with Gerald." Jamie says.

"Alright."

We went our separate ways and packed our things. The funniest thing when I came back was that everything I left at the beach was inside a package outside my door. It wasn't inside my bag but just inside a box. So that means, whoever got their hands on my things opened my stuff and saw what was inside. I hope it isn't Amelia because that would be embarrassing. I brought all that toys and it wasn't put to good use.

"Should I bring these?"

"Nah, I don't think so. I can barely stand up."

I decided to not bring those and packed clothes. It's a bit messy since I can't use my only useable arm with perfect control because of the wound. The wound was a bit deep so it took its time to heal and I wasn't getting enough medical treatments, medicine and rest.

"Ah, I look like a complete i***t. Can't even fold my clothes neatly. Such a shame."

I look at both of my hands and smiles. This is the proof that I still need to train a lot more so I can protect those who I hold dear. I'm getting more and more determined by the day.

I slowly lift my bag and placed the sling over my shoulder. Crap, it still hurts.

I wonder if I can get inside the hot spring like this.

I walk to the elevator and pushed the down button. I didn't have to wait for that long since the elevator was from the top and was going done. I held my breath, not knowing why. I'm getting nervous.

The elevator door opened and revealed a shocked Amelia.

Now I know why.

"Hi," I say awkwardly.

"Hello, you want to come in?"

"Right."

I hop inside the elevator and stood awkwardly. The lobby button was already pressed. Well, since that's where we'll be meeting but what's with this atmosphere. She went out of her way to invite us yet I'm just standing here.

"Amel-" the elevator door opened and there was everyone outside the glass door, waiting for us already.

"Hmm? Did you say something?"

"I'll tell you later."

"Okay then."

We pack our things to the vans that Richard Morris prepared for the trip. We're once again surrounded by rich peers but this time, this time is different. We're not acting as bodyguards. We're just friends who invited each other to have some fun.

They drove us to the yacht and we boarded. It is a two-hour drive to the main city and then another two land travel to the hot springs.

"What's up?" Jamie came to my side and looked down at the ocean.

This is happening more frequently than I thought. Us looking down at the sea, listening to the waves and just releasing ourselves.

"What do you mean?"

"You're awfully quiet."

"Aren't I always?" he shakes his head.

"No, you're not."

"Must be because I saw two obvious people tailing Chrelia and I."

"Ahaaaa. You saw that?"

"Of course I would."

"If only your senses are as injured as your physique."

"You wish, loser. You know Amelia stands out."

"Yeah, I didn't think of that."

"Now you know."

"Right, right. So what's up?"

"It's awkward? I don't know. I can't look at Amelia in the eyes."

"Because?" I turn around and saw Amelia with a smile.

"This is when I'll be going." he excuses himself and Amelia went to his position earlier.

"Amelia,"

"You didn't get to finish your sentence earlier."

"Oh,"

After I had realized everything, I feel squirmy when Amelia's next to me. I look at her and she has her eyes closed. Her hair flying away with the wind. Her contented smile irrevocable and in pure bliss. She was relaxed beside me. Her beautiful face can't be erased now from my head.

"Lyle?" she opens her eyes and turns to me. I, on instinct, looked to the opposite side.

"Sorry, just, uhm, you look very beautiful."

"Don't you have Chrelia already?"

"You tailed us so you must've known that I didn't do anything other than the dinner." I turn to look at her and she has this troubled look on her beautiful face.

"You knew?"

"Of course. Why do you think I won't? You can be easily spotted."

"So what did that dinner mean to you? I'm not in the position to be jealous but you must already know about my feelings for you now."

I am.

"I don't though. Can you tell me?" she gasps at me. Her eyes went big in an instant.

"Are you for reals?"

I grab her hand and pull her into me. I kiss her lips, just brushing it lightly with mine.

"Amelia, let's continue what we have?"

"What?"

"I like you." she stares directly into my eyes. If she thinks I'm playing her, then she's wrong. I've already realized it and I should've before.

Jamie always mentioning her name could also be a factor to my liking her but I know that it's because of myself and because Amelia is irresistible. Everyone is jealous of her and some wants to mark her theirs but she's here, in front of me, semi-confessing her feelings.

"I, what? When? How?" I laugh.

"I can be yours but you can't be mine."

"I can handle myself, Lyle."

"I may sound cocky but even your guards aren't on par with me. How can they protect you?" she looks down, conflicted. We both know I'm right.

"Then what do we have right now?"

I hope she can wait.

"What we have is nothing for now, Princess. If you can wait for me, I will come to you once everything is over."

"But I want to be there for you."

"You already are. You're more precious than my life. I can't risk having my enemies know that I treasure you."

"You're afraid they'll use me against you?" I nod.

"You as my boss' daughter is enough."

She looks at our hands before closing the distance between us. She places her head on my upper chest.

"Lyle, what do you want from me?"

I have a lot but I can't tell her that, or even my resolve will dissolve if I voice them out. I can't keep this up if I break my own walls.

"I want you to be safe and being with me is contradictory."

"I won't find anyone else, so please hurry up."

I want to rest in her arms peacefully. Wake up and not worry about everything and just about anything. I'm going to make sure that she'll be safe, even at the expense of my own life. My feelings aren't that deep yet but I'm already ready to throw out my life for her. I must be misjudging my own feelings.

Now that Chrelia is out of the picture, I've grasped about my feelings more firmly than before. Now I know what that pull was and how conflicted I was, comparing my feelings for them both.

"I will."

"So can I call you mine even though you can't call me yours?"

I smile to myself.

"Sure, Princess."