Raven

Chapter 25

Raven's POV

"Hey, hey, chill out! It's just me!" Sucrose said frantically.

I was so startled that I almost tripped over the floor. It's not that I am a coward, I just couldn't handle jumpscares.

"Why, what's wrong??" Night stood by the door.

Lemon also followed suit. "What happened??"

I calmed down my messy thoughts, taking big deep breaths. "I'm sorry. I was just startled."

"I just saw her standing dazed. I only tapped her shoulder and then she went screaming. I didn't do anything." Sucrose explained.

"I'm so sorry, Sucrose." I apologized embarrassedly at him.

"Well, as long as no one's hurt, then we should probably start our mission now."

I kept my head down low and heaved a sigh of relief when I heard them walk away. 'Damn that Rellion. Almost gave me a heart attack.' I thought.

"You knew the former owner of Prism Tower?"

My head almost separated from my body when I suddenly raised it to look at the bathroom door. Lemon was standing there, face in total shock.

"You really are reading my thoughts." I declared with conviction.

Ever since I joined The Oeuvre, I noticed that whenever I say something inside my head, Lemon would always react as if it's just a perfectly normal conversation.

She pursed her lips and turned her back. "You're just imagining stuff." She said before walking away. I stood up and chased her.

"Hold your horses! Are you alright now?" Night said, coming out of nowhere. She held my shoulders and stared at my eyes directly.

"You are fine. Nothing's wrong, right?" She said, her voice fading like a lullaby to my ears. A wave of sleepiness swept over me but I fought the urge to close my eyes. Why does this happen to me all the time?

I decided to deal with Lemon's matter after the investigation. "I-I'm fine."

I saw Night's expression changed into confusion for a split second before it returned to it's usual haughtiness. "That's good to hear." She patted my shoulder and pulled my hand. "Let's go to the living room and discuss the plan."

"Plan?" I asked.

Sucrose and Lemon were already sitting down on the sofa. Sucrose just got off from a call. When I looked at Lemon, she blew a raspberry at me before cackling like a witch. 'Save your questions for later. You'll be in for some surprises once we get back to school.' I heard her said inside my head.

"Now, Liam and Hel are expecting us today, with the excuse of an interview for being an alumni of SEIA. Sucrose and Raven, take note of everything you discover, physically and mentally." Night said, giving us a knowing look. "Lemon, Sucrose, and I will do the rest of the interrogating."

I froze. Have they already discovered my ability? When? How? Who told them about it?

Lemon's voice invaded my head again. 'Just like I said, save the questions for later. Focus on the mission first so that we'll get everything done quickly.'

࿈

I stood nervously in front of Liam and Hel's unit. Why was I made vanguard? I'm not even good at speaking!

"Just push it." Sucrose urged. "Push the doorbell."

I pushed the doorbell and took a step back. The door lock clicked. I prepared myself to check up on Liam or Hel, whoever's gonna open it, but it was another person who was behind the door.

"Are you the students from St. Éttiene? Please, do come in." The maid said, inviting us inside.

I looked at Night who had a serious look on her face. She bobbed her head, gesturing us to go inside. The maid led us to the living room, where Liam and Hel were already waiting.

Hel was a pretty woman, worthy of being a model after resigning at the military. She looked pretty harmless to me.

Who would have known she would be suspected of those crimes? Under that gentle demeanor of her lies a treacherous mind.

And there goes Liam. One look and you would know he's the type of person who always get scammed or fell for traps.

"Good evening, Mr. and Mrs. Montero. I'm Lemon Hirahara, the one who requested for the interview? Sorry for interrupting your night. We couldn't leave the many things that we had at school. The traffic even made it worse." Lemon apologized as she shook their hands.

"It's alright." Hel smiled at us. "And who are these youngsters?"

"Oh, these are my crew." Lemon introduced us to her.

When Hel shook my hand, a scene flashed inside my head.

It was inside a bathroom. She was on the phone with someone while soaking in the bathtub.

࿈

"I already did everything you told me to."

"Thank you. The five million that I promised you is already deposited. Make yourself scarce for the meantime."

"What about you?"

"They won't suspect me."

"Alright then. Take care of yourself."

"You too, brother."

࿈

"Raven? Are you alright?" Hel was looking at me uncomfortably. I looked at our clasped hands. I must have gripped her hand tightly, scaring her.

I discovered that handshakes were crucial for me. Everytime I had visions, I always fell into a daze as I watched the scenes inside my head. Holding a hand was a big no since my muscles would involuntarily tighten, making me grip hard on whatever it is I am holding at that moment.

The others were also waiting for my explanation so I gave them the usual reason I've come up recently to tell people. "I'm sorry, Mrs. Montero. I just had a partial seizure. Did I hurt your hand?"

From suspicious to worried, Hel's expression changed quickly. "Is that so? Are you alright? Do you need anything?" She said.

"No need to worry, Mrs. Montero. It's normal and happens every now and then. Thank you for your concern." I said, bowing to her.

Liam came out from the kitchen with a cup of water and handed it to me. I accidentally touched his hand slightly, making me curse in silence. I quickly lowered my head so that they won't notice my strangeness, as a scene flashed inside my head.

Liam was standing in front of a bed. In the bed was the dead body of his first girlfriend. She was naked.

Liam took something beside the bed agitatedly and ran away from the crime scene.

I stared blankly at him who was still standing beside me. "W-What's wrong with her?" Liam asked nervously.

Lemon went by my side and gave me a pill. "We're sorry about that. She must have forgotten to drink her medicine earlier since we were in a hurry." She faced me and coaxed me to drink the pill.

I took the pill and swallowed it. Why does it taste minty?

'It's Tic Tac. Act like you're drinking real medicine.' Lemon said inside my head, while she caressed my back.

I drank the water and inhaled deeply. "Thanks Lemon. I'm so sorry, Mr. Montero. Shall we start now?"

Liam laughed awkwardly. "Alright."

I stood up and asked. "Can I go to the bathroom?"

"It's the third door on the left." Hel answered while pointing behind her.

I looked at Lemon, Night, and Sucrose. I nodded at them before leaving them to find the maid.

"Now," Night said. "Why don't you tell us something interesting?"