CHAPTER FOUR_ RESUMPTION DAY 003
728 Words
The bell rang.
Students rushed out as if freedom had finally arrived.
Owen waited.
He always waited.
Crowded hallways were inefficient.
By the time he stepped outside, the corridors had almost emptied.
Peace.
Just the way he liked it.
As he walked toward the library, he noticed a small trail of black ash on the floor.
It hadn't been there that morning.
He crouched beside it.
The burn marks were unusual.
Fire didn't spread like that naturally.
He gently brushed his fingers over the scorched tile.
"...Interesting."
For the first time in years...
Something had surprised him.
After the classroom incident, Olivia sat alone in the library.
She was staring at a burnt page in her notebook.
Owen walks over.
Without saying hello, he places a book on the table.
"Fundamentals of Pyrokinesis."
Olivia looks up.
"Are you... lending this to me?"
He adjusts his glasses.
"No."
She looks confused.
"The library owns it."
He pauses.
"I'm simply changing its location."
Olivia can't help but laugh.
It's probably the first time Owen has heard someone laugh at one of his unintentionally funny remarks.
He blinks.
"Was that... humorous?"
Olivia nodded.
Then he writes "Apparently funny" on a sticky note and slips it into one of his books.
Olivia laughs even harder.
For Owen...
It's a completely ordinary conversation.
For Olivia...
It's the first time she's smiled since embarrassing herself in class.
He has literally brightened her mood.
The morning breeze swept across Valoria Academy as Omar stood on the balcony outside the Student Council office, watching hundreds of students flood the courtyard below.
Every year looked the same.
New faces.
Old friendships.
New problems.
But he had this ill feeling...
This year wasn't going to be the same.
It was going to be different.
And not in a good way...
In a very bad way!
He rested both hands on the stone railing.
Being Student Captain meant everyone expected him to have the answers.
Most days...
He wished someone else did.
The office door creaked open behind him.
"I knew you'd be here."
He didn't turn around.
"Always am."
A pair of footsteps approached until someone stood beside him.
Becca.
She held out a steaming cup of coffee.
"You skipped breakfast."
"I wasn't hungry."
"You say that every morning."
He accepted the cup anyway.
"...Thank you."
Becca smiled.
"You've thanked me for that this month."
"So do I keep count?"
For a brief second, neither of them spoke.
It wasn't awkward.
Silence had become their language.
Below them, students hurried to class completely unaware that the Student Captain and the academy's kindest girl shared a secret neither of them could afford to reveal.
The sound of hurried footsteps shattered the moment.
"Asher's looking for you," a Student Council member called from the hallway.
Becca immediately stepped away.
"So much for our peace."
Omar allowed himself the faintest smile.
"Same time tomorrow?"
She nodded.
"Same time tomorrow."
By the time Asher reached the balcony, Becca was already gone.
"You've been hiding again."
Asher laughed, slapping Omar on the shoulder.
"We keep working."
"Sure you have."
Asher leaned over the railing.
"So..."
"What do you think of the new girl?"
Omar stared toward the academy courtyard.
He spotted Olivia walking beside Liam and Becca.
"The one with the fire?"
"Yeah."
He took a sip of his coffee.
"She has potential."
"That's all?"
"What else should I think?"
Asher rolled his eyes.
"You're impossible."
Omar didn't answer.
But his gaze lingered on Olivia for a moment longer.
Not because he was interested in Olivia...
Because he had never seen flames behave the way hers had.
And something about it ...
Didn't feel natural!
- Writer
