XXIV

“Good morning all!” Neeva chirped as she poked her head into their bedroom, a wide grin plastered on her face.

Dae-yang was the first to wake up. She sat up, rubbing her eyes, and yawned a small, “good morning.”

“Morning!” she hollered, barging into the room. She beelined to the thin, printed curtain that whispered in the light breeze and pulled it open. “WAKE UP!” she said energetically, and the students bolted into a sitting position, their faces blanched by shock.

Kimi turned to glower at her, already putting up with a severe headache that had been rewarded to him by a long, sleepless night.

Dae-yang winced at that and held her head. “That wasn’t necessary,” she grumbled and slid out of the bed. ‘I shouldn’t have slept in that blanket,’ she thought, sluggishly walking to the bathroom, her nightwear drenched in sweat.

Raja sat up and groaned, “just five more fucking minutes. Please, five.” He rubbed his drooping eyes with the heels of his hands and blinked sleepily at Neeva. “Please.”

Neeva shook her head and walked back to the door. She went out of the room and returned with a huge, woven basket.

“You all need to prepare and come downstairs. This basket”—she crouched and dropped it by the door—“is for your dirty cloths. Bring it down with you when you come down for breakfast. The cafeteria is on the ground floor.” She stood and looked to the side at Illiad. He was smoothening out Silver’s bed hair.

Love birds, Neeva thought as she turned around and walked out of the room, lightly shutting the door behind her.

Raja yawned noisily and threw his legs over the bed and stood with a groan. “I’ve never ever experienced the heat that I’d fucking experienced last night,” he grumbled, referring to the hot night. “That was fucking terrible beyond measures.”

Silver smiled lightly and let Illiad pull him off the bed with his hand. “That’s Ashville for you.” His eyes immediately got stuck on Kimi’s brooding figure that was sat against the headboard.

Raja scoffed and said, “how do these cadavers even fucking survive the heat. I mean... aren’t they like—”

“Raja,” Illiad said, glaring at the boy.

Raja huffed and noisily stretched. “Whatever,” he mumbled and tiredly moved to the bathroom. He didn’t pay attention to the sound of rushing water and threw the door open.

“RAJA!” Dae-yang shrieked, holding a shirt to her bare bust, and Raja flusteredly shut the door.

Kimi slammed his hands against his pounding ears and quietly hissed, “can’t they fucking shut up?”

Raja’s heart somersaulted in his chest as he slapped his sweaty back against the door, his eyes wide in embarrassment, his olive-coloured cheeks flushed. “I will never speak to her again,” he whispered, his wide eyes locked on the animal-themed rug.

Illiad shook his head at his blunder and said, “next time pay attention.”

Raja sighed and placed a hand on his pounding chest. “I doubt it.”

He stood off the door and walked to his bed. On his way there, his eyes caught Kimi’s which were staring angrily at him. He raised a brow at him and this made Kimi narrow his eyes.

“I think I’ve caught a rash,” Silver said, his fingers running down his back, scratching at the painful itches.

Illiad caught his wrists in his hands. “Don’t do that except if you want a bleeding body or a worse infection.”

“Okay.”

The morning preparations were slow and dragged, everyone suffering from the aftermath of a scorching night. Kimi simply sat in silence and watched his roommates move around the bedroom, tossing things here and there, arranging their corners. He was sat against the headboard, its relief carvings jutting into his humped back. Their voices were muffled by the ringing in his ears, his folded arms pressing deeper into his raised knees.

Aurum’s words from the previous night still swam through his mind. He could sense an urge in Aurum’s words. He could sense a feeling of encouragement in his words. Kimi gripped the material of his loose trousers in his hand and clenched his jaw. He squinted, his mind getting turned over in confusing.

How does one face the one fear that gave them confidence?

*

“Elder brother you hate us!” Homer said in a whiny voice as he slid into the chair that was beside his brother’s, his pale blue eyes wide.

Illiad heaved a sigh and put another spoon of custard in Silver’s awaiting mouth. “I have a responsibility.”

Homer scoffed and cocked a brow, the corners of his lips raised in amusement. “A responsibility to spoonfeed your baby boy?”

Raja choked on his food and coughed it out onto his plate.

Rin, who was sat silently beside him, shook his head and sighed, “you always have the tendency of giving people badluck.”

Homer stuck out his tongue at him and started picking at a single berry that he held in his hand.

They were all sat in a table in the cafeteria that was filled with chatting students, their voices mixing with the groaning of tables and chairs as they were noisily slid across the floor.

Raja picked up the plate he was eating from and asked, “why the hell do they fucking eat in this?” He held it up and scrunched his face at it’s unusual bowl-like shape and muddy colour.

“It’s called a calabash. It’s what these people use as—basically—kitchenwares,” Rin answered. “Haven’t you noticed that they are traditional?”

Homer rolled his eyes. “Noticed that the second they handed me that bracelet.” He folded his arms on the table and placed his head on it. He turned his head to the side and his eyes slightly widened at the sight of Dae-yang and Jianbing arguing in a corner. “Who hurt Missy over there?”

“What?” Raja asked and followed Homer’s gaze, a spoon in his mouth. He raised a brow at the sight.

Wanting to listen in, Homer strained his hearing and paid attention to their conversation. And he smirked lightly at what they were saying.

“...maybe we could set things straight. I know that I might’ve been wrong, but just please understand me,” Dae-yang said softly, her doe eyes heavy.

Jiangbing pushed up her glasses with a single finger and hissed, “how d-do I understand you? Y-You... who was... who was k-kissing a boy.”

“I...” Dae-yang fidgeted with her fingers and averted her gaze. She quietly, almost inaudible, said, “I... I was trying to confirm something that day. I promise you that it wasn’t a—”

Jianbing scoffed. “As I th-thought.” She raised her hands and placed her hands together and sharply said, “p-please stay away f-from me. It’s f-for your own good.” She turned around and rushed out of the noisy cafeteria, her clenched fists by her side.

Dae-yang raised a hand to stop her but she was already out the door, leaving only her anger in her place. Her shoulders slumped and she sadly dragged herself to the food line.

Homer hummed in amusement, his lips still quirked in a smirk. “Well that was amusing.”

Illiad frowned at his younger brother and hissed, “just because you can, doesn’t mean that you have the right to eavesdrop on people’s conversations.”

Homer rolled his eyes and turned his face down. “I just use my resources.”

Illiad shook his head and put another spoon in Silver’s mouth. “By the way, where’s Qharis and Orpheus?”

“Qharis is busy with her group of friends. Orpheus is trying to murder Clover the leech,” Homer droned.

Silver snorted loudly and placed a hand against his mouth when Illiad quirked a brow at that. “Why does she love disturbing Orpheus? Hasn’t she realized that he looks at her like she’s a parasite?”

“And a parasite she’ll forever be,” Raja concurred, his cup raised as if he was toasting to what Silver had said.

Illiad shook his head and picked up a napkin and wiped the corner of Silver’s mouth. Raja scrunched up his face as Silver pecked his lips in thanks, a small smile on his face. Raja shuddered and turned around in his seat, his plate in his hands.

“Too much affection,” he grumbled and shoved his spoon in his mouth. He leaned forward and placed his elbows on his legs and continued eating.

Illiad frowned at his posture, opened his mouth to reprimand him but stopped when Raja’s classmates approached their table. He hurriedly turned his attention to Silver and instantly engaged him in a conversation.

“Raj!” one of the boy’s said and strongly clapped Raja’s shoulder, a boyish grin on his tanned face.

Raja sputtered and sat up. He rubbed his neck—his unamused eyes on his friend—and grunted, “do you want to fucking kill me you sack of hormones?”

The other boy who had a blank stare on his face pulled an empty chair from the nearby table and plunked onto it, his legs on either side of its seat, his folded arms on its backrest. “Dude why’d you not sit with us?” He raised a brow. “Trying to ditch us?”

“Fucking excuse me?” He turned to place the plate on the table and turned back to face them. “I just wanted to eat with my roommates, that’s what.”

The first boy raised a brow and motioned to Rin. “What about Rin? He’s not your roommate yet he’s here.”

Raja looked at Rin and said, “he’s just that one puppy I can’t get rid off.”

Rin glared at him from the corner of his eyes and said, “screw you.”

Raja held Rin’s chin, a smirk on his face. “Be a good boy and bark for me.”

“Arf, arf,” Rin grumbled and tightly gripped his wrist. “Stupidity was solely created for your existence.”

Raja winced as Rin squeezed his hand in his. He turned to his friends. “See? Good boy.” He leaned closer to Rin and patted his reddish-brown hair. This made Rin tighten his hold, and he bent over and moaned in pain.

The boys only raised their eyebrows at the scene and averted their gaze as Rin held Raja in a headlock.

Silver looked up as Raja shrieked in pain. “What’s going on?”

“Nothing,” Illiad swiftly said and held his face in his hands.

Silver raised a brow. “Illiad? Are you—”

“If it isn’t Silver,” the second boy said, his voice turning deeper. He looked at Illiad and raised a brow. “And his gummy bear.”

Illiad sighed and said, “I suggest you respect your age, height and class and shut up.” He turned and hissed, “Silver’s already dating someone. Fuck off.”

“Woah!” Homer abruptly sat up, his eyes wide, a hand on his chest. “Did brother Illiad just cuss? Did I mistakenly sleep for another hundred years again?” He looked at his brother, a small smirk on his face and innocently batted his thick lashes at him. “Did I?”

Illiad huffed in response and held Silver’s face in place and kept his gaze away from the others. Homer rolled his eyes at his attitude and stood to leave.

The boy raised a brow at that and looked back at Raja. “Dude d’you know that we’re going into the city today for sightseeing?”

Raja swallowed a soothing breath, his fingers massaging his aching neck. “Yeah. Neeva’d told us when we had come downstairs. And no”—he raised a finger at his other friend—“I’m not fucking sweet talking a path into another girl’s heart so you can use and dump her.” He raised his middle finger. “Go screw a palm tree. There’s fucking a lot here.”

The boy raised his hands, his eyes wide in fear. “Hey man. The body just need what it needs, nothing personal.”

Rin rolled his eyes. “How are we friends with them again?”

Raja rolled his eyes and turned to retrieve his tray. He stood up, and it was then he suddenly realized that one of his friends was missing. He looked at the one who was sitting down and asked, “where’s Duan?”

He shrugged. “Said he needed to talk to some Mikaelis dude.” He shrugged again, his eyes stuck on Silver’s face.

Raja raised a brow. “Really? Fucking why?”

“Because Raja,” Rin said, “he respects apologies more than you do.”

Raja dramatically rolled his eyes and walked away.

*

Kimi sat quietly beside the swimming pool, the sweet morning breeze warmly caressing his face. He narrowed his eyes at the people who were jumping into the pool with shrieks of joy. He was people-watching, silently eating a plate of freshly cut fruits and a basket of baked goodies, the sound of dancing palm fronds shrouding the area.

Kimi tried so hard to let go of the previous night’s emotions, letting the interest he had for food take over the interest he had for Aurum.

I don’t like him, he grumbled in his mind and blindly reached for his cup of water.

He knocked it over and the metal cup toppled over the table and landed with a clank, splashing ice water on his toes. He hissed and banged on the wooden table.

“Every time.” He brought his hands in front of his face, a small frown on his face.“I might as well cut off my fingers and rid myself of this freaking clumsiness.”

He huffed and moved under the table to retrieve the cup. But before he could grip the cup in his outstretched hand, a strong hand wrapped around it and took it. He raised a brow and moved from under the table.

“Duan?” he said as he stood and saw Duan. He pulled his seat closer and sat on it.

“Hey Kimi. Morning,” Duan said, fiddling with the cup. “Can I join you?”

Kimi shrugged and Duan sat in the other seat that was in front of Kimi’s. Duan dropped the cup beside the metallic jug.

“So... how’s everything been?” Duan asked, his gaze glued to Kimi’s moving mouth.

Kimi shoulder’s stiffened and he stopped midchew. The image of Aurum’s sad face flashed in his mind and he shuddered. He dropped the fruit that was in his hand in the plate and wiped off his fingers on a napkin.

“You seem like the perfect tool to help me forget,” he started, squeezing the napkin in his fist. He tossed it to the table and leaned back in his seat. “So talk.”

Duan gave him a confused look. “What?”

He lifted a brow. “Talk. Anything.” When Duan raised a brow in confusion, he rolled his eyes with a tired sigh. “How’s everything at home? School? Sibling? Hobby? Weird fetishes?”

Duan’s eyes widened. He scratched at his neck, his cheeks reddening. “Well... I uh...” He cleared his throat. “Everything at home is fine. Minus... Minus Devon’s weird eating habits.”

Kimi raised a brow. “Eating habits?” He folded his lithe arms across his chest, his interest piqued.

Duan nodded. “Yeah.” He averted his gaze, placed his arms on the table and slowly started fiddling with his fingers. “Weird as in he gets hungry at random times. He could swallow a whole chicken right now, drink a whole carton of milk at the same time, and still get hungry again in the next hour.”

“Huh.” He picked up a fruit and threw it into his mouth. “Continue. Don’t stop talking until I finish these,” he said and gestured to the plates and baskets.

Duan looked at them, his mouth slowly hanging open. “You still have that big appetite of yours  yet you still look so... so...” He looked up and met Kimi’s narrowed eyes. “Right... Sorry.”

Kimi watched and quietly listened as Duan started talking about his family.

“So my Mum kind of owns a flower shop now and I help her run it whenever I can. And my Dad”—he swallowed—“has a couple of friends who come over during the weekend and they all play basketball at our courtyard. Um...”

Kimi raised his brow at the way his voice came out. It sounded forced, small and slow, like he’d rather talk about something other than his family. Kimi found it even more confusing when he suddenly stopped talking, fiddling with his fingers atop the table, the muscles in his bulky arms clenching and unclenching.

Kimi leaned forward and pulled the basket of baked treats closer to himself. “And your brother?”

Kimi watched as Duan stiffened and he raised a questioning brow as Duan tightly pursed his lips and averted his gaze, a small frown fidgeting his eyebrows.

Duan looked like he wanted to fold into himself with the way he sat straighter and shuffled in his seat. “Um... My brother... he—”

“Hello students,” Mr. Marshall said as he approached them, his brow raised.

Kimi didn’t so much as spare him a look, but raised both of his eyebrows in surprise as Duan visibly froze at the sound of Marshall’s voice. Kimi blinked in confusion.

Very odd and extremely peculiar, he thought.

Marshall looked down at Duan. “Duan?”

Duan shuddered and tightly clasped his hands together, sinking his fingers into the back of his palms. “Um...” He blinked back the white spots that threatened to invade his vision. “Mr. Marshall good morning.” He coughed into his fist and stood. “Excuse me.”

Duan quickly rushed out of the pool area and Mr. Marshall watched him leave, his lips tightly sewn shut. Once Duan was out of sight, Marshall heaved a sigh and shook his head.

“See you later,” Mr. Marshall said and walked away, leaving Kimi in a bucket of confusion.

“That was freaking weird,” he mumbled and picked up a piece of cut cake.

Something suddenly struck his being and he shuddered. His eyes were immediately drawn to a shut window of one of the looming hotel rooms that was on the highest floor.

And the emotion that filled Kimi’s heart made him bristle in panic and confusion. Rage and jealousy were the emotions. He frowned in confusion at that. Rage he could understand. But why would anybody be jealous of him? Who could be envious of him? And why?

Author’s Note: Hiya! I just finished my exam and decided to update. Please show me some support by voting and commenting. You can also share if you want to. Thanks!