On the second bed was Shiranui, she was lying in a terrifyingly still condition. Seated next to her was Dahila who had that same look of condescension on her face. The ice queen wasn't quite the type to display care or affection. Her aloofness was always part of her general outlook, and it wasn't to be separated from her regular self. She was unconcerned, but that didn't mean she was happy.
In fact Dahila was actually a little sad. There was a certain memory from the battle that had her disenchanted. Back then, during the competition, when the heat was still on, Calista had glossed over including her in the battle. She had been left out completely and denied even the opportunity for her to even try. This had been particularly hard on her. She was a girl that had often been referred to as a genius while growing up. She had been something of a star girl.
So, having to be separated from her top peers in this competition had been very painful. Normally, the fiery Dahila would have challenged the system that was trying to keep her down. But if she had considered going against Calista in the presence of invigilators and judges, the blowback on her scores would have been terrible. Insubordination was not something that would be taken lightly. So, very wisely, Dahila had chosen to keep her cool.
Rebellion wouldn't have gotten her anywhere. Her mind danced around the truth which her ego was keeping her from seeing; she wasn't quite there yet. It was hard to admit it, (especially since she had a high opinion of herself) but the fact was that she had been left out for a reason. instead of letting it wear her down, Dahila used this as jet fuel for her engine. She was going to get stronger, whether anyone liked it or not. There was no other viable option left asides from going forward and getting stronger.
But of course, no one of these tumultuous emotions showed on her face. She was used to being regarded as the cold, proud, indignant one. This was a reputation she had garnered for herself over time. She was going to protect it at all costs and not look weak. These were the thoughts coursing through her heart at that moment. That was probably why she hadn't noticed Zavier standing there all that time.
It was only when Calista broke things off with the paramedic to acknowledge Zavier that Dahila became aware of her immediate surroundings once again.
Callista gave Zavier a casual nod. "Zavier."
He nodded back; "Miss Calista."
"I take it the competition is over and the winner has been decl-"
"ZAVIER!!!" Nadia's high pitched shrill voice once again shattered the solemness of the room. As always, her excitement at Zavier's presence was visible. "You came to see me?!" Nadia tried to get up to pester Zavier in their usual way.
Just as was common between the two sisters, Kacie rebuked her sharply; "Nadia!! Behave yourself!! Can't you see we're in a hospital?!"
"It's okay Kacie. She's just excited that's all."
"Don't encourage her Zavier."
He feigned a small smile and asked, "How's Nadia's treatment coming along?"
Actually, he wanted to ask after Shiranui. Nadia was clearly in a good shape considering her eccentric attitude and mobility. But it would have been unseemly of him to skip his family and go straight to his girl.
Kacie was one of the most perceptive people Zavier had even known. She had the uncanny ability to see through things and people. She knew that Zavier was itching to ask after Shiranui, but she also knew he was trying to put his family before his girl. It was the right and honourable thing to do. So, he helped him out by killing two birds with one stone.
"Well, as you can see Nadia's treatment is over, all thanks to the excellent medical magic here. We have high hopes that she will recover soon…Shiranui however is still in coma. This is actually normal considering the stressful ordeal she has been through. So, don't worry."
Zavier looked at Kacie with grateful eyes. He didn't need to thank her with words. She was one relative that really got him. And he was grateful to have someone like her in his corner. Not wanting to seem like the lover boy or protective boyfriend, Zavier suppressed his instincts to go sit by her side. Instead, he boycotted her bed and went straight to Nadia's side.
Ruffling her hair in a playful way, he encouraged her warmly; "Get well soon champ so we can get out of here okay?"
Her eyes beamed with the excitement of a little girl who had just been told she was getting some ice cream. She looked at Zavier adoringly and assured him that she would. Zavier nodded at Kacie and Dahila and left with mixed feelings.
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Zavier left the women behind him and went somewhere else to clear his head. He was glad Shiranui was okay, and so was Nadia. But there was another bigger issue facing him behind those worries.
The fact was that the competition wasn't over at all. With half of his team mates currently out of shape, Zavier knew that the burden to clinch the winning match now fell on him. On some level, Zavier had actually known that it would come to this. But now, it seemed like his problems had doubled. By his own calculations, he was actually supposed to go against the Melbourne hounds. Those were enemies he had been more than willing to fight.
However, this recent twist with this spooky Cassell girl was threatening to change everything. The girl was skilled. If he hadn't taken away anything from her fight, he had deduced that the source and nature of her power was still very much a mystery. It was almost as though Sabrina was untouchable. Her diabolic bond with her basket of petals made her seem almost untouchable. This was a power that had stopped the full blast of a close range fire storm.
This was also a power that had singlehandedly incapacitated a dragon like it was nothing. If Zavier wasn't going to fight this strange girl, he knew that holding back was no option. This was a big issue. He was yet to show his true power to the masses. If he did, he would be inviting a storm of questions on his head. And if he were to hold back and restrain himself, he would be letting his team and his family down.
Worse still, even if he somehow managed to gain admission here, he wouldn't be able to shake off the tail of reproach that would follow him. Despite how fun the tournament had gotten, Zavier knew that people still hadn't forgotten about him. they were merely occupied with the allure of the trending topic. If he were to screw up after publicly declaring to the boys in the canteen that he had a special power, then his days here would be over even before he started officially.
However, there was still the option of going all out. Of course, that would mean total exposure. And he still wasn't sure if that would be enough to rattle Sabrina at all.
Zavier cursed underneath his breath. These were the kinds of dilemmas he wasn't fond of at all. Zavier took a brief break from his thoughts and acknowledged his physical surroundings. He had been steadily making his way up a high hill that was close to the university town. He had blanked out so much that he had ended up making his way all to the top. This was where he wanted to clear his thoughts and purge his emotions.
Out of breath from the hiking, he skedaddled his was through the small clearing, thankful for the open space and clean air. Just as he was about to be also thankful for the fact that he was alone, he found out that someone else was already there. It seemed like he wasn't the only one who loved the serenity of this view. He was able to trace the outline of the person's back, and saw that it was a man, perhaps an official by the looks of it.
Zavier was busy contemplating whether to turn back or stay when something struck him about the person in question. There was something familiar about the stance and the build. The man's back was still turned against him, and his left hand was crossed behind him like he was in deep thought. Zavier edged his way closer, and close, hoping to sneak a peek at the man's face without giving away his own presence.
But he didn't need to. He switched his vision to his time-space eye and found out that the serious looking man was none other than the famous illusionist, and protege of the president- Harry. Outwardly, he looked very formal, almost regal even. But as always, inside him was crawling with a smuttiness that he just couldn't hide from Zavier.
Harry was smoking on a pipe casually, and he had that typical somber look on his face that made people often mistake him for a serious minded individual.
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