Nefarious

C165 - New crisis

-Xylan's point of view-

Supporters of Alex were curious and intrusive, though they were all too careless. To think I wouldn't hear them running away every time they heard my voice, that was a common mistake for them to make. Some had grudges against me, while some simply shared the same ideas as Alex. Unfortunately for them, I remember the faces of people in details, and so when I become the leader, they won't have it easy. I've found it quite naive of people to believe that Alex even has a chance of winning the election. However, this naivety has also allowed me to see who're impotent in this castle. On that note, there have been relatively interesting people who've gone against me, like Vera, for instance. She's independent, and her morals aren't twistable. I've seen the looks people give her; the looks of envy and admiration. As for Xavier, on the other hand, he strikes my mind as weak. He conceals his anxiousness and vulnerability well, but he's ruined mentally. His fiery anger blurs his thinking, causing him to work towards an unachievable goal by making impulsive decisions. Bit by bit, he has been ripped away from his beloved family, which has tested his sanity repeatedly. I'll give it to him though, he's good at confronting people with his shifting confidence. Nevertheless, that will end the second Alex loses the election. Xavier will know his place in the near future.

-Xavier's point of view-

It had been a while since Jace had craved my attention. Almost so long that I'd forgotten how to properly acknowledge his presence in a 'non-work' related way. "Shouldn't you be running after Alex and Valerie? They're facing quite the situation, you know," I said, breaking the silence. "No, that's not-" Jace started, cutting himself short. I turned my head in his direction automatically as he usually doesn't stop mid-sentence. "What's bothering you?" he asked instead. Well, some things were bothering me: Xylan, the passing of my human life, Xylan, my cat running out of food, Xylan, and to top it off, I could no longer control my anger very well. A lot, I would say. "Nothing specific, rather smaller things that are completely wasteful to be bothered by. Why, would you like me to ask you back?" I said. "No, I would like you to answer truthfully instead. We lie the same way, Xavier. It's almost offensive that you think I would fall for my own ways," he answered, shaking his head faintly. Crap, that's true, we used to expose each other when lying as a mockery of one another. As previously mentioned, I seemed to have forgotten how to act around Jace.

After a brief time of silence, I decided to speak up again, though not on a positive note: "I predict Alex's failure, but more than that, I predict yours." "I swear, you must be Eugene's secret twin. He rambled on about people failing to Dane, and guess what? Dane's speech was held earlier than expected because the people demanded it." "So? They demanded Dane to speak because they have trust issues, which they have all reason to have, by the way." "Yeah, but they were inspired by Dane, Xavier. Dane healthily pushed people's limits, he started discussions, and he brought new ideas to his people in just one day." I hated letting optimism overtake me, abhorred when smiles crept upon me before I could react myself, and it did right after Jace's answer. "Don't give me hope, Jace," I said determinately, going straight back to a stern face. "I saw that, Xavier." "What? It's not like you haven't seen-" I started. "You're right, but it's something. You've got to let go off that constant pessimism, it's not doing you any good," Jace interrupted. "Fine, but we should do something productive now," I answered indifferently. "We've got time, there's no rush right now." "Distractions are risky, Jace. Suddenly we'll end up wasting the entire day," I argued. "What? Don't you trust your self-control?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. Ah, that cocky bastard dared use my own sentence against me. "Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm pretty damn sure the last time I said that we did, in fact, waste our day," I scoffed softly. "Yes, and we're still alive so fuck it, let's allow another distraction."

-Valerie's point of view-

I partook in numerous meetings, stayed around for all kind of information, observed Alex during his day, watched the practice of Rain's group, yet I felt as powerless as ever. Whenever Jace stood at Alex's side, I felt relieved as though Jace was some guardian angel. However, every single time Jace left, I felt insanely anxious. There was something about Alex's shifting confidence and his tendency of focusing on his hate for Xylan rather than his actual goals for the election that really worried me. Consistently, I kept reminding myself that if Xylan were to win the election, then Alex and I would never be the same again. We would end up oppressed and secluded from any events in the castle, even those of minor importance. All because Xylan has an immense hunger for power, and he has all kinds of plans which feeds into that hunger; ideas which he wants to execute with Alex and me as the main targets.

Kai was scheduled to observe Rain's group, now led by Jace. Numerous times he went by the practice rooms, taking notice of details that the girls probably never took into consideration themselves. It was doubtful that Marina consciously adjusted her glasses every minute. Or that Angeline was aware of her zone-outs. Kai must've seen those traits as a bad habit, solely negative ones that could decrease a person's focus as well. Perhaps I was paranoid and overthinking, but at this point, everything could matter. All the details which had been of no importance before could now tare at Alex's chances of winning. Xylan had nothing to do with the group, but Alex had everything to do with it. One mistake caused by the group and Alex could have another major failure attached to his name permanently, though predictably never as severe as the invasion.

When unintentionally glaring at Xylan, I felt my phone vibrating in my pocket. Yesterday I would've spent some time to acknowledge the vibrations, but this time I grabbed it momentarily and picked up. "Where are you?" Eugene asked, sounding nothing but worried. "A practice room, why?" I whispered, averting my gaze from the members of the group. I lowered my volume as much as possible, paranoid that Xylan would overhear us. "A crisis has happened, Valerie. We tried fixing it, but it's getting out of hand, and consequently, we're running out of time. I can't specify what's happened due to the risks of Xylan hearing us, but know that you can't take anything for granted now. Keep your focus on the election, and do not by any means, let anyone divert Alex in any way. I can't put into words how vital it is for you to make the right decisions," he sighed loudly. I'd heard Eugene distressed before, but this was on a whole new level.

Only seconds after Eugene had finished talking, I spotted Xylan staring directly at me. I swallowed oddly, though at least I tried concealing it by turning away slightly. "Will Dane win, Eugene?" I whispered, unsure of whether I wanted an answer or not. "Will Alex?" he asked, ignoring my question. I blinked twice, realizing neither of us could know for sure. We both went quiet for a while, standing motionless and clueless about our own futures. Would my future lay in Alex's hands... or in Xylan's? I dared not think of that for long, so I cleared my throat as a way of drawing Eugene's attention. "Our election takes place before yours. I'll let you know when our leader has been chosen," he said determinately. "There are dates set already? I'm aware that the election isn't far away, but-" I started. "Don't consider time anything else but a privilege. In less than a week, you'll likely stand with the new leader. There's no going back afterwards, you have to remember that. Take care of yourself and don't lose focus. I have to go prepare for Dane's next speech," he said finally.

I almost jumped when seeing Xylan's faint smirk. He'd heard something, not everything necessarily, but enough to have gained even more confidence in himself. "Alex, I-" I stuttered, nudging his arm. "I heard everything," he said, sounding somewhat discouraged. I cast a glance at him, seeing him clenching his jaw out of distress. "Whatever it is, I'm sure it can be solved, Alex." "Not if it's what I fear," he said quietly. "Well, there's nothing we can do directly. We're not there, we're here, and we should take action here," I whispered faintly, almost muted by a growing lodge in my throat. To my surprise, Alex embraced me firmly in a sudden movement. Carefully, he leaned closer to my ear, and that's when I realized he only did so to whisper something to me without catching Xylan's attention. "Yes, you're right, Valerie. Now, trade phones with me." I frowned at first, but quickly remembered that Alex had acted discreetly to say that one sentence. With caution, I inclined to hand over my phone. In return he didn't give me his, he gave me some old phone with buttons instead. "Xylan is focusing on you and Jace. He wants the two of you gone as soon as possible, so he's trying to get you in trouble. This phone of yours contains too much risky content, so I'll keep it for now. Just make sure to stay away from Xylan as much as possible." With my gaze fixed on Xylan, I nodded, and in the back of my head, I could've sworn I saw Xylan smirking again. It seemed to be pre-victory satisfaction in a way. Honestly, it made me think he'd heard Alex's secret warning loud and clear.