Black Equation - The Forgotten Ones

Black Equation - Chapter 15*

Chapter 15

 

What have I done? Hanade gritted his teeth, closing his eyes as he reached his empty classroom. No matter how angry I was... I’m beyond inexcusable.

Alexey was only trying to comfort him and let him see sense. Hanade knew he meant no harm, that his words were kind ones. He had been his mentor, the only guy patient enough to put up with his stuck-up attitude. The only person who really cared for him since he joined Creed. Although their opposite characters often cause them to have meaningless arguments, 04 never failed to look out for him.

He was the older brother he wished for but never had.

He knew that behind Alexey’s jolly attitude was an unmentionable past. His life before becoming an Equation was a taboo. It was something he never dared mention to anyone. Hanade only accidentally discovered it on his own. A dark secret he felt he was bound to protect. So what corrupted force of nature made him say that?

It was a bitterness his friend didn’t rightfully deserve.

“Are you all right?”

The concern from the gentle melodious voice pulled Hanade out of his deep thoughts. He didn’t realize that he was curled up like a scared porcupine in the corner of the room. He was too caught up with his regret that he forgot what and where he was.

“I’m fine,” he replied in a monotone without bothering to look up. He tried to stand but his legs failed him, causing him to slump back to the tiled floor. As he raised his head, he met a pair of beautiful emerald eyes. It was Selena Andrews’. “What are you doing here?”

Wasn't she supposed to be keeping her classmates away? And what’s with her eyes? Wasn’t she supposed to be wearing black contacts? Even with her glasses on, anyone could see through her disguise...

“You don’t look good,” she muttered, her thoughts on a different wavelength than his. He looked at him with eyes full of worry. “Since when had you last slept? You look awful.”

He’d been on duty and on alert for the last three days, but he couldn't say that to her. “A few hours ago.”

“Liar,” she grinned, though her eyes held no humor. She sunk beside Hanade, sitting in a proximity that he wasn’t accustomed to. Wasn’t she supposed to hate him?

“What are you doing here?” he repeated.

“I wanted to... help.”

Help? To fight? The thought almost made him laugh. “What could a weakling like you do?”

She glared at him for a split second, obviously offended, but her expression gradually softened. “No, I didn’t mean it that way.”

She paused for a few seconds, chewing her lower lip as she tried to organize her thoughts. And Hanade didn’t let it waste. This was a rare chance for him to get this close to her. A stolen moment.  He smiled to himself as he scrutinized her, intoxicated by the forbidden feelings he had long suppressed.  

He couldn’t help but compare her face up close and her face as the idol Faye Summers. She was even more beautiful now. He could agree that in the photos she looked like a goddess, a beauty that could blind men’s eyes. But the her now was better. Exquisite, but more humane. Her smile now was genuine unlike that empty facade in the magazines. This was the real her.

He recalled those times were he would stare at her from afar, constantly watching her from the shadows... only to get hurt by some ordinary guy. The guy he considered a rival, whose very existence made him jealous. The guy who had everything he ever wanted. The guy who goes by the name...