● Illusory ●

Chapter 22

Alex

"You ever feel like someone's actually watching through those cameras?" I asked Yuuko as we strolled down the dorm hallways, my eyes looking up at the old-looking security cameras that were focused on the nearly empty hallway. I watched the woman look up at them and shrug.

"At night, yes, but not during the day. They just run and catch whatever footage they can until Luna comes in at night and starts an empty tape," she informed me. I vaguely recalled Lilly mentioning this 'Luna' person before, and started to assume Luna was a nocturnal sort of person.

I had honestly forgotten why I had met with Yuuko in the first place today, but nonetheless I felt that maybe being away from her mother would give her a break from the family drama that Seiko's disappearance must have awakened. Ever since the disappearance the only person I had ever seen her with was her mother. Maybe I could help her, but I'm not sure. If it hasn't been said enough already, I'm not exactly the best with words, and I'm not sure if it's because English isn't my first language or that I'm just really socially awkward. Either is plausible actually.

"So, did you hear Nadine canceled her meeting with Agloe today and rescheduled it for tomorrow?" Yuuko asked me, to which I nodded. The news had gotten around quickly, almost as if it were some hot rumor.

"Yeah. I thought you'd probably know why, y'know, since you're kinda like her bodyguard," I replied. I wasn't really interested in a reason for why Nadine rescheduled it to be honest. She probably came down with a short flu or something and didn't want to spend the meeting coughing her lungs out.

"Actually, she said Kalle had been the one who canceled it. Apparently he told Mr. Powell he was sensing a disturbance in the building, so they had to cancel so they could go check and make sure that it wasn't an intruder or a bomb, since the general human population isn't really comfortable with either of our organizations.....unless we look like Kalle that is," Yuuko explained, the sheer mention of Kalle reminding me of Lilly's details on him. My mind reminded me of how uncomfortable I was with him now. I sighed.

"That's true," I replied, "but what was the meeting going to be all about? Do you know?"

I thought at first that I was being much too nosy, but Yuuko didn't seem to mind. "Something about a stronger partnership with Agloe integrating more into Neverland. Apparently Kalle isn't their only gifted."

I raised my eyebrows in surprise. Sure, we've always known about Kalle's sister being the other gifted at Agloe, but if it's more than just those two, that's pretty groundbreaking. It made me wonder what their powers are. I decided to joke with Yuuko. "Huh, I've always thought the meetings were always peacekeeping ones to ward off a war between the two organizations," I told her, until realizing that my joke made no sense. Oh, why have the comedy gods ignored me?

I heard Yuuko snicker. "No. You're not fit for war anyways. You'd look more like some punk who got lost on their way to the closest fast food joint."

I scoffed in a joking manner. "Are you kidding!? I'd be standing on the battlefield rounding them all up for you guys and yelling 'Ogon po gotovnosti!'. I don't have to have armor to be cool, you know."

"Yeah but armor stops you from making stupid accidents and dying," Yuuko laughed, brushing her raven ponytail off her shoulder. I had to agree. I'd probably need armor, knowing how clumsy I am. Though, it'd probably be too heavy for me to carry without the assistance of my powers. How I wish the strength of my powers filtered into my physical strength.

There was a period of silence between us now, to which I decided to ask her about her family just to break it. "So, uh, how's things in the...uh...Koba-wait...it's pronounced Koh-bay-ashee, right?" I started to say, before I realized that I had forgotten how to pronounce Seiko's last name. Wow, how much more can I humiliate myself here?