Hidden

(LVII.)

Here is another chapter-though it's crappy and partly 'filler'-before I go on my brief hiatus. Exams await.
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It was usual for Jess to dread going to school every morning. Heck, it was usual for every child in the world to dread waking up for classes.

However, today, the dread was worse. It pressed on her more heavily than before. She had to sit on her bed for a few minutes to gather herself together.

You can do this, Jessie. You can do this. It's just school. Nothing more.

The moment she closed her eyes to relax, her mind went back to the previous evening. After her calming exercise in the back garden, Doudall had called and asked for her mom's number. She'd given it to him. Half an hour later, her mom had called her with the house phone, and told her to get ready for the little reunion with the Tons. That meeting was today. This evening. Doudall had called again minutes after her mom had broken the news to her. He'd said the inevitable.

They were related by blood. His parents had confirmed it. In fact, his dad had already begun sprouting out a story or two about his early days with Kennedy and Kyros, the eccentric duo.

The eccentric duo. No doubt, Mr Ton was talking about her father and uncle's abilities. It made her wonder how much he knew. But that was the least of her worries right now.

For now, she wanted to curl up on her bed and scream, "I hate my life!" to whoever was out there.

Guy was consistently knocking at the door. Zoe had already called on the house phone twice. There was no avoiding it.

She fell back on her bed, grabbed a pillow. Covered her face and screamed into it. There. At least, she'd tried to release a little frustration.

Something struck her memory. She rushed to her study table, opened a top drawer, took out two books, and put them into her handbag. Then, with a dull expression, she left for school.

The first two periods went like a breeze, mostly because Jess couldn't concentrate. Her thoughts were scattered abroad. Besides the Doudall-is-my-cousin thing, seeing Sophia's guy friend resurrected other buried worries. Sophia's words. Her meeting with "Tristan". The mark, and the voice from the fog. Casmir Lucassen and the Shifters. The psychic killers. In addition, the weird stories she'd noted from Abrasions From The East and The Hyde Syndrome.

The moment the bell rang for recess, she shot up from her chair with her bag and books, and hurried out of class. When she reached the lockers, she spotted Doudall and looked away immediately.

Her heart went thump thump thump as she shoved the books in her hands inside her locker, and slammed the door. She strode out of the classroom block and to the library. Mrs Castellanos was seated at her table. She flicked up one eyebrow at her approach.

Jess slammed the two books on the table. "I'm done with them."

"The return of these books are long overdue. Do you know that?" She adjusted her clear glasses on the bridge of her nose, and examined the books. "Lucky for you, no extra charges on damages. But there are charges for overdue returns. You held them four days longer. Two thousand bucks per book."

"Two thousand?!" Jess' mouth fell open. She was aware of the charges but not the amount. "This is robbery."

"It's not. You should know the rules of the library. Fines are paid for overdue returns."