I scan the surroundings for the target. I know it's a female, but who?
The clock's ticking and I can't fail in my mission. I have to find her.
I have to keep her safe.
Obsidian can never get their hands on a mess that Vulkores created.
It will only mean war.
I inspect every single girl in the room, trying to establish which one could possibly the one. There must be something, anything, that could give away her identity. I sit through the entire Mathematics lesson, not even paying attention to the teacher, studying each and every female student in view, from the way they sit to the way the write.
Is it the quiet girl curled up in the corner? Is it the loud one in that crowd? My headache gets even more worse as I think about it all.
Godamnit, Vulkores. I want to be studying, not searching for a person we can manipulate. For a person that we can use.
It just seems.... wrong.
The bell rings, and I wince. Geez, it reminds me a lot of secondary school. I quickly pack my things and make my way out of class. As I walk out of the door, a voice beside me says "Any progress?" I look to my left to see Akira (my mission partner) leaning against the wall nonchalantly with her arms crossed. My head drops like a stone.
"Well?" Akira says.
I shake my head, my eyes still glued to the ground. She sighs and stands up.
"It"s going to be okay Xander."
Why is it when she says that I always believe her? It's not like I l-like her-
Shut up Xander. And stop blushing.
"-we're both new. This was always going to be a challenging mission, so don't beat yourself up over it, okay?" I nod. Akira places her hand on my head and ruffles my hair. My face is probably an inferno.
"Don't worry, we'll find her eventually," she assures me. Akira then proceeds to loop her arm around my shoulders casually, causing my face to heat up- naturally, this was just after I had cooled down.
We arrive in English class, (one of the few, very lucky classes we share) a few minutes later. Since we were slightly early, we take our seats close to the back of the class and wait patiently (or not so patiently, in Akira's case) for the teacher to arrive.
Talking about Akira, I had zoned out. Again
"-And she thinks she's better then me because she's smarter and prett- Xander, are you listening. " I flashed her an innocent face.
"Sure I was." I grin. "She?"
"Yeah, you weren't listening. And by she, I mean this university's personal she-demon who also happens to be my cousin. Does Freya sound familiar?"
I shrugged. "Nope. Sorry for the... problems." Yup, I was being awkward again. Time to change the subject.
"Anyway, any progress on finding the target?" Akira sighed and laid her head on her desk.
"No." She suddenly looks so down in the dumps so I try to cheer her up.
"Hey, weren't you the one who said we shouldn't give up?"
"Yeah... but that's different. You're different."
I feel my face rise into a hot blush.
"Not true. Anyway..." I give her a playful nudge in her side, mentally congratulating myself as her mouth quirks into a small smile. "It's only been two weeks, little Miss Optimistic."
"Two and a half weeks exactly. " She responds automatically, and we both grin simultaneously. "Well, it's official- you snapped me out from my little angsty drama queen self back there. Many thanks, my saviour from the clouds." And just like that, witty and friendly Akira is back. Which is a relief.
"Hey, you returned the favour. And I was very much on the earth when I rushed to your rescue, helpless damsel."
"Prince Charming."
"Knight in shining armor, indeed. " I laugh when she pushes me in the head. "Shut up idiot." she grumbles, pouting. I laugh even harder, responding with a "What no words of never ending praise for me?"
I have to admit: we spent most of the lesson goofing off.
But I don't regret a single second.
Our professor finished explaining the assignment and dismissed as with the wave of his hand
