Loud chattering, silent brewing; the shop was full of customers left and right. Coffee invaded the air as chatter from one table to another were tossed as much as the air-condition blasted cold air against their skin; classical music played in the background that somehow toned down the chatter, dimming the invasive noise to nearly inaudible.
A bell rang and the door open, Oriana walked into the shop and peered around, looking for her dear friend. Wood screeched against the floor and made her turn her gaze, finally finding Chase at the end of the room with a smile ready on his lips. Approaching him with a smile, Oriana walked into a warm hug as Chase pulled her closer before both of them took their seats.
"Geez, look at you!" Oriana exclaimed as she examined him, "You really meant it when you said you worked out a lot."
Chase chuckled, "Well, I needed a healthy lifestyle," then smiled just as a waitress approached to take their order, "Do you still drink coffee or have you become one of those people who take tea now?"
"As if," Oriana scoffed playfully and rolled her eyes, then turned to the waitress, "I'll take a mocha latte and one slice of apple pie," she spoke as she turned to Chase, "What about you? Coffee isn't good for you now, is it?"
Chase just smiled, "No, I can still have coffee," then turned to the waitress, "But I'll have a double espresso and a bagel," he spoke and the waitress, which made him face Oriana, "So, I guess they will be there again, huh?"
"Yeah," Oriana exhaled as she kept her eyes at the table as though reminiscing, "They've been doing it for five years," she explained as Chase noted the tone of her voice, "But, this year I'm not going to."
Chase raised a brow, "Why not? You always go though."
"Yeah, but I already moved on," Oriana explained as she raised her gaze to meet his, "The fight is over and everything is back to normal," she spoke as she rested her elbow on the table as much as she leant her cheek on her knuckles before she looked away again, "But all of us never expected for that to happen."
Chase nodded and sighed, "Yeah, we didn't."
"The only thing we can do now is let her rest in peace," Oriana thought as silence came between them for a moment just as their orders arrived, "Have you heard from Ford or Cecilia, lately? I heard they became a thing not too long ago."
Chase laughed briefly, "So, I've heard," then took a short sip of his espresso, "I honestly never saw that coming," he chuckled, "I mean, Ford is one thing, but Cecilia? I heard she's a sadist and I could only imagine what she's doing to our poor head of security."
"I'm not too worried about him, honestly," Oriana giggled as she took a sip of her latte, "If he can take down a werewolf and live to tell the tale, then he can survive one day being Cecilia's boyfriend."
Chase nodded whilst chuckling, "I guess so."
Taking her fork, Oriana began eating as Chase resumed sipping on his drink; his eyes remained on her as though wondering if it was truly alright for her to miss going this day. For five years, he has always accompanied Oriana to the field and convened with the others to remember everything that happened this day five years ago; the battle had been won victoriously, but somehow, all of them felt as though they have lost.
When the pillar of light dissolved, all of them convened at the gym and cried their victories; all of them were glad that the horror of night was finally done, allowing them to resume their lives and no longer hide from the monsters that covered the night. As their celebration peaked, silence suddenly engulfed them as a path cleared from the farthest row in the back; all eyes were faced towards it, as they saw Hailey walk with Katherine in her arms.
It was the night where celebration was not held after a victory, but a wake to remember her; of all those that fought in that battle, she was the only casualty. Tears trickled endlessly out of Hailey's cheek as they watched her approach Athena, who looked like she held herself back; as the blue-haired teen reached Athena, she fell to her knees without looking away from the silver-haired teen in her arms. All heads bowed that moment, paying their respect to the one who was able to seal the gate.
It was a sacrifice none of them could have given.
"Summer is ending," Chase spoke as Oriana looked up from her cake, "Do you want to visit the Institution with me?"
Oriana hummed, "Don't you have lectures on the first day of the new semester?"
"One day won't hurt," he smirked as Oriana thought about it, pursing her lips to one side, "Come on, it will be fun," he tried to convince her, "We will see our old teachers and we can see our old dorms, and we can see some old friends!"
Oriana smiled and nodded, "I guess it wouldn't hurt to see some old faces."
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
"Samson, don't run too far!"
"Honey, let him be."
"But what if he hurts himself?"
"Don't worry," Athena chuckled, "He's a wolf like me, he can take it."
Tilting her head in a pout, Thesalia merely shook her head and resigned to Athena's explanation, but she was not content with the way Athena handled their kids – too carefree. It was not that her explanation was untrue, it was that she was worried that her son might actually hurt himself, regardless of being born with their blood.
Taking a seat next to Athena, Thesalia kept her eye on her adventurous son, who seemed to have stopped running and found something of interest in grass, probably a frog or a worm. Sensing the worry in her wife, Athena kissed her cheek to ease her worry, making the mother of her children smile at her and lean her head on her shoulder; the two of them sat under the tall oak tree in the back of their garden whilst they watched their children play in the grass.
"Today marks the fifth," Thesalia spoke as Athena merely kept silent, watching her daughters intently whilst the two strawberry blonde haired daughters lied on the grass gazing at the clouds, "Shouldn't we go visit?"
Athena held her hand and kissed her backhand, "No, I think today should be a break from tradition," she replied as she squeezed her hand, "Besides, the Institute made it an occasion to celebrate it and it should be enough."
"I guess," Thesalia exhaled as she saw Samson come running back to them; she examined him carefully and noticed the rose in his hand. The little blonde boy came running straight into her mother, nearly tripping, but made sure he didn't, then gave his mother what he had in his hands. "Thank you, Sammy. Do you know what this is?"
Sammy shook his head adorably with a toothy smile, "No, mommy, what is it?"
Athena took the rose and pinned it on Thesalia's hair, "This my son is a rose," she spoke on behalf of Thesalia, "It represents courage, valiance, and above all," she paused as she approached his son and held him up to the sky, then tickled his stomach with her nose that made the child giggle as he tried to make his mother stop. Athena pulled back and smiled at his son and carried him on her shoulders, then looked up at him, "Love."
A tiny bell rang in the distance which signalled the time for their afternoon tea, making the two little girls sit up from where they were, then run up to Athena, to be carried. The master assassin carried them on each arm; she turned to Thesalia with a smile as the master of the house merely looked at them with a warm smile on her face, happy at the family she had.
"Coming, honey?" Athena asked.
"Mommy, time for tea!" Sylvia exclaimed.
"Time for tea, mommy!" Serena added.
"Tea time is mommy's favourite time!" Samson joined.
For a moment, Thesalia just wanted for time to stop as she looked at her family smiling happily at her, goofing off playfully whilst she stood up. Dusting her dress, Thesalia slowly approached them as Athena put her children down, then had stooped down to their level, then whispered something that made the three little kids giggle, looking suspiciously at their mother, who became curious as she arrived.
"Atttaaaaack!" Athena exclaimed as she held Thesalia by the shoulders to keep her in place whilst her children came in to tickle their mother, making her giggle at their little pokes.
"S-stop!" Thesalia pleaded as she giggled, but her children would not let up.
"Keep tickling her!" Athena encouraged as she laughed at Thesalia, who was trying so hard to keep her kids' little fingers away from her stomach. Try as she might, she could not seem to get them off any faster, making her stomach crunch with slight pain from too much laughing.
"Say surrender, mommy!" Sylvia giggled out loud and tickled her even more as Thesalia finally collapsed backward into a sitting position with tears in her eyes, which made Thesalia cover her face; seeing their her covering her face, the three little kids ceased their assaults and gasped. "Mommy is crying!"
"We made mommy cry!" Serena joined in gasp as they all examined her further and when Thesalia still had not removed her hands from her face, the three little kids frowned, making their expression sour as though they were about to cry too. "We made mommy cry."
"Mommy don't cry," Samson whispered as he tried hard to hold back his sniffles, then went and hugged her mother, "Mommy, we're sorry."
"Sorry, mommy," Serena and Sylvia joined as they too came close to hug her. Feeling proud of her children, Athena smiled as she joined her kids, hugging them in her arms. For a moment, Thesalia did not wish to remove her hands from her face, feeling the sweetness from her children's care made her want to actually cry from how much they cared for her.
"Counter-attack!" Thesalia shouted as she removed her hands from her face then tickled her children one at a time, not enough hands to tickle all of them at once. A fit of giggles erupted from her children as Samson managed to escape her mother's itchy fingers and began running away as much as the other two also managed to escape; their lips were in a smile as they giggled as they ran away from Thesalia, who stood up to follow them, but turned to Athena first. "Counter-attack!"
Without a second thought, Thesalia tickled Athena too and caught her off guard, making her giggled with each poke of her fingers to her sides; the master assassin was caught in a fit of laughter as she tried to break free from her wife's tickle hold, finding herself unable to fend for herself, making her fall back onto the ground on her back. Happiness overflowing, Thesalia eventually ceased her tickle attack and got on top of Athena, then cupped her cheek as she stopped laughing, then gave her a kiss as if to tell her thank you for making her the happiest woman on earth.
"I love you," Thesalia spoke as she pulled back, "Very much."
Athena smiled, "I love you too."
After one more kiss, Thesalia ran off to chase her children in the house. Athena remained on the ground for a moment more with her elbows to elevate her; she watched as her wife chased her children into the house as the bell for tea time once again rang. Happiness could never be enough when she was around her family, thankful that she was able to have such a wonderful and loving family; if she had not meant Thesalia that night eight years ago, she would not have this beautiful family now.
Getting up, she began to walk back to the house, but at the third step she halted and turned to face the big oak tree behind her; she sensed a feeling coming from the tree as though telling her that something beautiful was happening. Smiling at the tree, she gave it a small prayer as her powers of clairvoyance suddenly showed her something she did not expect; it was just a brief preview, but it was enough to tell her that there was truly something marvellous about to happen that day of all days. A lone tear escaped her eye as she quickly brushed it off, then smiled as she made her way towards the house.
Fate truly is mysterious.
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Warm breeze blowing, calm sunlight resting; the morning dew was glistening under the sunlight. The trees were still and the clouds were lazing, the day could not get any better. Traipsing through the trees, she recalled the familiarity of the path, recalling that day several years ago as though it was yesterday; it was the day her life turned unexpected, not knowing what to do after losing someone important, yet she found the courage to push through her life.
Walking past the trees, through heaps of red and orange autumn leaves, she finally found the spot where it all began; the scorch marks were gone, but the scars on the trees remained. Taking a deep breath, she slowly bent down and laid the bouquet on the spot, then smiled as she whispered a silent prayer; the wind blew calmly past her shoulders as though to answer her, making her smile even further as she stood up.
"It's been a long time, Elliot," Hailey spoke, "A lot has happened already, but I wanted to thank you," she explained as she heard the rustling of leaves nearby, aware that Alexis was growing impatient by the second, "If we never came here that day almost ten years ago, then I would never have what I do now," she continued, "So, thanks, slowpoke," she smiled as she took a deep breath and exhaled, "And see you when I see you."
A warm breeze blew towards her, her hair swayed to its direction as Hailey accepted it as though Elliot was listening; his presence no longer existed in the other realm as he already traversed through the Plain of Silence, to the haven promised to him. It has been three years since then, but Hailey will always remember him even if she can never see him again, just like Katherine.
"Are you done?" Cecilia queried as she walked towards her with Alexis silently in tow, "We still have another place to visit," she reminded her, "Don't want to keep her waiting."
Hailey nodded, "Yeah, we shouldn't."
Opening her hand, Cecilia chanted a spell for them and teleported them in the blink of an eye, to a place much similar to where they were just now, only this place was a place worth remembering. In the middle of the field of flowers just a few miles away from the Institution, a tombstone stood with a name that would always be in their hearts. Walking up to the tombstone, Hailey knelt down and smiled at it, before she traced the carved name on the piece of slab with a loving smile on her lips.
"I guess we'll leave you alone, now," Cecilia spoke as she opened her palm to teleport Alexis and her once again, "Don't forget that you're class starts in the afternoon, coach."
With that the duo vanished into thin air, leaving Hailey alone to speak with her old friend. Taking a deep breath, she tried to hold back her tears as she smiled wider, trying to remember the day she met her; it was on this same flower field. On this same flower was where she got to spend the whole day with Katherine, and ironically, it is also the same flower field where they both emerged out of the other realm.
"Hey there, wolfie," Hailey spoke in a near whisper, "It's been another year," she began as she sat in front of the tombstone I her purple track suit, "A lot things have happened while you've been gone," she continued as she took a deep breath, "Ford finally has a bigger headquarters in the school now and Cecilia became a full time teacher," she giggled at the recollection, "She said it was better to just stay in one place, saying she was tired of having to clean up after everybody's battles and what not," she explained as smiled, "I think she just stayed because Ford is now her man for more than a year."
She sighed, "The school is much better now and I became the second coach of the school," she said proudly, "Pretty cool right?" she chuckled as she stood up and showed off her clothes in a twirl, "I really look the part now," she mused as she looked at the tombstone that stood silently, listening to her, "All I have to do is act the part, I guess."
Staring at the tombstone, Hailey tried her best not to shed another tear; it has been five long years since Katherine died by being the lock that keeps both realms from meeting the other. Her duty was fulfilled and the gate has never been opened again; this time she was certain that she will not be able to open that gate anymore, or anyone else for that matter. It was her bloodline alone that could open that door and since it will stop with her, she was certain that it will never be opened again.
"I miss you, wolfie," Hailey whispered as apprehension caught her chest, but she tried her best not to cry, "Every day I wish you were here with me," she confessed as she hung her head, "And be with me as I live my life," she continued as her chest swelled even further, making it unbearable to stop her tears, allowing a few finally escape, "By my side as I wake and as I sleep."
Exhaling, she tried not weep in front of the tombstone like she has been doing for the last five years; she wiped her tears off as quickly as she could, trying to dry her cheeks from its dampness. She tried to shake the apprehension off her chest as she breathed in and out, trying to calm her pulsating heartbeat; every year it was like this – her crying and at the same time, it was just her who was trying to calm herself without anyone around to shoulder on.
"I guess I've stayed too long this time," Hailey tried to shake her apprehension further and looked at the tombstone with a smile, "I guess I'll see you in my dreams, wolfie."
With that, she placed her palm on her lips then touched the tombstone, bidding her love farewell. With a heavy heart, she exhaled and walked past the tombstone, towards the stone path they built towards the flowers; the school had recognised Katherine's sacrifice and dedicated the day to her, celebrating at dawn by walking towards the grave then saluting the sky. The stone path was built shortly after to make the trek towards the tombstone much easier.
Trying her best not to think about her, Hailey kept her eyes at the school campus, admiring how much change has happened within these past five years; more buildings were added and the former gym's location was eventually made as the security headquarters, moving the gym much closer to the dorms. The new gym was much bigger and wider than the previous one that even the hole that Jesslyn dug with Athena was already much deeper by five more feet.
At first, Hailey was reluctant to teach in the school and be the second coach because of that hole; it was a mandatory class to teach and she did not wish to put her students to be in same situation she was when she first came to the school. Even though she was against it, she did not have any choice but to teach it, then eventually learned the truth of the hole – it was merely a chant. In truth the hole in the gym was just fifteen foot deep, making it possible for them to reach anyone by a ladder by the side should anyone fall, and at the bottom of the hole were cushions that would expel sleeping gas to anyone that came into contact with it.
After a half hour walk, Hailey was within the premises of the school, greeting the students with a smile as she passed on by; the students greeted her back, since they all knew her already, nearly making the second nicest and coolest teacher in the institute, although she does not understand where they could have gotten such an idea. Nonetheless, she just accepted, believing that she also went through that phase.
Arriving in front of the gym, she stood in front of the double doors and could hear the chatter from the other side, thinking that they must be the new students this new semester. She has only been teacher for six months and this would be her first class for the new semester; her nerves were shaking, anxious to see who will be the fresh faces that she will encounter. Taking a deep breath, she held the knob of the door and turned it, but a hand pushed the door back, that kept her from opening it, making her turn to face a pair of green eyes.
"Afternoon, co-coach," she smiled her charming smile as she leant back on her wooden cane, "You ready to face your first class of the semester?"
Hailey nodded with a smile, "A little nervous actually."
"Eh, you'll be fine," Jesslyn chuckled as she took a step back. Hailey examined her and noted how much changed she has gone through; to see her here was a miracle, but the most mysterious part was how she was able to come back when her body had already withered to nearly just bones. Five years had passed and she was able to get back her strength that took a lot of effort out of her.
In the first six month of her return, everyone was very doubtful if it was truly her, but then she explained how she came back; it turns out that before Katherine had become the lock, she teleported Jesslyn's soul back to the earthen world, placing her in the foyer of Thesalia's mansion. It took her at least an hour to figure out that she was back, sceptic that her mind was merely playing tricks on her; but when she finally realised that she was back, she immediately went to look for Itsuki, who was conveniently next to her body.
Without hesitation, she returned to her slowly depleting body; her skin was sticking to her skin that made her look skeletal – thin as paper. She commented that it took her several times just to get back to her body, unsure how to actually get back, but when Itsuki held her hand, she was finally able to get back to her body as though all she needed was a little bit of life in her hands; she recounted that the first thing she told Itsuki was 'Did you wait long?'.
"You saved the world, one class won't kill you," Jesslyn chuckled then smiled.
Hailey giggled, "I think I'd rather take on an army of angry spirits right now."
"Oh really?" Jesslyn chirped as she groped her inner jacket pocket for something, "I just so happen have a mob of angry spirits with me."
Hailey shuddered at the thought, "No, I take it back."
"That's a shame," Jesslyn jested and chuckled, "But I do have something for you."
Hailey raised a brow, "Oh? What is it?"
Pulling a small envelope in her pocket, Jesslyn looked at it for a moment before she handed over to Hailey, who looked at the envelope curiously; there was an aura about the letter which made her worry about what it contained. Taking a quick gulp of her anxiety, she took the envelope from Jesslyn and looked at it for a moment; as soon as she held the envelope, a great maternal aura enveloped her that almost made her cry at the familiar feeling she was remembering.
"Michelle told me to give it to you," Jesslyn explained as she noticed the nearly distant look in her eyes, "She never really told me who it came from so don't ask," she chuckled as Hailey seemed to ignored her, "But, she only told me that it came from someone who really loved you."
"I see," Hailey mumbled in response that had Jesslyn worried; the master assassin hobbled closer to her and put a hand on Hailey's shoulder, making the young teen gaze away from the envelope and look at her. Looking right into her eyes, Jesslyn gave her a smile as if to assure her that all will be well; Hailey felt the concern from her hand flow into her, making her shake her head as if to shake her worries away.
"Don't look too sad now, Shepard," Jesslyn tried to cheer her up, "I'm sure they're not going to sack you after six months."
Hailey laughed, "I'll hit you if it is that kind of letter."
"Would you dare hit a cripple?" Jesslyn gasped and jested as Hailey only laughed more, "You're much more evil than I remember," she placed her hand on Hailey's head and ruffled it, making the young blue-haired teacher laugh, "Maybe you got some evil spirit in you that needs exorcism."
Laughing at her jokes, Hailey somehow forgot about the letter and appreciated what Jesslyn did; she can never really be sad whenever she was around, always looking out for even when she cannot truly be there. Even back when they needed help, she was able to send Alexis back to her body with just a little bit of luck, thinking about them even though she could not really be of much use.
"Bell's about to ring," Jesslyn reminded her as she stopped messing Hailey's hair and even helped her pat it down, "Good luck on your first class, Shepard."
Hailey nodded as Jesslyn slowly turned around, then walked away. Taking a deep breath, she smiled at her as she left, then turned around to open the door; she could hear the chatter from the class in front of her, completely ignoring as though she was not a threat. Just as Jesslyn had said, the bell rang just a few minutes after she got in, making the students face her completely.
"Alright, I'll be your coach for this class," she introduced herself as she placed the whistle between her lips, "Everyone split between the men and the women!" Hailey commanded as she blew her whistle, "The men on my left and the women on my right stand within the white lines, those in between those categories are free to choose which side they want," she instructed further as everyone chuckled at her, but she only smiled at them as they followed her instructions, "What? I don't judge."
After a minute everyone was done separating themselves and looked at her for further instructions. Hailey kept the whistle on her lips as she snapped her fingers that had the floor trembling as it moved; everyone suddenly went into loud chatter as they watched the floor around them shorten, creating wide gaps between, making all of them huddle in the centre of a circle – the only island they can stand on that separated them from the rest.
"Now," Hailey spoke as everyone turned her, confused and somewhat afraid, "Who can tell me how high a normal person can jump?"
"Is she for real?"
"So, it's true what the others said about this place."
"How the heck do we know? We ain't mortals!"
Loud outrage cries erupted in the gym as Hailey merely looked at them with an amused face, feeling a laugh about to come out of her lips. A part of her found it amusing and could imagine Jesslyn's face the day she did this to them; she did not expect it to be amusing like that day since Jesslyn had a serious face on her that day.
"So, anyone know the answer?" Hailey asked, but none replied; smirking, she walked over to the side and took the only metal chair in the room, then placed it in between both circles, then sat there looking at them. The looks on the teens faces were in disbelief as though they did not expect their first gym class to be this brutal; some of them – mostly the wolves and the vampires – have shot Hailey their worst angry looks, that did not faze her.
"We can stay here all day if you want," Hailey spoke as she removed the whistle from her mouth, "Nobody leaves this gym unless someone tells me the answer," she told them sternly, "And don't try to google the answer, your phones are all barred from service during school hours."
"This is insane!"
"You can't do this to us!"
"I'll have you fired for this!"
Their cries of outrage continued as Hailey merely shut them out, content at their responses; it was what she had wanted to get, since it was what the headmaster instructed. The plan was simple, when they have calmed down she will start the second part of the plan, where she will call out names of the teachers she wanted to jump; those people were the teachers, who were given exceptions from the barrier to use their powers just to perform for this.
As their outrage continued, Hailey remembered the letter and thought about reading it; her curiosity slowly sprung up once again. Taking out the envelope from her pocket, she placed it over the clipboard she had then stared at the letter; her heartbeat rose staring at it, feeling the aura yet again. Turning it over, she took a deep breath as she tore it open neatly, the slowly removed the papers within it; her heartbeat rose even further as her finger touched the papers, making it difficult for her to continue.
It's just a letter, why am I so nervous?
The outrage in front of her continued as she ignored it all together, sneaking up smirks from time to time to show them that she was indeed serious. Some of them have already surrendered and sat down, not giving a cent of their time over something as this; some of them were growling at her like idiots, as if they could use their powers to jump the ridge. As the papers stood in front of her, her eyes she exhaled silently as her eyes began reading.
Hey there, you may not remember me, but I will always remember you. You might find it surprising to get a letter to someone you may not have heard before, but know that you and I have known each other much more than they have.
The air inside the gym became dense as hot air pressed against the teens inside, making them all sit separately; some of the boys have already started removing their shirts which had some of the girls gawking at them, whilst other found them quit disgusting. Either way, almost all of them were quiet and nearly calm, but were still looking at Hailey with a glower.
My name is Yael Shepard. You may not remember my name, but that is alright; I'm sure Thesalia had a reason not to mention me. I am like you – a keeper of the keys; our destiny is a narrow one that led to our deaths – just like your father. He was a great man and he sacrificed himself for you to live, but we were chased wherever we went; chased by the very beings we had to keep at bay.
"How long are you going to keep us here?"
"You can't do this to us, we pay your salaries!"
"Like she cares, just shut up, will you?"
Tension grew inside the gym as Hailey continued to ignore them, but was quite amused that someone within them was willing to keep them at bay.
Those beings that chased us wanted to get us so badly that I had to be constantly on the road; even when you were in my womb, you were already on the run. But let's not talk about the past. All I want is for you to grow up – live your life to the fullest without having to look back and worry that something out there will get you.
"Who said that?"
"I did, asshole."
"Show yourself, fuck-face!"
When you face everything in front you, show kindness; don't let anyone pull you down and even if they do, treat them kindly and understand them than hate them. There is a reason why the world works, but none of us can ever find out why; despite the mysterious forces around us, know that your heart will always know the answer.
"Hey, no cursing in this gym!" Hailey scolded them as she looked up from her letter with a sinister look on her face, silencing nearly everyone and made the two bickering just now to quickly feel their pulse rise with fear. "I hear a single vulgarity from your tongues and all of you will fall down that ditch where nobody can hear you scream," she threatened sinisterly as all of them looked at her with fear riding their faces, "Are we clear?"
"Crystal, ma'am!" All of them said in unison, then returned to their business.
We love you, Hailey. Always and forever, until we all meet again in the haven beyond the Plain. Live your life to the fullest and love with all your heart; if you feel that you have fallen and can never get back up, know that all us – your ancestors, your father, and I – will always be watching over you.
"How long are we going to be here, man?"
"As long as we don't know the answer, we can't leave."
"Anyone want to take a wild guess?"
"Feel free to take a guess," Hailey joined their mid-air conversation, "Guessing won't kill you."
"And if we get it wrong?"
"Then I start calling names," Hailey replied with a smile as she pocketed the letter, saving the rest of the message for later, "And when I do call your name, you have to jump or else everyone falls, understand?"
"Good job, dude."
"Thanks for getting us in trouble, genius."
"Well you're all welcome."
"So, no takers?" Hailey questioned as she examined the uneasiness in their faces, making her smile as she stood up and looked at her clipboard. "I guess I should start calling names then."
"If we get the answer right, would you jump over the ridge?" A voice from the women's crowd questioned, making almost everyone look for the person who was trying to get them into more trouble. "I find it only fair if we're all going to be in trouble."
"A brave soul dares step forward," Hailey mumbled as she looked up from her clipboard and faced the women's circle, "That's only IF you get it right," she accepted as she smiled at them, thinking that they were just bluffing, "If you don't I have you all fall into the chasm and all of you will fall endlessly until you reach the first door to hell."
"Fine," the voice from the crowd accepted as the girls nearby that voice were already looking at her with a glower on their faces, threatening her if she got it wrong, "Get ready to jump then, teacher," she taunted as Hailey raised a brow at this student, wondering who could she be, "Because an average person can jump between sixteen to twenty inches if he was a man, but a woman can just around twelve to sixteen inches vertically."
All heads turned to Hailey, who had kept her cool, but was completely surprised that someone got it right. Putting her clipboard on the metal stool, she put her hands together and clapped as she smile at the answer; her clapping had everyone on their toes, thinking whether it right or wrong. All of them were nervous about the fall, unsure if they were ready to go to hell just yet.
"I'm impressed," Hailey spoke as she moved towards the women's side of the gym, "Not a lot of first years know that answer, or even bother to know," she admitted as she ceased her clapping, "You got the answer right and a deal's a deal."
"Son of a, couldn't you have just asked her to get us all out?!"
"Yeah, why couldn't you just bargain for all of us to get out!"
"Shut up you guys; she got the answer right, she gets to decide what she wants."
"Well spoken," Hailey chuckled as she took a few steps back and prepared her running jump; she stretched a few times first as she made sure that she ready to take the jump. She did not expect anyone to get it right, let alone a first year who was so sure of herself; it got her curious to know who she was, believing she was a person worthy of a good grade in this class. "All right, ladies make a space."
When you leap, prepare to fall my child; there will be times when your wings may not be able to reach the other side.
Taking a deep breath, Hailey prepared to run and focused her powers to help her jump; she started slow before she finally reached full speed and leapt at the edge. All eyes were on her as her jump height was higher than what an average human can jump; all of them had their jaws open, disbelief and amazed at the same time.
But even as you fall, don't forget that there will be someone to reach out to you, to help you as fall through life's struggles.
Reaching half way, Hailey kept her body straight as she tried to have a good land; the air on her body was pushing her away from the direction she wanted, making her use her powers a little more. She did not expect for all this to happen and was somehow grateful that teachers are allowed to keep their powers, otherwise, she would not have been able to make the jump.
Reach out and hold that hand firmly, because that is the hand of someone who will love you deeply as you grow.
As gravity pulled her down, Hailey's feet landed on the ledge; she did not calculate the distance quite well. Her body swung to balance itself as the students around her were paralysed with either amazement or fear, unable to move from where they were and help her; she tried to swing her body forward, hoping that gravity would fall there, but she could not keep her balance in between.
"Gotcha!" a familiar voice called out as she felt a hand grab hers, then pulled her in; an arm held her waist as she steered her gaze away from the pit, making her turn to face a pair of grey eyes. Heartbeat pulsating, mind going blank; her eyes could not steer away at her face as her mind tried to remember the last time she saw it at such a close proximity.
Words could not express the feeling in her chest, at the anxiety, the disbelief, but above all the happiness that was overflowing inside; tears were silently streaming down her face as she tried her best not to cry in front of her students, who have given them more space. Hailey looked at her as she watched her lips turn to a smile – the smile that she has been longing to see for five long years since the last.
To see it now, she did not know if this was all a dream or if she has died from the jump and joined her in the other side. She could feel the emotions come from her just from their touch, feeling a great warmth and care enter her body, and thawed out that one chunk of coldness in her heart. The familiar face pulled her back to a steady as she watched her plant a soft kiss on her forehead, making her believe that this was truly not a fantasy.
"And now, you fell for me again," she smiled as Hailey could vaguely remember where she has heard these lines before, then kissed her in the cheek as and hugged her close. The warmth of her body told her that this was not a fantasy anymore, but a dream come true – to see her once again and be her in this world again. She kissed her lips and pulled back smiling as she tried her best not to cry as she felt her lover's hand wipe her tears away, then said:
"Isn't that nice?"
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