Please tell me if I need to delete unnecessary scenes.
------
Draeyer Academy
Drae Skyland
Northeastern Space
Alec hissed as Nurse Jemial wrapped the final bandage around his forearm. The strip of cloth tightened, before the lady released her hold from it. He then slipped on some blue pants to cover his underwear and bandaged thigh. The small door of the main healing room slammed open.
Gael came through, still in the same clothes he wore when they arrived before dawn. His hair was a mess as he rushed to Alec's side with a deep crease of concern between his brows.
"Kosmos, Alec! Only yesterday you were injured and now this!" he said with his frown deepening. Before he could continue, Nurse Jemial placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Nothing vital was hit in his arms, but the shard which stuck to his thigh went a bit deep and nicked a tendon," she said. "I fixed it up, but I still want him to rest."
The brown-eyed 50 year-old lady then made a gesture by writing a circle in the air using her pointer finger. Gael nodded, seeming to understand what it meant.
He gently placed his hands on Alec's good arm and draped it over his shoulder. Alec got off the bed, limping from the sting on his right thigh. With Gael's help, they left the room and exited into another room lined with the white sheet-covered cots. Gael led him to the nearest one, and Alec sat on it with his back on the headboard. On one side of the room, Alec saw Nurse Jemial's assistant tending to Solana. Knox, River, Ceiver, and Areisha were with her.
When Alec looked back to Gael, he was holding a parchment of brown paper out to him. His other hand held a pen. He took it from him and read the words written on it.
Solana's here, you know the drill, it said. He needed to get used doing this whenever they had private matters to talk about and Solana was around. He continued reading.
What happened? I have a feeling that chandelier didn't just fall by chance.
Alec took the pen from his guardian.
Contrary to what you feel, it did just fall by chance, he wrote. There were no signs on the ropes that looked like someone cut through them.
When Gael read it, his eyes widened and he turned to Alec. The young man only nodded at him in return. It was Gael's turn to write again.
Still, there will be an investigation. The headmaster won't let it slide. It's suspicious really. The ropes attaching all chandeliers were only replaced a few weeks ago.
Alec only sighed, as Gael folded the paper and tucked it inside the pocket of his loose black trousers. It was just in time when the double doors opened, and Headmaster Donovan came running through to get to Solana. Entiny slipped through the door crack, with Professor Linan following her. In the crooks of man's long thin arms, Midnight and Leyan lay snoring with a few patches of white on their back and wings. Linan went to Alec first and settled the Draelings near his lap. At the same time, Entiny climbed the bed and made her way over to plop herself on Alec's bare shoulder.
"Thank you Professor," Alec said as he looked up at the man. Then lanky professor gave him a small smile.
"It's fine. I'm not the school's Drae Doctor for nothing," he said. "I want them well rested for today. You know well about a Drae's healing ability, and they should be fine by tomorrow. I have to go tend to the other sick Draelings."
Linan quickly left the room, and Alec sat there stroking his Draelings while releasing a sigh of relief.
"I hope one day these three won't die because of protecting me," he said. "I won't be able to live with myself if that happens." There was a silence, before an old baritone voice broke it. When he threw his gaze up, he knew it was the headmaster at the sight of the white beard alone.
"A true Draeyer's greatest fear is losing his Drae while it attempts to protect him from harm," Headmaster Donovan said. "And I know the pain that would come if ever. I know it too well."
Another silence. A group of footfalls came to their direction. His friends stopped at the foot of his bed, and stared at him. Alec looked down at his lap feeling discomfort from his lack of a top. He wasn't used to exposing his body. He was an Arktin, who was protected from the cold by layers and layers of clothing since he was young.
"Thank you, Lec."
He knew who it was, so he continued staring down at his lap. He released a pained grunt when arms wrapped around his neck and gave him a squeeze. More force came, and tugged him so his upper body bent forward, lower on the bed. He stopped struggling seeing it was only causing him pain, and allowed the girl to embrace him. He sighed.
When Solana let go, he twisted and flicked her forehead with a cluck of his tongue. She narrowed her eyes at him as he chuckled.
"How are you feeling?" Headmaster Donovan asked.
"I feel a little better, thank you," Alec replied.
"I'll make sure this doesn't happen again," the old man said. "And thank you for saving my granddaughter. I might've died from a heart attack if something worse had happened to her."
"It's no problem, Headmaster," Alec said with a smile. "Solana is...," he glanced at the girl to his right. The blonde raised a brow before he shifted his gaze back to the old man. "Solana is my kusangkay."
There was a minute of silence as Alec smiled, while Solana and the rest contemplated what he said. Laughter coming from the headmaster shattered the silence. He reached over and ruffled Alec's hair, much to the latter's annoyance.
"If you say so, then...salymat for saying that you consider her as such."
Alec and the old man locked eyes, blue to grey, before they burst out laughing. The rest of the company in the room only stared at them with their brows knitted.
"What did that mean?" Knox asked. Being the curious one Alec knew him to be, he was unable to stop himself from asking. The both of them only shook her heads with grins on their faces.
"It better not be insulting," Solana grumbled.
"It's not." Alec chuckled and ruffled her blonde hair, messing it up than it already was. The doors to the infirmary opened and Alec saw a head of red hair peeking out before the person entered. A heavy silence hung in the air as mud-brown eyes stared at their small group.
"What are you doing here?" Solana said. The laughter and enjoyment disappeared from her eyes. There was nothing but coldness. But as Alec looked closer in to their grey depths, he could see surprise...and a bit of warmth?
It took a while, before Rei answered with a small smile. "I came to see if you we're all right. And it seems that you are since you're spitting fire at me.
"I'll get going," he finished. He turned on his heel before disappearing behind the brown doors. When Alec looked back at Solana, her mouth was ajar and she had the slightest hue of pink covering her cheeks. With a huff, she jerked her head away, only to turn it back when she noticed the smirk on Alec's face.
"Bloody Blazen," Alec wheezed. He rubbed the spot over his defined eight-packed abdominals when Solana punched him there. He couldn't believe how strong she was. Note to self, don't tease her even the slightest and most subtle way about Rei, he thought.
"It's not funny!" she yelled.
"I wasn't even laughing!"
"Excuse me Alec," he turned to Gael. "Kreis wants to talk to you." When he looked at the man's hand, he saw the black commu-crima releasing a faint light.
"What does he want?" He only received a shrugged. He took the device, only to pause and look at Solana. He gave her a meaningful gaze, before looking down at the Sentiral Stone on her silver bracelet. Solana seemed to understand, but puffed her cheeks out stubbornly.
"Please, Solana, this is important," he said, "and private."
"Promise me, you'd finally let me see you scars!" she said. Her annoyed and defiant look suddenly filled with mischief, and he ended up releasing a sigh.
"You know how to take advantage of a situation to get what you want," he said. He really needed to decide for he could hear the faint sounds of Kreis' annoyed yelling from the device.
"I taught her that," the headmaster said with pride. Alec shook his head at him, before speaking.
"Fine," he said. "With my state of dress it's inevitable anyway."
Solana yelled in triumph before turning her pink stone into a colorless crystal. Once she was done, he brought the crima to his ear.
"What?" His voice hinted nothing but boredom.
"Unbelievable!" Kreis yelled. Alec didn't flinch. "I waited for a while and that's how you greet me."
"Just get to the point." He heard a sigh from the man, before he spoke more calmly this time. There was a grumble of profanity before Kreis spoke.
"Remember the dagger you turned over to me before?"
"Of course I remember the object that took Crim―" he cut himself off with a deep breath when he realized his anger was spiking. "What about it?"
"I went looking for information about it. I thought if we could trace its owner it might give us a name on our bastard friend," he said. "It took a while, but I got the information. The owner though, was far different from the one we are looking for. You won't believe who it is."
"Quit stalling and tell me who?"
"Patience kid," Kreis said. "The former owner of the dagger was the late Skylady of Saggaran, and dear Areisha's mother...Erinna Yvel Roselintine."
Alec froze and he lifted his gaze up at Areisha. The girl met his gaze, before one of her brows rose in to a perfect arc at him. He maintained eye contact for a few more moments before looking away.
"Can I have it back?" he said.
"I'll be visiting soon anyway, and I'll give it to you then."
"To see Professor Meolie?" he asked. It was successful attempt to temporarily forget what he just learned. Alec smiled.
"It...It's none of your business!" Alec could clearly picture him blushing to the roots of his hair. "Anyway, I'll be bringing in a bunch of your favorite strawberries for you as well."
"Why do you keep insisting that it's my favorite?"
"I like seeing your adorable-kid-look when you eat one," he said. "And this fruit seems to be the only thing strengthening our bond."
"Go die!" There was loud laughter on the other line, and Alec waited for him to finish with scrunch brows.
"Don't ever change, kid," Kreis said. "Bye!"
"Bye," he mumbled. The light from the commu-crima vanished, and Alec returned it to Gael.
"You should keep yours with you all the time, I told you that," the green-eyed man said.
"It's nothing but a dead weight on me."
Gael sighed. Alec resisted the urge to frown when he noticed the tiredness in the man's eyes. Was he really that concerned about him up to the point he would wore himself out from worrying? He suddenly felt a small pang of guilt for that, and he made no attempt to suppress it. He released a sigh.
"But I promise to bring it all the time from now on," he said. When he saw the faintest smile which appeared on Gael's face, it made the guilt vanish in an instant. He found himself smiling on his own.
He moved further away from the headboard, and twisted so Solana could get a better look. After a short while, Knox and Ceiver also went to the side of the bed and peered over his scars with curious faces. Even River. Areisha on the other hand, remained standing at the foot of the bed as she watched them.
"It looks the same as," Solana glanced at the brunette in the room, "the scars on Areisha's back."
All heads turned to the Saggarian Heiress, who purposely widened her eyes at Solana for her to shut up. She looked away immediately before Alec could meet her dark blue gaze.
"Well Alec, looks like the Deity of Fate has been working on her wheel," Donovan chuckled. The young ones whirled their heads to him with knit brows.
The old man's eyes widened as if he just realized he wasn't supposed to blurt out what he said. He grimaced. However, he gave them a shaky grin through his white beard.
"Forget I said that," he said. "I'll be going!"
The man walked as if a horde of hounds from Blazen were hot on his tail. He disappeared in a blur of blue and red behind the doors. Alec's brows scrunched at the door before he turned to Areisha. The girl was busy staring at the entrance as if expecting the headmaster's head to pop from behind it.
First were our scars. Then now I learn that your mother or your family has some connection to the bastard who killed Crimson, and the same man attempting to kill me. Has Fate been turning her wheel as the old man said? Or is this one big coincidence?