We both stood still, analyzing the other's next move.
"What's your name?" I frowned, emotions somersaulting around as past memories and recent revelations cleared into view.
The man let out a secretive smile, as if he was about to share an inside joke. "Faisal."
"I guess there's no need for me to introduce myself." I got up with an annoyed grunt, ignoring his hand and straddling my bike once more.
Faisal shrugged his broad shoulders, not at all appearing contrite. A perfect set of white teeth appeared from another charming smile, the action more taunting than anything. It may have been his eyes that convinced me to lose any sense of reason, because my next words surprised us both.
"Just hop on and tell me where to drive."
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"This place is a dump," I deadpanned.
My critical gaze settled on the rundown apartment that I was entering, being further lead into a dully carpeted hall with lights flickering on the ceiling. I felt reassured by the weight of a pocket knife nestled snugly in my boot, in case this Faisal guy tried to pull any funny business.
The blond took confident steps as I reluctantly trailed behind him, struggling to keep up with his long strides.
He took a sharp left. "We have to take the stairs."
"Let me guess, you live on the highest floor?" Dread filled me at the thought.
"Second highest." Faisal looked non-apologetic. "The building only reaches six floors."
I breathed heavily as we trekked upwards, Faisal's athletic form bouncing up with ease, as opposed to my funeral march. A strong body was something people knew me by, always in decent shape with lean muscle. That being said, it was rearing two o'clock in the morning and I haven't had a proper meal since breakfast.
Oh yeah, and I was stabbed in the side earlier too.
A loud growl filled the stairwell as we made it to the fifth floor—I glared at my stomach and then scowled some more at the man snickering ahead.
Faisal opened the metal door as I stomped pass him. "I'll microwave some leftovers."
I nodded silently at the offer, mood lifting just an inch as my host gestured to another door that I assumed lead to his apartment. Not knowing what will greet me, a well furnished and normal looking residence wasn't it.
I subconsciously assessed all the windows and exits that could be used if something went wrong.
Something always went wrong.
He looked around the hall before locking the door. "The outside isn't high on appearance, it helps keep things under the radar."
I tried not to glance at the reflection of a nearby mirror, knowing that my appearance was less than great after today's events. Even with the somewhat decent amount of beauty I attained on good days, the gaunt cheeks and sunken eyes wouldn't be doing me any favours.
I jolted at the sound of a microwave beeping, not realizing how long I've zoned out. My gaze turned suspicious as Faisal reappeared, holding a plate of what was assumed to be leftover spaghetti. He gently peeled off the clear seal and presented it to me with a flourish.
"Don't worry, it's not drugged."
"Good to know." I placed my helmet by the main entrance and slowly took the plate from his large hands. "Is there a reason you're playing nice?"
"Would you believe me if I said it was out of the goodness of my own heart?"
"No," I bluntly stated.
Faisal looked over his shoulder and motioned for me to follow. "Then you're wiser than I originally thought."
I loudly slurped a hefty serving of spaghetti into my mouth as a response, cautiously following after him, only to frown as he entered another room and pointed towards a large leather couch situated near the corner.
"Sit down and take off your jacket."
I choked on a noodle. "Excuse me?"
"I can smell the blood on you."
Faisal's words were rough, silver eyes staring directly at the covered wound that was spreading. Before I could refuse, he stepped in front of the entrance and herded us over, lightly pushing my shoulder and forcing me down.
"Who did this?" He lifted the hem of my shirt, assessing the damage while ignoring my flushed cheeks. "It wasn't from the convenience store altercation."
I swatted his hands away. "Doesn't matter then."
"You'll take it off." Without another word, he got up and left.
My side was pulsing, and I could only obey as the severity from allowing it to bleed all day became prominent. It was a stupid accident, getting distracted and allowing the attacker to take a swipe at my unguarded stomach.
Faisal returned with a small container, giving me a pleased look for obeying his command. Without further ado, he expertly cleaned the wound. Both our noses scrunched up from the strong alcoholic smell emitting from the bottle.
I watched him gently tend to the injury, uncomfortable by how he effortlessly eased his way into my mind.
Mannerisms and gestures that were so familiar...
A strong sense of déjà vu hit me, but I swallowed any musings and decided to stay silent. I gritted my teeth as he pulled another sloppy makeshift stitch, not bothering to watch as he took out a sharp needle and medical thread. My temporary doctor didn't give any words of ease, merely sewing and wrapping the now closed wound with gauze.
"You are careless."
The striking man admired his work with a frown, almost as if he was tired of always patching me up. Another strong feeling of nostalgia hit, and I didn't think twice as the next words automatically left my mouth.
"Yet you never care any less."
He froze, before turning his gaze to me.
My own brows furrowed, baffled by where those words came from and not truly understanding them.
"You subconsciously remember." Faisal's expression morphed into one of triumph, a possessive look entering his eyes as he watched me fumble for an excuse. "Only time will tell—get some rest and go to sleep, we'll continue this conversation in the morning."
I didn't know how to respond.
With a silent incline of his head, he exited the room.
The first thing I did was lock the door with shaking hands, grunting roughly as I pushed the large couch over to create a barricade.
My heart pounded.
I sat down while clutching tangled hair in a firm grip, deciding to sort through all the events that transpired tonight—with Maverick pushing all other thoughts away.
I've been trying to suppress the catalyst that was him.
It took me three years to finally adapt from his absence, and another four to allow bitterness into my core, blaming him for everything. When finally this year I came to terms with the dealings, erasing Maverick from memory entirely.
Yet... I still cared deeply for my older brother.
That's what hurts the most.
Now there's a mysterious stranger bulldozing his way into my personal space, almost entirely impossible to disregard.
A heavy head rested in my hands, only for them to rake aggressively through wild hair once more and lie down with a trembling sigh.
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A fire alarm woke me up the next day.
I covered my ears in a sore attempt to block the clamour.
It wasn't until I realized what the noise actually meant, that I cursed and shot up. My legs staggered from their nest, loudly grunting as the couch was shoved away. Grogginess left as I smelt something foul, slipping out the door while bringing an arm up to cover my nose. I stopped myself from inhaling any smoke drifting down the hallway, floating slowly like some eerie mist.
The grey haze reminded me of eyes from last night, ones that held promises.
"Faisal?" I loudly called out, the name sounding foreign on my tongue as hasty steps lead me to the kitchen.
The sight that showed itself amongst the smog was hardly expected.
Faisal was standing on a chair whilst fanning the ceiling with a table-mat, shushing the fire alarm with words of encouragement.
I slowly looked at the smoking stove, and lo and behold, a pan of something was burning on it. Dreary eyes also took note of a used fire extinguisher lying close to the scene. The loud dinging gradually ceased, the saviour in question exhaling a large breath, all while jumping down gracefully. He turned around and carelessly tossed the place-mat, although his proud expression froze as he noticed my presence.
"Are you wearing an apron?" My attention drifted to the light blue gingham pattern covering his otherwise dark clothing, frills accentuating the borders of the fabric.
Faisal didn't look at all sheepish from his current attire; in fact, there was humour hidden beneath. "I wanted to make bacon and eggs for breakfast."
It sounded more like he was trying to lure me into a false sense of safety. "How bad of a cook are you, to burn that?"
I went over to the stove and lifted a charred pan, bringing it closer to my face and inspecting the contents further, only to jerk back as the smell of charred bacon hit me.
"I'm not used to cooking meat," Faisal confessed.
I lifted a brow in question. "Vegetarian?"
"No, I love meat."
Against my better judgment, I merely accepted that this man was extremely weird and didn't ask any further.
"I must have added too much oil." The blond seemed discouraged as he went to grab cereal and a single bowl, handing them over to me and sitting down at the dining table.
I wordlessly went over to the fridge and dug around for milk.
"Feeling at home?" He lifted a single brow towards my actions.
"I don't have a home," I snorted.
The response made him pause in thought, before his attention drifted somewhere far away. There was a comfortable silence as my spoon dipped into the porcelain bowl, and I was going to start a conversation about the weather before his next words made me sputter on my spoonful.
"We're enrolling you in the Nightingale Institute for Elite Early Necessaries, NIFEEN Academy to avoid the mouth full."
"What the hell kind of hoity-toity school name is that?" I coughed, trying to eject a piece of cereal from my throat.
Who enrolls someone without any warning?
"It's an ancient private school, and is highly esteemed." Faisal's fingers started tapping on the table's surface, giving a stern look as I doubted the credibility.
I grabbed a nearby napkin, shaking my head while scoffing in disbelief. "I've never heard of such a place."
"I'm not surprised."
"If it has such high reviews, why haven't I heard anything about it?" My voice was doubtful. "Besides, it sounds expensive."
"You have all the credentials, even if you're unaware of them." He looked me up and down with a critical look. "It's the safest possible place for you to be right now; in addition, your tuition has already been paid for."
I threw my head back. "By who?"
"It's confidential." Before I could further argue my opinion on the outlandish idea, Faisal slid over an envelope that I hadn't noticed earlier.
He gave a nod of encouragement to open it—not knowing what else to do, I did.
The sight that greeted me was like some character profiling of different people: birth dates, physical descriptions, blood types, astrological signs, family trees, and more.
I looked up and let out a nervous laugh. "Are you in the FBI?"
"Not in this lifetime." He placed his elbows on the table, leaning closer. "My job is a bit more unauthorized, I keep tabs on everyone that enters the academy and those connected to it."
I pondered his words.
"I deal with underground workings from gang disputes, mafia feuds, personal vendettas, frauds, or just normal people on the streets who have any involvement with NIFEEN; I don't accept jobs that fall outside that one specific criterion."
I nodded along. "So you protect the school?"
He gave a single nod.
"What makes you think I'd want to get involved in something like that?" I tossed the envelope away and pushed it across the table.
Faisal smiled slightly. "You were involved in this academy way before your birth."
"I doubt that." To have someone know things about you without knowing you is creepy. "Is that why you live in this seedy apartment?"
"My elegant abode is conveniently placed in the middle of this city." He sighed as I gave him a less than amused expression. "A little diamond in the rough to those who know what lies here, which is why I bought the entire complex."
This made my head perk up. "You bought all six floors?!"
"Every single square inch belongs to my name. There's only two other people in this building that work directly under me, the rest are paying residents."
I should have known this weird-ass-motherfucker was loaded.
My attention went back to the folder, seeing multiple faces of young adults staring right back. Student yearbook pictures, by the looks of it.
"I let people live here so that it doesn't create suspicion to nearby Unspirits." Faisal watched as I reached over to snatch the file once more.
There was that unknown word again.
"What makes these students special... why single them out?"
My eyes were focused on a handsome young man looking stiffly at the camera, dark eyes illuminating his otherwise somber countenance. Even with the lack of colour from a black and white photograph, he was absolutely bursting with vibrancy.
Oh, hello.
He was stunning; all of them were, and this looked more like a model catalog than a student profiling.
Super duper self-esteem booster.
I briefly looked at a girl with silver hair, yet my hungry irises lingered to the one male student with eyes of fire.
"Three of the students presented in that file are school representatives; they have an incredible impact towards this academy, especially with their spirits being so unique." He got up and collected my dirty dishes, putting them in the dishwasher before heading back.
"Their spirits?" I was confused, wondering if he meant their sense of willpower was strong or something.
"NIFEEN is an academy for quite the extraordinary people."
"Why tell me all of this now?" My mind was in disbelief as Faisal patiently explained; doubting his sanity as he calmly spoke.
"You have brother dearest to thank, he convinced me to seek you out."
A scowl appeared as he mentioned Maverick, wondering if they were somehow friends. "How old are you?"
Faisal pulled a chair beside me, pointing to his chest and giving a devious grin. "I'm twenty-four."
I had a feeling that he was lying, but decided not to prod him further.
"You wanna' force me back into school." I had no other place to go or stay—so this idea, if it isn't a scam, sounded like the most practical option.
"This is a great honour." Faisal definitely looked offended as I whined, although carried on nonetheless. "People have been attending NIFEEN for centuries, and they come out stronger than ever."
My jaw clenched. "Did Maverick attend?"
"It was at the academy that I first made acquaintance with your brother."
I winced. "So all this time, he was prancing around inside this fancy academy?"
"Maverick never enrolled," Faisal confessed. "He merely... visited."
A sense of betrayal lingered as I thought about my brother's actions. How he caused this entire mess, only to sweep up the dirty aftermath towards me.
Faisal's next words steered us away from the topic.
"As much as this school gets praise, it also hides a lot of darker secrets. One of those six individuals placed in that folder is an academy threat, wholly unauthorized to attend and faking record papers."
"Like an undercover spy?" I asked uneasily.
"My next target of business." Faisal smiled, a threat lingering through the action. "An unwanted mole that you're going to help me with."
"What kind of requirements are needed to enter this school." I paced myself, not really looking forward to receiving the answer.
"Soul Spirits," Faisal simply said.
"Care to elaborate?" I squinted at the files.
"It's a human's inner beast that differentiates them from others; in return they get powers and traits depending on what the spirit actually is." He didn't once break eye contact, a sense of importance finally reaching me as an outcome. "NIFEEN's education system helps train our beasts, to harness control before chaotic discord—we are born with it, and it's a part of us."
"So, you're saying I might have a spirit?" I debated dialing 911 and booking it out of here.
"I wouldn't be entertaining this otherwise, it's especially because of the particular one residing in you personally." Faisal's face looked so old just then, a timelessness that radiated off his form.
Something inside cracked open, and it was like a floodgate of suppressed emotions were suddenly coming out.
"Tell me more." A warning inside my head told me that the answers will change everything.
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Otto Seppalainen as Faisal (Surname Unknown)
Faisal's Theme