Walking through the school lawn with his bags, Cordis and Zed escorted Seven out of the school.
"You're really going right now?"
Seven lowered his head and ghosted a smile, "The question is, why are you guys still here? The exams are over, it's only right..."
Seven knew why they'd stay and he must say, the reason was quite funny.
"But the event—" Cordis started...
'There it is...' Seven thought, his eyes aloof as he recalled the ovation the students had given them after they defeated the dancing Phantom.
He still couldn't believe it. They knew after all this while, and yet we're so level-minded to keep calm and trust them with their lives.
"Like I said, I would have loved to stay and bask in all that praise and attention. But my mum..."
"Yeah, she has a job for you..."
"I never said that..."
"But you had a vision..." Zed interrupted, and for the first time,, he was tempted to ask why she always had a headset on.
'What's she listening to?' he wondered what her choice of music was.
'Rock?' he thought with a shrug as he simply added:
"True. Can't be too sure though..."
"And you're certain you don't need our help?"
"At least I'm not getting a scholarship at the Devil's workshop...don't worry about me"
"I guess it's goodbye till the next session?" She came again, the wind messing with her red hair, which he could swear had grown longer.
He was reminded of the crying girl at the tree.
'Hmm...' It was a silent oath between them to take that secret to his grave.
Nodding simply, he remained rooted to the floor...
Awkward.
Staring at him for a few seconds, she shook her head and left. Leaving Cordis with him.
*Giggles!*
Seven looked at Cordis with open curiosity, hoping she would follow behind Zed. With her seeking expression and a creepy wide smile, he guessed not...
"Understanding huh?" She muttered, staring at his face like was searching for something.
"..."
Clueless, Seven just stared back.
"I guess now we know why this school is more understanding..." She shook her eyebrows as if saying, 'They had known we were some PJ Masks groupies, into the night to save the day!!!'
'Actually...'
"Like Cassie said, how did we not expect them to suspect that much after a Mass Exorcism?"
Cassie was the rainbow girl who had asked him out on prom and had helped them that night to defeat the Dancing Phantom, Abbey.
According to her, he was a close friend of hers and after his strange disappearance, she vowed to get to the bottom of it.
That was all she was willing to tell them, and she didn't even hide the fact she was keeping a lot of things hidden from them.
In her words, "No, you're not ready to hear everything, it will be shown to you at the right time. Now all you have to do is get plenty strong... The future is not funny"
Yeah, something along those lines, but why should he care?
"So you don't really think you've solved the puzzle on how your mum knows and the origin of it all?" Cordis' voice yanked him from his thoughts.
'All I want is a peaceful life, and clearly pondering over and over again on questions that lack answers is not helping with that. There's actually solace in ignorance, let's leave worry and stress for the future that is already turning out bleak. When we reach that bridge...'
"We know how to cross it?" She looked at him like he was stupid.
Done trying to convince her, he decided to reply with a question of his own:
"Do you have any idea why Elias was at the library that night he died, even though he had nothing to do with Abbey? Was his death preplanned?"
Cordis looked like she was going to blow a fuse...
"Yo, haven't we been on this? Get it together, man; for what it's worth, he was probably weeks dead before your exorcism session with him!"
"I know that, everyone else too, and possibly the whole school, but the police don't now, do they? How am I off the hook? Isn't that concerning?"
It was good food for thought, Seven had her there.
While she zoned out, racking her brain, Seven just yawned, staring at his wristwatch like he was bored out of his mind...
Once again, with her stare like she was searching for something in his face, she squinted her eyes suspiciously and pointed an accusing finger at Seven...
"You know why, don't you?"
Close!
He winced on the inside, "Better..."
He pursed his lips into a thin line as he leaned in closer like he wanted to whisper it to her—
"I know I shouldn't want to know. Some answers are just not all that...I won't just bother myself..."
She let her eyes linger on his face once more, scoffing at her inability to find anything.
"You should wear shades above those!" She pouted.
"..."
"Your lashes are doing a great job covering them, otherwise, up close, you look really scary."
"..."
"You're more similar to her than I thought."
Seven raised an eyebrow...
Finally getting a somewhat reaction from him, she happily specified:
"Cassie. You two make sure to keep your words as brief as possible like you're afraid your secrets will slip if you talk too much. For you, it's different, I guess. It's justified like you look like you need that secrecy, but her?"
"...with all those mystical creatures pooping rainbows and honey that she has going on, it's scary to understand she has any secret at all! Let me not even start on how well she's keeping it. Even her honest answers are cryptic enough to be dishonest. I can tell from the minute fluctuations in her emotions, but I must say...she's good."
"She is?" Seven asked, faking a surprised look as he blinked rapidly, his mouth oval-shaped.
"I guess she is. And there's you!" He pointed at Cordis who remained unfazed.
She lowered her eyes and flared her nostrils.
"Really?"
"Everyone has something to hide and you're not exempted. There's my type, her type and then there's you!"
Shoving his hand in his other pocket, he turned, rolling his suitcase behind him...
"The sweet unassuming girl!"
Holding in a laugh, a random thought crept up his mind...
'It's actually fun to be Zeph sometimes.' he thought, not quite ready to admit that he was missing him.
He had sent him away on purpose after the vision at the prison. Hopefully, by the time he'd be back, Zephyr would have gotten enough information on the pending case in Miguel's family home.
Trudging forward, not bothering to even look back...his Clairsentience was over the charts as he could feel Cordis' chaotic emotions in palpable but concealed waves.
"She's good!"
He ghosted a smile and left the gate. The moment his eyes met his mum's, his worries evaporated as he went forward to meet her embrace.
He still missed her even though she stopped by a few weeks ago.
Her scent wafted his nose with a sniff and on releasing each other, he couldn't help but notice some stress lines on her face
Rosa knew it was of no use trying to hide anything from his son, he'd always notice at a glance. And Seven was aware of this fact so he didn't press on. It was him and his mum from the beginning, anyway.
Keeping his suitcase in the boot and joining her in the car, his mind wandered...
With all these mysteries coupled with the suspicion that she was already aware of what he would meet here and decided to send him to this school anyway, he exhaled sharply but didn't utter a word.
'It was going to be a long ride back home'
Recalling the vision he had though, cold sweat trickled down his spine...