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Chapter 153 Enemies Hidden In The Dark
Chapter 153 Enemies Hidden In The Dark
This wasn't the normal rapport one would expect between teacher and student. Zavier was a little bit amused that Calista was this invested in his relationship. Still, he kept mute and allowed her to continue.
"I really hope that's not the case between you guys, as it would be very patronizing of you as a man. Try to be more respectful of her choices and be more sensitive to her other side, it shouldn't all be about the physical."
Her last sentence amused Zavier even more. Was she aware of the fact that they had been intimate? If so, this had gotten really weird very quickly.
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Of a truth, Calista had spoken well. The part about Shiranui's past and how it was affecting her was spot on. But her stress had been on Zavier's part in all this. She meant them well, but Zavier couldn't help but feel a bit vulnerable. Actually, this was his first real relationship. It was funny how he had dropped a lot of bodies in the past, but he was still pretty much a child in the area of actual relationships.
It was a bit strange. And he wasn't too deluded to think that he had this all figured out already.
"Thanks for the healthy input Miss Calista. I admit, I was a little skeptical when you started speaking at first, but I am glad we had this chat. I promise to do everything I can to play my part."
Calista nodded. Sensing this was all over, and not wanting to extend this any longer than was necessary, Zavier got up;
"Forgive me Miss Calista, but I must take my leave now."
"It's alright. You can go."
He bade her goodnight, and made towards the exit of the conference room, all the while glad that this was all over.
Calista watched as the silhouette of Zavier's shadow retreated in the distance. And couldn't help the surge of jealousy that rose within her. She didn't even know when the words escaped from her mouth.
"Ah, to be young again! Must really be nice."
It wasn't entirely her fault. This whole thing had her reminiscing about her own past. She couldn't believe how much time had passed. It seemed like only a short while ago that she herself had been young, and now, she was the older one giving advice to a young couple. Before it could affect her reasoning and cloud her judgment, she shrugged off the feeling. Silly reflections like this were pointless at this point, there was work to be done.
All on his own, Zavier wandered through the dark and lonely halls of the University as he made his way back to his dorm room. Thanks to Calista, he had been robbed of the opportunity to walk back to his destination in the company of the others. The rest were probably already at their rooms now, and he was stuck with the arduous task of walking all by himself on such a lonely dark night.
As Zavier trudged through the campus grounds, he figured out that being by himself wasn't so bad. It was all for the best. He actually had a lot of things on his mind that he needed to work through. There was no way he would have been able to achieve the clarity and serenity of mind he had right now If he had been lying down in his bed. He needed to think. So much was happening, and it was all too fast.
For one, Zavier hated no having things on lock. And it seemed like his business with Shirnaui wasn't as airtight as he had thought. On some level, it was possible he liked Shirnaui. As he had also been kind of relieved that she wanted to keep things between them. At least, that would take the pressure off. Especially with the fact that she still consumed with her quest for vengance.
Speaking of vengeance, Zavier knew that Shirnaui would be in for a surprise when she finally met her sister. He wondered if he had been a bad person to not have warned her when he had the chance. He made a mental note to revisit that particular issue when he had the time. As Zavier came upon the hallway that was supposed to lead to the eastern wing of the dorm, he saw that the large arch way had been closed off. Probably because of the curfew.
Damn it! Shit! Zavier cursed underneath his breath. With this arch way sealed, it simply meant that he had to take the much longer route. That inovolved going out of his way to circumnavigate a small forest nearby. That was his only option. The back door into the dorms were always open just in case of emergencies or late comers.
Grudgingly, Zavier began his long trek. He burst out of the main building and took to the cemented path that led towards the first grove of trees which was the outermost part of the forest. As gross darkness overshadowed his path, and with an ominous silence looming over him, Zavier realized truly that it was really late. He looked behind him and saw just how menacing the grey structure of the University's building was.
The architecture was kind of a mix between gothic and Victorian. Here and there were pillars and statues that were reminiscent of the old Roman era. The ugly, grotesque statues of gargoyles stationed on the roofs made them look like sentinels on guard. Zavier shook off the eerie feeling as he turned to face his path ahead. It wasn't like he was afraid or anything. But for the first time, he saw just how spooky this place was at night.
He wondered if this had been the intention of the founders to discourage jaywalking or late night activities. If it was true, then it had worked beautifully. So, Zavier ran out of cemented ground and plunged into the small forest that stood between him and his destination. The spooky sounds of nocturnal creatures plagued by insomnia echoed through the forest. A couple of owls hooted at intervals.
Serpents slithered in the trees, basking in the darkness as they hunted for their prey. Unfortunate mice and other rodents skitterered around as well, trying to scavenge for nature's leftovers. Totally oblivious of the fact that they were about to become something else's dinner. It was the way of the wild, and Zavier was in the midst of it all.
But of course, he was unbothered by it all. His confidence was high. He felt he had attained a level whereby he couldn't be fazed by the things that go creeping at nigh. On a normal night, he would have welcomed any kind of trouble that would spring up on him. But on this particular night, he wasn't in the mood for any disruption whatsoever.
He longed for the comfort of his bed and the snugness of his dorm room. He wasn't feeling adventurous at all, and he doubted that there was anything in this forest that would potentially interest him. Or at least that was what he thought. It genuinely seemed like interesting things always happened whenever Zavier was around. Although he hadn't realized it yet, but the fact was that tonight was going to be one of those nights for him.
Zavier's best quality that gave him too advantage in his current location and time was the one thing that had always proven to be helpful for him at all times. It was his time-space eye. Even surrounded by darkness, even if he was at the bottom of the Atlantic Ocean at midnight, Zavier would have no problem with visibility. And he never would, as long as he had his time-space eye.
So, while everything appeared pitch black to most creatures, Zavier could see all, courtesy of his time-space eye. This ability gifted Zavier the habit of constantly looking around and prying into things. Even if he didn't mean to, he always found himself seeing things that he had no business seeing. And as he delved deeper into the small clearing, Zavier came upon a very interesting sight.
Further up ahead, some twenty feet away, Zavier made out the faint outline of two figures huddled together in the distance. The image wasn't too clear, it was like looking at an X-ray image. But it was more than enough to alert Zavier and plunge him into a state of suspicious paranoia. Zavier immediately crouched low, and instinctively went into crisis mode. He didn't like the thought of it, but he had to consider it, could this be an ambush?
Zavier's mind was practically racing now. To add to his already troubled mind, Zavierwas caught off guard by the sudden sound of a broken twig, indicating brash movements, and hushed motions. The hairs on his neck stood up on their ends. As his whole body froze, Zavier began to scan his environment for signs of any other threats lurking in the distance.
His time-space eye glazed over the entire environment, searching desperately for any more enemies hidden in the dark, waiting to spring up on him and expose his hidden abilities. Much to his surprise, there was none else save for the two who were just east of his location. Satisfied that there was no one else, Zavier focused on the two figures up ahead and tried to figure out how to handle them.