Blue crane’s eyes – Chap 55

At their table, Adeline was already seated, hands covering her ears from the noise around her. She slightly moved them when she heard a long high-pitched whistle shutting all the noises down. Doris has warned table two and five to choose between two options. Either to stop gossiping and laughing as if they are the only ones there or to get out the dining hall. All done in favor of Adeline. Another whistle splashed in the air and everyone in the dining hall shut their bazoos at last. Park blew the two whistles and walked to her table as if nothing happened. “It’s alright now.” She said to Adeline. Park knew from the way Adeline shuttered her ears from the noise every time a place is louder than usual that she must be sensitive to it. Something she noticed more than once except when she saw her in the library. Even then, she always spotted her only in the quiet sections. Adeline smiled at Park once there was peace and quiet. “Thanks Park”. Adeline said. Park shrugged her shoulders in ‘it’s no worries’ way. “I’ve been meaning to tell you..” she paused “I just met two girls who were looking for you”.  “Us? Why?” Li asked. “I don’t know. They told me to let you know that you won’t win the competition” Adeline said. Parker asked who the girls were, but Adeline said that she couldn’t remember their names. It was her first time to see them. Li nodded looking at Iv and Parker. Park thanked Adeline and asked to not mind them. Park asked Adeline again if she can remember the faces of the girls were, but the latter shook her head no. She sighed and as a flash that keeps on popping in her head, an image of Turbo appeared in her mind. “Don’t even” Her eyes met Li’s who was staring at her. “Not now Park. Some things are better left off on the side. I am sure we can do this together another time. Not now” Li told her. She sensed her wanting to hunt for those girls in order to give them her piece of mind. Li gestured at her plate, and both girls focused on their meals until it was over. “The library is closed now, but we can go to my room” “Our room” Ivy interrupted… “Sure.” They were eager to head to the dormitory and read what Ivy has been reading. Parker wanted to know about it more than Li. She dreamt of beating Turbo and any other powerful boy Gacusso might bring.

Their faces dropped as soon as they arrived in the room. All their hopes flushed in the drain when the weight of the book mismatched their expectations. Park’s heart rate rose to the point where she started to feel her breathing quicken as if she just ran a marathon. She eyed Li and saw her shaking her head. “Read a thousand thoughts at a time. Redirect the whole world’s senses. Pilot every brain no matter what distance they are at” Iv rushed on the shelf and started reading. “Wow Li. Did you hear that?” She asked and saw a blank face with a forced smile. She looked up to her in shock. She couldn’t believe why she was not happy to learn all of that “What? Didn’t you hear what I just read? You can shift everybody’s words no matter where they are” Iv repeated. “I heard. But I obviously can’t do it.” Li said. Iv turned to Park. “Wow Park you can run. This guy just compared you to a running cat. Except..” Iv paused and checked her face to make sure if what she was about to say had no consequences later. “Except..not like a regular cat. Like one of the big fives.” The book compared Park’s speed to a Cheetah’s. “How can I run like Cheetah? I am more of a seahorse” Park mocked her. “And you know what they say about those ones. They are gentle but deadly. And guess what those two have in common. Once a cheetah or a seahorse is close enough to its prey, they jerk their head off and ..” She tilted her head to the side, as if she passed out. “You know the difference now Park. Either you stay a seahorse, or you become a cheetah and hunt down the prey of Capewood until he no longer has any living breath left in him” Iv said.

She stopped talking for a moment and sat straight looking through the book. Li and Park sat in front of her, eyes on the upside-down book Iv was reading. Quiet, everybody kept thinking of what else they are capable of. “Iv” Li called “Earlier you said that you heard the boy telling sister Colette that the plan has changed. What did he mean?” “Not much, that’s what I heard before she closed the door behind her. The boy looked confused when he said it. But I think what he gave her is more important. A shining object. Could be something Gacusso wants sister Colette to hold for him” She added.  Li sat up straight, hands placed to her temple “Wrong move. Harriet told you so” Iv commented when she saw Li placing her hands to access her mind. Li lowered her hands and closed her eyes. Her mind travelled to the dining hall, seeing many students down with spoons and forks, talking as they eat, Doris back in the kitchen cleaning a few plates, and cookers unloading fresh produces in the back. She shifted to the department of Arts “I can do it” She said out loud. Like a vision of words, she drew every student’s thoughts in her mind, scanning them with her eyes and rolling behind closed lids. Like a mouse scrolling down a page of a thousand pages, her mind was browsing like a machine. “Ahhh” she yelled and placed her hands on her temple. This time, her face had a doleful look. Park got up and sat up straight. She asked if she is okay, and Li nodded yes. “We need to find that cow’s drink as soon as possible” Iv snapped.

The bell signaling all the girls to move out the dorm rang and in a short time, lunch and the invasion of other student’s privacy were over. “I must know what sister Colette has. I am going in my room”. Iv pointed at the regulation paper on the wall, where it says “Stay in dorms during school hours is prohibited” but Li shrugged “Don’t worry about that”. “Might as well…” Park said and twisted her head at Iv to follow Lilah.

In the room, both sat on the bed thinking. In between Park and Ivy, Lilah kept turning her head up and down, right and left in order to sift unnecessary words out of her mind. for a second, Iv noticed Li’s ears perked up. “What?” She asked. “The plan has been changed for tonight,” Li said. Her eyes remained closed for a couple of seconds. She turned to Park and Iv “I can hear sister Colette talking to sister Wanda. The date of the Mancala game has been moved to the 14th”. Park stood up and paced around the room “That’s in three days. And our birthdays are a day after” “What else?” Iv asked Li held up her arm for her to keep quiet. “These girls are not from this school. You know the game is for HighGrand school and ours. We can’t let strangers play. I am sorry” Li reported what sister Wanda said. “What?” Iv snapped.  “Sister Colette just left sister Wanda’s office” She said and her eyes opened for a moment. She jolted as if she just got a slap on her face “I just heard someone say, We want to win against that girl everyone is talking about” Li paused and added. “Sister Colette, I’ve seen her. Her energy is different” Park didn’t let Li finish “Where are they?” She asked. “With sister Colette, but wait..” Park rushed downstairs in a split second but before she made it out of the dormitory, she saw sister Colette with two girls walking in the courtyard. Sister Colette hugged them and whispered something Park couldn’t hear behind the door where she hid. Sister Colette watched the girls walk towards the front gate and Musa nodding at them before seating back. “That’s weird. He ducks for them” Park murmured. Eyes stayed on them and soon enough, her back fell to the wall after witnessing the direction they took.