The moment I met him, I felt unsettled, and that feeling hasn't dissipated since. It's like something deeply wrong has become intrinsically woven within our lives. Maybe it's something about his smirk and his deep scarlet eyes that has me petrified?
No. I have stared into the eyes of men who had just lost a fortune, and yet none have ever terrified me as much. Why was he so unwaveringly calm? Why was his face contorted into a Cheshire grin?
"Edgar! Come here!" the fool dubbed Inuwa was staring at something. Diverting my attention to him, I traced his irises till I found whatever he saw. It was a large TV screen that read: 'EXAM RESULTS FOR 1ST YEARS OUT NOW.' Interesting. Excitedly, Inuwa whipped out his mobile phone and had already checked his overview through that exam app.
"Let's see here… it ranks you out of the 100 top-scoring students in the area and tells you your top 3 scores and bottom 3."
"What were yours if I may ask? Y'know, your top 3?"
His grin became a slight frown as he scrolled down. Did he not do so well this time?
What folly. The boy is inconsistent anyways. Sometimes his score is negligible, sometimes it is exceptional.
Well, I must check mine.
Opening my up-to-date, latest edition Cross-Corp phone, I rummaged around through the exam app, then to the 1st Year exam results and there it was, my top 3 subjects and my bottom 3 subjects.
My bottom 3 were obvious. I came fourth in English and seventh in geography and history.
My top 3, however, caught me off guard.
I had come second for the first time in my entire life in both maths and physics.
In fact, I had even achieved bronze in chemistry! Third place?! Was I being made a mockery of?!
If that wasn't bad enough, since nobody else could rival me but Clarissa and Inuwa when it came to intellect, and Clarissa most likely took first in what I came third and second in, then that meant Inuwa must've beaten me in chemistry!
Overall, in terms of grades, I've placed third in the year! I've been given the bronze medal. I don't want a medal made from material resembling animal dung!
I've never been so humiliated before!
And look at Inuwa, staring so intently into his phone like he's received attention from some girl!
"Inuwa. Did you beat me this year?" I asked, trying to maintain the blank expression on my face for as long as possible.
First, Inuwa gulped, then he slouched and then finally, he let out an exhale.
"No."
"What? Say that again…" I said with a smirk.
"Urk! I'll end you! Well, uh, I placed 5th overall." Inuwa muttered, "Second in chemistry, tenth in maths, third in history, second in English… uh, actually, I placed second in almost all the subjects I thought I'd place first in," Inuwa admitted, rubbing the back of his head bashfully.
So, I still beat him.
An uncharacteristically tenacious grin crawled upon my features. If that was the case, then a part of me was satisfied. Of course, I had to find out the identity of the person who beat me. Being bested by someone was something that came rarely to me, and it certainly did irk me to no end.
"Then I wonder who placed second?" I muttered.
Clarissa was overly studious, spending almost 5 of the 7 hours available to her after school studying, and during the holidays, she'd spend about 10 hours daily. There was no way that she could ever be beaten. Not with the amount of work, she puts in.
Since becoming friends with Inuwa and Clarissa. I've never once heard of Clarissa scoring below anyone in an exam. In fact, it was she who had humbled me, making me realise that my view on the world was, in fact, far too narrow.
Taking a sharp left, then walking about 20 metres straight, then another swift left, I made my way to Clarissa's lo- dungeon. Shoving open the door, I was greeted by a barrage of tensed glares. It was still exam season for the first years.
Suffering under the judgement of the seething glares, I couldn't help but shiver. However, a soothing, mature voice brought me back to reality.
"Ah, it's you, Edgar. Who may you be looking for today?" the Librarian asked.
She was an old but dainty woman, often absorbed in her books. In fact, she was so absorbed that it wouldn't be uncommon to question why the library wasn't a pigsty of kids messing around all year. Although my answer would be that there seemed to be a quiet aura of gentle assertiveness cloaked around her. It was the kind of assertiveness that could make even the most deviant class clowns' pipe down.
Yet it was also calm enough to attract those who had never known such calm towards her. I, for one, would be an example.
Was that why Clarissa loved sticking around?
"Do you know where Clarissa may be? This is her preferred room," I asked, letting out a cough.
"I'm sorry, but I have no idea where she is. However, I do remember that she left the library a while ago without uttering a word to me. Quite unlike her, do you think something may have happened?" she asked sincerely. She and Clarissa share quite an intimate relationship, since Clarissa evacuates here after school and before lunch.
There were numerous occasions where, after failing to find Clarissa after school, Inuwa and I would check the library as a last resort and be pleasantly surprised. This place appeared to be her safe space of sorts.
Ignoring that, I can't overlook the meaning hidden between the words. She left without saying a thing, which means that she most likely scored 2nd place. It was probably a shock to her system losing out on #1 this year. Of course, I can understand her sentiment. After all, having such a streak end so abruptly and not even at the end of the year or during final exams must be crushing.
Leaving the room, I could guess that Clarissa must have run off somewhere to lament her failures. That is what I'd do; after all, the person most alike her is me.
She probably followed one of these two paths:
The Bathroom.
If she went here, then I'd rather not push my luck by waiting outside.
If she met Inuwa. This is the worst-case scenario; his blabbering trap hole would almost certainly reveal I was 3rd, and in the off chance that she actually placed 1st, it'd be the ultimate humiliation. Especially after what happened on the track today.
Walking down the hallway, I noticed there seemed to be a distinct lack of students. Were they hiding? Did I miss something? What time was it? I should check it! Revealing my phone, I lightly pressed the 'on' button. It was 3:20. 30 minutes into the last event of the day, which was the race.
That very same race I was scheduled to attend! I remember being pulled out in the first period for it and everything!
If one could see my expression right now, it would likely be a grimace washed with despair and pain. I could already feel the prickling feeling of tears forming as I imagined the reaction that the sharp-haired stinker dubbed Inuwa would have.
'Pfft!- You actually skipped out on a race? Against me as well? I didn't know you were so wussy like that!'
Just imagining that made me shiver. As that was a scenario most blasphemous.
Alright. What do I do?! What do I do?! If the race is already underway, how can I seriously expect to win and participate?! Calm down. Plan. Plan. It's likely that since it's been 25 minutes since the start, Inuwa's already run 2 kilometres. He was already quite fast, but after that last race, it feels like he's in a league of his own.
But when were his legs ever strong enough to support increasing his strides like that? He didn't appear that exhausted, as well in the end. It's as if…
Never-mind. Darting through the halls, I ran down one flight of stairs, then another. The feeling of drag intensified. All throughout the hallways, I could hear a myriad of hushed whispers directed towards me. Yet, I had to continue running. I needed to at least see the conclusion. I wanted to see how Inuwa did. If only because of the growing doubt, nestled deep within my heart.
I dashed past the nurse's office towards the main door. I've got to get to the field; I need to see for myself Inuwa's results.
I stretched out my arms, ready to assault the doors by pushing them with maximum force. I neared closer to the door yet–
BANG
Quickly, I halted. My features portray the maelstrom of conflicting feelings within. My thoughts were buzzing.
I could see a crowd of people staring at something in the centre of the madness. As I shifted my gaze to the eye of the said storm of people, I found myself doing a double take. 3 recognisable faces emerged forth. One of them was in a position I had never seen before.
There he was, Inuwa. Slumped over, blood dripping down his face, being held up by the Lavender boy. Clarissa was walking beside the two, holding an ice pack and bandages, ready to press them on several welts on Inuwa's skin.
It looks like she went into the nurse's office. What happened to Inuwa? In those 10 minutes of the race, what on earth happened?
Staring into his eyes, I observed their stillness. Those black, void-like eyes looked deprived of life. He's likely unconscious.
That lavender-haired boy made eye contact with me. It was then that I fully registered his presence. From the way that he was standing with Inuwa, propagating him up. One could reasonably assume that he was the one who found Inuwa and brought him here.
Which was commendable since he could've continued the race and let someone else find Inuwa, which arguably could have meant that it would take an arguably longer amount of time to find the boy, thus meaning his condition would be worse.
As such, although I don't trust the boy, I could agree that he did preserve time that could be pivotal for aiding in Inuwa's recovery process.
"Purple," I said.
"Hm?" He replied.
"What happened?" I asked, doing my best to intimidate him with just my stare alone.
Flinching under my deathly gaze, the boy readied himself to speak. However, just for a split second, his gaze looked contemplative. Either way, I knew he was suspicious.
"I was ahead of him in our race. We ran in a loop around the forest, but he veered off course. When I saw he was gone, I ran back to check on him, and that's when I found him. On the ground, soaked, on top of a puddle with blood covering his face. I don't know what had happened, but it wasn't good. He's bleeding from his forehead, and there's a deep gash in his chest. All I want to do is help him."
Overall, his story added up. So, I was okay with ending the interrogation early for now. Inuwa was the top priority as of right now after all.
"Let's head into the nurse's office," Clarissa said, looking as if to were ruminating. Grabbing my hand, she directed them towards Inuwa. I immediately knew where she was headed with this.
I sighed. At least he isn't conscious of being embarrassed about this.
As such, I carried him in the way that I'm most experienced with. And by that, I mean the famed 'princess carry'.
Carrying him to the Nurse's office, I was subject to an excessive amount of excited hushed whispers and coos.
Disregarding those, I directed my full attention to the Nurse's office. Kicking the door open, I alerted the nurse.
"Ms, we need urgent attention!"
The elderly nurse with a stare that gave off the impression of intense Jargon snapped towards me. She was previously immersed in the plethora of emails and notifications sent her way due to the large student body of our school. However, upon hearing the word 'Urgent', she snapped towards me with a fierce glint in her eyes.
"Who is it?"
"Inuwa… Ma'am."
To that, her expression relaxed. Inuwa was quite a frequent visitor, so words like 'Urgent' lost their meaning around him. It was safe to say that the guy was quite lucky with how frequently he managed to get injured and still come back relatively unscathed. A trait that I'm slightly envious of.
"Alright, let's see the damage…"
Her eyes heralded a pleasant look. As I lay the boy down onto the bed and lifted his bangs to reveal his forehead, the nurse's eyes widened.
"That boy... got himself in this much trouble?! What on earth happened?"
"That's what I'm trying to figure out."
Marvelling at his visage, she hovered her hand over his mouth and nose. After confirming the shaky, laboured breaths, she quickly got to work. Animated with an efficiency rivalling an experienced shoemaker, she moved him to the side and tilted his head back.
"Edgar."
"Yes?"
"Help me remove his shirt, Clarissa. I'd like for you to leave."
"Yes, ma'am," Clarissa responded rather quickly.
"Alright."
I quickly walked over to Inuwa. Grabbing at the hems of his shirt, I felt the telling wet feeling. It was blood. That wasn't good. Pulling it up, I discovered a myriad of scratch marks and gashes. His skin was stained with minute drops of crimson like a hydrophobic surface after rainfall.
Whatever happened, it was bad. An attack? Or was it a fall? From his right shoulder down to his temple existed an enormous wound. Mapping out a clear depression along his features.
"His shirt is all torn up, too… what could have caused this? That boy…" She whispered solemnly.
Then, after taking a deep breath, she spoke again. "Edgar, get the anti-sceptic and the bandages. I'm going to wash his wounds first."
"Okay," I responded.
Rushing over to the cabinet, I pilfered the required materials. The cabinet was always stocked with a plethora of medicines and herbs. The nurse was a clear advocate for herbal remedies.
"Here."
Handing a bottle of Dettol and bandages to her, I observed as she washed his wounds with a towel and then applied Dettol to them.
However, behind her feigned clinical indifference was an easily deterred, soft personality. In fact, she even winced as Inuwa winced and her eyes trembled just like Inuwa's.
"From his forehead, from his torso, from his limbs, he's bleeding. Was it just a running race, right? How could he be so injured?"
"Asking the obvious…" the nurse said.
"Hush. I'm the one left most in the dark. Besides, Inuwa is the only one who truly knows what happened," I responded.
It'd be quite nice if he woke up now.
…
...
...…
Suddenly, one pitch-black eye flickered open. The lean boy's frame is coming to life.
"Urgh, it hurts."
"Inuwa!" I flared up. I needed to know what happened. I needed to know how he could have been injured so severely.
His eye traced my figure, likely trying to discern the identity of the one overseeing him.
"Inuwa! Say something!" I yelled, gripping his sides. The nurse pulled me away before I accidentally hurt him.
He tried to lift himself while twitching from the pain, but he was only able to partially lift his torso before collapsing back onto the bed.
"Don't strain yourself, Inuwa," Interjected the nurse. "Close your eyes and recount the events that led you to this state."
"Ah… I think I can recall it." He figured. "It probably began back around 10 minutes before the race."