"We know John probably won't show up today," Luke said, his voice unusually sombre. "So let's try our best to fill in his shoes. Ricky…"
Luke turned to Ricky. The latter looked worse than ever, drawn, pale, and hollow-eyed. It was as if the rejection of the previous night had been directed at Ricky himself rather than John.
"You'll stay behind with Ben and Mond," Luke continued. "It's expected that people will start coming to the base today to ask about joining the club, especially after that show yesterday. Just give them a good impression and keep things orderly."
"What if no one comes?" Mond asked calmly. "Last night, while I was headed back to my dorm, I ran into a few members of the disbanded Black Ares Club. They didn't look like people who had dropped the ball. They looked like they were plotting something."
