Thud, thud, thud…
Amidst the almost complete darkness, the group of headmaster and students descended the stairs of concrete, the flashlight held in the hands of the older man leading the group pushing away the darkness ahead.
The staircase wasn't small in proportions, for the three individuals could safely walk side by side despite the headmaster taking the front.
The walk down wasn't long, not even half a minute was needed for the group to reach the floor of concrete which met the sole of their shoes. And what they found when reaching their destination was still darkness.
Besides the young man, the other two couldn't properly see what lay before them. For despite the flashlight, it wasn't enough to illuminate the entirety of the room ahead of them. But all of that changed as Alaric stepped up to his right, focusing the light on a small switch on the wall, one he flipped up.
Flick!
It was immediate. Across the entire roof–also of concrete–lamps flickered with light, illuminating what laid in the darkness.
A few meters ahead of them, less than half a dozen, the room opened more to the sides, stretching for almost one dozen meters to each side. And it went even deeper forward. From where he stood at, John thought the distance between where he was and the wall on the other end of the room–opposite to him–was roughly a hundred meters.
But how spacious the bunker was wasn't what caught the boy's attention.
Taking a few steps forward, passing by his headmaster, John approached what had stolen his attention.
Standing before it, the boy gently pressed his fingers against the cold to touch metal, seeing an almost unrecognizable reflection of him on the bars of steel.
The bars, although not falling apart, weren't in pristine conditions either. They had marks on it, gouges in different proportions. Slashes perfectly aligned, like if a claw tried to tear through it.
And looking past the bars, inside the cage that was in front of him, John could see even wider and deeper gouges and cuts in the concrete floor. And to increase the feeling of fury and savagery already present, he could see a few red dots spread around the cage and on the thick chains; blood that wasn't clean off after the use of the cages.
"So," John turned around, looking at Hope and Alaric. Both of them were staring back at him. "this is the place. It's… bigger than I expected."
"That's what she said." Alaric humorously said, a smirk on his lips. He stepped forward, approaching the cage which the young man was near to.
From his side pocket, Alaric pulled a keychain. It contained only three keys, one seemingly fit for normal doors and the other two slightly bigger. And when he approached the cage's door and aligned one of the bigger keys with the keyhole, it was obvious what they opened.
"What we have to do is simple." Alaric directed his voice at the young man whilst he pushed the metal door open. "Verify the chains, see if they aren't about to break or to be pulled out from the floor. The same for the cage, see if it won't fall apart. They don't suffer the same amount of damage as the chains, but some wolves aren't exactly docile with them."
Bending his knees, Alaric pulled one of the chains off the floor and carefully observed its structure. He looked for major damages or cracks that could potentially break apart the metal, but he found nothing that could compromise the first one after inspecting it. Instead of letting it fall on the floor, afraid the impact could potentially damage the metal, Alaric carefully put the chain down.
The time needed to inspect the metal structure by the retired hunter wasn't long, a couple dozen seconds at best. Yet, the young man was surprised by the details Alaric paid attention to; even some of the most negligible defects that the boy thought only him could notice–due to his sight–was seen by Alaric.
And as the young man was surprised by it, John raised his eyebrows slightly in even more surprise when he saw Alaric take out of the large keys from the keychain and throw his way.
John casually caught it in the air, opening his hand and giving the object a look. That was when Alaric deferred words towards his way.
"You take the cages in the other side and inspect them, okay?" Alaric looked at him, his tone containing a subtle severity. "You don't need to close the cage after you inspect it inside. Let it open and continue on your rows. After we inspect our rows, we change sides to guarantee no one let anything slide by, understood?"
"Yeah, no problem." John nodded, taking his eyes off the key.
Turning around with the intention of proceeding to do what his headmaster asked, the young man looked at the cage in the other side of the underground building and noticed Hope standing. From her stance, it seemed she was waiting for him.
He approached her, spinning the keys around his right index finger. "Gonna help me?" There was a smile on his face when he questioned the girl.
"In a way." Hope shortly replied. "You will see when we get into the cage."
"Okay." John said, approaching the gate to the cage and opening it with the key.
Inside, giving a brief look at the floor, the boy quickly six chains. Each one connected to a thick steel plate nailed to the ground by a dozen nails of pure iron.
Getting closer to the floor by bending his knees, John picked up one of the chains off the floor and held it. And like everything in this place, it was cold.
I don't see any problem. John thought, giving a thorough quick inspection at the chains. He held two different points of it simultaneously, and with not so much force, he pulled it apart.
Clank!
Nothing. Nothing but the sound of impact against metal echoed for the chain remained intact.
Well, isn't that impressive? John thought, putting the chain down. No wonder a bunch of them can hold down a werewolf if it won't snap apart if I put this much strength.
While John's mentally evaluated the endurance of the metal he just tried to break with a part of his strength, he noticed a shadow lurking over him.
"Are you done with that one?" Hope asked, standing one step behind the young man and peeking over his shoulder. "If so, please hand me it."
Reaching his hand out again, John picked up the chain from the floor and handed it to Hope. The girl grabbed it and held the chain with both hands, touching it carefully.
Curious about the girl's task, John didn't inspect the chains for the moment, but he did inspect every single movement of the girl. He observed as Hope inhaled deeply, without rush, as she parted her lips and before even the first syllabus was pronounced, he felt the spike of magic around him.
"Sit hocferrum infragibile, ne ulla vis id frangat." Words escaped from her mouth, words that sparkled a change in the world. Or more exactly, a change directed at the chains the girl held.
Magic flowed throughout the girl, the energy escaping through her fingers and seeping into the steel, spreading through the chain's structure.
It had a life of its own. The magic knew where to go and what to do. It knew its purpose, what its wielder wished to achieve by using it through the spell.
I see. She is reinforcing them. John thought with some interest in his eyes. He could see exactly how the magic behaved under Hope's words and control, and he must say, he was impressive with it. I didn't see a wisp of magic leaking. Compared to my control, she is much better than me. Understandable, considering I have learned of magic being real less than a week. Meanwhile, Miracle Girl up here was doing magic before learning how to walk.
"What is that look on your face?" Hope asked, redirecting her sight to the boy.
"Nothing. I am just a little jealous of your control over magic." John replied.
In response, Hope rolled her eyes at him. Slowly, she crouched down and carefully put the chain on the floor. "I've been practicing magic for as long as I recognize myself as a person. There is nothing to be jealous of since it is something you can also achieve." She said, turning her head to stare at the young man. Due to their positions, they were somewhat at the same eye-level despite the difference in their heights.
When he looked back at her, Hope abruptly scoffed. "Huff, I should be the one jealous here. You are the guy new to all of this, but you are the one who can fly and melt things with his hands. If you could do the same with your eyes, I would start to ask myself what I know and doubt you are Kriptonian." Her tone was one of indignation, but it lacked any real fervor or weight to it.
But after her words, Hope raised her eyebrows when the young man nearby didn't make any comment.
Her eyes, which she had averted from him to the chains on the floor, made their way back to stare at his figure. And when Hope saw how her friend looked away from her, awkwardly scratching the area behind his ear, she unconsciously narrowed her eyes at him.
"You can't do it, right?"
"…" Silence was the response.
"… don't tell me you can blow cold air either." Hope deadpanned, looking right at him.
Listening to her words, John parted his lips, about to say something. However, half-way through that, he halted in his actions as if he was struck by realization. And thus, he now scratched the back of his head in a more awkward way.
Hope now held a blank stare at him. "You are not from an alien planet, are you?"
"You know I'm from Earth. I told you that."
"I'm starting to doubt it now." Hope said, a sigh escaping between her lips. "Please don't dominate the planet."
"I will think about that." John sarcastically said, rolling his eyes before redirecting his sight to the chain once again.
Seeing her friend attempting to ignore her by turning his head away, a mischievous smile bloomed on Hope's lips, a rare sight for a girl who normally did not have the opportunities to show such an expression. So much so that many would think such a demonstration would be impossible for her.
Through this uncommon sight, Hope tilted her head to the side a little bit and reached out her hand towards the young man. And when the scene of her friend getting slightly startled by her poking his cheek was processed by her mind, Hope's smile just further widened.
"You are like a fake superman, you know that?" She commented, continuing to press her finger against his right cheek.
Calmly, the young man caught a glimpse of the girl through the corner of his right eye. I guess telling her that she is my Batman then isn't a good idea. John thought, raising his hand.
He gently took hold of her hand and slowly pushed it away from his face. And as he put their hands in the space between them, John didn't release her. "Let's finish this and then you can press my cheek all you want later, okay?"
Hope's smile shifted to a more friendly one–of warmth. "Okay…" She nodded, slowly diverting her eyes off him.
Offering a small smile, John turned his head forward again. He took hold of one of the chains he didn't inspect and meticulously looked over it before passing the metal object to Hope, who enchanted the object with her magic.
Right now, between the two teenagers, they took this opportunity of this moment to forget what happened earlier and simply enjoy the company of the other.
When they finished with one cage, the pair would walk to the next one, making the same procedure of verifying the chains and the structure of the entirety of the cage. They did that through silence at some moments, at other moments through small talk, laughs, playful nudges and maybe a touch that lingered more than one moment.
Well… Away from the pair, in another cell, Alaric smiled warmly as he watched the small gestures and interactions between his two students. It was delicate, a light emotion he felt when seeing how his new student behaved with the young woman.
And when he caught glimpses of her smile, the headmaster almost felt a weight lift off his shoulders.
Continue being her friend, John… She needs someone looking after her and cherishing her. More than she would ever admit. Alaric continued to do his tasks, keeping his thoughts to himself.
Every so often he would smile. A smile ignited by the laughter echoing in his ears that were becoming equally often.
…
Thud!
Alaric closed the door of pure iron that guarded the way for the bunker, putting the key to it in his pocket before turning around. Just a casual glance at the scenery was needed to know how long the group stayed in that structure.
The sky was clear and the sun was reaching a certain height. And from looking over their phones or watches, everyone knew the time for lunch was approaching.
"Good job, you two." Alaric turned to face his two students. His expression didn't change much, but his words were clear in him expressing his gratitude for their help. "It is one less thing to pay attention to today. Now, go rest and take it easy for the afternoon. I still have other things to do."
"See you later, Dr. Saltzman." Hope said, turning around.
John nodded his head at the man before following the girl's actions, walking alongside her back to the school.
The path they took was the same as the one from earlier. Along the way, John could see their footprints on the grass and dirt as he pushed away some branches out of his way.
"Are you hungry?" John asked, attempting a casual conversation.
"Not so much." Hope replied, sometimes looking at the path ahead or at the boy. "The breakfast you prepared was truly good. I am still satiated from it." Gently, she pushed away a few strands of hair that were blocking her sight. "Now that I think about it, I don't think I thanked you for that. As soon as we finished eating, we came here. So," She turned her head at him, a gentle smile rising on her lips. "Thank you for the breakfast."
"No problem, Hope. I enjoyed it." John replied, the corners of his lips curling upwards in quiet satisfaction as he returned his gaze forwards. "I wouldn't mind cooking for you one time or another."
"No, please. I wouldn't want to disturb you." Hope shook her head.
"I hardly would call it a disturbance." John said, going around a bush that stood in their way. "If it's for you, I wouldn't mind it."
"Now you are just being sweet."
"Maybe…"
"Hmph." Hope snorted humorously at his one-word phrase. Very lightly, she pushed up her body against him, pushing him off their path.
"Haha." John laughed at her reaction as he permitted himself to stumble off their way. He slowly walked back to their path, catching up to her. "Ah… that was cute."
"Want me to put on some more strength?" Hope threatened, but her tone lacked any heat.
"I don't think so." John raised his hands in faux surrender. "The last thing I want to do is to anger the all-powerful Tribrid."
"No, no… don't begin with that." Hope said, her tone softening. "My family already makes enough fun of me because of that. Aunt Rebekah and Marcel are the worst among them and are the most insufferable of them all, saying I am too good to visit them since I am the tribrid."
Listening to her words, John thoughtfully held his chin between his fingers. "One of the first vampires and The Beast embarrassing their youngest family member…" He muttered, picturing the scenery. "That's a cute thing to imagine."
"No, it's not. It's embarrassing."
"Well, it's that or I call you werewitchre. You have to choose."
"Please, don't use that nickname again."
"I will think about that."
"Sigh… Is that what I signed up for when I decided to be your friend?" Hope looked up at her friend.
John shook his head. "No, this is a new addition. I am only now learning how good it is to make fun of someone this way. It just so happens that you allow me to do it as well, so…" The young man raised his hands while also shrugging his shoulders.
After the boy's words, silence sunk between the two of them. They stared at each other, their steps slowing down to allow them the moment.
However, their silence didn't last more than half a dozen seconds. The corner of their lips curled up and their eyes slightly twitched. And when they both noticed these obvious small reactions on each other, they simply didn't hold back anymore.
"Hahaha…"
"Pft…"
It wasn't loud or exaggerated–just a warm and kind laugh that slipped through without effort. The gentle and soft sound echoing through the forest, their voices intertwining with the song of the birds around.
Throughout their laugh, their eyes met again, igniting their laughter once again and making the moment persist for a bit longer.
[Line Break]
"Wow…" Despite having nowhere to rest his back, John leaned back his body, holding himself in the air with his abilities. "The lunch today was… better than usual." He muttered, exhaling profusely.
Hope, having finished her lunch long ago, threw a look at the stack of five plates atop each other at the side. Unconsciously to her, the corner of mouth curled up. "You sure love to eat, don't you?" She asked with a humored tone.
"Well, all the energy I consume goes to strengthen my body. So if there is one thing I can do all I want nowadays is eat without worry."
"90% of the women population in the world is envious of you." Hope said.
"What about the other 10%?" John asked.
"They feel murderous towards you."
John snorted at her words, grabbing his glass cup and drinking the remaining lemonade in it. As he did so, he cast a gaze around the dining hall. Despite many having already left to do their own things in their free time, some people still stayed back in the hall. "Things feel better than in the morning. I thought I would suffocate in the amount of anxiety consuming the building."
Although she was not fully aware of what his words meant, Hope was forming an idea based on what she knew. "If you knew you could be torn apart by a wolf weighing more than 200 pounds then you would be apprehensive of the situation as well."
"Fair enough." John nodded, putting the cup down. "Do you… have anything in mind on what you are gonna do the rest of the day?"
"I have." Hope gently nodded. "I have something to finish in my room. You can call it a project of mine."
The young man raised his brow in curiosity. "Can you share with me?"
"Not yet." Hope said, putting her hands to rest on her thighs. "But when the time comes–soon enough–I will show you this little project of mine."
"Well, you can call me interested." John said, offering a smile of amusement at her words.
"And what do you plan to do during the rest of the day?" Hope asked.
"I plan to pass my time studying, as always." John said, pursing his lips. "I have yet to find something else to do other than annoying you and studying."
Hope snorted at his words. "Okay, then." Putting her hands against the wooden surface of the table, the young woman slowly stood up to her feet. "I will get going. If you need anything, just call me, okay?"
"Yes, Madam."
"Hmph." Hope snorted humorously once again. An action that was becoming a habit around the boy. "See you later?"
"Come here." John opened his arms.
Seeing the boy's actions, Hope didn't answer anything immediately and walked around the table, standing by his side and unceremoniously letting his arms hold her.
As she felt the warmth of his embrace, even when he was still sitting down and his head rested against her belly, Hope let out a small exhale of comfort. "It is as you said, you brazilians are touchy."
"You won't hear me complaining about it." John said, letting go of her figure. "I will see you later, Hope."
"I hope so." She said, walking away from him.
Leaning on the table, with his elbows resting against the wooden surface, the young man watched with a certain fondness and warmth in his eyes the beautiful girl leaving the hall.
She is great, isn't she? He thought, a faint curve touching his lips.
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