Daniel Xander, Chapter 14: Sandra's Promise

On his way back to Warrior's Academy, Daniel bumped into Sandra. He had been jogging on the pavement, making his way through the crowd of pedestrians when he saw her leaving a medical store.
"Hey, Sandra!" He called for her.
"Oh, morning." She said rather gloomily when she saw him, "Still training hard?"
"Oh, Penelope just let me go." He said in response.
"Good, good." She said distractedly. She looked really unsettled about something.
"Is something wrong?" Asked Daniel.
"Oh? No, nothing at all. You are heading to the academy, right?" She said. Daniel couldn't help but notice there was an edge to her voice.
"Yeah." He said, "Where are you headed?"
"I am heading back home." She said in the same distracted voice.
"Right. Are you sure everything is alright?" Daniel asked rather worriedly. She was seriously looking awfully pale.
"Yeah. Everything is ok." She said, giving him what looked like a forced smile.
"Alright then," said Daniel, "I will see you around."
"Yeah, sure." She said shortly before heading off.
Daniel watched her disappear into the crowd before continuing his jog back to Warrior's Academy. The exchange still played in his head like a faulty stereo. Her expression had been really pained and she was clearly hiding something. But it wasn't really Daniel's place to prod the truth out of her. Maybe, she had just not felt comfortable enough to tell him. It wasn't like they were best friends. But he still wished that he could have helped her somehow. He had heard about the disagreement she'd had with Cecile from Davy. The details weren't clear, but he knew Cecile had roughed her up. He pushed these thoughts out of his head. He should remain focused on his training and classes for now. He finally had a sensory indicator for when he activated his speed boost counter measure. A small surge of energy that made his legs vibrate. Whenever that happened, he knew that the speed boost was activated. He had trained more with this than the other two countermeasures, so this was the one for which he got a sensory indication.
Somewhere in all of this-his training, school life, new friends and discovery of these unknown family members-the excitement of unlocking a superpower had not quite hit him properly. It wasn't underwhelming that he had a superpower. It was just that the realisation had only caused him excitement in the beginning. But using it, battling Penelope with it, it had all come so naturally that he hadn't actually had a chance to be properly surprised by this.
Before he got the chance to ponder more over this, he saw Davy hurriedly walking towards him through the school gate.
"What's up?" Asked Daniel at his serious expression.
"Bartemius has called for you." The other guy replied.
"Bartemius? What for?" Daniel asked, feeling a sense of intense dread. What did the old man want now? Was he gonna train Daniel under him again?
"I don't know what it's about, but you had better come with me." Said Davy indicating Daniel to follow him.
"Ok, but where to?" Daniel asked.
"The private gymnasium. It's a guess, but most probably, he is gonna have you spar with Cecile." Replied Davy grimly.

The private gym was a bit more crowded than the last time Daniel had been there. The purple haired guy immediately started talking to Davy in undertones and whisked him away. Marcus, the red haired guy from earlier this week was standing in a corner silently, looking at him with a murderous expression which Daniel returned with interest. A tall girl with shoulder length black hair and brown eyes was talking with a guy with short black hair and a dark skin tone and another guy with messy blond hair. Worst of all, Cecile Kress was standing in the middle of the room with her green haired friend. They both seemed to be paying no attention to him, but just the sight of them was able to bring Daniel's blood to a boil.
Bartemius was standing in one of the circles with a pen and a writing pad in hand. He looked up, straight at Daniel and put away his pen and writing pad.
"Xander." He said as greeting.
"Bart-Mr. Bartemius." Said Daniel biting his tongue.
"So, how is your training going? Who is your trainer?" He asked tonelessly.
"It's going very well, Thank you. I am training under Penelope Sherman." Daniel replied flatly.
At this, Bartemius started. But he regained his composure almost instantly and said in the same toneless voice, "I see. Well, it's good that she is the one training you. Had it been Elizabeth Brown..." He didn't finish, but made a sour face, as if the idea of Liz training Daniel was sickening to him.
"What is it sir? Can you please finish?" Said Daniel with mock innocence.
"You would have turned out as insolent as her. A total failure." Said Bartemius coolly, now.
Daniel balled his fist. "Liz is not a failure."
"She is the biggest failure. She and her lapdog Darius Rowse are bigger failures than Samuel Xander and Joseph Brown." Said Bartemius in a bored voice, but Daniel knew he was enjoying getting under Daniel's skin.
"I don't know what you have against them, but Darius is not Liz's lapdog. Maybe if you weren't this much of a lonely bitter old man you would understand." Said Daniel, knowing that he was digging himself into a hole with every word.
"Maybe, if you stopped using your tongue and read some old newspapers you would know. You have no idea what kind of a person Darius Rowse is." Said Bartemius, abandoning all pretence of being unaffected by Daniel's words, "The kind of fraud that girl has befriended! You have no idea how many scams and scandals he has been involved in-"
"Stop living in the past, old man!" Said Daniel, abandoning all pretence of having any respect for Bartemius himself. He was starting to feel a sinking sensation in the bottom of his stomach. Fraud, scandals, scams... No, this couldn't be Darius. But did he know enough about him to actually defend him? Of course not.
He almost felt like slapping himself at this. What was he thinking? What did it matter how much he knew. Darius had been kind to him. He hadn't had much interaction with him, but he knew that he was better than Bartemius, the kind of man who let the past govern him.
"Mr. Bartemius? I am ready." Came a voice from behind Bartemius's back. He turned, and Daniel saw that Cecile was standing there, her fists clenched to her sides.
"Very well." Said the old dude, looking at Daniel with a look of vague contemplation.
"What?" Daniel asked.
"Tone, young man, tone. I am still your senior." Said Bartemius.
"What, sir?" Daniel added exasperatedly.
"I wanted to experience your new heightened abilities first hand." He said, "But sadly, that won't be possible because my health is not very good right now. That is why I asked Miss Kress to spar with you."
"Without asking for my permission?" Asked Daniel incredulously.
"Oh no. You see, there is no need for that. As your teacher, I have certain privileges. I can force you into situations you won't want to be in otherwise. If you defy me, that will be all that I need to kick you off of the campus grounds." Replied Bartemius.
Behind Bartemius, Daniel heard the purple haired guy call Bartemius a number of names. Almost everyone else looked equally disapproving. The guy with short black hair was shaking his head. Marcus was silently glaring at the two of them.
Daniel knew there was no way he could get out of this situation. Even though everyone looked really unsettled at Bartemius's open admittance that he was going to misuse his authority, no one was raising a voice. Maybe, none of them actually wanted to be here. He sighed.
"Right, what do I have to do, again?" He asked.
"You will fight Cecile." Bartemius commanded, "The first one on the ground or off the mat, loses."
"Simple enough." Said Daniel. His heart had sunken down and settled somewhere in his stomach. His weights felt heavier than usual as he walked around Bartemius and stepped onto the mat. Cecile stepped up herself and went to the other end of the circle, facing him.
"The guy is handicapped, old man!" Yelled one of the guys.
"Unfair!" Said the black haired girl girl loudly.
Davy and the purple haired guy were silent. Marcus had stepped out of the corner and was standing near the ring now.
"Silence!" Bartemius yelled out to the room at large, "There is nothing that can be done about Daniel Xander's handicap!"
At this, the room fell silent at once. The girl in the corner muttered something to the blond head, who Daniel noticed was glaring straight at him. Who...?
He was aware that all eyes were on him. His insides boiled up with anger as he lay his eyes on Cecile. The look on her face was one of utter contempt. He felt completely glued to his spot, his focus entirely on his adversary, who was standing straight as a pole, her arms at her sides.
"And... Start!" Bartemius shouted.
Cecile's arm whipped away from her side as Daniel shot forward. He reached her within a quarter of a second and her expression changed. She jumped back as Daniel's fist missed her by an inch. Whatever she had done last time to cut him had had something to do with her arm movement. If he didn't give her a chance to move her hands, he ought to be safe. He stepped forward and covered the remaining distance she had put between them by jumping back and struck out again. She sidestepped and swung her leg with incredible power, kicking him hard in the torso. He exhaled sharply as he was lifted off of his feet, pain shooting all over his body. He landed back a couple of meters and prepared for another attack.
He caught a glint of metal at the level of his leg. He jumped back instantly, feeling that something was very wrong. Too late. His track pant was slashed open at the thigh as blood spurted out of the open wound. Another glint at his chest level, and the next thing he knew, something cut through his t shirt and a thin line of blood appeared across his chest. He tilted his head to one side as something whizzed past his ear, almost grazing him. But he saw what it was. A thin silvery metal wire, curving in mid air and going out of view. Cecile brought her arms together, crossing them over her stomach, and shot them apart. And for the first time, in the middle of her elaborate movement, Daniel caught full view of Imperium for a fifth of a second. Wires, long, thin and silver were attached to her metallic looking nails. So she steered them with the movement of her hands as they were attached to them. The wires would have chopped him into ribbons if he hadn't jumped back. Unfortunately, his bad leg wasn't making things easier. He could feel the flow of blood down his legs and chest and felt strangely alert through the pain. She swung both her hands again bringing them together. The wires which had been sailing outwards immediately curved inwards, converging onto him and he instinctively crossed his arms over his head, though he knew he was gonna be in pieces by the time this was over. He heard a gasp from the crowd and looked up to see Cecile, standing way back. What...?
She ran towards him, slashing the air infront of her with her hand, sticking out three fingers. He crossed his arms over his chest, attempting to shield himself as he knew the three wires she was sending his way would chop him up. He saw the wires getting pushed back suddenly, as if someone had swatted them away and Cecile staggering in front of him and retracting her hand. She regained footing and started moving towards him way slower than before. What was this about? She looked like she was wading through a pool of honey. A second passed and she regained speed. He uncrossed his arm and flew at her, punching out. She immediately grabbed his punch in her palm and and struck him in the gut with her knee. He immediately gasped and punched out again, blindly. She ducked, and like a break-dancer spun on the ground, kicking him away. He flew back hitting the ground with his back. He got up, just in time to see her bringing her arms together again consequently converging the wires right at him a split second later. Well, this was it.
But Cecile retracted her hands, as the wires twirled in mid air and went right back to her nails.
"What?" Shouted Bartemius, "Finish this!"
"He is out of the ring." Cecile said, "Had I gone any further, I would have broken the rules."
There was a collective heave of breath as everyone in the room went back to what they had been doing. Bartemius's face was redder than a tomato, but he too picked up his pen and clipboard and began scribbling something onto it.
Cecile's gaze momentarily lingered at Daniel, her expression flat. The stepped out of the ring and walked to stand by her green haired friend.
"Shocking..." Came a voice from beside Daniel. He turned to see that it was Davy.
"What's so shocking?" Daniel asked.
"Um, maybe we should take you to the medical room first." Davy said, wincing, "You are bleeding all over the mat."

After the doc patched him up, commenting how he had been his most frequent patient of this month, Daniel left the medical room with bandages binding his torso and thigh. He got out and saw that Davy was dawdling right outside the main building.
"You out?" He said, "The doc tell you anything new?"
"No, not really." Replied Daniel, "Just something about me being one of his most frequent patients."
"Yeah. He is constantly boasting about all the people he's fixed." Davy said.
"Your training is over? I thought you had to train with Bartemius." Daniel said.
"Oh no. He's dismissed everyone." Said Davy.
Daniel looked over to his left, along the path leading to the male dorm and the gymnasium building. Three figures were walking out and heading in their direction. The three spectators from the gym. The girl had shoulder length black hair, fair skin, a freckled face and a rather up turned nose. The guy on her right was tall, with short black hair, dark skin and dark eyes. The one on the left had long blond hair, blue eyes and a pointed chin.
"Ah, I think it's better if we leave now." Said Davy at once, suddenly nervous.
"What's wrong? It's those guys, right?" Daniel asked.
"We shouldn't stick around." Davy insisted urgently.
"Oi!" Shouted the girl. Those guys were much closer now. Davy cursed under his breath.
"Xander, was it?" Asked the blond guy.
"Yeah, that's right." Daniel said warily. For some reason, he wasn't feeling an ounce of fear. After all, what was the worst these guys could deliver if they were bullies? But even so, his stomach was in knots. His muscles were tense. He wasn't afraid, but he didn't know how to properly fight. He had no skill in fighting.
"Proud of your father, are you?" Asked the girl.
"Yeah. I mean, he is the greatest man I have ever known." Daniel said more bravely than he felt.
"Speaking of that, he is related to that Penelope Sherman, right?" Said the girl tauntingly.
"Anything wrong with that?" Daniel said quietly.
"Nothing." Said the dark haired guy, "Only I wanted to ask you something: how does it feel to be related to an absolute failure and a garbage soldier?"
Daniel stepped forward. He couldn't help but notice that the other guy was standing away from these two, his expression flat.
"I might not know much," Daniel said standing face to face with the blond head, "but I know you are nothing compared to Penelope. And you know nothing about her or my father. Insult me all you want," he added in a warning tone, "but never insult my family."
"It seems to me that you like being associated with failures." Said the girl as the blond head raised his eyebrows at Daniel, "Penelope Sherman, Samuel Xander, Elizabeth Brown-"
"Who the hell did you just call a failure?" Came a loud voice from behind the three of them. All of them turned and Daniel peered around them to see Liz Brown, standing there tall. Her brown hair was tied back and she was dressed in her Armor plate, t-shirt and jeans. Her expression was furious.
"Who the hell did you just call a failure?" She demanded in the same loud voice.
The effect was immediate. All three of them, even the guy who had just stood there, scrambled to leave, not even making a single attempt to stand their ground, though Daniel couldn't blame them for that; Liz looked scary. They ran off towards the gate and went out of sight.
"Good riddance." Huffed Liz, "Now then..."
She grabbed Daniel and Davy by the backs of their shirt in an instant and began effortlessly pulling them.
"Um, I am not objecting, but what's the big idea?" Davy asked, a little red in the face.
"Food." Liz grumbled, "I am hungry."
The three of them headed off to a different restaurant this time as Madron coffee house was full with a half an hour waiting time.
"You have gotten stronger." Liz commented as the three of them walked on the pavement, the sun hot on their necks, "I can tell just by looking."
"Yeah. Penelope hasn't been going easy on me." Daniel replied, "Not that I am complaining." He added hastily.
Davy didn't seem like he was listening to him talk. He was looking around at trees and passing cars with a vague interest. Liz was silent.
"You know, if you feel like it's too much, maybe I can talk to Penny-" she said after a moment.
"No, no!" Daniel said again, "I appreciate the concern but Penelope has been doing all that's necessary for speeding my growth. I don't have any complaints."
He was honestly glad for Liz's concern, but on the other hand, he and Penelope were working hard with his training and he couldn't help but feel a bit proud of himself that he had endured all the training so far.
"Anyway, how's Darius?" He asked, feeling like he should change the subject.
"Darius? He's ok, I guess." Liz said cautiously.
"Oh, right." Said Daniel. He wanted to pursue the topic further. They hadn't looked quite alright the last time he'd seen the two of them together. It almost seemed weird how she was talking about it now.
"Um, it's not really my place to interfere," Davy said clearing his throat, "but where are we headed and what are you treating us to, Miss Brown?"
"What? I ain't treating you!" Liz said indignantly.
"Huh? Why not?" Davy said dramatically.
"You haven't even paid for the last meal!"
"Can't the great Miss Brown treat the friend of her precious subordinate's? You are known far and wide for your generosity-"
"Hah! Smooth talker! I am not falling for that!"
"Yes, because milady can only fall for the smooth talking of her knight!" Said an enthusiastic voice from behind the trio, making them jump forward in alarm.
There was Darius Rowse, dressed casually in a t-shirt, shorts and slippers.
"Where did you drop in from?" Daniel asked. He was glad to see that Darius had seemingly returned to his usual charming self. They hadn't said a word to each other during their last meeting.
"I was just passing by, when I saw you guys." He said grinning, "And looks like I made it just in time. Lizzy is treating everyone?"
"I am not treating anyone, you moron." Said Liz furiously, "The last time I took you out to eat to cheer you up, you couldn't even decide what you wanted."
"That's because I was in a turmoil from all the hurtful things that were said to me!" Said Darius clasping his hand over his heart dramatically.
"You are a drama queen."
"I am not!"
"Forget it. I am not treating you."
"I think Darius should treat us." Piped up Daniel, "I mean we need to celebrate him coming out from his turmoil."
"Exactly! Thank you Daniel!" Said Liz with a smug look.
"You traitor!" Darius said indignantly as Daniel shrugged.
"Um, on second thought, maybe I should leave." Said Davy.
"What? No way! Darius has no problem treating you." Said Daniel.
"Hey! Don't speak for me!"
"Of course he doesn't." Liz said, "Have you not heard of Darius's generosity?"
"You too Lizzy?"
"I mean, if he has no problem with it, I guess I can tag along." Davy said uncertainly.
Darius eyed Davy for a moment. Then sighed and said, "Fine, I will treat you guys."
"Why, thank you, Faction Leader Rowse!" Said Liz, slapping his shoulder.
"Isn't Faction Leader Rowse just great?" Daniel provided as Darius made a sour expression.

The four of them went over to one of the less crowded restaurants, Davy lagging behind. The place was small, but they went over to the back and sat down onto the chairs. There was a newspaper lying on the table. Darius and Liz were arguing about something, and Davy was busy on his phone, texting someone. Daniel picked up the paper and started to read the headline. It said: Pseudo-leader's investigation leaves the staff of Warrior's Academy in a state of chaos.
Daniel looked up. Darius was still busy chatting with Liz. What was this article? What was this stuff about Pseudo-leader? There was no way this article wasn't talking about Darius. He read on:
Pseudo leader of Faction Dragon Darius Rowse on the 13th of May recieved reports of a dwarf in Warrior's Academy from unnamed sources. The law enforcement department of the faction dismissed these as bogus but Darius Rowse issued the statement that he would personally take action and lead an investigation. During the investigation, Rowse allegedly got into clashes with the staff multiple times, much to the discomfort of students.
"He has become a source of constant disorder. Warrior's Academy will not be tolerating the presence of Darius Rowse any longer than we already have." Said Mr. Bartemius, vice principal of the academy and owner of the Bartemius students foundation on Saturday. Many other staff members voiced their opinions on the matter with many saying that Rowse should be banned from entering the premises of the academy. The decision is still to be made by the academy, but the vice principal and the staff seem fairly certain that Rowse will be forever banned from entering the academy.
Cont. On page 13.

"What are you reading?" Said Darius, snatching the paper out of Daniel's hand. Liz leaned over and the two of them spread the paper over the table. Their expressions immediately changed as they began to examine the paper. For some reason, Daniel's heart was pounding. It wasn't like he had been doing anything wrong. He had just been reading a newspaper. Nothing wrong with that, right?
Liz slowly looked up at Daniel as Darius continued to examine the newspaper with a bemused expression.
"Daniel, the press says a lot of things." Liz said, "And you know what these people are like-"
"I agree." Said Darius seriously, "They will print anything if it attracts a crowd. I mean honestly, you can't believe what's written on here." He stopped for a moment and brandished the newspaper in Daniel's face, "I mean instant hair growth oil? Who the hell would believe that? And why would YOU even read something like that? Why do you even need hair growth oil? Your hair is perfectly fine!"
Liz hit Darius upside the head.
"Ow! What?"
"He wasn't reading that article you idiot." Said Liz angrily, "He was reading the top article!"
"Oh? This one? Pseudo leader..." His voice trailed into silence as he continued reading the article with concentration.
"Well, what about it?" He inquired putting down the paper, looking confused.
"So, aren't you gonna explain how the article is false?" Liz said.
"But it isn't false." Darius said shrugging.
"Wait, it's not?" Daniel asked confused, "But everything they have said about you-"
"Yeah, I know. And every bit of it is true, really." Darius said indifferently, "Of course, this article isn't of that much importance, so I am surprised to see it on the first page. But when you look at it, we have to face it. I disturbed the staff of the school with my investigation. At this point, even I am starting to think that the reports were false."
"And what's this about the whole Pseudo-leader thing?" Daniel asked frowning.
At this, Liz cleared her throat loudly. "Daniel. Not the right time."
"It's just that people don't want to accept me as the leader of the Faction. I am the founder of Faction Dragon, sure," he added, "but the board hates me, so they kicked me off. Instead of giving me the tag of the founder, they left me with the tag of Pseudo-leader."
"What's the board?" Daniel asked.
"A neutral supervising organization of 5 or 6 members which is elected by the President or a member of civil services for impartial judgement and criticism of a Faction or a political party." Said Liz, "They listen to public opinions and criticisms from the opposition in order to improve a Faction or political party."
"And the board hates you, so they removed you from the position of Faction Leader?" Daniel asked incredulously.
"Not hate me, really," said Darius, "it's more like I am not a suitable candidate for the position of Faction Leader. I am more of a freelancer for my own Faction at this point. I can do what I want as long as it doesn't affect the repo of the Faction. So it looks like I have to give up on this investigation now that I have made the front page."
After seeing how he had looked after getting dismissed from the academy last time, Daniel couldn't help but think that Darius was taking this awfully well.
Perhaps, Liz felt the same way, because she said, "You are taking this awfully well, aren't you? Weren't you foaming at the mouth when you got dismissed last time?"
"It wasn't because of getting kicked out." Said Darius, "It was... something different."
Something to do with what Bartemius had said to him, Daniel thought, something to do with the arrival of the Certified Patriots. He honestly wanted to ask Darius about that, but didn't think it was the right thing. Maybe he would just piss him off by mentioning it.
"Miss Brown?" Davy began awkwardly, "What about Faction Hawk's political party? I haven't ever heard about it."
"Oh, that's because no one in my Faction has a degree in political science, weirdly enough." Said Liz chuckling, "Not that I banned political science from the subjects of requirement."
"Um, you didn't, right?" Said Davy uncertainly.
"Of course I did!" Said Liz slapping the table. Daniel stared. He hadn't expected her to just own up to it.
"I didn't want to form a political party in my Faction!" Said Liz, "You know how much paper work would that have been? Faction Hawk had its political party when my father was in power. But I dispelled it because I didn't want to do any paperwork. I am lazy that way."
"Wait, I don't get it, isn't it mandatory for all Factions to have a political party?" Davy asked confusedly.
"Nope, Faction Leaders form them because they want power." Liz said looking pleased with herself.
"Well, all this aside, we have been sitting here for more than half an hour. Why hasn't anyone taken our orders yet?" Darius asked wonderingly.
After eating a really sub par meal, the four of them began heading back to the academy.
"I think I had better leave for my office," said Liz looking at her watch, "What will you do?"
"Head home, probably." Darius said shrugging.
Liz nodded. She began floating a foot above ground, yawning. Then, her outline blurred for half a second and she disappeared.
"She's so nice." Said Davy happily, "Treating me for the second time? Daniel, you are lucky you have such great relatives."
"It was me who treated you dude!" Darius said indignantly, "What, no appreciation?"
"Of course not, you disturbed our school." Said Davy.
"It's not like you had a ton of studying to do anyway!"
"Not everyone is like you man!"
"You dare? I have done masters in physical sciences from Anaqbuzar!"
"What?" Davy said suddenly, dumbfounded, "You?"
"Of course!" Said Darius, "Why?"
"Well, you act like a total goof ball." Said Daniel.
"I do not!" Said Darius.
"You do." Said Davy nodding.
Darius's face turned red for a moment, then he sighed.
"I and better leave." He said, "You kids better be good. Also, here, take this." He added handing Daniel a slip of paper. It had a phone number on it.
"Call me from the school landline if you have trouble with anything," he went on, "my Faction office is in the city so I can head over anytime."
"Oh, thanks man!" Said Daniel.
"All right then, I will leave." He said and walked away.
"Yeah, bye!" Daniel called as he left. Him and Davy went through the gate as well.

"You know, Darius is pretty cool." Said Davy lying in his bed. Daniel was sitting on the floor with his back against his bed, reading the novel his dad had gotten him.
"I know." Said Daniel, "I don't know why you and Sandra kept acting weird when I mentioned him to you guys."
"That's because of all the rumours surrounding him." Said Davy, "You know, having the tag of Pseudo-leader might not sound like it, but it's a serious thing. It means your own Faction, the people who trusted you to lead them don't trust you enough to let you lead them anymore. I wonder why the board doesn't think he would be a good leader."
"Probably because he's too laid back." Said Daniel.
"Probably." Muttered Davy.
Daniel was silent. He really didn't know what to make of the politics here. According to what he and Davy had read on the net after returning, every Faction could form a 15 member political party if the Faction Leader willed. Ideally, the Faction Leader would be a part of the party, but not all the time. And the members had to have a degree in political science. The board was in charge of supervising the work of the political party or faction and could eliminate a Faction Leader if they didn't think he or she was good enough. This could happen even when a Faction Leader wasn't involved in politics.
"You don't have training today?" Davy asked suddenly.
"Huh? Yeah! It's already 4 pm!" Daniel said, "Arthur ought to be here any moment now!"
He got up groaning from the weights and made his way to the door.
"Nothing." He said swinging it open, "But I might as well head out. Maybe he will come by."
"Yeah, probably. You know what?" Said Davy, "Take the keys with you. I might have to train till late. It will be better if you don't lie around in wait. Just don't leave them in the knob."
"Obviously not." Daniel snorted. He picked the keys from Davy's table and shoved them in the pocket of his shorts. He left the room and let the door swing shut behind him. For some reason, the weights weren't coming in way of his movements, but his whole body was aching more than usual. He climbed down the stairs, his eyes watering and left the building. The sun was still hot and bright, towards the west. Coming to think of it, he hadn't paid attention to the view of the forest and mountains from the wall while it was still light out. The west was the direction of the wall. He started to walk away from the dorm building on the path adjacent to the huge campus grounds. He hadn't seen the whole campus until now,but apparently, there was also a huge basketball court and swimming pool which were off limits for outsiders. Well, he was an outsider at the moment. But if-when he finally got addmission, he would take a proper campus tour. He knew the classes were in the main building along with the staff room, infirmary and the principal's office. The girls dorms were further along the path, to the left when facing the main building, a huge lawn in front of their dorms too. He was thinking about all this when he tripped on something and fell down heavily.
"Ow! What...?" He said angrily, looking around. There was a first aid box right at his feet. Why would anyone leave a first aid box in the middle of a path. He pushed himself onto his feet and brushed his t-shirt and shorts wincing.
"Hm, is someone there?" Came a feminine voice from behind the bush in the flower bed, making Daniel start.
"It's me." He said stupidly. As if that covered anything.
"Um, Daniel? That you?" Said the voice.
"Wait." Daniel said, recognising the voice. "Sandra?"
Sandra's head poked out from behind the bush suddenly, startling Daniel.
"Oh damn." she said looking at him with a guilty expression, "I didn't mean to leave it there. I am so sorry."
"No, it's alright." Said Daniel awkwardly, "What are you doing back there anyway?"
"Oh, just...." She didn't complete, but came out from back there, holding something limp in her arms. Something feline.
Daniel's heart stopped and his vision blurred.
"Arthur?!" He shouted, taking the limp body from Sandra frantically into his arms,"What the heck? Who would do this."
Arthur mewed weakly and squirmed in Daniel's arms.
"We have to take him to a doctor! A-a-vet!" Daniel said.
"Daniel! Daniel!" Sandra said loudly, shaking his arm. She'd probably been calling his name for some time, but he hadn't been listening. "Don't panic. Arthur's alright!"
"What? Alright? Is this alright?" Daniel said incredulously.
"He was just drugged." Said Sandra, "Trust me. I know everything about mystical beasts and their treatment. Also, there was a scratch mark on his paw. I have bandaged it, look." She held up Arthur's limp paw.
"So, he's alright?" Daniel asked.
"Yes. Nothing is wrong with him. He's just a bit weakened. Sometimes, a student would mess around like this for fun. But I don't know who it could have been." Sandra continued disgustedly.
Anger exploded inside Daniel. Who would do something like this? Someone who'd seen him with Arthur. Someone wanting to mess with him?
"Don't worry, little guy." Daniel said to Arthur reassuringly, "I will find the one who did this. First, let's get you back to your mistress."
"Mistress? He's not yours?" Asked Sandra.
"Oh, he is my cousin's pet." Daniel said, "Penelope Sherman."
"Well, don't worry about him." Sandra reassured, "He's completely ok. I just can't put my finger on who would do it. Or I would..." She didn't finish, but let the silence stretch between them. This was really awkward. Daniel gently took Arthur's small bandaged paw into his hand. Wait. Where had he seen this exact same bandage before? Something about this bandage... And the smell of this antiseptic too! It was too familiar. But when...?
"Back then in the park!" He blurted out without thinking.
"What?" Sandra asked startled.
"Back then at the park! I had punched the bench and injured my knuckle..." So it had been Sandra? But why back then? So this is why she'd run off when Daniel had asked if he'd met her somewhere.
"It was you! You were the one who had bandaged my knuckle! And I thought Liz and Darius were lying when they said it wasn't them." Daniel said half to himself.
Sandra's face was red and she had pursed her lips together. After a solid minute of awkward silence, she said quietly, "Yeah, it was me."
"But why back then?" Daniel asked in bewilderment, "You didn't even know me!"
"Well, it's awkward." Sandra mumbled, looking down, "And silly, I guess..."
She sighed, still looking down.
"I-I just want to help people. Anyone who needs help." She said, almost inaudibly, "The sick, the injured, the hungry or the weak. Anyone who nee-needs help. And you looked like you were having a hard time. So I just..."
She looked up and said defiantly, "I know it's hard to believe! Ok? Don't tell me it's silly or futile! I just like doing this! If you are gonna go ahead and make fun of me-"
"Why in the world would I make fun of you?" Daniel asked, flabbergasted. He couldn't understand why she was acting like this was a bad thing.
"On the contrary, I want to thank you!" He said grinning, "Thank you! You are awesome!"
For a second, her eyes widened and her lips parted as if she couldn't believe what he was saying.
"Thanks for saying that, Daniel." She said, looking away, "Everyone just tells me it's stupid. That the people I help will never give me anything in return. And that no one will help me when I need help. Well, except Davy and Bruce, I guess. But everyone else..."
"You know what? I will help you when you need it!" Daniel said happily, waving a hand, "If you need anything from me, I will try my best to help you!"
Sandra pursed her lips. Maybe he'd made her awkward by saying all that. But he'd genuinely meant it. He'd been a bit taken aback, certainly, that Sandra of all people, the person he was least acquainted with had been the one to help him. She hadn't even known who he was back then.
"Beat Cecile, Daniel." Sandra said suddenly, "There is nothing more I can ask for. Please, knock her down from her high horse."
Daniel stared. He hadn't been expecting this from Sandra.
"Do you have...any personal grudge?" He asked uncertainly.
Sandra gritted her teeth.
"She was my best friend." She said, shocking Daniel more. He'd thought that they had always been arch enemies.
"But she really let the attention get to her." She continued, "Before I knew it, she began to develop a superiority complex. She criticised me for every little thing. She beat me up badly during friendly matches. She insulted me about my family. And she was the first person who told me that helping people would get me nowhere.
But she wasn't always like that. She used to support me when I helped others. She was a really, really nice person herself, contrary to who she has become. I just... I don't want all this hostility anymore. Cecile needs to be taught a lesson. She needs to be beaten by someone she views as worthless. Only then will she come back to her senses."
"Davy said something similar." Said Daniel, "I didn't know you guys cared that much about her."
"We are friends. I am sure Davy feels the same way." said Sandra simply, " And though she tries not to show it, deep down, she cares about us too. A lot."
For a moment, Daniel stared into space. Then, he looked back at Sandra, who had a determined expression on her face. After today, he wasn't sure if he even had a chance at beating Cecile. But there was something about Davy and Sandra's words and this fixation of their's.
"I promise." Daniel said.