Unclassified; Zero and Still Standing

Chapter 56: Call.

"Who?" Yesu asked.

Something uncomfortable, and yet warm, had settled in her chest.

Ava stopped rampaging through the wardrobe.

"Hmm..." She tilted her head to one side, thinking.

It seemed to take forever.

Then Ava shook her head rapidly.

"I don’t think she said who. If she had, I would have remembered."

Yesu sighed.

"Of course." She muttered.

Ava resumed her search.

Yesu went over to her bedside table where the phone lay.

She picked up the receiver, and dialed the previous caller.

"Hello?" Came Greta’s voice from the other end.

"Hi Greta." frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓

"Oh. Yesu."

Yesu gripped the phone tightly.

"Someone called the house for me?" She asked.

"...Yes."

"Who was it?"

Greta’s hesitation could be sensed on the other end.

"I’ll give you the number." She said eventually. "You have a pen ready?"

Yesu looked around. "Uh..."

In the next second, Ava stood before her holding up a pen wrapped in colourful stings.

Yesu took it.

"Thanks."

Greta called out the number.

"When did the call come through?" Yesu asked.

Greta hesitated again.

"Monday."

"That’s long."

"Yes... I had to get permission from Mr Arrow."

Yesu blinked.

Permission? For her knowledge of being asked about?

"I’m still making dinner. Take care." Greta said.

"Okay."

Greta hung up.

Yesu stared at the number now written on her palm.

Ava was still standing by her side, swaying side to side impatiently.

Yesu glanced at her. The girl couldn’t just seem to stay still.

"Are you calling or what?" Ava asked.

Yesu said nothing, eyes back on her hand.

This wasn’t Aunt Mei’s number.

She sat on her bed.

Ava got bored and went back to the wardrobe.

Yesu remained still for a few minutes.

So it wasn’t Aunt Mei.

After what had happened at the train station, she hadn’t heard anything of her whereabouts.

Her line was disconnected.

Yesu frowned.

Something wasn’t right.

She shifted toward the table and picked up the receiver again.

Then dialed the number.

It rang.

And the call was answered.

"Hello?" Yesu spoke first.

No response.

"Hello?" She said again.

Silence.

Yesu could feel her heart pounding all of a sudden.

She placed a hand to it absentmindedly.

"Aunt Mei?" She asked, almost in a whisper.

A voice finally came.

"Yesu. It’s me... Millie."

Yesu blinked. Her serious expression faded.

And was replaced with surprise.

"Millie?"

A laugh.

"Yeah. You haven’t forgotten about me, have you?"

Yesu flopped onto the bed.

"You never know." She said. "I’ve gotten pretty busy these days."

Another laugh.

"Well lucky me. I’m in Central City and I heard you were somewhere nearby so..."

Yesu paused.

"You’re in Central City?"

"Yeah. Keith and I came to visit our uncle. I’m hoping to see you before we leave. Will you be free tomorrow or Saturday?"

Yesu felt something tugging at her thoughts, a strong pull she couldn’t understand.

This had happened before.

"Tomorrow is the Light Festival. At my new school. And no one’s allowed to leave this weekend."

Millie sighed. "Bummer."

A brief pause.

"How about next weekend?" She asked.

Yesu was blinking in quick succession. She shook hear head as if trying to clear her vision.

"Maybe. If trials are over by then."

The ceiling before her was getting blurry.

There was a faint ringing in her ears.

"Alright. I’ll tell my uncle I’m staying longer. Let me get you the address."

Millie’s was talking fast, like the call might drop any moment.

Yesu listened as Millie went on to call out the address.

She didn’t reach for her pen to write it down. The words seemed to latch unto her mind on their own.

Number 29, Ellsworth, Central City.

"It’s cheaper if you take a bus." Millie’s voice was now a tone deeper than normal.

Bus.

Yesu blinked again.

The blur was fading.

Millie said something else but her voice was cracking up like a radio.

The ceiling was becoming clear. Yesu shook her head.

"Bye..."

Millie’s voice sounded like a machine powering down.

And then the call ended.

Yesu’s blurry eyes cleared instantly. She could now see the ceiling.

"Yesu!"

"Yes?" Yesu jerked up.

Ava was staring at her, holding a dress. She seemed a bit horrified.

"Who are you talking to?"

Yesu frowned.

"What do you mean?"

"You..." Ava gaped. "I’ve been calling you for the past five minutes. Were you meditating or what?"

"Oh."

Yesu looked down.

Her hands were empty. ƒгeeweɓn૦vel.com

She snapped her head toward the bedside table.

And sure enough, the telephone rested idly.

Like it had never been touched.

***

Ackerman walked up the stone path leading to the small villa.

It was modest compared to some of the larger residences allocated to children of senior officials, but it was beautiful nonetheless. Neatly maintained flowerbeds bordered the pathway, and ivy climbed partway up the walls.

He rang the bell.

A second later, frost spread across the lock.

Ice crystals raced through the metal mechanism.

Click.

The door swung open by itself.

Ackerman stepped inside.

Behind him, the thin trail of ice stretching from the living room to the entrance slowly receded across the floor until nothing remained.

A smirk tugged at his lips.

"Showing off now, are we?"

Olwen sat on a couch surrounded by books. Several lay open on the table before him while others were stacked neatly nearby.

He was halfway through one when Ackerman entered.

Olwen closed the book gracefully and finally looked at him.

Ackerman nodded as though something had just occurred to him.

"Oh, I’m sorry." His eyes drifted over Olwen briefly. "Forgot you’re wounded."

"I’ll survive."

"How reassuring."

Ackerman wandered over and sat in the chair opposite him.

"How are you fairing?"

"Doing fine so far."

"Good."

A brief silence settled.

Then Ackerman folded one leg over the other.

"So. The library."

Olwen said nothing.

"I paid a visit to Professor Wakefield earlier."

Ackerman shook his head with mock disappointment.

"Imagine my surprise when I was informed the matter was already being handled."

He sighed dramatically.

"That was said to the Student President."

Still nothing from Olwen.

Ackerman smiled.

"Makes me wonder who could possibly be important enough to make me redundant."

Olwen simply watched him.

Ackerman leaned forward.

"How far has Apollo gotten?"

A pause.

"I assume the Air User summons was his idea."

Olwen neither confirmed nor denied it.

Ackerman continued.

"Does he actually believe a student could wield that level of power and remain hidden?"

Olwen tilted his head slightly.

"Why are you asking me these questions instead of the person you’re actually interested in?"

Ackerman leaned back with a sly smile, taking his time to reply.

"You know, I’m not the only one interested in Apollo. Everyone keeps talking about him."

Olwen remained silent.

"Doesn’t it annoy you?" Ackerman asked.

"Should it?" Olwen replied calmly.

Ackerman’s smile widened.

"Maybe."

He rose to his feet.

"Well, my free time is over." He adjusted his jacket. "Festival preparations won’t handle themselves."

Then he glanced toward Olwen.

"Too bad you won’t be well enough to attend."

That same smile remained on his face. The kind that somehow said:

’Not that anyone would notice.’

He started toward the door.

Then stopped suddenly.

"The Head Librarian told me something interesting."

Olwen looked up.

"The intruder seemed interested in the restricted section of the library."

A pause.

"And yet, as far as I can tell, no state officials have been involved in the investigation."

Olwen held his gaze. Silent.

Ackerman smirked.

"Getting any ideas?"

Neither of them moved.

Then Ackerman chuckled softly and walked out.

The door closed behind him.

The villa became quiet once more.