Truth comes to Light:
The day after Maria, Silvia and Rebecca went to the Dean’s office to discuss the procedure they must handle as witnesses, the trial for Ventus’ Expulsion was underway.
“The Dean said that I should wait in this room until I am called to speak.” Maria said to Aiden as they both stood in the hallway of the administration room. Maria was rubbing her wrist, it seemed to have been bruised on that day. But she wasn’t sure what she hit.
“They are truly trying to expel him, what I could gather is that they have already come to a decision. They accepted your witness statements as a way to make it seem as though Ventus had a more fair trial.” Aiden responded to Maria.
“Why do you say that? That Brent guy tried to make out with me, wouldn’t that be enough to make him the one that should be on trial right now?” Maria asked Aiden.
“It’s a matter of evidence. On the Dean’s desk is already the expulsion letter too, so that is why I said that they have already come to a decision.” Aiden informed Maria.
“That sucks! That’s not fair! Is there any way we can get him not expelled?!” Maria asked Aiden.
Donald, one of the guys from the homecoming party walked past Maria and Aiden.
“So you two are going to be witnesses for this trial? You might as well leave or else your highschool life is just going to be harder. What you have to say won’t make any difference especially for a Freshman against a Senior. Too much money has been invested on us to risk losing potential Alumni.” Donald said to Aiden and Maria.
“So that’s why he is going to get expelled? Because of investment?” Maria asked Donald.
“He broke my nose, and busted my jaw, if it were up to me he would be going to real prison for Assault. He’s lucky he’s just getting expelled.” Donald responded to Maria.
“Did you know what he was trying to do with me in that gaming room?” Maria asked Donald.
“It’s a party, guys do what guys do.” Donald laughed.
Maria looked up at Aiden. And Aiden knew what that meant. So he caused the next step for Donald to take to cause him to fall on his face.
Donald got back up trying to hold his pride in tact. “Ahem, well, ignore that. If you two still decide to go through with it, I’m not going to say you are going to regret it, but… well you know.” Donald said before entering the room.
Maria had an angry scowl on her face.
“Gross.” Maria said under her breath. “Okay Aiden, I am going to go in now. You do your invisible thing and follow behind me.” Maria said to Aiden.
“Will do.” Aiden responded as they both entered the room.
A School Advisor was in the room waiting for Maria. She informed Maria of the procedures that she would have to do once she entered the room. The trial is semi-formal and she was to only answer the questions asked to her, and not to veer off with any off handed statements or she would be dismissed.
Maria agreed. And sat waiting in the room, beginning to feel bored.
In the trial room.
Ventus sat on the left side of the Dean’s desk which was sitting at the head of the room. There was an empty seat next to the Dean’s desk. In the back of the room sat faculty members and students of the Legal Institution. On the right side was another long table which sat the Seniors and Juniors involved in the incident.
They wore casts and neck braces.
Soon the Dean walked in. And those present stood up. “Welcome in, the Honorable Dr. Herbert Hammons.” Miss Franco, the Police Officer said.
“You all may take your seats.” The Dean said as he sat down.
The Dean looked over all the papers that were situated at his desk. He looked over them to see if any new information came about. He stacked them up on his desk, and coughed, clearing his throat.
“As it stands, Mr. Ventus Marcos is accused of 7 counts of Assault against Mr. Brent Rosinski, Mr. Ricky Rivers, Mr. William Davis, Mr. Donald Hughey, Mr. George Critchfield, Mr. Daniel Leyva, and Mr. Lenard Johnson on the Saturday of Homecoming Weekend. The result of which left all 7 of them hospitalized. The incident is said to be unprovoked. What has the accused said?” The Dean said to Ventus.
An Advisor for Ventus stood up. “He pleads not guilty, citing he exercised ‘defense of others’.” The Advisor said.
The upperclassmen grinned.
“Very well, then we may commence with the discussion.” The Dean said as if he was annoyed.
Maria continued to sit in the room playing with her thumbs, Aiden said with her being unseen. Maria looked over at the School Advisor in the room. “Is there something I can do in here? I am bored out of my mind.” Maria said to her.
“You should be focusing on getting as clear of a picture in your head as possible of the events of that day.” The School Advisor said to Maria.
Maria rolled her head back.
The first of the plaintiffs was Ricky. “So, here’s how it went. I was talking to Lenard about a TV show we watched. We were standing in front of the door to the gaming room because that’s where the punch bowl was. Then out of nowhere, that guy comes in and heads directly for the door. I moved out of the way to let him through but he decided to punch me anyway. In which case I started fighting back. Then he broke down the door and just started beating the mess out of Brent, so of course we jumped in to stop it.” Ricky said pointing at Ventus.
“That’s not what happened.” Ventus responded.
“Oh yeah, then what happened.” Ricky responded quickly to Ventus in an aggressive manner.
“Settle down.” The Dean commanded them. “You will have a chance to speak after we finish hearing the statements of the others.”
Ventus then sat back in his seat.
The next of the upperclassmen began to speak.
“It’s just as Ricky said.” Donald began to tell his point of view. “We were all just chilling, having fun at homecoming. Then this freshman just came in, scaring everyone at the party. I needed to make sure everyone was safe, so I tried to tackle him. But before I could he had already grabbed a weapon or something and started beating me. Then after that, all I could do was watch him run into the room and do the same to Brent.” Donald said as his statement.
Ventus shook his head in disbelief. “I didn’t even have a weapon.” Ventus said under his breath.
The rest of the upperclassmen said their statements and added even harsher details, and supported one another on the description of events.
In the end the statement went as follows. Ventus entered the party with a metal bar and began swinging it at the first guy he saw at the party. They heard Ventus say that all the Freshmen Females belonged to him. He immediately yelled at the girls at the party and forced them into a corner. As he did that he beat each guy with different objects at the party, until he entered the room with Brent who was a hospitable host. Brent was showing one of the girls his gaming collection. Ventus proceeded to beat Brent yelling that Brent tried to hide one girl from him. He didn’t stop until the Police came.
It was now time for Ventus’ statement. Ventus stood up.
“Is there even a point to this?” Ventus thought. “Oh well, it’ll work out somehow.” Ventus stood up. “On that night, I ran to the off campus housing because I knew that one of the girls, more precisely my Witness, was being put in a dangerous situation that was sexual in nature. To prevent harm, I entered the home. Along the way to keep the others who were also in uncomfortable situations, I told them to return to the dorm. When I noticed that one of the girls was missing, I heard a muffled sound coming from one of the rooms. I rushed in that direction and was blocked from entering the room. Ricky Rivers, Lenard Johnson, and George Critchfield were those who were blocking me. Donald Hughey, who was standing next to the door, told me that, ‘I couldn’t interrupt, they needed their privacy’. I knew exactly what that meant and immediately started kicking the door. Those 4 then started grabbing my neck, to which I punched them and broke down the door finding Brent Rosinski laying on top of Maria Li. I tackled Brent and encapcitated him to prevent him from pursuing her. After that, the rest of the guys at the party then started trying to beat me.” Ventus said as his statement.
The upperclassmen then snickered at Ventus’ story. “This guy really tried to make himself out to be a hero.” They laughed.
“Now that we have heard the statements of those directly involved, let’s hear from our witnesses.” The Dean said.
Silvia walked in. She sat in the seat next to the Dean.
“What was the sequence of events that night?” The Dean asked Silvia.
Silvia looked around at those who were present. She took a deep breath in, and exhaled. Ventus looked at Silvia and gave her a friendly smile. Silvia then returned one and began to speak. “We were all at the homecoming party. I was standing at the punch bowl, of course I didn’t drink any of it because it smelled weird. As time went on, I started to notice that Maria, who would never spend that much time alone with someone without me being able to hear her, was not around. I started looking around for her. Then I saw a group of guys standing weirdly in front of a door, like they were guarding it. I had a sick feeling in my stomach that they were there to prevent one of us from getting out. But I couldn’t do anything about it. Then Ventus ran through the door and told me to gather the rest of the girls and to gather together outside. He went to the door and asked them to move. But they just pushed him away. At which point I knew it might get dangerous, so I just did like he asked and looked for the other girls. Shortly after we all got outside, Maria ran out in front of us, and we all started running behind her towards the dorm.” Silvia said as her statement.
Donald then raised his hand. “What is it?” The Dean asked.
“May I ask a question Dr. Hammons?” Donald asked.
“Make sure to keep it on topic.” The Dean responded.
“You said you saw a group of guys standing at the door, as if they were guarding it. Would you perhaps be able to point out those guys you saw?” Donald asked Silvia. He figured that if she pointed to different guys than Ventus named, then his story would be falsified.
Silvia looked at the group of upperclassmen sitting in front of her. To her they seemed to all look quite similar. She did not focus on their appearance during the party, because she didn’t want any of them to give her any attention.
She was unsure. She knew that she may not be able to perfectly identify them. And not being able to guarantee that level of certainty made Silvia all the more nervous.
Ventus started to notice Silvia was becoming anxious.
He then pretended to sneeze. The entire room looked over at him.
“My apologies, it must be the lighting in this room.” Ventus said. Silvia was confused by Ventus’ excuse. But with her focus being put on Ventus’ statement it cleared her thoughts up to get a clearer picture of the events of that night.
“Oh, I remember now. It was you, those two guys over there. And him.” Silvia said pointing at Ricky, Lenard, and George.
Donald then sat down.
Brent then stood up. “Are you really trying to accuse me over some feeling in your stomach?” Brent asked Silvia.
“It’s not just a feeling, knowledge gained through experience. Your subconscious mind notices details that I consciously could have missed.” Silvia responded.
“As if, you are making up that part of the story Ad Hoc.” Brent responded back.
Back in the room with Maria.
Maria tried to whisper to Aiden. “Hey Aiden, check what’s happening in that room, and find out how long until I come out.” Maria said to Aiden.
Aiden then went through the walls and into the discussion room.
Silvia was being drilled with questions by the Upperclassmen. They were attempting to make her question her own thoughts.
Aiden looked around at the room. When he looked at Ventus, Ventus was staring directly at Aiden.
“He can’t see me. Probably just a coincidence.” Aiden thought to himself.
Ventus lifted up his fingers. He showed 7 on his hand. Then gave two thumbs up in that direction.
Aiden then returned to the room with Maria. Aiden got close to Maria’s ear. “Seems like they are still in an intense debate, but Ventus seems to think it’ll be 7 minutes until you go out there.” Aiden said to Maria.
“Ventus said 7 minutes? How’d he know you were there?” Maria asked.
“Who knows with him. He’s probably wrong though. My estimates would say you have about half an hour.” Aiden said to Maria.
“Half an hour!? That’s forever! I want to get back to the dorms!” Maria whined. The School Advisor looked over at Maria. It looked like Maria was talking to herself. Maria sat back up in her seat and chuckled. “Don’t mind me, I’m just bored.” Maria said nervously. “I’ll just assume 7 minutes is when I will go out there, so let me start preparing.” Maria thought to herself.
The Upperclassmen continued to question Silvia, and the Dean allowed them to continue with their barrage. Ventus then raised his hand.
Everyone stopped. “You have a question?” The Dean asked Ventus.
“Yes I do.” Ventus said, looking at Silvia. “How many hours of the day would you say you spend with Maria?” Ventus asked Silvia.
“Oh wow, that’s an interesting question. I would say maybe 19 hours, maybe even 20. That includes sleep.” Silvia responded.
“So we all can trust that when you say that Maria is noisy, that this is accurate, yes? Therefore, when you were at the party and did not hear her, that indicated to you that something was off.” Ventus said to Silvia.
“Exactly!” Silvia responded.
“He’s leading her.” Donald said to the Dean.
“Take your seats.” The Dean said to both Ventus and Donald.
“Well, that seems to be enough questions for you, Miss Reiners. You may return to the witness rooms.” The Dean said to Silvia.
Silvia was finally able to relax again. She stood up and left the discussion room.
“Well this went from a simple Assault case, to an attempted sexual assault case.” The Dean thought to himself trying to think of a way to end the trial quickly. “Everyone take a 5 minute break as we get the next witness to come out.” The Dean said allowing the students involved to stretch.
“Miss Li, it’s time.” The School Advisor said to Maria.
“Oh, already, that was fast.” Maria said, standing up from her seat. She was led into the discussion room where the upperclassmen were returning from getting a drink of water in the hallway.
Ventus stayed seated in his chair, he had a sad expression on his face.
Maria sat down in the witness seat, next to the Dean. Aiden was invisible behind Maria.
The 5 minute break ended and everyone returned to the discussion room. “Now Miss Maria Li, if you may, please go over the sequence of events of that Homecoming night.” The Dean said to Maria.
“Where to even start.” Maria said, trying to come up with a suitable point to begin telling her side of the story. “I guess I will start at the part where that guy threw me on the bed and got on top of me.” Maria said, pointing at Brent.
“That did not happen!” Brent responded quickly.
“That’s exactly what happened, after I wanted to leave the room, but it felt like it was locked from the outside. Then you called me a prude, and said that you wanted to give me a happy time. Luckily Ventus came in and started beating you up, because you weren’t listening to me at all.” Maria was addressing Brent.
“Calm down Miss Maria Li, just tell the events as they happened.” The Dean said to Maria.
“Sure.” Maria responded. “I went into the room because I wanted to see how he made one of my favourite games. Then while we were in there he was making me uncomfortable by getting really close to me. I told him that I was uncomfortable and told him to give me some space. But he kept on getting close. Then he suggested that we play one of his retro games, and I felt like that was a good time to have space for myself, and for him to have space for himself. But then he decided to grab my hand. At which point I didn’t want to be alone with him anymore. So I said that I wanted to leave. He responded by calling me a tease, and saying that he would be embarrassed if we didn’t do anything.” Maria was saying, then Brent interrupted.
“Didn’t happen.” Brent said aloud.
“Another outburst like that and you will have to wait in the hall.” The Dean said to Brent.
Maria then continued. “Well then after that he started trying to pull me to the bed. That’s when I punched him in his dumb face, and tried to leave the room. But it was blocked. Then he grabbed me again, and I tried to punch him again, but he caught it and pulled me down on the bed grabbing both my hands. I was angry at that point, but he was so heavy laying on top of me, I felt like I couldn’t breathe. My kicks weren’t hitting him at all. Then that’s when Ventus came in and tackled him. The other guys ran into the room, and in that chaos I ran out of the room and went directly to the dorms. I was not comfortable there at all.” Maria finished.
The upperclassmen just sat silently.
“No questions?” The Dean asked.
“Of course not, it’s all a lie.” Brent responded.
“Yeah, everyone saw her enter the room of her own free will, then she only left because the room became dangerous. You can’t lock someone inside that room.” Donald added.
“Oh, so I’m lying about your friend being a weirdo.” Maria responded.
“Obviously, you see this as your opportunity to get the entire school to think that Seniors want your freshman self. But in reality, you are hardly worth a look.” Donald responded.
“I’ve known Brent long enough, and I can tell you. You are not his type of girl.” Lenard added.
“What’s that supposed to mean? He wasn’t thinking about any of that when he tried to force himself on me.” Maria responded.
The discussion room then started to get loud. The Dean then silenced everyone.
“We’ve seemed to have moved away from the focus of the trial. This is a discussion of Ventus’ assaults on these gentlemen. Not on the interaction between you and Mr. Brent Rosinski.” The Dean said.
Ventus’ advisor then stood up. “This is relevant to the case. Mr. Ventus Marcos pleaded Not Guilty on the basis of Protecting others from harm. If it is shown that Miss Maria Li was in the process of being harmed, then Ventus’ actions would be justified.” The Advisor said.
The Dean then looked at the Advisor. He looked over at Maria. He then noticed a bruise on Maria’s wrist. The Dean was able to tell that this bruise came from being pulled. That would be enough to get Brent in more trouble than Ventus would get if they continued the case. Ventus being only 12 would just be expelled and returned home. But Brent being 17 could be tried in actual court and be sent to Prison if found guilty, and that would stain the reputation of the school and Brent’s.
“This discussion is concluded.” The Dean said standing up from his seat.
Those in the discussion room looked at him confused. The discussion seemed far from over, yet he ended it.
“All Present Stand.” Miss Franco said aloud. Everyone stood up.
“Miss Maria Li, come with me to my office.” The Dean said.
Maria looked confused but agreed.
The Dean then left and Maria followed. Aiden followed behind them.
Once the door shut everyone present were left confused. They then started exiting the room.
The Dean then looked out the window of his office. “So what outcome did you want to see from this trial?” The Dean asked Maria.
“An outcome? What do you mean?” Maria asked.
“I’m offering you an outcome that you would like. If you do not take this case any further than it already is.” The Dean said to Maria.
“Not taking Ventus’ case any further? I didn’t have any reason to do that.” Maria responded.
“You know what I mean. You’ve gotten into this school, you are intelligent enough to understand what I am trying to get you to comprehend.” The Dean said to Maria.
Maria then thought to herself. “An outcome… hmm. Well I don’t want Ventus to be expelled.” Maria said to the Dean.
“Very well.” The Dean responded.
“I do want Brent to be expelled though.” Maria added.
“We can’t do that.” The Dean said to Maria.
“Then Community Service for all the Upperclassmen guys?” Maria suggested.
The Dean then looked at Maria. He thought to himself for a bit. “And would not have you not want to talk about this story from this point forward?” The Dean asked Maria.
“Sure. Especially if they have to clean toilets for like a few months.” Maria said.
The Dean then walked over to his desk, and brought out a form to write out a Non-disclosure agreement.
Maria watched the Dean type up the form. She rubbed her bruise as she stood there.
The Dean looked up at Maria. “You should go to the Nurses office immediately after this to get that faded out.” The Dean said to Maria.
Maria looked at her wrist. “Oh this? It’s not so bad, it’ll fade on its own.” Maria responded.
“You are going to the nurse’s office after this, understood?” The Dean said to Maria.
“Okay.” Maria responded.
Aiden in the back felt a bit upset at the way he was talking to Maria.
The Dean finished typing and handed the form to Maria. “Read over this, and if you agree, just sign your name on the bottom. This is being recorded for verification purposes.” The Dean said to Maria.
Maria then looked over at the camera. She grabbed the paper and signed it.
“Okay, done.” Maria said, setting the pen down.
“Now head to the nurse’s office.” The Dean said to Maria.
Maria then turned and left the room. Aiden then reappeared.
“You should have asked for more.” Aiden said to Maria.
“I was put on the spot, I couldn’t think of anything.” Maria responded to Aiden.
Aiden then looked down at Maria. “Are you actually going to go to the nurse’s office?” Aiden asked Maria.
“As if, you can just heal this up right?” Maria asked Aiden.
Aiden pointed at Maria’s wrist and the bruise vanished.
“Usually Bruises don’t mean anything, but the Dean seemed hard focused on it.” Maria said to Aiden.
“It was likely evidence against an outcome he wanted.” Aiden said to Maria.
“Oh! So I probably got this from when that guy pulled me to the bed!” Maria realized where the bruise came from. “I just thought I hit something while running back to the dorms and didn’t feel it. Dang, I could have asked for a lot more.” Maria responded disappointed at her realization.
Aiden stood over Maria. “I can change the form to add what you actually want.” Aiden said to Maria.
Maria then thought for a bit. “Since they put Ventus through so much, and I bet the Dean wouldn’t give Ventus something to make up for us, add that our Class secures like a million dollars in funding, and that he is the one that decides where it goes.” Maria said to Aiden.
“That’s quite a bit. Why Ventus and not under your control?” Aiden asked Maria.
“Because he was supposed to be Class President, but because of all of this he didn’t get to. So this is a way for me to get my actual vote recognized.” Maria responded to Aiden.
“Very well. Then I will handle that.” Aiden said to Maria.
“Awesome! Okay, then I am going to return to the dorm. I want to change out of these clothes!” Maria said, grabbing her shirt.
“I will meet you there after I change the information.” Aiden said to Maria.
Maria walked to the dorms.
Aiden entered the room and found that the Dean was talking to Brent and the other upperclassmen. He was lecturing them on what they did at the party and how they put the reputation of the school at risk. He explained to them what their punishment was, and lectured them on being unable to use their training to control a single freshman.
Aiden found the document and added information to it. On the camera he altered the image of the document to reflect the change that was made.
“That should do it.” Aiden thought to himself.
Aiden then made his way back to the dorm. But before he left the room he found Silvia and Ventus talking to one another.
Silvia seemed to have been conversing with Ventus, as if she was trying to understand his feelings. However, Aiden could have cared less about that and continued onward.
Aiden knocked on the door of Room 808.
He saw that it was just Maria inside and decided to walk through the door to Maria. Maria had finished changing out of her school outfit and was in her more comfortable nightwear.
Maria looked at the time. “Dang it, it’s already a bit late to be going into the dinning hall, it’s going to be super quiet in there.” Maria complained to Aiden.
“Then I suppose that you want to go out for today’s dinner?” Aiden asked Maria.
“Yes I do! I am in the mood for a Giant Bucket of Fried Chicken, and a ton of Fries and Sauce!” Maria said to Aiden.
“Any particular restaurant or is any place okay with you?” Aiden asked Maria, trying to clarify a destination.
“Any place really, but the crispier the better.” Maria said to Aiden imitating what it would be like to crunch down on a giant Chicken Thigh.
“Very well, we can leave the room today, since Silvia isn’t here.” Aiden said to Maria.
Maria jumped up on Aiden’s back and they both went out of the window to the room. In the air Aiden dropped Maria into her usual clear ball.
“We are experts at this now!” Maria laughed as she was being carried several hundred meters in the air.
“The fear of heights seems to be relatively common among Humans. However, you are not fazed in the slightest, that definitely makes my duties easier.” Aiden responded to Maria.
“I think I do fear heights a bit, but since I know that you got me, there is no danger at all. It’s just ultimate freedom!” Maria said, looking down at the town below.
The street lights were beginning to come on.
“Do you think anyone down there ever sees us flying this high?” Maria asked Aiden.
“That would be difficult for them, considering from this height we would be only a few millimeters long. But it is definitely a possibility. They would likely figure that we were a large bird.” Aiden responded to Maria.
“Or a UFO.” Maria responded quickly.
“Yes, we would be classified as an Unidentified Flying Object.” Aiden responded.
“I mean like Aliens, not like a meteor or anything mundane.” Maria responded to Aiden.
“I would like to think that the typical human would assume the most likely possibility rather than assume it was an extraterrestrial. They would have to travel several hundred if not thousands of light-years, using technology beyond anything we have currently, and have culture which would be the most foreign possible, just to be seen by a random person on the ground. Then leave without doing anything.” Aiden explained to Maria.
“So you’re saying that there are no Aliens then?” Maria asked.
“If there were, they would have to be beyond my comprehension. In which case it is pointless for me to even think about it. I can’t comprehend it anyways.” Aiden responded to Maria.
“I think technically, you would be classified as an Alien.” Maria pointed out to Aiden.
“No, I am still from Earth, just in a different phase.” Aiden said to Maria.
“Well, culturally, physically, mentally and a whole bunch of other stuff makes you different from Humans, so I think you match what it would be to be considered an Alien.” Maria tried to use Aiden’s reasoning against him.
“I am closer to Humanity culturally than Humanity is to Fish and Alligators, yet all of those are Earth creatures. To be truly similar to Aliens you would not be able to guess my motivations.” Aiden said to Maria, he found a location to land at so that Maria could eat.
“Who’s that guy that you take orders from, the Almighty or something like that. What if he was an Alien?” Maria asked Aiden.
They both landed. And Aiden was surprised by Maria’s question. He thought about it for a little.
“Actually, that’s not something I’ve considered.” Aiden responded to Maria.
“Yeah, and so, since you come from him, or her… or them? Whatever, since you are a part of them, then wouldn’t that make you an Alien?” Maria asked Aiden.
“The Almighty is indeed beyond my comprehension, and is so different from anything I can reference the Almighty against. I don’t know their origin, nor motivation. That is an interesting thought.” Aiden responded to Maria.
“See!? And I bet wherever they are from, there is an entire population of them. And they can probably do whatever they want. And… I actually don’t know where I was going with that.” Maria said, trying to recall why she brought up the idea of Aliens.
She then smelled the Chicken. And her mouth watered.
“Oh yeah! Now this is why they would come to Earth!” Maria said, rushing into the restaurant.
Aiden followed behind her as they both went in to eat.
After all of that was done, Silvia requested for Aiden to return to his room. Maria and Silvia talked about the trial that happened earlier that day. And Aiden sat in his room.
Later on that night. A bit after midnight Ventus returned to the room for the first time in a few days.
His cheerfulness had vanished, and he returned to the room bummed out. Aiden watched him go to his bed without saying a word.
Ventus turned away from Aiden. Aiden could hear Ventus having difficulty breathing as if he was fighting back against something. Eventually the sound stopped and Ventus was asleep.
The next day the freshmen returned to classes. Maria got up in a good mood and rushed out to meet up with Aiden. Along the way to school the Upperclassmen involved in the case were picking up trash around campus. They had to get up at 6am to begin their duties so they could finish before classes.
As the freshmen walked by, the upperclassmen glared at them, and to some of the Freshmen boys they threatened them.
Ventus was the last guy to get to class. His backpack seemed to have been hit with opened soda cans.
Miss Creed took attendance.
Maria looked over at Ventus. “Aww, he looks so sad.” Maria thought to herself.
Miss Creed handed Ventus some of the quizzes that he missed. They were marked with zeros. She handed it to him so that he could look over the answers to use to study.
“Thank you Miss Creed.” Ventus said looking at the scores.
When it came time for lunch, Ventus went to the tables of his classmates but they were silent and didn’t want to speak with him. Feeling that his presents were a bother Ventus decided to eat at a table alone.
Maria, Silvia and Aiden all sat at their usual table.
“Why are they all acting so mean!?” Maria said watching the other tables ignore Ventus.
“After the trial a bunch of the Upperclassmen waited outside of the dorms and said that if anyone continued to associate with Ventus that they would receive the same treatment he did.” Silvia said to Maria.
Maria scoffed. “What a bunch of cowards.” Maria responded to how easily it was to get her classmates to turn their back on their friends.
“If you think about it, they’ve only known Ventus for a little over a month. They are going to be in highschool for the next 4 years. So ditching such a short relationship to guarantee a better few years would be a logical choice.” Aiden said to Maria.
“It’s a heartless choice, that’s what it is.” Maria responded.
“Wow, look who’s talking. When we were in middle school you didn’t let a single person even try to make friends with Angeal. That was rather heartless in itself.” Silvia said to Maria.
“I’m not heartless! You all weren’t trying to be his friend. You wanted something more than that.” Maria pointed out to Silvia.
“Please, you have no idea what my motivations are.” Silvia responded.
They both heard Ventus finish. He then left the dining hall. They all watched him leave.
“Wow, after the heroism that he showed on that day, and this is how we treat him…” Silvia said to herself.
“Angeal, you are going to need to cheer him up when you sit in the room together.” Maria said to Aiden.
“Why would I want to do that?” Aiden asked Maria.
“Because I feel bad for him. He is in this situation because of me.” Maria responded to Aiden.
“It was ultimately his choice.” Aiden said to Maria.
Maria pointed her spoon at Aiden. “You know what would have happened if he didn’t make that choice?” Maria responded with a louder tone.
Aiden was taken aback. Silvia was stunned that Maria raised her voice to Aiden.
“Very well. I will try to cheer him up.” Aiden said to Maria.
“Good.” Maria responded as she continued to eat her pudding.
The school day continued as usual. However, when Ventus reached to carry the Freshmen Flag, Zofia grabbed it from him.
“This isn’t your job anymore Ventus, I am the Class President.” Zofia said to Ventus.
“You’re right.” Ventus said, handing it over to Zofia.
The class then went on their run. The motivation seemed rather sumber, but it was expected since when Ventus led it, the run was loud and more cheerful compared to the other classes.
After the run, all the students were permitted to return to their dorms.
When Ventus went to return Maria stopped him.
“I liked it better when you were holding the flag.” Maria said to Ventus.
Ventus smiled. “Thanks, I liked it better too. I hope my mood isn’t bringing yours down.” Ventus said to Maria.
“No, I get it. I know what it’s like to be purposefully ignored.” Maria said remembering what it was like before she met Aiden.
“Yeah, well it’ll get better for me. I knew this would happen, but I prefer this result over the other, even though this outcome is definitely much worse for me.” Ventus responded to Maria.
“Oh, you still need to tell me how you knew to come to that house.” Maria said to Ventus.
Ventus smirked. “Now would you believe me if I said I was an Alien.” Ventus said to Maria.
Maria snapped her fingers. “I knew it.” Maria responded.
Ventus then smiled. “Thanks, you cheered me up a bit. Eventually I will tell you all about what I could do. Especially since I know what you and Angeal can do.” Ventus said to Maria. He then started walking to the dorms.
She then grabbed his shirt again, and stopped him.
“We will be your friends if you need it.” Maria said to Ventus.
Ventus nodded his head.
Maria then let go of Ventus’ shirt and he walked off.
The noises of the Upperclassmen could be heard as they were preparing to throw stuff at Ventus.
“He must be on a probationary period, that would be my closest guess as to why he isn’t retaliating.” Aiden said to Maria.
“That isn’t fair. But it is like those Highschool movies. Maybe they were more real than I thought.” Maria said to Aiden. “Okay, well it’s food time! Let’s eat.” Maria said to Aiden as she went off to the dining hall.
When they got back from dinner, Maria and Aiden went to Room 808. Silvia was not there, which was unusual because she would typically be studying.
“She must have gone to the library or something.” Maria said as they entered the room. “Guess that means we can be as loud as we want finally.” Maria said to Aiden.
“You mean you could be as loud as you want.” Aiden corrected Maria.
“Tomatoes, Potatoes. It makes no difference.” Maria said to Aiden as she began to play the MP3 that Leanne gave her for her birthday.
Some time passed. Maria and Aiden brought out a board game she borrowed from the Recreation Room.
“Now don’t cheat again.” Maria said to Aiden.
“Well that’s ironic.” Aiden said to Maria.
The door to Room 808 opened.
Silvia walked in, she squinted because of how loud Maria’s music was. “Sheesh, turn it down a bit.” Silvia said to Maria.
“No way, we were here first, so this time it’s you who is interrupting.” Maria said to Silvia.
Silvia entered the room, and she brought Ventus with her.
They were surprised. “Hello guys.” Ventus said entering the room. Aiden seemed a bit annoyed.
“Can we join you guys in the game you’re playing?” Silvia asked Aiden.
“Oh no, I couldn’t interrupt you all like that.” Ventus said, trying to decline.
“Sure, I was about to win anyway.” Maria said to Ventus.
Silvia chuckled. “That would be a first.” Silvia responded.
Ventus, and Silvia sat down.
Maria reset the board and they all rolled for turns.
The result was Maria was going first, then Silvia, then Aiden, and last was Ventus. While they were playing Ventus looked at the board and Aiden watched him to see if he noticed anything unusual.
“Okay Angeal, it’s your turn to roll.” Silvia said to Aiden.
Aiden grabbed the dice, he then rolled. The dice landed on 12. Double Sixes.
Aiden moved his pieces around the board.
“This is fun.” Ventus said, breaking the silence. “It reminds me of when I used to play board games with my siblings.” Ventus continued.
“Oh, you have siblings, I didn’t know that.” Silvia said to Ventus.
Ventus grabbed the dice. He was rolling them in his hands. “Yeah, I have 7 siblings, 8 if you include me.” Ventus said letting go of the dice. It rolled a 4. He picked up a random card and lost some money.
“7 siblings! That must be really annoying! I just have one sister and I can barely stand her.” Maria said to Ventus.
“Nah, it’s not annoying at all. I love spending time with them. We always used to play games around the house like hide and seek, tag, or just playing with toys. It was a great time, never a moment without friends.” Ventus said to them.
“Wow, then leaving all of them must suck.” Silvia said to Ventus.
“Yeah, but it had to be done. I have a mission I need to accomplish.” Ventus said to the group.
“What mission is that?” Aiden asked Ventus with a serious tone.
“Well if I tell you, you guys are probably going to think I’m weird. Maybe I will tell the entire story some other time.” Ventus said, looking back down at the board.
“No, please tell us! I won’t think you are weird. Like Angeal is a weird person too, so there’s no way you can surprise me.” Maria said to Ventus.
“I am not weird.” Aiden responded to Maria.
Ventus then laughed. “Okay, then I’ll give you a short run down.” Ventus then took a breath in. “When I was like 9 years old or something I was able to see an outcome for the Earth, and from that I knew that I had to become a suitable enough person to meet what was required to get to that outcome. So everything that I do is for the advancement of that goal.” Ventus said to them.
“So, like you had a dream, and you liked it so much that you want it to become a reality?” Silvia asked Ventus.
“Well, it’s not really a dream.” Ventus then thought a little more. “I can’t show you all, not yet.” Ventus responded.
“Oh! I get it, you were able to see the future!” Maria said to Ventus.
“Yeah, that’s closer to it.” Ventus responded to Maria.
“That’s not possible.” Aiden responded. “The future is an accumulation of present events, it’s not something that already exists, so there isn’t anything to see.” Aiden said to Ventus.
“You’re right, but you are also wrong.” Ventus responded to Aiden.
Silvia and Maria’s faces were surprised. This was the first time someone referred to one of Aiden’s statements as wrong.
“I’m not wrong. I have a pretty strong knowledge on everything that exists, and even things that you couldn’t imagine exist.” Aiden said to Ventus.
Ventus smirked at Aiden. “Interesting, maybe there’s something you’d like to say to back up your statement?” Ventus said to Aiden.
“You have to prove yours first, then I will give you my reasoning.” Aiden responded to Ventus.
“Very well. This is as good a moment as ever.” Ventus said to Aiden. “I know that you are from another realm.” Ventus said to Aiden.
Maria and Aiden were surprised by Ventus’ statement.
“Another realm? What does that mean?” Silvia asked.
“It’s nothing. Nothing at all.” Maria said to Silvia.
“You told me yourself, but in another sequence of events.” Ventus said to Aiden.
Silvia looked over at Aiden. Maria gestured for Aiden to put Silvia to sleep. Aiden then gestured and Silvia went to sleep.
Now it was just Maria, Aiden and Ventus speaking.
“Okay, now how do you know that?” Aiden asked Ventus. Ventus looked at Maria.
“Is it okay to discuss this with her?” Ventus asked Aiden.
“She already knows.” Aiden responded.
“Well I’m not too sure myself, but I do know this. You referred to the place you were from as the Heavenly Realm. And that it exists in a realm that is right next to ours. You are also a segment of Omne, and… wait.” Ventus then paused. “You don’t know that information yet do you?” Ventus asked.
“Omne? You mean the Almighty?” Aiden corrected Ventus.
“Yeah, the Almighty. We can go with that.” Ventus said to Aiden.
“Wow, he sure knows a lot about you Angeal. He must be one of you guys.” Maria said to Aiden.
“He’s not an aspect.” Aiden responded to Maria.
“How about an Alien?” Ventus asked Aiden.
“You’re not that either. I don’t know how you got your information. But this does verify that you aren’t just making stuff up.” Aiden responded to Ventus.
“So, could I also call you Aiden? Since that’s the name you are called where you are from. Angeal is something you just made up for school.” Ventus asked Aiden.
“Sure, do whatever you please.” Aiden said to Ventus.
“Oh, also, the reason you couldn’t erase that from my memory is because it comes from an event that hasn’t happened yet.” Ventus told Aiden.
“Wow, he does know everything about you Aiden. What about me?” Maria asked Ventus.
“I see so much for you, but it’s already getting really late. We could talk about this stuff for hours. But I do look forward to becoming closer friends with you all. Since you are really the only ones who can take care of themselves from the bullying.” Ventus said to Maria and Aiden as he stood up.
“Yeah, you are now a 10 on the interesting scale.” Maria said to Ventus.
“Thanks.” Ventus responded. “And make sure when you lay her down you place the cover only over one of her shoulders. That’ll keep her from feeling too hot.” Ventus said leaving Room 808.
Aiden laid Silvia on her bed. And the two just talked to one another about the knowledge that Ventus had.
Eventually it became too late in the night for Aiden to be allowed in Maria’s room. So he had to leave and return to room 888.
Aiden found Ventus staring at the wall again.
“So what do you see?” Aiden asked Ventus.
“Just an interesting world I guess.” Ventus responded. Ventus then looked over at Aiden. “I feel like we are much more connected than we could imagine. However, we came at it from different angles.” Ventus said to Aiden.
Aiden then recalled what Vanoe said to him. “Maybe we turn out to be brothers.” Aiden said to Ventus.
“Brothers? Now that would be interesting. Maybe that is what happens to me.” Ventus responded.
Ventus and Aiden sat in the room without saying much to one another. As the days passed Ventus slowly was incorporated into Maria’s and Aiden’s group. To the dismay of Aiden.
The bullying at the school grew a little bit each day. The school day was a chore for Ventus, but at least he got to look forward to returning to room 888. Though Aiden didn’t treat Ventus friendly, it was a lot better than the way everyone else did.
MV Studios 