Free Minds

Chapter 54.

   My hands found their way to the sides of my thighs in no time, expressing my anxiety through fervent taps.

   I knew it. I knew I shouldn't have let Talise go into Zavlon. Now she was in danger and it was going to be all my fault. The beats of my heart resonating throughout my chest were far from steady as uncomfortable heat spread all across my body.

   No one had spoken since Talise's last words.

"Isn't anyone going to ask what the problem is?" Tali's voice crackled on the other end.

"How about you start with how your search and entry went?" Camila succeeded in masking much of the quaver in her question. Not that she needed to or anything. Her ghost-pale colour her face assumed was enough to reveal her terror.

   I was grateful that despite Camila's distraught state, she still managed to ask a question which bought us time to brace ourselves for the problem Tali announced we had.

"You sure about that?" Talise sounded doubtful. "Because I think you'd be more interested in hearing that—"

"Please, Tali," I chipped in, probably sounding as desperate as I felt. "From the beginning."

   There was no response at her end for some time until she eventually replied with a grudging 'Fine' and grumbled that she was going to make it quick.

   Talise commenced her narration by stating how she and the six other visitors present were made to stand right in front of the school's gate while two women in black suits retrieved their bags and dug through them on a nearby table set up before their arrival.

   The metal detector test was uneventful, according to Talise. In fact, the security personnel tried to spend as little time as they could on her due to the crazy beeping sounds her leg brace kept triggering the detector machine into making. Obviously, there were no questions asked in relation to her leg.

   After Talise and the others handed them the invitation printed out as provided and instructed by Zavlon's email, they were made to walk through the gates. At the main entrance of the building, stood two overly smiling Zavlonians ready to receive and welcome th—

"Wait," I held up a hand, waving it around with a deep frown. "What do you mean Zavlonians, Tali?"

"I mean, there were two boys in the school's uniform at the doors. They looked like seniors. Really hot seniors. One totally couldn't keep his eyes off of me."

"His eyes? What did they look like?" I asked.

   We exchanged bewildered looks when she described them as normal kinds.

   Every mind controlled Zavolonian on the first day of Liberation Week had dilated eyes.Their pupils had been enlarged so much for one to find it hard to believe it wasn't the side effect from a really screwed up drug.

   They most likely had contacts on.

   But forget about their eyes for a minute. 

   Why were mind-controlled Zavolonians the ones giving the tour?

    I didn't have to read the room to sense the shared confusion that seeped from Rav, Camila and Dorian.

   Edna, the hologram, had always been the one to receive the Visitors. She was one of the highlights of Visitation Day. Zavlon Academia's website even had a whole section for pictures Edna had taken with Visitors over the years. Visitation Day without Edna was beyond odd and could not be taken lightly.

   This news caused fresh panic to spike within me. What sort of game were the Yunitides playing?

"Guys, the sooner I tell you what the problem is, the sooner we can figure something out." Talise sighed. "Let me just—"

"We need to decipher what exactly the Yunies were going for by using Zavlon students as your guides," Camila told her. "Can't you stay in for a few minutes?"

"That's what I told one of the tour guides, Eugene, ten minutes ago," Tali snapped. "I don't have to remind you guys that your school has gender neutral bathrooms. He's going to come knocking if I don't come out now. The visitors waiting will get restless soon. They don't seem to be the type to have much sympathy for a girl in a leg brace."

"Why will they be waiting for you?" Rav frowned.

   Dead silence was the response we received.

"Talise," I chose my next words with caution. "The plan was that you come into the bathroom to get the cameras and earpiece out only after the solo tour began."

"And I would've done exactly that...," I held my breath as she trailed off. "...if the solo tour wasn't cancelled. It's going to be a group tour throughout."

   Shit. Shit. Shit.

   All of a sudden, the air in my lungs felt strange, like its usual role had been manipulated for the sole purpose to choke the life out of me. My chest developed a burning sensation that could only be compared to the pits of hell as it tightened without warning. Regular breathing patterns didn't feel like mine anymore, becoming almost impossible to maintain. I had to blink several times to remind my trembling self that this wasn't a horrible nightmare.

   Just an even shittier reality.

   Looking over to everyone else's reactions only heightened my mild panic attack.

   Dorian shuffled over to the seat he and I had only just shared and slumped into it with his raised head leaning against the van. His eyes remained squinted shut as he rose his head slightly, only to bring it back against the window behind him with intended force. And Dorian did it again. And again. And again.

   I had to shift my gaze from what he was doing if I wanted to maintain the little sanity I was clutching onto.

   Camila's face didn't show much, but the fists her hands created were nothing short of white-knuckled and streaked with every visible vein one could imagine.

   Rav's face revealed nothing at all. With his elbows propped up on the table he and Cami were using, his head stayed buried within the confines of his open palms. The only thing I could get from him were the occasional sighs of frustration which escaped.

"Are you all there?" Tali's call broke me out of this imprisoning trance.

"Yes," I cleared my desert stricken throat. "We're still here."

"Good." She let out a shaky breath after her sober tone. "Because that's not all."

   Seriously?! 

   At this point, the world should be jumping for joy at the fact that I wasn't Bruce Banner/the Hulk. I would've gone full smash on every thing and one.

"Go on. We can hear you," I muttered, half-hoping she didn't hear me .

  Just because Tali had something to say didn't necessarily mean it was all bad. Maybe it was something that balanced out the previous news. But even if it wasn't, what could be possibly worse than the cancelled solo tour?

   Hit me, Talise.

"Zavlon Academia has cameras of their own as well and they're...well, everywhere."

   I take that back.

A/N: This is getting crazy 😂! Just when things couldn't get any worse. Vote if you think so too!

How do you guys think they'll get out of this one? Comment your predictions!

QOTD: How many languages do you speak?

I speak about 5 languages right now. Korean is my most recent!🎉🥳