The Eleventh Gifted (The Gifted Fanfiction)

Chapter 45

Aria walked out of her father's car. She maintained a distance and waved her hand to say bye. Her father waved back at her before driving away.

She watched him disappear from her sight with a smile on her face, students passed by her. She didn't notice the boy with his spiky hair, hands in his pockets, walking towards her with a huge grin plastered on his face. It was Sol.

He ran towards her, jumped, and slung his left arm over her shoulders, pushing the both of them to bow.

"Good morning!" he greeted.

"Hey!" Aria complained playfully.

Sol laughed, and let go of her, satisfied with what he had done. He turned around and analysed the structure of the school from his point of view. "Excited to be back?"

Aria turned around too, fixing her half updo hairstyle. Her eyes narrowed a little and her lips pulled up, making a thin line. "I'd use nervous instead of excited."

Sol looked at her, but she was still eyeing the building. From the look of her unstable eyes, her constant swallowing, and her fidgeting fingers, she really was nervous.

She had gone quieter ever since she came back to their school after being at Ritdha High School for quite some time. The four of them noticed that change in her behaviour, but none of them were vocal about it. As friends, they made a rule not to force someone to tell something that they were not comfortable telling. They understood very well that everyone deserved privacy and everyone had a secret that they couldn't tell everyone. It sort of was their golden rule. Even Uno, who was the most jerk out of all of them, wouldn't push someone to tell them the problem if they did't want help. The same goes for Aria.

If she had a problem, and she wanted them to help, she would tell them. But if she didn't want to, she wouldn't. And they all respected that.

"Hey!" Sol pinched Aria's right cheek, which startled her from daydreaming about her past.

"That hurts!"

"I know. And that's to wake you up. What are you so gloomy about?"

"If only I could tell you, I would have done it already." "I'm not gloomy."

"Yeah, tell that to Lily once I sent her the picture I took while you're daydreaming."

"You took a picture of me?! Without permission?!"

Sol laughed and started running inside. The pissed Aria kept yelling his name and followed him inside to take his phone and delete that image of her. Not only would Lily give her a lecture, but Uno would laugh at her for sure and Ten would mock her unpleasant look. She was sure she didn't look good in that stolen photo.

Little did Aria know, there was no image in the first place.

"You punk get, back here!" she yelled, getting the attention of the students who were reviewing their notes.

That day was the Placement Exam. The day when Aria and Sol were transferring.

With the crowd, Aria lost her friend. She had no idea where he went. A light bulb opened above her head. The corner of her lips curled upwards, forming a mischievous grin. An invisible switch was pushed up; her potential was activated.

Noises surged in her ears, bringing back memories of her past in that school. But unlike before, her weak self wouldn't be able to pull off what she was about to do.

As if there was a control room inside her head, she turned everyone's volume down except for a certain voice, breathing pattern, heartbeat, and footsteps. It was him. It was Sol. He was just near her. Not too far. Maybe within ten metres? Where? Exactly where?