Canaan Club - 45. Chapter 45

“Seriously, guys,” Andre spoke as they walked back on familiar campus grounds after being teleported near the Diner by Rexel’s WardNav. “I can’t thank you enough for the save.”

His eyes rested on Bones the longest, which the brooding boy noticed.

He scoffed quietly. “Once is enough.”

Andre’s smile didn’t waver a single inch. “I don’t know much about you, but I know you wouldn’t go out of your way for no reason. So, thanks again.”

It made the dark-haired first-year stop short for a millisecond, his expression shifting with surprise before he hid it with another huff. “Again, I was there at the Diner when I saw you get kidnapped and figured I’d… ‘pay off a debt’?”

“Oh, yeah!” Joe perked up. “Rafe told me about how Andre saved you from getting crushed during their orientation.”

Bones’ lips pursed in growing indignance, although, a slight blush tinted his cheeks. “And now we’re even. I’m minding my own business from now on.”

Rudy chuckled as he saddled up to the young engineer, giving him a smug, disbelieving look. “Come on, man. Andre must’ve been pretty scared back there. Personally, I’ll take all the gratitude I can get. That place is terrifying!”

“And you say you and Linds have been there before?” Garrett addressed Rexel, who nodded with a grimace.

“Oh, yeah. I don’t know why Caid thinks he’s some kind of genius. Last year, we were able to just straight up follow his drunk ass on his way home one night. It was literally the perfect and only opportunity.”

“Opportunity for what?” Joe asked.

“That? Linds is gonna have to tell you that. And don’t worry, she will. She’ll have to if we want to make any more progress on the plan.”

A daunting thought struck Andre, and he was almost reluctant to find confirmation. “Are… you guys in some kind of war or…?”

Because it certainly felt like it.

Ferra was the one to answer him, humming as if he had provided the fitting term she had been searching around for the predicament they were in. “You could definitely say that.”

“Speaking of war,” Daeran spoke up, “you missed them bombing home base.”

Andre turned to the other boy, who was pointing westward. He had just noticed the crowd that had gathered while several more flocked to see what the commotion was all about. They had made it back near the Adam Society…

…or what was left of it.

The omé’s face paled as he stared directly into the aftermath of an explosion, three-fourths of the centermost dorm building reduced to a flaming pile of rubble and ash. Gleaming embers drifted across a background of dark smoke, forming a pillar that rose higher and higher into the evening sky.

“What…?”

“No,” Andre’s leg felt like jelly, the only thing holding him up was Daeran’s hand pressed against his back in comfort. “How could…?”

His widened, horrified eyes spun to the soot-covered Bones, who was surprisingly solemn.

“When I’m clean and have a drink in me, I’ll tell the scary tale of nearly getting my ass blown up, but you can pretty much guess who has it out for you so much that they’d plant a bomb in your room.”

“Is Rafe-”

Joe immediately stepped in, reassuring. “Wasn’t there when we stepped out, though, I’m not sure about any others. We’re freaking lucky, too, man. Good thing we suddenly decided to go find you guys for dinner, yeah?”

Rudy shrugged. “Probably wouldn’t even hurt him. It’d just make him angrier.”

That alleviated some of the dread stirring in Andre’s gut. He felt bad that he couldn’t think about the potential victims caught up in this disaster when his mind was all on his best friend, but the blond superhuman took priority. “You’ve seen him? Is he…?”

“I texted him on this thing,” Joe pulled his own WardNav from thin air – magic, most likely – and knuckle-tapped the screen, causing it to turn on. “For some reason, he wasn’t anywhere near campus. You guys are always attached at the hip every day, so it was kind of weird hearing he was by himself. Something happen between you two, bro?”

Andre’s face fell, guilt, an old friend, settling in with the terror in his stomach. “You could say that.”

-POI-

Lindsay’s apartment wasn’t too far off from the Adam Society, just being a yard or so apart, but the interior looked vastly different from the dorms assigned to the first three years. In actuality, Lindsay, Rexel, and Ferra, all second-year students, were sharing the space. The living room was a lot more expansive than it appeared on the outside, and they sure took to decorating the place as well.

A long navy-blue sofa sat upon polyester, facing green flames contained within a translucent glass within the fireplace. Even as Andre, who sat in one of the several armchairs that surrounded the fireplace and sofa, listened to Bones explain the situation in full, with the wolf adding in what he’s heard from his kidnappers every once in a while, he could feel the heat emanating through the barrier. The mounted animal heads across the blue and gold-textured wall behind him were a shock. Surely, they were plastic, but it was a telling detail to have. Were one of the girls hunters in their spare time?

The omé made a note to think about getting an apartment next year before responding after Bones finished.

“I’m sorry that happened. All your work is gone because of them.”

The enigmatic student really was an engineer of some sort, but his hobby, the mess that was his dorm room, had been incinerated moments after the bomb went off.

Although he didn’t seem too perturbed, the young wolf knew there had to be some crossness on the inside.

Bones, who leaned against the right side of the sofa with crossed arms and legs, simply waved him off with convincing nonchalance. “Don’t worry about it. This place is really a warzone, so I expect shit like this to happen. Besides, this place is dense with magical beings, so the mess will be cleaned in another minute or so.”

A few moments of silence went by as the specifics of the dilemma sank in.

Joe was the one to break it with a deep sigh. “So, that Zoel guy and his buddies are actually trying to kill us? Really feeling like we should get the authorities involved here. Or does that not exist here, too?”

“Doubt it,” Rudy chimed in, walking back from the G-shaped kitchen to his seat on the sofa with a mug of coffee. He was dressed in a dark tee and maroon pajama sweatpants. With the first-year dorms under attack until further notice, and his sister off at a study group, Rexel had deemed it safer for the humans to spend the night where everyone will be close by. “Though, I don’t doubt Gylarcan already knows who did it.”

Bones scoffed at that, that tinge of annoyance Andre knew was there finally sparking to life in his violet eyes. “Don’t expect him to do anything about it. It’s probably just nighttime entertainment for him, anyway.”

“You don’t like him?” Joe asked.

However, before he could answer, the door to the apartment slammed open and a golden blur raced in and to the center of the living room. Andre, along with the others, tensed, preparing to defend themselves. Only a vampire had that kind of speed, and they weren’t on good terms with the lot of them.

Fortunately, it wasn’t a vampire that glared back at all of them.

“Where is he!?” Rafe rasped, steel eyes ready to scorch down each and every one of them until he found whoever he was looking for.

“Rafe!?” Andre shot from his seat when his brain finally kicked in, and the blond’s head snapped to the right so quickly the omé didn’t catch a single millisecond of it in the process of turning.

“Dre!?” Rafe ambushed his best friend, nearly knocking the wingchair back when the back of the latter’s knees hit it. “Fuck, Dre! Please tell me you’re okay!”

Rafe held his face close, their noses nearly touching, as he scrutinized and searched every inch of his face for any sign of distress.

Andre swallowed. “Y-Yeah, I’m-”

“No. They have to have hurt you somehow,” the superhuman shook his head frantically, continuing his panicked inspection, and Andre just noticed how uneven the blond’s breaths were coming in. “They’re threatening you not to tell me, are they? I swear. I swear I’ll fucking kill them when-”

“Rafe!” This time, the young wolf reciprocated, his smaller hands framing his friend’s head, which thankfully seemed to soothe him.

“It’s okay,” he crooned softly, smiling in relief over Rafe’s fussing. He hoped the boy wasn’t still angry. “I’m not hurt. Just a bit… stressed out from how this day is going, but I swear I’m fine. These guys saved me before anything could happen.”

“His knights in shiny armor,” Rudy piped up proudly, tapping his chest with a smug smirk. “Or rather, an overgrown mosquito hussy constantly draped in eyesore red and smudged black.”

Rexel, sitting on his left, glared at him. “Rudy.”

“Oh, don’t lie. You hate her, too.”

The rainbow-haired girl huffed and crossed her arms, eyeing him indignantly. “Leave it to you to ruin a sweet make-up moment.”

“So, now I’ve found myself in some chic romance drama,” Bones muttered to himself, shaking his head. “Today is going all kinds of places, isn’t it?”

“Not that I’m not glad you’re here, bro, but how’d you know we were here of all places?” Joe walked over to them.

Rafe didn’t look away from Andre even as he answered, nodding down at the omé. “I had a feeling you were here.”

A feeling?

Could… Could that be…?

“You felt… Andre was here, or…?” Rexel was just as confounded as the young wolf’s thoughts.

Rafe shrugged. “Yeah. I don’t know how to explain it, but I could feel something nagging at me even before Joe texted me.”

“Oh!” the metaphorical lightbulb lit up above Ferra’s dark head. “I think that’s-”

Bones cut her revelation off, huffing impatiently as he addressed the blond superhuman. “Getting back on topic, you saw what happened to your dorm, right?”

“Yeah. For a second, I thought…” he trailed off, that worry was no longer directed at only Andre, but at Joe and Daeran as well. Though, his hand latched on to the young wolf’s, and something in the latter’s chest warmed when their fingers intertwined.

Bones nodded. “Then, consider the pup’s napping a blessing in disguise, but those two went out looking for you both when you didn’t come back.”

“But who could’ve-”

It clicked almost immediately.

“That. Fucking. Rat,” Rafe gritted, gray eyes tinting crimson.

Joe sighed solemnly. “Yeah, man.”

“I knew the guy was an absolute petty bitch, but this is crossing psycho bitch lines,” Rudy stated, glaring into his mug.

“And you know whose thumb he’s under,” Daeran said. “Deyja could have ordered him to bomb the dorms in hopes of taking us out.”

“But that’s a risky move,” Rexel contested, suddenly confused with the rest of them. “If they planned on kidnapping one of you guys, you all could have been in your dorms by then. Andre was gone for close to five hours, and the explosion didn’t happen until Joe and Daeran were long gone looking for him and Rafe.”

“They had to have given the signal after you guys escaped. They thought you’d head back to the first-year dorms,” Rafe put in.

Honestly, as bad as these guys were, they weren’t coming off as competent.

Daeran nodded. “Makes the most sense. If they did it before, then they’d have no leverage.”

Bones was about to comment when his eyes promptly shot toward the entrance, then looked away with a sigh. “About fucking time.”

Further mystification accompanied shock when the door opened up again – less violently this time – and not only Lindsay but Frodd, too, strolled in, the former a little less put-together than the latter.

“Frodd? You’re here, too?” Joe scanned him over with wide eyes. “I mean, I’m glad you’re okay, bro, but I didn’t know you’d be showing up.”

“He’s a part of this mess, so he’s going to help us clean it up,” Bones spoke pointedly, but either the barbarian didn’t hear him or just chose to ignore him when he looked over each of his teammates, distress radiating from his very being.

“Friends!? I’ve ‘eard what’s been goin’ on! Is everyone okay? Andre?”

The omé startled a bit when the club-wielding boy got closer to check over him, his fretfulness still climbing. By the intense guilt he saw in the redhead’s eyes, Andre guessed that he probably blamed himself for the kidnapping.

“I’m okay, dude,” Andre made sure his smile was wide and reassuring. “Thanks.”

Though, it only made him purse his lips tight before directing a resolved and determined glance at each of them. “I swear, I’ll fix this. I’ve made a bags of cozying up t’ those damned leeches all for a wee bit of power. I’ll make it up t’ you. All o’ you.”

The room went silent not out of awkwardness but out of awe. It confirmed the picture that the young barbarian was just a lonely and confused kid wanting to be seen. It made him an easy target for manipulation, and Deyja and her cronies preyed on that.

“I get it, man,” Rafe reached over, still not letting go of Andre’s hand, and clapped Frodd on the shoulder. “And I trust you on that.”

Frodd nodded before scratching his forehead, trying to hide a sniffle. He could see the trust and belief his friends had for him, and it was especially big coming from Rafe. However, Lindsay didn’t get the same treatment as when those steel eyes rested on her, that air of faith dissipated.

Once again, either she wasn’t aware, or she disregarded it entirely. “I have to ask again. Is everyone really okay? I saw people being carried out of the smoke, and I thought…”

That’s right. Joe and Daeran may have been the intended targets, but that didn’t mean that no one else was caught in the crossfire.

“They were hurt, but… did anyone…?” Andre didn’t want to say it.

Were the authorities here so blasé about the in-fighting that death wasn’t even a possible concern?

“No,” the engineer shook his head, sure of himself. “Luckily, nobody was really nearby the bomb enough to receive fatal injuries. I would have sensed a life leaving if that were the case.”

A rare ability, sensing life energy. Now, Andre had to wonder what not only Daeran but Bones was, too.

“Damn. You can do that?” Rudy appraised Bones. “You’re certainly a mystery bag of tricks, aren’t you?”

“But who could’ve-”

The neutral expression on Bones’ face since Frodd’s speech shifted into an annoyed sneer once Lindsay started talking. “You know who. It’s not that hard to figure it out. That overgrown shit-licker and his pack of mutts are stepping up their game even further.”

“Damn it! I should have known!” She cursed.

Which was odd. Wasn’t this explained back at the Diner? Why was she acting all surprised?

Bones wasn’t quite finished with his admonishment. “Yes. You should’ve known they’d cross the line into attempted murder. For the gods’ sakes, they’re wolves. They don’t have the soundest of morals or regard for human law.”

“Um. Not exactly true. Our boy here is a golden star boy scout,” Rudy pointed to Andre, who blushed in response.

A squeeze of his hand drew his attention to Rafe, who was grinning down at the omé. Andre smiled and squeezed right back.

“Dude. Not the time,” Garrett deadpanned.

“I promise, I’ll take care of everything right now,” Lindsay turned to each of the first-years, but unlike with Frodd, the distrust didn’t fade from their gazes. “They’re not going to-”

“No.”

Lindsay blinked, then turned to Bones. “Excuse me.”

“You’re not doing this again,” he pinned the blue-haired girl with a scowl. “Not to me. Stringing us along by our coattails, waiting for more bullshit to happen, your empty fucking promises! You might not have realized, but I was there hours ago when you were selling your fake shit to those two. Two fucking attempts at murder. Two! And you still wanna keep your fucking secrets!?”

The second-year’s mouth opened and closed for a few seconds, taken aback at being scolded so harshly, before it morphed into a glower of her own. “Excuse you!? I don’t have to explain myself to you! Nobody’s after you! I know it looks like I’m sitting on my hands-”

“You have no idea, princess.”

She continued as if he hadn’t spoken, “-but I am looking out for them even if they don’t realize it. It’s… It’s just that… it’s not my story to tell and-”

“Give me the satchel.”

“I- what? No, you can’t-”

“That wasn’t a request, princess,” Bones scoffed. “You’ve been relieved of your duties of being ‘lookout’? A much more suitable individual has applied for the job, and he’ll be a much better fit for it than you. And that starts by giving me the satchel.”

Rexel tried to get in between them. “Guys, please-”

“You think I’m gonna listen to you!?” Lindsay stomped toward him while the young engineer remained unmoved and unintimidated. “You need to get it through that empty skull of yours that no snot-nosed, arrogant twit like you is gonna tell me what to do, so, why don’t you kindly get the fuck out of my apartment and never come back. Okay, sweetie?”

She smiled saccharinely as she waved at the door, gesturing to it for him to go. Bones still didn’t move.

“Should we do something?” Andre whispered anxiously to Rafe, who shook his head.

“Nah. Let this play out. We might get somewhere.”

Right. If the blond superhuman couldn’t get to her, then maybe the violet-eyed, mysterious boy might break her walls.

Bones stared back at Lindsay, bored and unaffected. “Alright. You’ve had your chance.”

“Well, then? Leave.”

“Don’t worry,” he lifted his hands. “I will, but Nizzy will be searching for it in the meantime. And the only person who can stop him is me. So, good luck with that.”

That made her frown uncertainly. “What are you-”

CRASH!

The sound of wood explosions reverberated down the L-shaped hallway, where the apartment bedrooms were situated. Lindsay glanced owlishly between the corridor and a relaxed Bones for a moment before darting off toward her room, the others following right behind her.

“Holy shit, King Kong!” Rudy exclaimed when the door to her room was swung open.

Indeed, a large gorilla was making all the ruckus. But how Bones got an almost-six-foot, mechanical, brown – and gray in some parts – ape with two rows of teeth and oversized robot hooks into the apartment unnoticed was beyond anyone.

Andre chalked it up to magic.

And now, that magic was pilfering through Lindsay’s room, gigantic mitts smashing through her desk and drawers in a frantic search for the hidden satchel.

“What the hell are you doing!?” Lindsay cried. “Stop it!”

Bones calmly walked up next to her and responded coldly. “Sorry. I can hear you over my ‘kindly getting the fuck out of your apartment’ right now, but you know where to find me when we can talk.”

Then, he spun around and walked away.

“Come on, dude!” Garrett tried to coax him, but the young violet-eyed engineer ignored the protests.

Rexel, Rudy, and Ferra tensed, summoning their individual powers. They were gonna fight this thing off. Andre wanted to stop it, too, but Rafe – still holding his hand – who was still shockingly tranquil despite the scene before him, glared Lindsay down knowingly.

“Lindsay.”

Through her freaking out, their blue-headed friend was able to catch that monosyllabic demand. Lindsay regarded Rafe with pitifully shimmering cerulean eyes, and the superhuman just nodded.

A beat passed. Another crash.

Lindsay sighed, defeated.

The robot gorilla, Nizzy, was about to throw a lamp at the fight-ready humans when-

“Alright.”

Everyone stopped.

The ape paused mid-swing.

Bones, who hadn’t left after all, walked back into the entrance backward, eyeing the girl expectantly. Lindsay paid him no mind as she sauntered toward her bed at the other end of the room, grabbing her lumbar pillow.

“I hated smelling like mushrooms every morning anyway,” she murmured before lifting it and removing a tag of odd scribblings from it.

Blue energy lit up the room for a brief period, dying down a second later to reveal the satchel, beige as it was the day Hecuba Collins tossed it into Daeran’s lap.

“You mean you’ve been using that thing as a headrest the entire time?” Rudy balked.

Bones nodded, slightly impressed. “Nice hiding spot, now hand it over.”

“No.”

The engineer scowled in Rafe’s direction, violet clashing with silver. “Are you serious?”

“Yeah, I’m fucking serious!” the blond growled. “I wanna know everything. The whole story so I know who to trust. This school is fucking insane so far, everyone’s after that thing in front of us, and we still don’t know who to trust.”

He glanced at Lindsay, whose head sunk so her hair hid her face. She raised it in shock when Rafe continued. “But we can trust you. We just need to know… why? Why all this shit for a goddamn bag of uppers? And let us help you.”

The blue-haired second-year gaped at him, most likely thinking of the Diner argument, but the nods from Joe and Daeran reaffirmed his statement.

“Linds,” Rexel stood beside her, smiling reassuringly. “It’s time.”

“You’re right,” Lindsay nodded, then turned to Rafe. “And you’re right, Rafe. I’ll tell you everything. It wasn’t fair to hide it from you guys when you were the ones being targeted. I just thought I could get revenge on my own, and for that, I’m sorry. Let’s take this back to the living room.”

Her eyes went to the frozen ape at the end of her bed, then glowered at Bones. “And for god’s sake, get your pet robot ape out of my room. And you’re paying for everything it destroyed.”

Bones huffed. “Bossy-ass princess.”

She rolled her eyes. “Emo jerk.”