Through the Glass
The sun dipped down behind the tall skyscrapers. In the east, the moon had already appeared. The round circle resembled Ma-Oktava from far away.
The room was quiet with the low hum of the fridge running.
Agile and Coven were still with Stella while their mentees were everywhere except where they were supposed to be.
Aureolo had not trained for the task Agile assigned him. And I saw Coope training in the main training room once, but Toxic… I have not seen her anywhere.
"Coven should focus more on that girl," Agile once said in front of me.
Agile cared for everyone, even the mentees training under Coven's authority.
Coven, on the other hand, was different. It felt like he didn't care for Toxic or Coope.
I once saw a side of him that never appeared when Agile was around. How his hands would twitch whenever he was lost in thought in the main training circle.
I saw it.
How he would sometimes train aggressively, as though bad dreams were haunting him.
Did Agile notice?
She always noticed everything.
When I was missing Ma, when I was missing Fattralla… or even Aourine.
She comforted me.
What about Coven…? Did she comfort him?
The orange light from the sun lit up the room. Everything appeared orange like Tuttwana's blood—my blood.
I slipped a finger beneath the edge of my mask and pulled it off, placing it on the coffee table in front of the L-shaped couch.
I stared at it, head tilting slightly. The orange shield emblem on the black mask caught the sun's light.
Time passed by as I stared at it.
Coven once said something about the emblem.
Something about what it meant.
I should have listened.
Should I tell Agile about this…?
I glanced towards the window in the lounge. The orange rays reflected against my yellow skin, painting it gold.
I stood up, walking over to the ceiling-to-glass window.
I came to a stop beside it. In front of me were the vast, tall buildings of the city, which I was not allowed to go to.
Huff.
I pressed my forehead against the glass.
The orange glint reflecting in my black beaded eyes.
My gaze lowered to the ground. There, I spotted the well-known three dangerous members of the Zionalma Kingdom: Noctira, Reaver, and Skarvek.
My eyes narrowed on Skarvek.
The last time I saw him…
The thought made my throat dry.
What were they doing out there? What were they conspiring now?
Were they planning to take another human victim and make their life horrible?
My palm pressed against the wall, watching them. I couldn't hear them through the glass window.
My body tensed up as the door creaked open behind me.
I immediately took a step back from the window, turning around to face whoever came through.
Aureolo!
What was he doing? He looked like he had just woken up from a nap. His hair was a mess, and he was dressed in those loose human sleeping clothes—"pajamas," as Aureolo called them.
"Hey, Tigeralla."
"Hi."
I crossed my arms, casting one last glance at the three Zionalma members before walking over to the couch. Hopefully, they didn't notice me staring.
He walked over to the coffeemaker, brewing himself a cup of coffee.
"It is late afternoon," I said.
"And?"
He opened the cabinet, taking out his mug with a black cat printed on it. Cat was one of the many nicknames he used for me because cats had claws too.
"You slept the entire day."
"Talking like Mama Agile."
I still didn't understand their 'Ma' jokes revolving around Agile.
"I am not," I answered defensively. My claws grew firmer.
"Sure, sure," he picked up the mug, taking a sip. "Where are Coope and Doxie?"
"I saw Coope in the main training room while Toxic… I have not seen her."
"Haven't seen her?" His eyebrows furrowed—processing.
"If you have not seen her, she is up to no good."
My eyebrows furrowed in confusion.
"How's that?"
"She is troublesome. Agile always keeps an eye on her, and as her teammates, we should too."
Only Agile kept an eye on her?
What about Coven?
Wasn't he her mentor?
"And Coven?"
"Coven?" he repeated. "Yeah, yeah. He says the same thing."
"He does?"
"All the time."
I blinked.
Would it be okay telling him?
Maybe I was hallucinating with what I saw?
A pause.
Should I tell him about Coven? Would he listen? Would he care?
They both were close friends…
If Agile had missed it, then maybe I was imagining things.
But if Aureolo noticed too…
"Aureolo…"
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