CHAPTER 68: PREPARATIONS

Dear Miss Chester

The Management of Olympia hopes this letter got to you.

Together with the Ministry of Superhuman Affairs, we had come to a conclusion. Owing that this is the first time all contestants came back alive, it has proven not only your worth but your undying strengths. Mr. Fang did present the Medallion and was the winner of the phantom games, but the management isn’t just impressed with him alone. We have decided to make an exception this year, and offer the other three contestants too scholarship to study at Olympia. Before the evening comes to an end, you’ll get a list of the basic things you’ll need to get before resuming.

Congratulations, Miss Chester.

"Oh my God, is this an alternative universe?" Yuan was seriously confused and flabbergasted by the letter, "Let me see,"

As she snatched it from Aaliyah to see for herself, Aaliyah’s feet began to tremble. She didn’t know whether it was from the excitement or something else, but she hadn’t expected this at all.

"This does not just happen!" Yuan continued to rant, sitting on the couch and taking her time to give it some thought, "Olympia is super strict when it comes to accepting students for normal admission...and now they just hand out four scholarships? No way. This is unbelievable. What is going on this time?"

"What do you mean?" Aaliyah sat next to her.

"It’s just... Could there be something behind this? No offense but Blake is the only one supposed to get that admission. I feel like the whole saying about being impressed that the four of you survived is just the perfect excuse!"

"Or maybe it’s just a miracle and the school is trying to be generous this year. Or aren’t you the one who was pushing me to participate in the games so we could also be school besties?" Aaliyah questioned, not too happy with Yuan’s reaction to the letter.

"I know, I did and I’m happy for you. It’s just that I can’t help but get a bad feeling about this. And... Olympia isn’t...," Yuan paused, swallowing her words before she could say more.

"Olympia isn’t what?"

"It’s nothing,"

"Oh, it’s nothing? I thought we talked about this the other day. We are not supposed to keep things from each other! I was asking you what happened at the Square when you returned just minutes ago and you wouldn’t speak. Is this how we are gonna do things now? Is this how you want it? Why are you becoming distant?"

"I’m not becoming distant. There are just...things I cannot tell you!"

"Why can’t you tell me?" Aaliyah heatedly flung at her.

Yuan burst back with a heavy voice, "Because you’re not a student of Olympia! We, Olympians aren’t allowed to say anything about this to outsiders. It is the unbreakable rule. What happens inside...stays inside!!"

Aaliyah stared at Yuan, speechless.

Now she understood. This was why Yuan never told her she was being bullied, and whenever Aaliyah brought up Olympia and what happened in school, Yuan usually said it was boring and would change the topic.

Aaliyah never thought of it as anything because she believed her best friend.

But now it made sense. A lot of things must have been happening, but this strict school rule had hindered her.

"Is this the reason you wanted me to take part in the games? So that I could become a student too and you could stop hiding things from me?"

Aaliyah was pissed, honestly. But she also wanted to reason with her friend and put the faults aside.

"Yes!" Yuan breathed loudly, feeling some much load thrown off her shoulders, "Yes, Liya. And...I didn’t know how to start explaining or...You were definitely gonna ask more questions no matter how much I tried to get around it, so I didn’t...,"

It didn’t make sense but Aaliyah knew what her friend was trying to say.

"It must have been so hard on you. Now I feel terrible for yelling at you,"

"And I yelled back, and I kept things from you, so you have no reason to be sorry. You had every right to know why I was being secretive,"

"It’s fine. I totally understand now,"

"But now that you’ve been accepted into the school, I feel so good. I can tell you anything and everything now! This is so suspicious of them but also Amazing! It’s crazy suspazing!"

"Suspazing? Is that a word now?" Aaliyah laughed, seeing how Yuan had joined the words suspicious and amazing into one.

"It could catch on," Yuan laughed too.

"Good, now tell me everything. Everything. Single. Thing. Right. Now. All that I have missed!" Aaliyah enunciated each word to prove her point, showing her serious and curious she was to learn everything that was going on.

"Olympia is a crazy and Dark place to be, Liya. A lot has happened in just the year I’ve been attending the school, and several students have died in the most uncanny and terrible ways. There’s been so much drama and blood and it just keeps getting worse!"

"How bad would you say it is rating it from one to ten?"

"Ten million!"

"That’s terrible. What is the school doing about it?"

"The students are the ones breaking the rules. There are places in Olympia that are forbidden. Once you get ahead of yourself and step into the forbidden places, you don’t come out with your sanity intact. Only one boy had survived when he stepped into the forbidden floor with his friends... He returned alone carrying the limbs of his friends and has not spoken a word to anyone. Not even a letter. His roommates always report how he screams in his sleep till this day," Yuan shivered lightly, the memory of seeing the boy’s lifeless eyes was imprinted in her brain.

"Oh my." Aaliyah covered her mouth, horrified.

"He’s scarred forever. A mute during the day, and the hunted at night,"

"The school should get rid of the forbidden rooms! What the hell are they thinking allowing stubborn students to keep wandering in there?

"Well, the Chancellor said the rooms are serving a purpose being in the school grounds. They cannot get rid of it because we keep killing ourselves inside of it,"

"That’s heartless of him! You said his name was Theodore Kayne, right?"

Aaliyah blinked, a weird feeling shaking her up. The name was ringing a bell inside her head, but she could not explain why or what was going on.

"You have no idea how heartless that man can be." Commented Yuan.

The other letter arrived in the evening and Yuan took Aaliyah to The Square to get everything on the list. When they returned, they found a delivery sitting on their doorsteps. Olympia had sent Aaliyah every other thing including books...and there was a small book among the stuff that requested she be a dormitory student.

It contained all the rules of the school, and Yuan noticed that there were new school rules, including one that said it was now compulsory for all students to live in the school premises and sleep in the dorms.

"I knew it!" Yuan exclaimed reading the new rules in her head, "There’s something crazy happening or about to happen at Olympia. It’s already strange Enough that they accepted you four into the school and now they’re imposing this too?"

"What do you suggest could be happening at Olympia now?"

"Anything! It’s the safest place I can think of, but could also prove dangerous. Olympia is unpredictable. Ever since it was founded and the Senate tried to buy shares or take part in it, Mr. Kayne has never let him get close. Kayne is the founder and owner of Olympia. Everything else falls under him. He’s a powerhouse. Everyone in that school is just crazy and scary,"

The girls walked into the house and continued their preparation for school. Aaliyah sat down and went through the book thoroughly, making sure she didn’t miss a word. The delivery that came contained so many important things she was going to need, including her robe which was said to be worn compulsory three times a week on specific days, or days authorized that it should be worn apart from the other three days.

The robe was exactly her size and length. How did they...get her measurements? When?

The only person she could think of was the teacher that had stood behind her. Vampires have gotten sharp eyes, so she wasn’t so surprised.

But, the aura he had given off... felt different from that of a Vampire.

As their chats and preparations went on for resuming Olympia, time flew by quickly and it was finally the D-Day. They had just completed packing up their things when two able Vampires arrived in front of their door.

Yuan explained to Aaliyah that they were called collectors and had been sent by the school to take their belongings to their dorms.

"So, where to?" Aaliyah asked as the collectors left.

"The Transporters leave a few minutes. Climb my back," Yuna squatted In front of Aaliyah and patted her own back, "Let me give you a ride to our next destination,"