Elaine and Kyle had settled into small talk, the kind that felt casual yet carried unspoken layers, when Allan let out a long, audible sigh. He noticed that most of the students had already started filling the dining hall, the peace and quietness once held already being disrupted by the chatters that seemed to get louder with every passing minutes. Rising from his seat, he grabbed his sweater from the chair and prepared to leave.
Elaine, almost instinctively, reached out and caught his hand before he could step away.
"Wait… where are you going?" she asked softly, her fingers brushing his.
Allan turned slightly, his expression calm but unreadable.
"Somewhere," he replied.
Her brows knitted, curiosity pushing her forward. "Ok, but what if I..."she let her voice drawl as she knew he would understand what she meant.
Allan didn't miss a beat, a hint of playful calm in his tone. "No worries. You won't fall asleep. I'll meet you later." He leaned his head just slightly toward her, the movement subtle but deliberate. The later he meant was probably during the night where they would have to sleep together.
Kyle's eyes followed the interaction quietly. Their hands remained linked, Elaine holding on, and Kyle said nothing. His expression stayed composed, calm even, but there was something unreadable in his gaze.
Once Allan left, Kyle finally broke the silence.
"Since when did you two become… close?"
The question caught Elaine off guard. She scrunched her brows lightly, caught between surprise and a fleeting panic at how to answer. "When Allan and I… close, no, that's not true," she muttered, unsure.
Kyle didn't seem convinced. "How is that possible? The both of you were sitting here alone, talking," he said, his voice light, polite, almost playful but there was a sharp, inquisitive undertone that couldn't be ignored.
"Well, we just came here together because we both got sent out of class at the same time," she replied quickly, her ears turning red from embarrassment.
"Oh, so you two aren't close?" he asked again, pausing and staring at her deeply, wanting her to confirm.
"Well… we're not close. Just fairly familiar with each other," she answered, then threw her own question back at him. "Why are you asking?"
Kyle shrugged, a vague grin tugging at his lips. "Because you two make an odd pair."
Elaine laughed lightly, unsure of where the conversation was steering or what he meant by odd pair, she would want him make himself clear, but she didn't want there to be any misunderstanding s. She turned her attention toward the entrance of the dining hall.
June and Gwen were walking in, and June's face lit up with a broad smile when she noticed Elaine. Gwen's expression, as usual, was softer, neutral, almost unreadable. Gwen had softened demeanor toward Elaine had become normal, especially after learning their secret something June didn't know.
June had started toward Elaine, only to notice Kyle sitting opposite her. She paused, suspicion flashing across her face, then decided to walk to the other side of the dining hall. Elaine only rolled her eyes, knowing how much June was quick to pair people together, even the ones who were obviously a mismatch. Gwen followed June, keeping a neat distance as if deliberately trailing her.
When Elaine returned her gaze to the table, her eyes met Kyle's. But it wasn't her face that held his attention, it was her wrist. Where the phantom's mark had darkened, almost black, and she instinctively turned it toward the table, attempting to hide it. A shiver of discomfort ran through her at the attention it drew.
"What kind of injury is that?" Kyle asked, his voice laced with innocent curiosity and ignorance though it carried a subtle undertone that suggested he already knew it wasn't ordinary.
Elaine's mind scrambled, and she tried to play ignorant. "Injury?" she echoed, pretending to only just understand his words.
"The injury on your wrist," he repeated.
"Oh… I um… I got injured yesterday," she lied quickly, forcing a casual tone.
"Sorry, it must have been painful," he said softly. "Why don't you get it bandaged?"
"Well… nothing. It was quite late, so I just applied an ointment to it" she replied, avoiding his gaze.
Kyle simply said, "Oh," not pushing further, though his eyes lingered on her wrist a moment longer before finally shifting away.
Once he stopped talking, Elaine let herself drift into her own thoughts, scolding herself internally. She knew she should have asked Allan whether it was ok for the mark to be left out as it wasn't an ordinary looking mark. Kyle stayed quiet too, his eyes no longer wandering, yet the weight of his gaze remained. He knew the mark for what it truly was, but he chose to say nothing for now.
---
Time passed, and soon most of the students had left the dinning hall.
Allan walked along the pathway lined with tall, canopyed trees, the sunlight filtering through the leaves in shifting patterns. He sensed someone following him but didn't bother to look back, he already knew who it was as it was already about time.
Suddenly, a forceful hand grabbed the back of his collar, slamming him against one of the trees. The grip was firm, unrelenting, and Allan recognized the presence . It was Kyle.