Chapter 18- The Aronzaga's

Lanie's POV:

I slowly ambled out of the cafeteria. It's lunch break and all of the students can be seen here, eating their lunch. I am the only one who didn't find anything I'd like to eat.

It has been two days since that incident happened but I'm still scared.

The school's system is now fixed, but I'm still waiting for the re-investigation's result but it seems that I won't hear anything about it. I don't know if they caught the real culprit or still searching for him. Or maybe, they let him be.

I heaved a sigh. My head is still hurting just by thinking about what happened. Whoever did that failed to trap me but the impact is still there. Some of the students are still doubting me. I even heard them talking behind my back, especially those who actually saw what happened.

I stepped towards the hallway lazily. There are some students wandering around the school. They are all busy and occupied with the upcoming festival.

That festival! Ugh! That's still one of my problems. Because of the incident, I still don't know which department I am in.

I'm just walking directly in the hallway. I still don't know where I'm going. I saw the garden's entrance, I'm almost at the end of the hallway when I saw someone.

"Oh! Not now, please!" I whispered as I saw Yshmael walking towards my direction.

I immediately changed my route and turned around. Unfortunately, it seems that he's really looking for me. He called my name.

I pretended to hear nothing.

"Maelanie..."

One hand held my arm.

I acted like I'm very surprise to see him. "Oh, Yshmael, is there's something wrong? Do you need something from me?"

He tilted his head, "You're a bad liar, don't you know that?"

My smile faded and was replaced by annoyance. "What is it? Do you need anything from me?"

He handed me a small notebook. "I don't know how but Mr. Yuan let you do the interview."

My smile widened, I took the notebook. It has a symbol of the Journalism Club and a sigil of Saint Augustine.

"When can I start? And which family should I interview first?" I asked with excitement.

He leaned closer. "You can't talk to others. Only the Aronzagas, Maelanie," he whispered softly.

I stared at him. And why I can't talk to others? But before I can complain, we heard a soft voice calling him.

We both turned to where it came from.

"Here you are, son!"

I don't know how I should react when I saw the Mayor's wife approaching us.

She's too sophisticated and I'm intimidated.

"Mom, I told you to wait there." I don't know why Yshmael became sweet and calm.

His mother pouted and held his arm. "I told you too, you're going to eat lunch with us today," she sweetly said.

"Ahm... Excuse me, I think, I should go." I said akwardly.

Wrong move! I caught his mother's attention.

"Lanie?" She's confirming.

Abominably, I smiled and greeted her. "Hello, Mrs. Aronzaga."

The Mayor's wife smiled sweetly, she ignored her son and held my arm.

"Oh, my apologies hija, I didn't recognize you right away. Have you eaten? Would you like to join us? Let's have lunch together." She invited me.

"Huh?"

"Mom!" Yshmael hissed.

She just laughed at the way I and Yshmael reacted.

"Why? Are you not friends?" She asked, raising her brow

I suppressed my laughter. It's impossible to be friends with her son. Yshmael just smirked at her mother's remarks.

"It's not like that, Mrs. Aronazaga, I just need to do something." Alright! I'm lying.

"She's too busy for that, Mom." Yshmael said while looking at me intently. I even heard disapproval in his voice. As if I want to eat lunch with him!

The Mayor's wife just rolled her eyes at Yshmael and pulled me. "I want to have a lunch with my daughter's friend and you can't do anything about that, Marco."

And I can't do anything either when her mother completely pulled me!

I glanced at Yshmael for help but he just sighed and followed us.

We're still in the hallway and there's still some students wandering around. They kept looking at us while talking. Some raised their brows and rolled their eyes at me.

Who would not to? I am with the Mayor's wife and son!

I just kept staring at my shoes as we walked towards the parking lot.

Maybe six bodyguards approached us. They are all Mrs. Aronzaga's personal bodyguard.

"They're going with me, Mario." The Mayor's wife told her head of security.

"No, Mom. We can't do that. I and Maelanie will be on your car." He then faced the security's head. "Mario, Mom gonna be with you but after we're far enough from the Academy, we'll switching cars."

Mario nodded. He faced the guards and commanded them to move.

The three of us rode the same car. I and Yshmael's Mom are on the backseat while he's on the front seat beside Mario as a driver.

The three cars are on convoy, and the car we're in is in the middle. I saw the bodyguards on the motorcycles, they're alert and observing while staying in the both sides of the cars.

I and Yshmael are both quiet. Her mom is the only one who's talking and sharing stories happily. She's forcing her son to talk and Yshmael's being timid and stone sitting in her side. The only things I contributed are just nodding and smiling akwardly.

After maybe ten minutes, the cars stopped. Like what Yshmael planned, her mother switched cars. She's now on the other car accompannied by Mario.

Yshmael walks his Mom to the other car. I know they are just being careful but I still can't get enough with the feeling that something bad will happen.

"Move." I came back from my thoughts when Yshmael spoke. He's already on my side.

I moved to gave him space. He sat beside me. After a while, the cars started to move again.

"Scared?"

I glanced at Yshmael. He's just looking straight, I don't know if he's talking to me or he's just mumbling. I did not respond and chose to look outside the window.

"You should be," he said, again. "We're receiving death threats daily, as if we're just eating it for breakfast. Until now, we still don't know who's sending them. They can be my father's opponent because of the upcoming election. Or maybe our families enemy, or those who simply hate us for being alive. There are too many people want us dead..."

He paused for a while but it seems that he has a lot to say.

"... Or maybe they are from my father's people. Who wants to take his position from him. Anyone is under suspicion."

"Why are you telling me all of that?" I asked.

His gaze turned to mine. "We're facing a crisis now, Maelanie. My family has a lot of problems and issues that needed to be solve. I'm not sure but I feel that what's happening with you right now is somewhat connected to one of the crisis that my family has."

I stayed quiet. I don't know what to say. I want to think that I'm just having a nightmare, and all of these are not real. I never thought that my stay here will complicate everything.

"What made you think that what's happening right now is connected to your family?" I asked, out of the blue. I want to know his side, his thoughts. Because like what he said, I shouldn't trust anyone, and he's not an exception.

He chuckled, "I don't know that you're this naive, Maelanie." He kept shaking his head. "Do you really believe that what happened is just a coincidence? Because I doubted it, there's no things such coincidence, Maelanie. Everything is connected, even the smallest thing. They are all connected with each other."

I did not respond. I chose to, it's a shame but I know he's right. What happened is not just a pure coincidence, it was all planned. I just don't want to accept to myself that I'm trapped in this twisted situation.

Yshmael chose not to talk again. He fell into his thoughts again.

We stayed like that until we reached the huge arc of the village where their mansion is.

I don't know what he's thinking right now. And I can't ask him that, we are not that close. We are not even friends!

I felt the uneasiness again as the car stopped. I saw how the guards formed a line.

Yshmael get out of the car quickly. I followed him, while observing the sorrounding.

This is the second time that I got to see the Aronzaga's Mansion. The first one is when my family visited them before. But it was different back then. Maybe because it's night and dark while now, I'm seeing the mansion in a broad daylight. I'm amazed by just looking at it.

The bodyguards moves. Then I saw the Mayor and his eldest, Yvan Mortem approached us. They went straight to the only woman of the family.

They are all intimidating!

"Let's go." Yshmael said as he walked towards the staircase.

I nodded and followed him. My cellphone vibrated, making me stop.

I checked the message.

See you. Soonest.

❤