9th ♀

"The thing is, I can be your sister."

"No, I am your sister."

"Oh, my gosh. You're Finn!"

"Please, can you just say that you're my brother? I want to get out of here."

"Will you be my brother?"

"Want to have a sister? I'm available. Twins even."

"Can I ask you a question? Could it be possible that you're Finn Pearce? I'm Fiona Pearce. Does that ring any bell?"

"Can you believe it? We're related! Small world."

"Good thing I'm not in love with you. You can be my brother."

"I'm one of the inspection committee. Newly created organization to detect fake identities around this school. You're under investigation. Hand over your documents."

"If you're not Finn, can you take me out for a date? A walk?"

"I'm going crazy now. Could you just tell me that you would never tell anyone what you'd found out yesterday? That is, if you're not Finn."

I exhaled, hand held up against the mirror on the wall. I kept on thinking what would be the best way to convince Grayson to do me the favor of hiding my secret. I had to say something to him soon, but I wasn't able to think of anything that would sound good, or at least decent and not bizarre. Ending the skit that I was practicing in front of the mirror, I opened the door again to see if he was already in sight.

Nope, not yet.

It was now fifteen minutes after seven in the morning. The class was about to start at eight. I got Grayson's number from Jayden, and I texted Grayson that we should talk this morning so that I could explain everything to him. Actually, I first asked KN for his number, when the white dove finally crossed across our room and had put a truce to yet again another war between us, but KN refused to even dart me a glance.

Unlike him, I was never the one to hold a grudge for long, no matter how much I wanted to. I always seemed to forget it after some time. KN got my covers stained, and I got his shirt smeared with red sauce. We were even, and my furiousness had already subsided.

But all in all, KN was still so angry with what I had done. Talk about what he had done. So aside from yelling at me when my alarm clock went berserk at five-thirty this morning, we hadn't talked to each other at all.

Oh, I forgot to mention that Dad had bought me a new alarm clock. I had it secured around my bedpost, just in case KN would be thinking of throwing that one again. And just to be sure, I used a metal chain, courtesy of Dad as well, to do so, if it would so happen that finding a scissor to cut a thread or two would be very easy for KN. But I hadn't told Dad what the metal chain was for, not specifically. I said that it was to keep my things protected.

I did consider trying to use my phone instead as an alarm, but there was always the danger that KN might slam it into the wall, too. He nearly did, half-awake the other day and still dreaming that he was made to save the world from annoying alarms. And it wasn't like I could secure my phone in one place, either.

So, no thanks. Phones were expensive.

Still waiting in the locker room, I didn't fret that much, because it was only a little after seven and no one was yet around. Everyone was probably still in bed or eating breakfast. The door of the locker room had already opened twice; both were done by the same cleaning lady. And every time it opened, it sent my heart flying a hundred feet off the ground.

Five more minutes, and still, there was no sign of Grayson. Did he get my message? I was certain that I'd told him to meet me around seven, before our other classmates would get here. Of course, we had to talk in private if I wanted to keep my secret from the ears of many.

Fingers-crossed!

"So this is what you're up to early in the morning? You're in this room all alone. What a good reason to wake me up at five-thirty." That was KN. Or maybe I was getting delusional ever since I had hit him with the spaghetti. I was still thinking how he'd make me pay for it. But hey, I was also a victim of his prank.

However, the voice seemed real. There was this greater chance that it was not a product of my imagination. And turning back, I saw none other than KN himself, in gym clothes and breathing. He wasn't a ghost. It also crossed my mind that this place might be haunted as well, for all I knew.

But thinking how he entered the door without me seeing him, I asked, "How did you get in?"

"The door," KN answered, perplexed, "obviously."

"I know that," I said back. "I mean, how did you get in here? There's only one door."

"If you'd like to think that I walked through the wall, feel free," he said sarcastically. And here I was thinking that we were not on speaking terms.

"Didn't know you could pass through walls," I listlessly replied.

"Look how stupid you are. There is another door, for your information." KN pointed behind him, across the set of lockers.

"There's another door?" I asked with due astonishment. "I thought there was only one for this room?"

"This is the locker room for the cleaning personnel. There are two doors for this one, in case you haven't been informed, which I highly believe you are. Maybe you're talking about the gym locker room, the one that has one door and right across this room," he said, pushing me aside.

At first, I didn't believe him. But when he opened the wooden locker door behind me to get some things, I realized where I actually was. He wasn't kidding when he said that this wasn't the gym's locker. So that was why the cleaning lady gave me that look a moment ago. This place was theirs in the first place. I was the one intruding, if any.

"But why didn't anyone tell me a thing? The cleaning lady passed me twice. You know, the one who cleaned our room last night? She didn't even say anything," I complained.

"Right. I almost forgot," KN said with disdain, pinning me to the wall. Then he muttered to my face, his breath hot on my skin, "You threw spaghetti on my face last night."

"Hey, you put a plate of it under my covers." I shoved him away. Hooray for informing a pretending man that it was okay to shove someone away from your face. This time around, I tried posing a threat for him instead, "Come closer, and I'll think you're interested with me."

"Right." KN just laughed.

Maybe that was an empty threat in itself. "Okay, fine. You're not. I'm not you, so how can you be interested in me?"

He didn't stop repeating that one infuriating laughter. "Whatever made you think that?"

"Ha... ha... Want to share the joy?"

"And Maria's mute," KN informed me, grabbing some cleaning tools, before shutting the locker door close. "And maybe yes, I'd love to be interested in you. I'm gay, remember?"

"Just what I thought!" I exclaimed. So after all, he was really obsessed with me. My charms had worked their way to him. So unbelievable.

"So can you change rooms now?" he said, ending the laughing mood altogether. He really had a thing for saying things face to face, especially when I was involved. And okay, I got it. He made his point clear.

Yes, I was wrong again.

He wasn't some obsessive gay serial killer roommate. It was all about changing rooms. He was really forcing me with that for the last couple of days. So he thought that I'd say yes just because he said so? He could dream on.

"You know what, mate, you can fall in love with me, and I don't care. I love our room, and you just have to live with it," I said back, acting so cool as I found my way out of the cleaning personnel's locker room.

"Fine. But don't say I didn't warn you," KN further threatened me.

In case I was his long-lost self, I wouldn't be bothered. "Fine."

"Ahh... it feels good to have a bathroom all to yourself in this place," KN said in a low voice, but it was still loud enough for me to hear his irksome thoughts.

Walking along, I searched for the said door. And right on, the door he was talking about was just behind the lockers. Not that I actually believed he passed across the wall. From the outside, it carried the sign Cleaning Department. It turned out that the one where I actually expected Grayson to enter was the back door of the cleaning department.

Oh, great. Next time, I should read the signs first.

And KN was right again. The gym locker room was on the other side. Without another thought, I hurriedly ran towards it. It was already seven-fifteen in the morning. Grayson and I were supposed to be meeting at seven.

Hurriedly opening the door, I scanned the room for Grayson. There were about ten heads in the room, but none of them belonged to Grayson Phillips.

"Hey, man!" Jayden, who was shirtless, greeted me.

"Hey," I said back, walking around to see if I'd missed Grayson or something. Ending up with no Grayson in the room, I sighed. There was no point in finding Grayson now anyway. The room wasn't as vacant as it supposedly was at seven in the morning. I knew I should have had picked a less conspicuous spot. But I didn't, thinking that maybe Grayson would think I was some freak who wanted to corner him in the middle of nowhere.

But hey, Grayson already knew I wasn't capable of hurting a fly. I couldn't even punch. Anyway, it was now a lost cause. I was the one who had picked this spot. It was also I who had gotten confused and ended up in the cleaning department.

No one to blame but me, myself, and I.

"You're up and early," noted Jayden, as he put his shirt in place and found me steadying in one spot instead of moving around. Jayden having his shirt on was better. I couldn't possibly hold my breath for long.

"Yup, early," I repeated, anxiously smiling. I had my fair share of reasons why I was always more or less late for class, like the alarm clock terminator sharing the same room with me.

"People have a thing for their first PE class this year? Grayson's surprisingly early, too." Daniel got out of the shower, and he only had a towel hanging around his hips. "Water's broke in my room."

"You should have showered after the first period," said Jayden. "Our instructor's Mr. Flitch."

"Damn, it's him? This would be such a good year!" Daniel said eagerly, walking towards his locker. I knew I should really get out of this place. Daniel was already in front of his locker, with his hands on the towel that was safely covering his lower body. Any minute now, my eyes would be invading someone else's privacy.

"Gotta go first. I'll wait for you guys outside," I hurriedly said.

Jayden was still saying something, but I hadn't heard the rest of it. I just nodded and pretended to be in a real hurry to get out for whatever reason. Some other guys were changing as well. And with due respect, I shouldn't be looking at their things. So I found myself stumbling my way out of the room to the gymnasium.

I breathed.

Looking around, I couldn't help but think how much I hated the gym. It was all about sweat, and nothing within that line that made me like it.

Feeling down for not being able to talk to Grayson this morning and having PE today, I found my way to the bench instead of joining the rest of the class gathering around in the center of the court. Since the instructor was finally back from his island hopping trip, which got extended due to some technical problems on his way home, the seniors were obligated to have their PE class this year for real. We still had this period vacant for the last few weeks.

"Someone's here early."

"Surprisingly."

I looked up and saw the most well-known senior duo: Austin and Christoffer. If they were attending Heatherville High School, they'd be categorized under heartthrobs, or simply guys whom you would throw yourself at, no questions asked. But here, they just blended well with the rest—sluggish shirts and messed-up hair.

Christoffer asked me as he took a seat, "What's with the paint on your shirt?"

"Paint?" I echoed, looking at my shirt. I looked all over before I found what he had pointed out. It was a blue paint on my left sleeve. "Where did I get this?"

"Beats me," he said, shrugging his shoulders. "So you like PE?"

I half-heartedly nodded, not wanting to elaborate the reason why I was here this early. I'd rather let them have it that I liked PE, even if it was nothing but a huge bluff.

"Then you must be the only one," said Austin, sliding against the bench.

"There's Daniel," commented Christoffer. "He loves PE. He's insane."

"Only Daniel? You guys don't like it?" I asked. In my old school, PE class was the only time that most of the guys were attentive the whole period. It never happened to any other class.

"Hardly," muttered Austin.

"I'd rather sleep," said Christoffer, stretching out his arms. And really, I felt the same way. I'd love to go back to bed.

"How about the quarterback? MVP?" I questioned them instead, interested. No school would be complete without one of the main components of a school system—the jocks.

"None," they both replied at the same time.

"Wait, I think we have one before." Austin gave it a thought.

"Can't remember," said Christoffer.

"Why?" I asked again, completely unable to find a suitable reason for what they were saying.

"No one to impress, no effort needed," said Christoffer, folding the sleeves of his shirt and displaying his solid upper arms. They might not be interested in sports here, but they were all surely keeping their body in good shape, I noticed.

Picking himself up from his sluggish position, Austin looked in his bag. "Chris, did you bring the bottled waters?"

"It's not there?" Christoffer turned his gaze to him, bending a little since they were sitting apart with me in between.

"Nope."

Christoffer pulled his bag that was slacking near my feet. He unloaded everything by turning it inside out. One by one, his things fell to the ground. Now that was one quick way of finding a missing water bottle.

"Not here, either," Christoffer added, after a while of futile searching. Everything was already spread out on the floor. And clearly, no bottled water was seen.

"Man, we got to have one!" Austin looked as if it would be the end of the world if he didn't have a water bottle with him.

"What's with the water?" I asked the two, looking from one to the other.

"You don't know Mr. Flitch. He's a monster," Austin said. "Gonna grab two. Want one, Jules?"

"Sure," I needlessly replied. The look on his face was earnest, like we desperately needed those bottled waters. "Um, thanks, man."

"He gets thirsty all the time," commented Christoffer, greeting the others who just came in the gym.

"Is he that bad?" I asked Christoffer. "Mr. Flitch?"

After waving to Jayden, who was heading towards our direction, Christoffer answered, "You just have to know for yourself. You have stamina? You'll need it."

"Stamina?" I repeated. "Nope, I don't think I have that."

"Good luck with that," Christoffer said, getting up from his seat.

I stood up as well.

We were joined by Jayden. "You're up to no good, Jules. You'll wish that you're Daniel when you're in this class."

"Is this class that bad?"

"Oh yeah," said Jayden, putting his arm over my shoulders and pulling me to the rest of the group. Christoffer followed along, leaving their bags in the bench.

I saw KN from the group that just entered the gym. He was walking alone, ignoring others like always. He was really one snob human being. It wasn't that hard to say that no one was into acting friendly with him, either. And the more I observed KN, the more I realized why he was harshly labeled as an assassin. The deadly look in his eyes could shoot someone dead.

A loud whistle resounded and everyone gathered in the middle. I saw a glimpse of Mr. Flitch. He wasn't as horrifying as I'd assumed him to be. Not a monster, either. He had the same uniform that we had, but his shirt had the word Coach behind it. It wasn't until he spoke that I came to know why they said that I was up to no good, especially if I had the stamina of an old lady.

"Twenty laps around the court. Go!" Mr. Flitch announced. Everyone groaned, except for Daniel, who was somewhat enthusiastic about the whole thing.

"Twenty?" I asked Jayden, wondering if I only heard it wrong. We were not varsities out here. We were only normal students forced to have a two-hour PE class every Tuesday morning, not to mention that it was scheduled for first period.

"Come on, boys! Pick yourselves up. The gym will be decorated for the exhibit. They won't wait for you to finish those twenty laps," Mr. Flitch shouted, whistling after.

I heard a few more groans, before someone started moving. Namely, it was Daniel. He was so excited that it was very bothersome, given the group he was with. It was really a good thing that I'd accidentally found that the cleaning department had a nice and usually vacant bathroom, as KN had indicated a moment ago. I would need that after this period. Going back to the dorm would be a hassle, and that would definitely make me late for the next period.

And so I breathed, deeply. I had a few things bothering me right now: Grayson's knowing my secret, my portrait by the masked guy to be revealed in that exhibit, and the twenty laps that I had to finish in whatever way possible.

Yes, I'd probably crawl.

FINDING FINN JOURNAL NO. 9

-talk to grayson

-save my face from being exhibited

-crawl a mile

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