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"You're never going to find out all of life's secrets if you always do as you're told,"

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I ZIPPED MYSELF up, feeling compact in my combat suit.

With my best effort, I did what I could to gather my wild locks into one fluffy bun, relieving my shoulders from their weight.

That was it, I was ready for combat classes it seemed.

I was still curious as to the so-called Practice Inter Colors Game, but despite my curiosity, I was much more interested in something else.

My eyes landed on the school bag that was on my bed, staring at it for a few seconds, before moving toward it

Rummaging through, I took out the wand that was inside it, the rough sides of it a ragged like nature, perfect for grip between my slender fingers.

I probably needed to use this in the Intercolor Games, however discreetly.

Miss Almulese had warned me to keep it out of sight if one read between the lines.

Grunting, I proceeded to take out the two books I had checked out from the library, my breathing becoming much more ragged as I stared at each.

It felt like the pages were whispering to me, telling me that they had answers to the secrets I had been boggling myself with all this while.

I placed them to the side, as I didn't think it was ideal to carry them to the Cube.

Plus the last thing I needed was Harvest seeing them. No, He shouldn't.

I packed them away, also noting to myself that the culprit Yellow still had my pink notebook with a scoff.

Finally grabbing my bag, I walked toward the door, almost getting knocked down, by Lira's Knuckles.

"There she is, Miss Oops I've disappeared," Lira huffed, as Claire came into view, also dressed in her combat suit.

"I told you she was in here, she probably was taking a nap or something," Claire added, glancing from me to Lira.

"Good thing she's ready to go," Lira muttered, "C'mon reddy, we still have another blue to pick up," she grunted moving past me, blowing a bubble.

My eyes narrowed at this, but Claire was there to the rescue, having seemingly read my expression.

"Andrew passed by," she grinned, "he had one last purple turbo gum," she added with a slight eye roll.

My mouth formed an O, completely understanding it now, and I turned around to lock the door.

"Were you at lunch reddy?" Lira called from a little way ahead of us, her arms folded.

I froze at this question, sideglancing at Claire as she spoke.

"Yeah, we looked everywhere for you- you missed breakfast and lunch," she huffed, "are you sure you're okay? If you're not, I didn't think it's wise to not go to the games, maybe take a trip to Miss Moonshine," she offered.

"It amazes me, Claire," Lira began, turning around fully, and walking backward, as her eyes narrowed on the girl.

"How you ask a question, answer it, and provide a solution, all in the same sentence," she grunted, "Talanda didn't say she was sick, and she certainly doesn't look like it either," she contended, "so tell us reddy- where were you?" she finished, eyes now steadily on me.

My mouth hung open, gaze shifting between the both of them for a few seconds, knowing that the ball was in my court now.

My gaze traveled to the floor, knowing I had to come up with something and fast, as I couldn't very well tell them I had spent most of the afternoon with my Mother- however, I could tell them that I had been to the

"Library' I signed.

Lira's gaze narrowed on me for a few seconds, and my heart rang in my chest, swallowing dryly.

A moment passed before she turned to Claire, "Got any of that?" she asked.

Claire's cheeks reddened softly, pushing her glasses up her nose, glancing at me apologetically, before glancing back at Lira.

"No," she stated her tone small and defeated.

Lira's eyes met mine again, before her stern look relaxed shrugging.

"You're lucky," she muttered turning back to face the front.

It was the very first time I was glad that only David could get my sign language.

I knew that Lira and Claire were slowly learning my sign language, but not the word Library.

I covered up a relieved smile as we walked in silence down the hallway.

Girls walked out of their rooms, all dressed in their combat suits, sporting the different house colors.

It was only I who needed reminding of the practice Game, if it wasn't for Lwangi and Rangi I would have had no clue whatsoever.

The conjoining passes between the girl's scepters and the boy's scepters came into view, and very soon I could see the boys also smartly dressed as we approached the entrance.

David stood near the doorway, surprisingly very excited.

"Is there a reason you like you found a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow," Claire stated causing me to chuckle at Lira to grin proudly.

"My reaction exactly, only I would have likened you to an impatient Stewie Griffin, you know because of your peculiarly shaped head," Lira added with a smirk.

"No one told me girls were this mean," David grunted glancing between them whilst I chuckled before he gave me mine.

"You're too cool to belong to this gender, tell me you're a dude," he added, as he fell into sync, right beside me.

I grinned at this.

'I'm a man," I signed.

And he nodded, "Yes, I hundred percent concur."

We both chuckled at this whilst Lira and Claire playfully rolled their eyes.

"What happened to you at breakfast?" he huffed before passing as if remembering, "You weren't present at lunch, or after lunch," he added, questioning eyes on me.

And just like that, I was back to being the center of attention.

"She told us why," Lira grinned, her smile mischievous, "something like-" she paused, signing perfectly the word library, not that it was a particularly hard word to sign.

Just the thumb and the first finger.

Now, I wish I signed a sentence.

Maybe that would have been harder to pick up, but then again, this was a blue I was dealing with.

"Library?" David asked, his tone sounding surprised, Lira repeating the word with even more surprise.

"The Library?" she echoed, her eyes lighting up shortly, "You ditched classes?" she asked, her eyebrows furrowing.

I felt embarrassed by this.

I had been a perfect student all my life.

Granted I was homeschooled but I never missed a single class unless I was genuinely not feeling well.

I did feel naughty to have ditched classes twice in a row, however.

"Wow," Lira exclaimed with a slow clap, "I didn't take you for the type, and the library is not a place I should go to ditch classes, but the mere act of rebellion," she trailed off, shrugging, "I'm almost tempted to call you cool."

I looked at her surprised, not expecting that sort of reaction.

"I'm proud of you read, you go girl!" she added firmly.

"Don't encourage her," Claire barged, eyes shooting at her roommate, "Missing Classes is not good at all, what if she was caught?" she huffed,

"Then she'd get punished," David added a shiver in his tone, "Probably picking up trash all over the school right next to the oranges," he huffed.

"And trust me, that's not the place you want to be. Plus, some kids are filthy," he added, a disgusted look on his face as a kid before we tossed out a wrapper from her bag, as she rummaged through.

Lira rolled her eyes, "this is why the both of you are boring, I mean, what the heck is life without risks? huh? " she asked, glancing at both of them.

"You're never going to find out all of life's secrets if you always do as you're told," she added, her words getting to me as she looked straight ahead, my eyes studying the side of her face.

"Think about it for a second guys. Every moment of your life, there will always be rules and those in power pretending they know what's best for you, and that's why you keep yourself boxed in. True Living comes with a bit of rebellion," she added, cheeky eyes landing on me, "ain't that right reddy?" she asked in a fake southern accent.

A look of understanding crossed my face at her words, and I found myself slowly nodding, outrightly agreeing with her to my surprise.

Claire scoffed at this, and David shook his head with a soft sigh, however keeping silent.

I finally looked up, stopping in my tracks when I realized no one was heading towards The Cube.

I paused at this, eyes narrowing at the legions of students that were heading towards the King's Gardens.

Why was everyone headed there? I stood there confused. Had I missed something?

"T!" Claire called out, from a few feet ahead, students bustling around her, Lira And David walking straight toward the King's Gardens.

My gaze met hers, as she gestured towards me and I moved after her, still feeling lost and confused.

I however decided to follow, as I knew Lira was in the leviathan, so if she was heading this way, this must be the right direction.

My eyes settled on the mass amounts of students, from all cycles from all available years on Kingsland, gathered in front of the platform.

On the same platform David, Claire, and I had attended our Crossing, after our Origins classes.

We came to a stop in the crowd, the whispers growing louder, as more gathered.

My gaze trailed to the platform as the Originals walked on stage.

Harvest was the first to show, and I could feel a dark shiver dart across my spine as I watched him in blinks, one second seeing the dark-natured black coat boy walking on stage, the next seeing the child with nightmare dark wings walking towards the crib.

I lost a breath at this. The scenes interchanged even as he made it to the center, slightly turning to look at the rest of the originals before suddenly finding my eyes in the mass of the crowd before him in nothing less than a second.

Dark blue eyes, stared down into the mine, and for a second I could see that blurry face of that child slightly clear, revealing those same sea prisons.

My heart stopped.

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Ya'll gonna hate me for that cliffhanger.

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