"So... uh... what are we gonna do with the two at the cafe?" I asked, sipping on a drink Naomi ordered for me.
"I had someone watch us from the very beginning. They know not to get involved unless I say so. I had them take care of it."
"Uh... who?"
"Someone who works at my estate."
"That's uh... weird... so like... the entire time, for real?"
"Yes."
I should get used to this. This is the norm now, I have to entrench it into my brain at this rate.
"So..." I spoke up after a moment of silence, "The only people who know about the true form of your ability are me, my dad, and your family? Do... do you know my dad's Boon?"
Naomi shook her head, "No, I don't know his Boon. All I knew was that he knew that they existed. He's never mentioned having one himself."
"I see. If they're the only ones that know, then why do people fear you so?"
"Well... It's because they find my abilities incomprehensible. Along with my amazing cunning, status, and superior abilities, people don't bother to fight against me."
"Wow... giving yourself a lot of credit there."
"Yes, my absolutely stupendous cunning, intellect, and superior abilities are why people don't bother to go against the Student Council. But... It is because I am as secretive as I am about my abilities that makes me as 'superior' as I say I am. The frigid cold I produce..." She paused, reaching over to me, almost crawling. I leaned away, startled by her sudden pursuit, "It may be powerful, but it isn't absolute. What is absolute is what makes my ability special to begin with. For example, what I used against Alakazam earlier. If I did not have that advantage... honestly, I think my life wouldn't be as cushy as it is now. I keep it a secret to not brew overconfidence amongst my enemies. I wish to keep my daily life to the best I can."
"I see... well... uh... added a lot more words to hype yourself up, huh?"
Naomi plopped herself back down to where she was sitting before, "That's why I do the things I do."
"I understand."
"Anyways, help me sing Forget Her by Jeff Buckley."
"W-Wait, what? Isn't that a solo s-"
"Nope, not anymore, sing with me."
Naomi and I sang until we were exhausted, parting ways halfway back to our houses. I woke up the next day, once again, feeling sore, not as bad as before, but I still feel like shit. Well... guess I found the guy, huh? To be honest, I thought that was gonna take way longer than it did, so I'm a bit flummoxed.
I'm not sure where to go from here. Honestly, I just went straight to the Student Council room and sat there for a while after school since I didn't know what else to do. I was kinda hoping that Naomi or Violet would come to bother me or something. Maybe a new issue had arisen, or some guys from that one dude's gang came out to fuck shit up but, so far, it's been quiet.
"You... where is the Student Council President?" The voice of a woman grabbed my attention almost immediately due to its unfamiliar tone. A shorter girl with twin tails, wearing a variation of our school's uniform, a navy captain's hat sat neatly placed atop her head. Her gaze was sharp, and she held authority in her gait.
"Naomi? Uh... she isn't here at the moment. She hasn't told me where, so..." I shrugged.
"A newbie?"
"Y-yeah... uh... I'm new to the Student Council. I'm Gael."
"Seth's son?"
"Y-Yeah? Guessing he's more famous than I thought, cause..." I sort of chuckle, my sentence drifting off into a mumble.
"I see. I'm surprised that Naomi had recruited you, but she saw something I didn't. Carry on." And she left, just like that, her twin tails almost slapping me in the face on her way out.
Savannah, I believe that was her name, she's scary. I'd rather not mess with someone like her. I sighed, leaning back into my seat, expecting nothing else to disturb the Council Room's silence before Naomi burst through the door, placing a doll down onto the table before me. "It shouldn't disturb us like this."
"Hm? What are you talking about?"
"Alakazam."
"W-Wait! It's..." I look to the doll to see its beady eyes swivel toward me. "Y-You put it in a doll!?"
"It's safer this way, and I found it difficult to find an excuse for why it had to die. So, it's here now. Think of them as a Student Council Mascot."
"W-Well shit... uh..."
Alakazam spoke up, "I will not bring harm, I have sworn upon it. I have been provided a means of survival. I have no reason to continue my master's bidding."
"Still don't get why you did it to begin with."
"Even as a Bane, we have perogatives. It just depends on what they may be. Mine was to serve my master and to survive. It is as simple as that. My Master hampered my need for survival, so I betrayed them."
"I see... so... you're satisfied being a doll?"
"I can control other dolls now."
"That's fuckin' creepy."
Naomi cut off the conversation with a thump of a book she had dropped onto her desk. "They'll act as a guard for us. I've placed a few rules as well, for example, no killing unless you are about to be killed. No infecting anyone without my permission."
"So... did you like, re-code it to listen to you or something?"
The doll nodded, "You could say something like that."
I blinked, "W-Wait, hold on, what did you say about infection?"
"Alakazam doesn't necessarily need to take over someone's body when infecting them, which circumvents the idea of having to kill a person after taking over their body. But, the infection is an invasion of privacy, even when used efficiently and without casualty, so we've chosen to only do it in special instances."
"So, it can spy on things?"
"Indeed it is, indeed it does."
After Naomi gave me the rundown on Alakazam, I decided to visit Jordan out of courtesy. I arrived at the science room, spotting her experimenting with something inside. I slid open the door and stepped in, watching her from afar. "Yo. Been a small bit."
Jordan turned to look at me, "So you're alive."
"I joined the Student Council."
"W-Wait, what? How!?"
"Nao-- The Council Pres was the one who gave me the offer."
"I thought you folded to Violet for a second. B-Naomi!? Naomi, the Ice Queen herself, approached you?"
"Yeah," I crossed over to my seat, "Hell of a surprise for me as well."
"Is she just as pretty up close?"
"W-Uh..." I chuckled, "Odd first question, but yeah."
"Fuck! Lucky bastard!"
"What, I'm lucky just to be in her presence or somethin', what are you saying?"
"Yeah! You are!" She paused, "Okay, I have a bunch of questions now."
"Shoot, I guess? I don't think I'd have many answers."
"How'd she get her scar?"
"I have no clue. Why would I ask that?"
"Ask her!'
"No, that's rude."
"No, it ain't! What's rude is commenting on it and treating her differently for it."
I sighed, "Okay, I'll ask her at some point."
"How is her personality? I heard she's as cold as ice to those around her and has an air of superiority about her."
"She has an air about her, that's for sure.. Naomi is... she's unique. Uh... To be honest, now that I've gotten to know her a bit more, I've grown to like her a lot more."
"Really? What's she like?"
"She's much more playful than I thought she'd be. Still got that deadpan voice, but it made me realize that she's not always being serious and... I dunno, her aura or something kinda... It's hard to say, but she has an aura about her that changes depending on her mood? When you get to know her, it's easier to tell what's serious and what isn't, I guess."
"Yeah, sorry, that went one ear out the other."
I sighed, "Figured, but yeah. She's pretty playful. She makes a lot of jokes and is generally much more lenient than you'd initially lead yourself to believe. I guess people just projected Savannah's traits onto Naomi since they're close?"
"I see. Well... if Naomi was entirely serious, Violet wouldn't be a part of the Student Council, no? So it kinda makes sense."
I nodded, "Fair."
"So... any other juicy details?"
"Uh... I dunno." I took a moment to think. "She has no sense of personal space."
"Hm?"
"She got close super often, uncomfortably close sometimes."
Jordan was taken off guard, her surprise turning into an envious rage. "RAHHH, You... Lucky bastard! Are you serious!?"
"Y-Ye-- Look, it ain't that big a deal."
"Shut up! Ahhh... Bring her here, let me meet her!"
"I don't think she'd do that for some rando."
"Please~! She asked you to join the Council personally, she has to be able to do this much for you, no!? She has a bias or something, so use your privilege!"
"Oh my god, fine." I sighed, walking back to the Student Council Room.
I walk back into the Student Council Room and find Naomi playing with the doll. She panned her head like a camera to look up at me as she continued to have Alakazam hop in place as it spoke, "P-Please stop."
She blinked, "Need something?"
"Uh..." I couldn't help but laugh at the situation I found myself in and just motioned for her to follow, "Uh... can you come with me for a moment?"
She blinked again, "Sure."
Naomi let go of Alakazam, following me outside of the Student Council and into the Science room, escorting her as if I were a butler leading a rich guest into a private room. Jordan jumped out of her seat as Naomi entered. "P-President!"
Naomi looked at me as if I had committed a grave sin against her. She looked at me as if I were Judas and she was Jesus. She looked at me like she was Caesar being betrayed by Brutus. I've never seen her turn like that in my entire life, and her expressionless face told many a tale. Honestly, I felt bad, but it had to happen, methinks.
Jordan ran over, accidentally smacking against the corner of a table along the way. She hissed in pain, hopping like her life depended on it, scrambling to a nearby table. "I-I'm Jorda-- Oh, holy shit, that hurt... oh..."
Naomi looked at me awkwardly, "Uhm..." She turned to Jordan, "Are you alright?"
"N-No! I'm good, uh... Naomi! President Naomi! I-I'm a huge fan... uh... I'm Jordan, Jordan Fionn Cretan, hello!"
"Greetings, you wanted to meet me?"
"Yes! I... uh... I've only seen you from afar and stuff, and since Gael is a part of the Student Council, I asked him for a favor and stuff!"
"I see, well... it's a pleasure to meet you."
"Y-yes! Likewise."
Naomi turned to me, "Can I leave now?"
With the straightest face I could muster, I told Naomi that she could leave. After she left, I looked to see a somewhat dejected Jordan. Honestly, I was tearing up from holding back my laughter. This couldn't have gone worse, I believe. Actually, no, there are other ways this could've gone bad. This is the best case scenario and to me, it's fucking hilarious. Despite asking me to bring her, Jordan wasn't prepared in the slightest. God, what a day.
Honestly, something mundane like this is a good break from everything. The last few days were the very definition of chaotic.
Violet crashed in right after Naomi left. "Gael! I need you!"
"What? For what?"
"And you, Jordan." Violet pointed to the girl having a mid-life crisis of sorts.
Jordan listlessly turned her head to look at Violet. "What for?"
"I have found something truly special~!"
"What?" Jordan and I asked at the same time.
"I know you go around a lot of the abandoned spots in town, right?" She said, directing her question to me.
"Uh, yeah?"
"I believe I found a real haunted spot in one of those abandoned places you frequent!"
"Huh?"