Dalton Academy School For The Gifted: Breaking Paradox Chapter Thirteen
Dalton Academy School for the Gifted: II
Breaking Paradox
Chapter Thirteen
Caleb was, in short, freaking out. He’d seen his mentors, his friends, his schoolmates, his crush-- vanish. Taken before his very eyes. It had happened so fast and he’d just stood there. Clinging to his pillow, eyes wide as the events of the past few days replayed over and over again in his mind, he tried to piece things together.
“He took them...” Caleb murmured, blinking into the darkness of his room. “We couldn’t open the ripple.”
His murmurs continued, despite the fact that his roommate and friend, Thomas, had returned to their shared room and paused at the sound of his voice.
“We came back and Blake....Blake left.”
“Cay?” Thomas frowned as he neared the other boy. “You...talking to someone there or...?”
“Huh?” Caleb murmured, eyes widening a little as he looked towards the Thomas in a state of clear confusion. “Thomas....when’d you get here?”
“Been here, Caleb.” Thomas’s frown deepened then. “When was the last time you moved, Cay?”
“I can’t remember....”
“Cay, Blake came back.” Thomas muttered with a sigh. Scratching his head in minor frustration at his friend’s inability to communicate.
“What?” Caleb muttered, “He came back?”
“He’s been back, dude.” Thomas continued. “For like, two days now. Why haven’t you gone to talk to him? Liam’s been driving everyone nuts looking for answers. We need you Cay.”
“He came back...” Caleb murmured, sitting up in his bed suddenly. His eyes widening slightly at the information. As the sophomore boy attempted to process the information, the door to the boy’s room opened without warning. A handsome young man with a tray of food and assortment of items walking.
“Thomas, I’ll give you fifty bucks to leave.” Sebastian offered with a frown towards the stubbornly glaring younger boy. His hand offering the bill out towards the sophomore who frowned and rolled his eyes at the money.
“Whatever. I have to meet up with Liam and Addison anyway.”
Sighing when Thomas glanced towards Caleb who looked back at his friend in slight confusion, Sebastian set the tray of food next to the sophomore boy sitting in the bed. Only upon hearing the click of the door’s handle did Sebastian speak.
“You have to snap out of this, kiddo. I know, for whatever messed up reason you’re freaked out by what happened. It wasn’t your fault and those guys...they’ll pull through. They always do. Their the school’s golden boys for a reason. Cay--, Caleb can you hear me? Are you even listening?”
Sebastian frowned as Caleb finally focused his attention on the older boy. After a moment or so of blinking towards Sebastian, Caleb smiled in a tired fashion.
“Blake came back?”
“Yeah,” Sebastian sighed. “A few days ago. But you need rest and to eat--”
“I’ve gotta go see him.” Caleb replied, moving to get out of his bed in a hurry only to find Sebastian keeping him in place with a hand on each shoulder.
“Whoa, slow down. You need to eat something. Sorry to say, twizzlers, chips, and....soda are not healthy alternatives to real food. Besides, Blake isn’t going anywhere, he’s in the detention rooms.”
“What?” Caleb nearly gawked, “But why? B’s a part of Beata team and--”
“A traitor apparently.”
“Oh.” Caleb murmured, remembering then that one of his best friends had helped the figure who had taken down Alpha team and then vanished with them. “Blake....is a traitor...”
“Well, that’s what Liam keeps saying. But that scared little thing, Michael? He keeps going on about how Blake had a good reason or whatever. No one’s really giving the kid a hard time. He’s keeping himself there really. Sort of weird if you ask me.”
“No.” Caleb muttered as his shut his eyes then. His head beginning to spin slightly at the new information. “He’s waiting.”
“Waiting?” Sebastian frowned. A moment of silence passing between them before it seemed to dawn on older boy what Caleb meant. “Heh, poor kid. He’s got it bad.”
“Got what bad?” Caleb questioned, looking towards Sebastian then with a narrowed brow that only drew out a chuckle from the older.
“You can’t--,” Sebastian smirked then, shaking his head before continuing. “Not important. Look, just forget about him. You’re the Captain of Beta team and like it or not, you’ve got to keep those boys together, Cay.”
“Yeah...”
“They’re tired, worn out, and a lot of them are questioning whether or not they should stay at the school.”
“I would too...”
“You mean you aren’t?” Sebastian questioned in honest curiosity. Watching Caleb shake his head in reply. “You plan to stay at Dalton then. Even after everything that’s happened? No one would blame you for wanting to leave, Cay. You know that, right? A lot has happened and it’s a lot to put on the shoulder of...well, a kid.”
“I’m not gunna leave.” Caleb replied with in a stern tone that almost made Sebastian smirk.
“Well, then eat. You’ll need all the strength you can get, kiddo. And sleep, you look like shit. No offense. Maybe a shower too.”
“Yeah, yeah.” Caleb frowned, though the smile Sebastian wore confused the sophomore. “What?”
“Huh? Nothing. I just find it amazing how one person can change your whole mental state.”
“....What?” Caleb frowned deeply at the older boy’s confusing words then. “What’re you talking about?”
“Nothing, Cay. Just eat.” Sebastian said as he rose to take his leave. Calling back towards the younger boy he added with a smirk apparent in his tone. “And don’t forget that shower. I could smell you down the hall.”
“Alright, Mom!”
-----
Caleb did eat. The shower followed quickly after. But the movement and time to himself only brought on new thoughts. Ones he wasn’t so happy with. He still felt tired, even after the shower. The days without sleep playing tricks on his stressed mind, the sophomore shook his head to keep himself awake. Hair still wet from his shower he wandered down the halls of Chopp towards Blake and Jacob’s room.
With a swift knock, he waited outside. Expecting to find Jacob opening the door, Caleb found Michael behind the frame instead. The other boy’s eyes widened in surprise at the sight of Caleb.
“Mi-- sorry, I guess I have the wrong room.” Caleb muttered in confusion, glancing towards the numbers on the door a moment and wondering if his lack of sleep really had altered his memory too badly to function.
“No,” Michael murmured softly, adjusting the bag on his shoulder before speaking again. It was the first time he noticed Michael’s bag, which seemed to be Blake’s bag, the facts only hurt his head in his mental state. A wince as he shook his head slowly to clear the rush of thoughts.
Why had the thought of Blake giving Michael his bag make his stomach turn?
“I’m just-- I was just getting a few things for Blake.”
“Oh, well that’s nice of you.” Caleb offered with a small smile. “I was sort of hoping to find Jacob.”
Michael nodded, stepping out of the room then and shutting the door behind him. “He’s in the gym, training with the rest of the team.”
“Oh...alright.” Caleb murmured with a small frown. “Uhh, you’re gunna go see B now?”
Watching Michael’s face shift into an uncomfortable frown then, he found the smaller boy shifting almost nervously at the subject. “Yeah, we’re gunna do homework and he left a few things in his room...”
“Why didn’t he just come back to his room?” Caleb questioned, his eyes searched the other boy’s face for answers he already knew.
“I think we both know why, Cay.” Michael’s cheeks heated then, Caleb sighing in reply, and glancing down the hall towards the staircase he didn’t speak for a long moment.
“He isn’t a traitor you know.” Michael whispered, his eyes downcast as his cheeks heated further. “He wouldn’t-- he couldn’t--”
“I saw him vanish with that guy, Mikey...I don’t...I don’t know what to believe about it.”
Caleb could see Michael biting his lower lip, the taller sophomore sighing at his own words. “Look--, I just--”
“You’re his best friend.” Michael interrupted, his eyes locked on Caleb’s face in a surprising turn of events. The smaller boy was shaking and Caleb could see tears begin to gloss over Michael’s eyes but his voice continued unwavering for a moment. “He cares about you.”
“I know Mikey, I know.” Caleb murmured, a frowning beginning to surface among his features then.
“That’s just it Caleb.” Michael breathed, his voice shaking as his head did as well. “I don’t think you do.”
Feeling his eyes widen at the smaller boy’s words, Caleb watched Michael take his leave, still shaking and he was sure his friend was crying as he walked. Guilt. It flooded his mind and heart then. Solidifying into a concept harder than steel as Michael left him with a final thought to dwell.
“Please, just....think about what you’re going to say.”