There was great panic in the hall.
‘Sparrow! Price! Price!’ Mr. Benson and Mrs. Cooke called out.Brendan’s hunch was telling him that this was Mr. Price’s doing. There was no one else Brendan knew in that room that had made a deal with the witch besides himself and Mr. Price. What’s to say that Mr. Price owed the Finch some human skin, or liver and Mr. Sparrow was the unfortunate candidate for the sacrifice?So much noise was vibrating through the hall, students jittery and disturbed and their eyes searching each other for an explanation of what the cause of the power cut might have been. They would all have gladly run out, if their feet were not frozen where they stood, and Mrs. Cooke’s yelling only made the situation seem more ominous.‘Quiet, quiet everyone!’ Mrs. Cooke silenced the students. It took ten minutes to have everyone completely quiet. ‘Right…has anyone seen Mr. Sparrow or Mr. Price anywh‘Don’t tell me you want me to join your clubhouse?’‘I wouldn’t call it that but, how did you know?’‘It’s becoming a habit of so many Supremes nowadays.’‘And?…what’s your answer?’‘You almost blew out my eardrums with that kettle boiling thingy.’‘Oh, sorry about that. Phantoms can create not only visual illusions but auditory ones too.’‘I don’t care about what you can or cannot do. I’ll give you the same answer I gave the others; Hell no! I’m not so base as to join a serial killer fraternity.’‘You don’t understand, Brendan. We need all hands on deck if we’re to execute the Dawn, especially a Supreme as promising as yourself.’‘What is the Dawn?’ Brendan asked him.‘The Supreme revolt, and we’ve already begun to rally the others to join our cause.’
‘Sir..?’ It was Miriam knocking on his door.‘What is it?’ he asked her, raising his head up to face the door, still half trapped in his maze of unanswered questions.‘I brought you dinner, sir,’ she answered in a low voice.He withheld his response for a while, then said, ‘Bring it in,’ he mumbled the answer from his lips like each word had the potential of causing a toothache.There was the turning of the doorknob then she came in, a big silver tray in her hands. She pulled a small table from beside his mirror and put it in front of him and then she placed the tray on it.‘I thought I did tell you there was food where I was going?’‘Of course you did, sir, but I just thought there would not be enough.’He sighed, ‘Very well then.’She curtsied and headed for the door.‘Brendan.’He chuckled, ‘That’s a surprise.&rsquo
‘I see my technique worked,’ she said half grinning. She was in her usual funeral clothes and she did not look a day older.‘What technique?’ he asked in surprise, still viewing her domain in puzzlement.‘Telepathy of course. And they said Phantoms are the only ones who can do it, but theirs is more pathetic and terrifying.’He put the tip of his finger in his ear, ‘Tell me about it.’She turned her gaze at him. ‘You’ve experienced it?’‘Yeah, before I fought him.’‘You fought a Phantom and walked out of the fight alive?’ She seemed more than intrigued.‘I’m sure you’re familiar with him. He’s one of your pets…Jack Price.’‘A Demon Phantom too?’ Her expression changed to perpetual astonishment.‘I thought we were superior?’‘Of course we are; you just have to know how to be super
He raised his eyebrows. ‘What bonus?’‘You remember what I told you, about you gaining power each time you respired if you accept the Versatile gene?’‘Yes..?’‘It’s because of the potion. Not only would you gain that ability but if you mastered the gene you would be able to heal worn-out tissues and repair lost and damaged limbs.’‘How fast?’‘Wounds and bruises would take seconds but limbs…probably months.’‘But your son…you said he mastered the gene at the age of four…’‘Pernicious,’ she said before staring blankly into her cauldron. ‘He surprised me too. He wouldn’t tell me how he did it because he was angry with me.’‘And why was he angry with you?’‘I murdered his father.’‘Are there any brakes to your train of wickedness?!’She chuckled, ‘The
‘Like I said before; I’ll pass.’She walked back to her cauldron and put her fingers in the viscous liquid inside the cauldron then brought it into her mouth. She stood dreamily for a while, savoring the flavor. ‘Still not good enough,’ she said, ‘maybe fermentation will do,’ she resumed stirring.‘Back to business. Do you have any idea how your son might have accepted the Versatile gene and succeeded to retain control of his mind and body?’ he asked her curiously.‘My first theory was that he stood up to it. The Versatile gene is a part of you. Pernicious was very violent and solitary, it might have been that when he had his vision, he used what you call, faith.’‘Faith..?’‘Yes, faith. He could have silenced the gene by standing up to it and telling it that it was just a dream.’‘But that’s stupid, isn’t it? The Versatile seems way too powerful
The whole night, Brendan had lain awake on his bed, turning from one side to the other like the bed was on fire. For someone with a pretty face, the Finch was really heartless. How could one even think of exterminating an entire race? And what if she finally had her vision and she accepted the Versatile gene? The fate of the human race would definitely be doomed. He kept stirring in his bed, trying to shake these thoughts from his head.*As soon as he caught a glimpse of the sun, he got up hoping he would leave these thoughts under the bedcovers. They followed him from the moment he woke up however, then he decided to try to wash them out with a shower.As soon as he turned the shower on, the nightmare returned; it was Jack Price’s brutal and antagonizing telepathy. This time his ears did not hesitate to bleed. Blood was pouring from them the way water pours from a damaged tap. The sound and pain were blurring his vision. He had no choice but to give
‘I know your handwriting, Brendan..! Do you think this is a joke?’ Mrs. Cooke stood rattled, holding a piece of paper written “Principal Johnston” on it.‘How did you get hold of the papers anyway?’ Brendan asked.Her gaze was rude and stern towards him. ‘All the teachers had a chance to analyze them, Brendan and all of us are not pleased with what you wrote.’‘Why?’‘Brendan..! You know you had no right involving the leader of the school.’ Her look of contempt towards him continued to grow.‘Wait, I thought everyone was a suspect..?’‘Well, yes, but…’‘Or maybe you think you’re all above us in some way?’She decided she would not have it. ‘Watch your words carefully, boy, or…’‘Most of you think of this guy as a criminal,’ he seized the opportunity, now turning around to face the entire c
‘But don’t you think it doesn’t make sense?’ Brendan attempted to convince them. ‘The guy saves us then he kills someone? It’s like saving someone to kill them.’‘Well, one thing does make sense…’ Simon said, ‘the guy is on d…rugs!’Samantha, unnoticed, sat beside Brendan and Simon jerked violently upon noticing her presence. ‘Boys..!’ he started, ‘…we have a witch among us!’She gave a sideways glance at Brendan as if to say, “Did you talk to him?”He shrugged in response.‘What’s this body language I see?’ Simon asked them both.‘What body language?’ he innocently objected.Simon gave them both a threatening sigh then got up and pulled Owen with him. They went and sat far away from them.‘I thought you spoke to him?’ she asked him, a look of disappointment on her face.&lsqu