The Metropolis Series #3: Quinn and Cassandra

NEW HARUMI’S FIRST NIGHT in the dorms was nice, quiet, and peaceful. I was worried that Cassandra would come and visit me in my dreams, taunting me about the consequences of bringing my best friend back to life. Thankfully, there was none of that, and I woke up the next morning from a good night’s sleep. I looked out to see that it was clear outside, the Metropolis’ skyline shining on the horizon.

It felt like it was going to be a good day.

Harumi and I were walking across the school grounds together when she started a conversation about the students of Class 3. Those who stood out to her the most were the boys seated at the back of the class. They were so loud and restless that even the slightest movement from them bothered her.

“Ah, those are Derek and his friends, Alan and Enrique,” I said.

“Troublemakers, I’d say. Who else have you met?”

“Jisoo was nice,” Harumi mused. “And Hannah, too. There was also this guy I became group mates with for an activity. Curtis, was it?”

“Ah, so you’ve met Curtis, too.”

“We just talked for a while. Seems like a nice guy.”

I nodded. Curtis was nice. He brought me to the nurse’s office whenever I passed out at gym class. I sometimes lost consciousness after strenuous activities, and he was kind enough to not get weirded out or gossip about my physical condition.

It was the reason why I had developed a huge crush on him, but saying that now felt like an understatement. It was so intense that I accidentally wiped Rachael out of existence. Thankfully, my sporadic time-traveling abilities had helped me undo the mess I’d made.

However, the school had noticed how often he’d see me at the nurse’s office, rousing suspicion that he had feelings for me, too.

Thinking about that made me laugh to myself. Those events felt like they happened ages ago, when in reality, it’d only been weeks.

Harumi and I entered the main campus, and we were met with the pleasant sounds of a heated argument. What perplexed me was that it appeared to be coming from the most unlikely place: the principal’s office. As we got closer, I was able to distinguish three different voices: the principal’s, a man’s, and a woman’s.

“Uh…” Harumi stopped in her tracks. “What’s going on?”

A locker slammed behind us. Harumi and I jumped.

“Their royal highnesses have graced the walls of St. John’s,” Bree said. She leaned against the lockers. “That’s what’s going on.”

I narrowed my eyes. “English, please.”

Bree rolled her eyes. “Stevenson’s folks are here.”

I gasped. “Seriously?”

“I saw them come in. And they were not happy.”

Panic rose in my chest. Curtis’ parents were real. And they were right inside the principal’s office. It wasn’t fair. I only wanted to protect Julio and keep everyone safe from the truth about the Metropolis, but I imagined that Mr. and Mrs. Stevenson would do anything to squeeze information out of St. John’s student body.

And since Rachael was the last one in the house, she would be their first target.

In the middle of my thoughts, Harumi narrowed her eyes and turned to Bree. “Who’s Stevenson?” she asked.

Bree blinked. “Hey, you’re that new girl from Class 3, right? Harumi, is it?”

Harumi nodded. “Yes. And you are?”

“Bree Leonard, student council president of St. John’s Academy. I suppose that you’ve at least been acquainted with Curtis Stevenson.”

“Oh, Curtis. Yeah, what about him? And why are his parents here? Aren’t we getting too old for that?”

Bree began to tell Harumi about the party Curtis had at his house, which at that time, happened almost three weeks ago. She emphasized the party crashers, whose identities remained a mystery to the students of St. John’s. Everyone who attended the party had been interviewed, but no one could recall what the unwanted guests looked like.

Harumi stroked her chin. “That’s weird. Why is that?”

“I don’t know,” Bree said gravely. “I, for one, ran out of the house before things got ugly. And Vasquez says she left the party early, so she wouldn’t know anything. Right, Vasquez?”

“Uh-huh,” I said.

I tried to keep myself from shaking as Bree looked at me with her piercing green eyes. Thankfully, she directed her gaze back to Harumi almost immediately after my response.

“Stevenson’s girlfriend, Rachael, was the last to leave the house,” she said. “She witnessed one of the party crashers getting killed.”

Harumi gasped. “Really?”

“Yeah. And Stevenson was found unconscious by the poolside, blood gushing out of his head. He had to stay in the hospital for days before he could come back to school.”

“That sounds scary… And his girlfriend couldn’t remember anything about the crashers, either?”

“No,” Bree shook her head. “Probably because of the trauma from what she saw. I couldn’t blame her. The principal tried to pry answers from her, though, and she cried and clung to Stevenson after that.”

The voices from the principal’s office continued. They were louder than they were just minutes ago.

Bree sighed. “It looks like their royal highnesses have had enough of the silence. Brace yourselves. This is not going to be pretty.”

I tugged on the sleeves of my sweater, which covered the scars I got from Mackenzie at the party. I didn’t think about them much at first. I was so used to wearing long sleeve shirts when I was out. In fact, I only wore short sleeves in my dorm room—when I was alone.

My scars had lightened, and I’d already taken out the bandages, but they were still visible enough to be conversation starters. If the old Harumi were still here, I wouldn’t be so worried. She would understand why I kept what I’d known about the party a secret.

Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case. I needed to be careful.

Then, the door to the principal’s office opened. A man and a woman stepped out of the room, towering over the principal that followed behind them. Both had graying hair, wrinkles around heavy-lidded eyes, and a taste for office attire that had come straight out of a boring gray fashion boutique. The woman had jewels around her neck and wrists. And the scent of her perfume exploded in the hallway, making me want to sneeze. It was the man, however, that made their identities clear. He had freckles across his nose and on his cheeks, and I imagined a mischievous smile hidden under that crooked sneer of his. I wondered if that was what Curtis would look like when he got older.

Mr. and Mrs. Stevenson took one last look at the principal before strutting down the hallway to the school grounds. In turn, the principal sighed exasperatedly and rubbed his temple before disappearing into this office again. I gazed toward the school grounds to see that the Stevensons had just left, and it felt like a weight had been lifted off my shoulders.

Bree shuddered. “They give you the creeps, don’t they?”

“What did they want?” Harumi asked her.

“They’re disappointed that there haven’t been any leads to their unwanted guests.”

“But why are they turning to St. John’s?” I decided to bring up. “Shouldn’t they be reporting this to the police or something?”

“From what I’ve heard, the police couldn’t do anything for them, either. Evidence is still leading nowhere. I wouldn’t be surprised if the Stevensons are on their way to a power trip at the police station, too.”

It was at that time when Philip, Curtis, and Rachael entered the main campus. They’d been discussing Rachael’s new song before they stopped and noticed us.

“Oh, hey guys,” Philip said.

“Oh hey,” I greeted them.

Rachael narrowed her eyes. “Why do you guys look like you’ve all seen a ghost?”

“Close enough,” Bree replied, crossing her arms over her chest. “Stevenson’s folks were here.”

Curtis’ eyes widened. “My folks were here?”

“Didn’t you see them leave just now?”

Curtis didn’t respond to that. Instead, he ran his fingers through his hair and paced around the room.

“They were here because of the party, weren’t they?” he groaned. “I already told them to chill out.”

“Well, try harder,” Bree said.

Philip placed a hand on Curtis’ shoulder. “Look, man. People broke into your house and did some damage. We get it. But if your parents force everyone into another round of interviews, then hell, that’s too much.”

“At least you guys have a reason for not knowing anything,” Rachael spat. “I was in that house. But my stupid brain blacked out—”

“Shh, Rachel, don’t beat yourself up, okay?” Curtis said. “You know I believe you, and I’ll stand by you no matter what.”

He snaked an arm around her and pulled her close. Rachael didn’t say anything; she simply leaned her head on his shoulder, closing her worried eyes.

Bree cleared her throat. “Okay, enough with the sap. Why don’t we all grab some breakfast?”

Everyone, including myself, nodded in unison. Philip, Curtis, and Rachael walked ahead of us while Bree turned to Harumi.

“Join us,” she told her. Then spun around to join her bandmates.

Harumi and I followed them to the cafeteria, finally on our way to get some breakfast.

“How far do you think Curtis’ parents will go for answers?” Harumi asked me.

“I don’t know,” I replied grimly. “And I don’t wanna find out.”

Then, Harumi was silent. I felt bad that she was immediately pulled into St. John’s drama. It had only been her second day.

“Bree’s pretty cool, though,” she then said.

“She and the others are in a band together,” I explained. “C’mon, I’ll introduce you to them.”