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(Don't let the hair fool you!! It's longer, and in a bun.)
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In the top floor of the main building, abandoned by all but insect colonies, Selena and Gallus embarked on their own journey of discovery. Their destination: the abandoned observatory, a place rumored to hold celestial secrets and forgotten lore.
“Are you certain this is the right way, Selena?” Gallus asked, his voice echoing in the desolate hallway. The dim lights cast long, eerie shadows on the worn-out stone walls and the floor, littered with fragments of the past. Barely anyone used the old observatory, not since the new, improved one was built for the astronomy students.
Selena, her eyes reflecting the faint light, nodded. “Yes, Gallus. The old maps of the school showed an observatory. It’s time we uncovered its secrets.”
As they ventured deeper into the school, the air grew colder, and the silence more creepy. Yet, the pair pressed on, driven by curiosity and the thrill of the adventure.
Their footsteps echoed through the silent corridors, the only sound in the otherwise silent school. Selena led the way, her hand tracing the cold stone walls as they navigated the labyrinthine passages. Gallus followed closely, his eyes darting around, taking in the eerie surroundings.
Suddenly, Selena stopped. “Look,” she whispered, pointing to an ancient wooden door, its surface etched with intricate celestial symbols and a sign reading ‘Observatory’. “This is it.”
With a creak that echoed through the silence, the door opened, revealing a room filled with dust-covered telescopes and astronomical charts. The observatory, untouched for years, was a time capsule of the school’s glorious past.
As they stepped inside, a sense of awe washed over them. The room was filled with the scent of old books and the faint trace of ink. The walls were lined with shelves filled with ancient books and star maps, their pages yellowed with age.
In the center of the room stood a large telescope, its copper surface weathered but still gleaming under the dust. Selena approached it, her fingers gently brushing the cold metal. “Imagine the secrets this room holds,” she murmured.
Their exploration had just begun. Little did they know, the observatory held more than just celestial secrets. As they delved deeper into the room, they would uncover truths about the school, and themselves, that they could never have imagined.
“I wonder what the others are up to,” Gallus said, his eyes fixed on the biggest star chart in the room, showing various constellations. “These constellations somehow remind me of all of us. We’re all different, but we’ve all come together.”
Selena smiled, and walked over to him. “You, me, Aurelia and Nick came together because of your first power surge. Nick was so frantic, searching the boys’ and the girls’ dorms for people who could heal you. Then one of the girls who were on their way to class told him Aurelia could, so he dragged us all the way to your room, asking for help.”
“That was only the first one, though.” Gallus replied. “For the next one onward, it was too risky for her, and I couldn’t be healed by her powers.”
“Yeah. Thank goodness those stabilization pills are working.”
“They are, but… I’m scared, Selena.” he said, a hint of sadness in his voice.
“About what?” she asked, placing a hand of encouragement on his shoulder. “Come on, you can tell me.”
“I’m scared because… well, you know how radioactive people have shorter lives? I don’t want to die so early on.” he said, biting his lip in fear. “There’s so many things I want to do with my life before going.”
Selena looked into his eyes, her own filled with understanding and compassion. “Gallus,” she said softly, “I know it’s scary, and that I’m probably not much help in this department. But remember, we’re in this together. We’ve faced so much already, and we’ll face this too.”
She paused, taking a deep breath before continuing. “I don’t know how good a time it is for this, but ever since we confessed last week, I’ve been thinking about it a lot. I want to spend as much time with you as possible, to make as many memories as we can. I’m done hiding it, that’s Aurelia and Nick’s thing, denying it 24/7. No offense to them, but that just won’t happen here. I won’t let it. So, what do you say?”
Gallus looked at her, surprise evident in his eyes. But then, he smiled - a genuine, warm smile that reached his eyes. “I… I would like that, Selena. Very much.”
“So,” she said, warmth flooding into her eyes. “What’s one thing you want to do first, after we catch a break from the storm?”
“I… don’t know. I have to decide.”
“Well, I already know what I want to get done with first.” she said, squeezing his hand tightly.
“What is it?” he asked, curiously.
Selena smiled evilly, and folded her arms and crossed her legs. “You have five guesses. Get them wrong, and you’ll see the consequences,” she said with a hint of mischief in her voice.
Gallus furrowed his brow in thought. “You… want to stop the storm?” he asked.
“Well, obviously, yes, but this is different,” Selena replied, shaking her head.
“You… want to bunk school?” Gallus ventured another guess.
“Nope, that’s two guesses done,” Selena counted, her smile widening.
“You want to… take a picture from the top of Mount Everest?” Gallus continued, growing more uncertain, trying his hardest to think about Selena’s interests.
“No, but what I’m talking about will be a rather photographic moment if I do say so myself. Three out of five,” Selena teased, and pulled a tube of lip gloss out of her pocket, moistening her lips slightly.
Gallus took a deep breath. “You… want to learn to control your powers fully?” he guessed, hoping for a hit.
“Powers can never be truly mastered, and no. Last guess, dude. Make it count!” she challenged.
Gallus hesitated before his final guess. “You want to graduate at the top of the class?” he said, more as a question than a statement.
“I do, but that’s not the one I’m talking about. Besides, Aurelia, Nick or Lead are most likely to do that. And that’s your last guess used up. Now, face the consequences…” Selena declared, her tone indicating that Gallus was in for a surprise.
“Then, what is it?” he asked. “Tell me, come on.”
Selena’s eyes twinkled with mischief as she leaned closer, her voice barely a whisper. “Guess what I’m thinking,” she challenged, her breath warm against his ear.
He could feel his heart racing, the proximity of her lips to his sending a jolt of radiation through him. The answer seemed obvious, yet the stakes felt impossibly high. “You… you want to kiss me?” he asked, a blush changing the color of his face completely, his voice slightly muffled as he felt her lips touch his.
His reaction was as if a tranquilizer dart had hit him. A sharp, anxious feeling at first, which finally felt calm, but in this case, he was very much still awake. He felt the slight ticklish feeling of her hands around his waist as he slowly closed his eyes and leaned in closer, entranced by the kiss.
The kiss seemed to last an eternity, a moment suspended in time where nothing else mattered, as if Lead froze it for them, but he was on his own exploration. But as the seconds ticked by, reality began to seep back in. Selena was the first to pull away, a soft smile playing on her lips as she looked at Gallus, his eyes still closed, lost in the moment.
“Yeah, you’re right.” she replied, letting go of him. “Great job.”
“You… you… kissed me.”
“Um, I thought we made that clear.”
“You literally kissed me! Did you not have any idea of the fact that I could potentially have poisoned you?!” he shouted, not knowing how he was supposed to handle it. “We were all in the same room when we found out, you know? In case I gave you amnesia because of it, I’m radioactive!”
Selena laughed, her eyes twinkling with a mix of amusement and affection. “Gallus, I know you’re radioactive. That’s why I took the stabilization pill,” she said, pulling out a small pill bottle from her pocket. “See? I’ve been prepared.”
Gallus looked at her, his eyes wide with surprise. “You… you took the pill? But… but why? Also, you might be in serious trouble because of this… what if it has side effects?”
“Because I care about you, Gallus,” Selena replied, her voice soft. “And I’m willing to take the risk. Now, are you going to keep shouting, or are we going to continue where we left off?” She raised an eyebrow at him, a playful smile on her lips.
Gallus was silent for a moment, then he chuckled, shaking his head in disbelief. “You’re unbelievable, Selena,” he said, his voice filled with affection. “Absolutely unbelievable.” He leaned in, capturing her lips with his once more, the worries of his radioactivity momentarily forgotten.
The noises around them seemed to fade away as they were both lost in their own little world. This serene moment, however, was abruptly interrupted by a subtle vibration from Selena’s pocket.
Pulling away, Selena fished out her device, her eyes widening as she saw the caller ID. “It’s Aurelia,” she said, her voice laced with concern. She answered the call, her heart pounding in her chest. “Aurelia, what’s up?” she asked, her voice echoing in the silent room.
On the other end of the line, Aurelia’s voice was strained. “Selena, I need help. I’m stuck in an underground chamber near the reference section of the library with Nickolas and can’t get out,” she said, panic seeping into her voice. “I don’t know how much time I have left.”
Selena’s heart skipped a beat. She exchanged a glance with Gallus, determination replacing the earlier affection in her eyes. “Hang in there, Aurelia. We’re coming to get you,” she said, ending the call. She looked at Gallus, her gaze steady. “We have a mission, Gallus. Let’s move.”
[Remind me again... why is the chemistry not actual chem in this chapter??]
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