Chapter 4 4

Chapter 4: A Substitute

I swear, the people in this place must be crazy. They want to involve me in a game? A survival game? God. I know they are merciless, but this seems too much.

"Do you know the Linus Cup?" the old lady asked when she saw my expression.

DUH! I wanted to give a sarcastic response, but I chose to bite my tongue. Who in this town doesn't know about the Linus Cup?

"The Linus Cup is a game held every two years here in the Magic World. It's participated in by schools falling under the category of special abilities. Titan Academy has been sending participants to this competition for decades. And this year, it's Gin's group that will be participating."

I glanced at the person next to me. Doesn't he have anything to say or react to? What is he thinking? Is he not going to say that I can't do what they want?

I nearly scoffed. "I'm not even a student here," I reasoned out. Right. I'd rather be imprisoned than represent this useless school.

"That's not a problem, Miss Sheridan," the man said. "I will make you an official student here."

I wanted to laugh at what he said. It's official. These people are insane. Are they not aware that what they're doing is fraudulent?

"You can't do that. That's illegal."

The woman chuckled softly. "Not so much, sweetie," she said, which irritated me. "The rule is, as long as you are part of this town and enrolled in the Academy, you can participate. There's no specific length of time you have to study here. But of course, those who have studied here longer have priority, as they are trained for this specific event."

"Then why did you want me?" I almost shouted. I think I know why they want me for this. "Are you going to use me as bait? Am I the sacrificial lamb? So your other students can have some protection in the game?"

"You have a really wild imagination, don't you?" the woman said. "Did you see the girl who left just now?"

I felt Gin tense beside me.

"She's the one you're going to replace. She won't be able to participate in the Cup, so we need someone with a similar ability like hers. And you're the closest."

Out of nowhere, Gin stood up. He abruptly left the room without a word. I was left alone with the two elderly people. I can't believe this is happening to me. Damn it.

Corrine has a precognition ability. She can predict what might happen within a 24-hour time span. That's an essential ability, especially in a game that can last for weeks or even months. If she can predict what will happen on a specific day, it will be a significant advantage for their group, allowing them to avoid potential dangers in the game.

But she can't join anymore. Principal Bins mentioned earlier that Corrine is ill. She has an inborn heart malfunction. I didn't catch the specific term she used, but everyone knows that conditions like that, natural illnesses not acquired through combat or abilities of others, cannot be cured by any special ability.

She was supposed to be part of the GROUP. But just recently, they found out she had a hidden illness. She trained with the group. They didn't notice anything unusual about her, except for the specific instance when she lost consciousness just last week. That's when they discovered she was sick.

No one in Titan Academy has a special ability close to hers. I'm the closest. I can sense danger. And that, according to Principal Bins and Headmaster Grey, is just as essential as precognition.

I don't know if I should laugh at what they're saying. It feels like they're playing a joke on me. But they said that as long as we come back to Titan Academy after the game, I'll be free to go back to my old life. But they made it sound so easy. We can only go back to our old lives if we win.

I didn't immediately answer when they explained everything. The offer isn't even tempting. I'd rather be imprisoned. But when I remembered Lucas' family and his promised face that he'll get me out of here, I suddenly felt guilty. I'm sure Lucas will do everything to get me out of here. But here I am, with my freedom right in front of me. Should I really refuse it? I suddenly felt a surge of hope, remembering that there are people I need to go back to. I will go back.

So here I am now, walking through the brightly lit and carpeted hallway. I have a butler and a maid by my side. I don't know where they're taking me. I just know it's not a dungeon. Because Principal Bins said earlier that I'm now an official student of Titan Academy.

"Where are we going?" I asked the butler with the poker-faced expression.

He looked at me. He paused, seemingly taken aback by my appearance. It's as if he found a speck of dust on the polished surface of a table. He might as well grab me and start brushing his fingers as if he's really holding dust. Even the servants here look impeccable. He's wearing a tuxedo and the maid is in a navy blue and white uniform.

"We're going to Miss Aura," he replied in a flat tone. He sounds like a robot.

"What are we going to do there?" I asked again. It's already four in the morning.

"You can't show up at school looking like that, Miss Sheridan," he answered, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

I suddenly looked at what I'm wearing. Shabby pants, a gray t-shirt, and an old coat with a few tears. So what if my clothes are old? Like that has anything to do with studying.

"Miss Aura is the adviser of the group. Teacher Apollo is with her," the butler explained.

I didn't understand a thing he said, and I didn't care. So I just nodded and pretended to listen. We reached another chamber of the palace, with more doors than the chamber we came from. It looks like a living room here. After a while, I glanced at the stairs and saw a woman in her mid-twenties walking down towards us.

"Hi, good morning," she greeted cheerfully.

She's too lively for a four o'clock appointment. She's still wearing a nightgown, but she has a lilac-colored satin coat over it. She looked at me, and I looked at her. She has shoulder-length hair that's slightly curly, dark brown at the top and light brown at the bottom. Her face is small, cheerful, and she looks kind. She's only a few inches taller than me. For the first time, there seems to be a normal-looking girl in this place.

"Miss Aura, this is Miss Sheridan," the butler said.

"Yes. I know. The Principal called me." She smiled at me. "So can we go? We have a few hours left before breakfast in the Hall."

The butler and maid bowed as if they were giving me over to Miss Aura. "We'll go ahead."

"Sure, go ahead. I'll take care of her."

She smiled at me genuinely, and then excitedly pulled me back upstairs to where she came from.

I surveyed the room where Miss Aura brought me. I almost cursed in front of her. How can someone have a room like this? This is supposed to be a school, not a five-star hotel.

"Come on, we don't have much time."

She pulled me into another room. There I saw a walk-in closet filled with clothes and various expensive items. There was a full-length mirror, personal products on a long table, and, above all, a white bathtub. The bathtub was right in the middle of the room for Pete's sake!

"Take off my clothes. Hurry, please," Miss Aura said, facing a cabinet as if choosing what I should wear.

"It's a good thing we're almost the same size. You're just a bit taller, but this will do," she said, grabbing some innerwear and tossing them onto a cream-colored sofa in the corner.

After that, she went to her own shoe rack that reached up to the ceiling and picked out shoes from the section where everything was in black. "I'm not sure if these will fit you, but your feet seem small enough," she said, not noticing that I was just standing there.

She went to the phone and dialed. "Bring a senior's uniform, size B. Complete," she said on the other line before hanging up. Afterward, she faced me. Her small forehead furrowed when she saw that I hadn't taken off my clothes yet.

"Dear, we need to hurry. Go ahead and strip down. We have a lot more to-"

She stopped when she saw the expression on my face. "Oh," she said. "Are you not used to bathing with someone else?"

What kind of question is that? Of course, I'm not used to it. Who would want to bathe in an open area like this, with a girl who looks like she came from a royal family?

"But your hair won't be properly arranged, and your body won't be cleaned well if you don't have someone with you," she said, as if wondering.

Is this how things are done here? You need someone to accompany you when you bathe? You need someone to fix your hair and help you clean?

"Don't worry, this won't happen every day," she said, as if she could read my mind.

She looked at my muddy coat and pants, and even at my shoes, which were ruining her marble floor.

"This is just for today because Principal Bins wants you to look presentable to the other students."

So it's all for the sake of the other students. They're right, though. Someone like me from the town would be too distracting in the perfect atmosphere of the school.

"Okay," was my only reply. I started to take off my clothes until I was left with my undergarments. Miss Aura set up the tub and put something fragrant in the water. It smelled like fresh flowers. After a while, the water started to bubble, and I eased myself in.

"Here's the scrub, shampoo," she said, taking some items from a small drawer next to the tub. "Body wash, soap, conditioner." She's so hyper considering it's four in the morning. Meanwhile, I feel like I'm about to fall asleep.

I submerged myself in the water and resurfaced to shake off my drowsiness. When I came up, there were two new people in the room, looking at me. They were wearing navy blue and white uniforms, the servants.

"Here is the complete uniform, Miss Aura," the taller one announced.

Miss Aura looked in their direction and smiled. "Thank you," she said before facing me. "Go ahead. Start."

The two servants carefully laid the uniform next to the items on the sofa. I noticed that it wasn't just one uniform; there were three sets. There was a regular uniform with a pleated navy blue skirt and a white long-sleeve blouse, a jogging pants and t-shirt set, and a coat and boots.

The two servants approached me, causing me to hesitate. One went to the direction of my head, and the other to my feet. What the hell do they think they're doing?!

I felt my hair being shampooed, and one of them scrubbing my feet. "Your skin looks rough. What soap and lotion are you using?" Miss Aura asked as she observed me.

"I don't use anything," I replied, trying hard not to pay attention to what they were doing to my body.

"Oh," Miss Aura said, as if she just learned a trivia. Is this the first time she's seen someone who isn't as clean and pretty as her?

"Well then, kailangan mo ang mga ito." She went to a drawer and reached up. She couldn't quite reach it. She frowned slightly, and then the door opened on its own, and the items started floating down one by one. She has the ability to move objects at her will.

She picked up a paper bag and placed the items in it. "Sorry, it's one of the exceptions in this room," she said to the two servants.

This time, it was my turn to furrow my brow. "Exceptions?"

She raised an eyebrow. "Oh, right. Rules. You do need to know the rules here."

She sat on the smaller sofa, crossing her legs in a very elegant manner. "Because you won't stay that long, you only need to know the basics. One, you never use your ability unless required in class, training, or in extraordinary instances. Those extraordinary instances should be registered with the Principal. Every student has the Titan logo on their clothing, even if it's for sleeping or just casual wear at home. That way, the school can monitor who is using abilities unnecessarily. There are also Head Boys and Girls for each class who monitor what happens inside and outside the classroom."

"What about my ability? I can't help but sense danger around me."

"Those are the extraordinary circumstances. Don't worry, you're already registered with the Principal. You can use it all you want," she replied with a smile.

They continued to clean me up. It took almost an hour to scrub me thoroughly. I felt like a raw chicken. When they finished, they dried my hair and styled it. There were moments when they used scissors to even out my uneven hair. They applied some oily substance to my skin. They trimmed my eyebrows and nails, things that are usually done in a salon. When they finished, I put on one of the uniforms they mentioned and faced the mirror.

Whoa. Who the hell is this girl?

I looked at myself in the mirror. The perfect hair, the olive skin, the almost perfectly smooth face. I touched myself to make sure it's still my body. This is so much worse than what I expected.

"Are you happy?" Miss Aura asked cheerfully. Even the two servants were smiling, pleased with my reaction. In their eyes, I seemed overjoyed to the point of disbelief. But no. I'm not happy. I look fake. I look like a freaking manufactured person. Shia from Hesperia is gone.

"You'll get used to it, don't worry. For now, I'll accompany you to your room. You just need to continue with these processes to stay presentable," she pointed out, referring to the things she did for me.

"Let's go. It's almost six. Breakfast is at six-thirty." We left her room. The two attendants stayed behind to arrange the items.

What is this place? Does such a place really exist in Hesperia? Do they even know that people in the town can hardly find enough to eat? Do they even know that the cost of their toiletries could feed an entire family for a month? I doubt it. They know nothing. Being in this place keeps them ignorant of the real world. Being in this place only makes me hate it even more.