CHAPTER 17

Fortunately Stars still shine over North End Park

Having been soundly defeated and with all the chaotic energy ejected from her being, Sam Foster’s head spun as she lay on the flat on her back. “Nngh… What’s happening…?”

Mindie crouched down beside her and helped her into an upright seat. “You okay? I smacked the chaos out of you pretty hard.”

“I’ll be… fine… Yeah…” And she was out cold.

Pike warily approached them. As he gazed upon the rescued girl, he breathed a sigh and let his shoulders slump slightly to ease his tension. She wasn’t a luminescent. Well, he knew that already. But still, what a relief.

“Sam!”

Startled, Pike and Mindie both turned to the sound of the calling voice. A tall young man with a head of carrot-colored hair and face full of freckles came bounding into the promenade. He stopped just short of the three, hands on his knees as he found himself completely out of breath.

Pike blinked upon getting a better look at him. “Hey, I know you. You helped me out during that debacle in the hall some time ago. Foster, right?”

“Zack Foster, yeah.” The basketball player took a few more moments to catch his breath, then crouched down next to Mindie and Sam, gesturing to the latter with a flick of his chin. “I’m her brother. Is she all right?”

Mindie held her arms out towards him, offering cradling duty to the taller young man. “She’s fine. She had a bunch of chaotic energy built up, but I just finished expelling it from her.”

“It’s times like this I’m glad she isn’t a luminescent herself.”

Zack carefully took Sam off Mindie’s hands. If how hard he was panting a moment before was any indication, he must’ve been tired from all the running he did to get here. But surprisingly, there was no strain in his movements as he lifted the dazed girl into his grasp and stood up straight. Instead, he just held her close and even grinned a bit as he nudged his head against her mess of dark hair. Sam wasn’t even half his height, making it look like she was a toddler in his arms. It was a comically endearing sight.

“She’s been bullied her whole life, so her emotions can get the better of her.”

Pike looked at him skeptically. “Are you saying this happens pretty often?”

“Rarely ever this bad these days, but it does happen. Normally I’m around to keep her in check and deal with her right away, but the basketball team had an away game. When I saw the news board earlier, I knew right away it was her.”

“You’re luminescent too?”

“Yeah. I’m on the Tour, even. You’re Mindie, right? Your mom’s the Department Chair?”

“That’s right! Always glad to meet a fellow Star!” Mindie stood up and positioned herself alongside Pike, crossing her arms and looking at him thoughtfully. “Speaking of which, I’m surprised no other Stars got to her first. She’s an easy assignment for the Tour.”

“Thinking about people as simple assignments now?” Pike shot a sidelong glance at her.

“Well yeah, that’s kind of how the Tour works, Pike.” Mindie was wholly unfazed by his skeptical reaction.

Zack spoke up before they could devolve into bickering. “In any case, thanks a lot for bringing her back.” He began to leave the scene. “I’ll call the Lumi Department to clean up here, and make the report to them.”

Mindie waved and called out, “Make sure to give me Tour cred for the finish!”

Pike frowned slightly. He wasn’t thrilled with his partner’s reaction to all this. There was something about the way the Tour worked—and the whole Department, besides—that made him uneasy. It was when these thoughts meandered through his mind that he reminded himself: showboating, points and rank aside, Stars ultimately do this to protect the world. Mindie wanted to be one of those Stars, and supporting her in that was something he was happy to do.

Once Zack and Sam were out of sight, Mindie stretched and made a satisfied little groan. “Another job done for the future’s brightest Star!”

“And another night to sleep off for future’s, uh… something else.”

“Hey, hey, hold on a minute!” Mindie grabbed Pike by the sleeve of his hoodie and yanked him back before he could stray from her. She tapped at her heart-shaped earring. “Whatever you did to this thing is pretty neat! How’d you do it?”

Pike slouched a bit, flashing an exhausted smile and heaving a deep sigh. “With a lot of effort. Details aside, I infused some of my lumi into it.”

“Really?” She blinked in surprise.

“Yeah. I thought it might be helpful if you had a little extra to command—rather than trying to split your own. I know you’ve been having trouble with that.”

“Huh…” Mindie fondled the trinket on her ear thoughtfully. “Well, I don’t feel like my energy level increased at all though.”

Pike deflated, the bags under his eyes suddenly looking heavier at the prospect of his failure. “Oh…”

Mindie’s emerald eyes studied the perpetually exhausted boy, a hint of pity in their gaze. A thought took shape in her mind. She was able to successfully manipulate her energy the way she wanted—and there wasn’t a single doubt that her earring was the reason. She took her bestie by the shoulders, straightening him up and finding his gaze.

“But listen. When I was in my lumi state, thinking about what you did to this made my mind feel clearer. So maybe that’s why I was able to create a hockey stick.”

“As long as it works somehow…”

A bright smile radiated from Mindie’s face. “And you gave it back—which is much more important.”

Pike smiled grimly, then reached out and touched her earring-clasped ear. “I’m surprised you’re still attached to it. I thought you might’ve outgrown something cutesy like this.”

Mindie was momentarily struck dumb by his remark, her expression frozen in a state of absolute confusion. Her mind didn’t understand what he just said. Then she threw her head back in a fit of laughter.

“Not at chance! You gave it to me back in high school, after all; it’s one of my most prized possessions!”

She moved in close to him, invading his space and prompting him to stagger back half a step to find his balance again. In a playful little bout, she winked and stuck her tongue out, waggling a finger in his face.

“And now I have even more reason to keep it.”

=-=-=

The medical wards at HRU were no stranger to any kind of ailments. People all over the town of Halo Ridge came with scrapes and bruises, perhaps a case of physical exhaustion or the flu. And of course, there were times when victims were admitted while comatose from having their energy drained by a Shade.

Following the incident that ended the night before, there were more than a few of the latter.

Half a dozen beds were occupied by victims of the Shade that had been lurking around campus and North End Park. Chiaki, Artreius, and Ciara all stood within the ward and surveyed the aftermath after briefly consulting the doctor about each one’s condition.

“It’s unthinkable that we let this happen,” Artreius lamented.

“Many of our active Stars have been taking more assignments out of town lately,” Chiaki reasoned. “And as promising as our Tour candidates are, very few have experience dealing with a Shade that sometimes returns to their human form. Their inability to find it right away is understandable. Even we have trouble sometimes.”

Ciara skimmed through the report on her tablet. “They should all wake up within the next twelve hours. The two victims of the first incident were released earlier and seem normal post-encounter—if not a bit confused by what happened to them.”

Artreius shot a sidelong scowl at Chiaki. “We should count ourselves fortunate that this is the worst of it. It could’ve been a different story if one of these victims was luminescent.”

“Chaotic energy is present everywhere. Being a training ground for Stars, we’re just more sensitive to the matter than most. Every student who attends HRU understands that risk, and we’re not shy about the details when sending their admission letters.”

The Vice Chair wasn’t satisfied with his colleague’s remark, but he let the topic transition with a grunt and let his eyes wander over the ward. “So, who was our culprit this time?”

Ciara swiped along her tablet and brought up Sam’s profile. “Samantha Foster. A first-year student. Not luminescent herself, but she has a brother who’s participating in the Tour this year. Her post-incident evaluation results deem her fit to continue roaming in public.”

She took a few moments to scan the profile with a bit more intrigue. “It looks like this isn’t the first time she’s been overwhelmed with chaotic energy. She’s described as having a horribly low self-esteem, which her brother attributes to a history of falling victim to harassment.”

Ciara glanced at her mom.

Artreius did too, leering slightly. “If that’s the case, I propose the Department detain her instead. We might not be so lucky if this happens again.”

But Chiaki just matched his gaze with a face that was stern and unfazed. “If the objective is to prevent her from going chaotic again, perhaps the better remedy is to give her constant and reassuring companionship.”

“What do you propose we tell these poor souls when they wake up? That we’re sorry for the inconvenience and we let the perpetrator go with a slap on the wrist?”

“I’m of the belief that behind bars is not a rehabilitating location for stricken souls.”

Making his frustration plain, Artreius made an exaggerated sweeping gesture. “And I suppose you mean to release the dozen others we have in custody now? Chaotic energy would run rampant in hours!”

Ciara shot him a cold look. The ambitious Superstar was trying to make a case against her mother by tying in different matters, and it was too obvious not to notice.

Fortunately, the incumbent Chair took it in stride. “Let’s keep within this case’s scope, Arty. A girl who wants for reassurance needs company who can provide that. Having the Department detain her won’t be beneficial to anyone.”

Chiaki cast her gaze across the medical ward. The six or so victims were comatose from having their energy drained by the chaos that ran loose. Some would awaken in a matter of hours; a few would likely take until tomorrow or longer before their eyes opened again. This was the result of having a single girl with an unhealthy serving of low self-esteem go chaotic and unchecked for just a few days.

“Still,” she conceded somewhat, “I agree we should have some control over her whereabouts. She should not be allowed to roam campus without escort. On that note, I imagine her brother can fill that role at an official capacity. But when he’s busy, where should she stay…?”

=-=-=

The day was new and fresh, and Sheila DeSanto was hastily making a beeline for High Tower. She was in such a rush that she was tying her hair back while letting her heels clack-clack in a hurried beat along the sidewalk.

However, as she turned off the main walkway and onto the path leading towards her destination building, her pace slowed drastically. Her eyes showed a fleeting bout of shock and disbelief as she approached. There, standing next to the statue by the entrance, was Chiaki Tachibana-Callahan. She appeared to be waiting for her.

Her dear old friend… who prompted a scowl from her.

Sheila finished doing her hair and gripped the strap of her purse tightly, holding in certain feelings that she knew wouldn’t be appropriate to subject the public to. Instead, she composed herself with a practiced smile, whose foundation was replica of the kind that Chiaki showed during situations involving bathroom doors.

The Department Chair looked quite serious as she stood in the professor’s way. As the two came into conversational distance, a brief pause passed between them. For a moment, the scene was reminiscent of an impending duel.

“How can I help you, Chiaki?”