Chapter 33

Chapter 33 *

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Holden’s ears perked up at the noise, and without a second thought, he grabbed Elysia’s hand and they were off like a shot.

Seeing them bolt, the girls let out a collective scream. “It’s Holden! It’s really Holden!” They were on their heels in a flash, chasing after the direction the two had left.

Elysia was puzzled, thinking, ‘Why’s this dude dragging me along? Those girls are all over him. He could’ve just split. Why drag me into this? Now I’m caught up in his sprint! What gives?

But she knew this wasn’t the time to dwell on it. They had to shake the group hot on their trail.

Holden wasn’t sure why he was clutching Elysia’s hand as they ram. Maybe it was the fear that if he let go, he’d never bump into her again. There was something about Elysia that made him feel like he’d found a long–lost piece of himself.

‘Could it be that I’m subconsciously confusing her with Evelyn?‘ Holden wondered. He glanced back at Elysia, but he quickly looked away after just a peek.

Up ahead, Elysia spotted a lecture hall and figured it was likely deserted at the moment. She gave a firm tug on the guy in front of her and said, “Come with me.”

Elysia led him to hide around a corner, waiting until the group chasing them had passed by. Once she was sure the coast was clear and the lecture hall was empty, they slipped inside.

As soon as they entered, Elysia dropped down onto the floor, panting, “Are you some kind of celeb?”

Holden chuckled at her words, plopping down next to her and taking off his hat and mask. It was then that Elysia got a good look at his face. She had to admit he was pretty good–looking.

“My name’s Holden Evans,” Holden said, his voice steady.

Elysia shook her head, unimpressed. “Never heard of you. But seriously, why’d you drag me along?”

Holden was taken aback. He hadn’t expected her to ask that. He wasn’t sure how to explain.

He thought to himself, ‘Should I tell her that I was afraid I might never run into her again, so I had to pull her with me? That sounds pretty lame. Plus, she might think I’m some kind of creeper.

Seeing that he wasn’t responding, Elysia sighed and said, “Forget it. If you don’t want to say, I don’t need to know.”

“Even though I did kinda save your butt today, I’m a generous person. No need for you to owe me one. So, farewell!” With that, she got up to leave.

“What’s your name?” Holden suddenly called out to her.

“My name?” Elysia furrowed her brows. “I don’t think we’ll cross paths again. A name’s just a label. You don’t need to know it.”

“I need to know,” Holden insisted, his tone firm.

Elysia saw the determination and longing in his eyes. It was just name, after all. She figured there was no harm in telling him.

“Elysia,” she said.

“Elysia,” Holden repeated the name to himself.

11:59 Wed, Jan 29 BB.

Chapter 33 |༡༤༢ 69%

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Elysia looked at him, once again feeling bewildered. They were meeting for the first time today, yet he acted like he’d known her for ages.

She was about to open the door and leave when she suddenly remembered something. She turned back to him and warned, “This place isn’t safe to stay in for long. You should leave soon, too.”

Without waiting for Holden’s response, she pushed the door open and walked out.

Over at another spot, Holden’s agent, Wendy Faulkner, and his assistant, Mike Cochran, were freaking out.

“Wendy, Holden didn’t say where he was headed. I’m in the dark, too,” Mike said, his face a picture of worry.

“You’re his right–hand man. Why didn’t you stick with him?” Wendy snapped, her voice all sharp edges.

“Holden... He told me to stay put...” Mike replied.

Wendy was so wound up that she could’ve punched a wall, but then a thought hit her. “Find the school closest to us,” she ordered.

Mike whipped out his phone and fired up the map app. In a flash, he had the scoop on nearby schools. The nearest was Milton School.

He held the phone up to Wendy and asked, “Wendy, you thinking we should roll to Milton School?”

Wendy gave a firm nod.

“How can you be so sure Holden’s there?” Mike asked, his confusion written all over his face. He’d only recently joined Holden’s team and hadn’t quite caught up with all of Holden’s quirks.

Wendy pushed her glasses up her nose and explained, “Just remember. Wherever Holden goes, a school visit is a must.” Mike was about to dig deeper when his phone buzzed. Seeing Holden’s name light up the screen, he answered with a grin. “Meet me at the back gate of Milton School,” Holden said.

“Copy that, Holden,” Mike responded. After hanging up, he breathed a sigh of relief, glad Holden was right where they thought he’d be.

They pulled up to the back entrance of Milton School, and Holden jumped in the car, pulling off his mask.

The weird thing was that he didn’t look tired this time. Usually, he’d be in a sour mood after a school visit, needing a solid chunk of time to bounce back.

At first, Wendy was all confused. Schools were supposed to be these pure, awesome places. She couldn’t get her head around why he’d always look so drained after leaving them.

She thought to herself, ‘Is school more a jungle than the real world? Does it take more out of you?‘

But as time went on, she pieced it together. Holden would hit schools because of a promise to his sister.

It was said that Holden’s sister, Evelyn, was the top brain in Jorlandia, but sadly, she was always under the weather and didn’t make it past fifteen.

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Chapter 33 69%

Because of her health, the Evans family brought the tutors to her. She’d never stepped foot in a school, so her one big dream was to experience school life like any other kid.

Since she couldn’t do it herself, she asked her big brother to live out her dream. She wanted him to visit schools whenever he could and soak up the school vibe for her.

When Wendy first heard this story, it got her right in the feels. But seeing him come out of the school looking so down broke her heart. She figured he was getting all emotional, thinking about his sister and getting sad.

But today, Wendy was thrown for a loop. Holden didn’t look tired. In fact, he looked kinda happy. Wendy wondered if she was seeing things.

“Wendy, you think there could be two people out there who look alike?” Holden asked.

Hearing Holden’s question, Wendy paused for a beat before answering, “Sure, why not?”

“I’m sure there are, too,” Holden said because he had seen someone who resembled his sister, and even though they only looked about half the same, it was enough.

**

News traveled fast that Elysia was switching to Class 6. It was all over the school before lunch.

Emma was practically bouncing off the walls when she heard. She thought, ‘So Elysia’s true colors are showing, huh? I knew it.

How could a dropout, who didn’t even finish elementary school, end up in Class 1, Grade 12?

‘Look at her now! Class 1 kicked her out in no time. It must be because she bombed the exams, and the school had to stick her in Class 6. What’s Class 6? It’s the place for academic outcasts ‘Most kids there don’t care about schoolwork. Elysia’s pretty much toast there. Her future’s looking pretty bleak. What’s she gonna have left to compete with me? How’s she gonna make a comeback?‘

Robert was a bit surprised when he heard Elysia was moving to Class 6. He thought, ‘Didn’t she win? Why’s she moving to Class 6?‘

He couldn’t help but remember the announcement over the loudspeaker about her being called to the principal’s office. He figured it had something to do with the mysterious people backing her.

He’d heard from Emma that Elysia hadn’t graduated from elementary school and that her spot in Class 1 might’ve been secured through some shady moves.

But he was genuinely curious how someone who hadn’t finished elementary school could solve such tough math problems. He guessed maybe she just got lucky and stumbled on the right answers.

Robert hadn’t joined the Class 1 crowd at the sports ground earlier, so he was in the dark about Elysia’s voluntary move to Class 6. So, he could only speculate on his own about what was really going on.

But the truth of the matter wasn’t that important to him. What mattered was that Elysia was out of Class 1 for good, and that was all that mattered.