Chapter 10 #2
Everyone in the room looked at her as if green antennas had sprouted from her head.
What was this crazy girl talking about? Serguei?
Only Adele would be crazy enough to say that name out loud.
Besides, it made no sense at all, because she was the guilty one, and if anyone could get her off the hook, it was her own uncle—who was now looking at her with a kind of perverse gleam in his eyes.
Even I stiffened at the violent promise his eyes carried, though it vanished almost as quickly as it appeared.
He opened his mouth to speak, but Lionel cut in.
“Yes, Miss Ivanov, calling another psychic would be ideal, but you see, out of respect for the good friendship I have with your guardians, I’d prefer to resolve this right here.
If we take this to court, things could get even more complicated, and I value this academy’s reputation.
So, if Mr. Ivanov and Mr. Voluz are in agreement and open to negotiation, we can resolve this quickly. ”
It was obvious this would happen. I don’t even know why I was so worried. The Voluz name would cover any problem I got myself into, and apparently, the Ivanov name was just as influential as mine.
That’s how justice worked for the powerful.
“But…”
“Enough, Adelevik!” the man now known as Ivanov shouted. “This is the second time this week you’ve caused problems. What do you want? To drive me crazy? We’ll resolve this quickly so we can go home. Enough of this.”
Adele shrank beside me and fell silent. Lionel stared at Zion, waiting for an answer.
“We can resolve it.” He composed himself, his gaze on Adele.
“Excellent! Then you can start the investigation.” Lionel gestured toward Ivanov.
The psychic smiled and opened his laptop, pulling a device from his bag that looked like a helmet frame once assembled. He put it on his head and connected the wires to the laptop.
“For those who don’t understand: this device on my head will turn everything I see in your minds into images. So there’s no way to fake anything, since memories are unchangeable and reliable.” He looked at me and Adele. “Who wants to go first?”
Since the Yonserian didn’t respond, I volunteered to get it over with. Ivanov’s large, gentle eyes focused on me.
“Excellent! It’ll be quick, and you might feel confused, but that’ll pass by tonight.”
Zion clasped his hands behind his back, looking uncomfortable as he watched us, but once again, he said nothing.
Ivanov pulled his chair up to me and took my hands, closing his eyes. I swallowed hard. When his icy skin touched mine, every hair on my body stood on end. I didn’t know why I felt this way, but something about psychics made me uneasy.
I felt something brush against my mind and gritted my teeth as my brain was churned like it was in a blender.
In the background, I heard voices coming from the laptop and forced myself to keep my eyes open, watching the scenes play on the screen.
It was as if my eyes were cameras, and there was even a desperate, frightened edge to my own feelings as all the events unfolded.
Finally, it ended with the scene of the director arriving at the woods.
Ivanov released my hands and I blinked in confusion, feeling terribly nauseous.
I noticed Zion staring at me, and this time, disgust and irritation broke through his usual serious expression, as if he couldn’t contain them.
The director was looking at Adele, trying to absorb everything he had seen.
“I don’t think we need to visit Adele’s mind, since Kyller’s images were clear. You have a good memory, Miss Voluz—your mental voice is the clearest I’ve ever seen,” Adele’s uncle said, smiling at me.
The director pulled out a calculator and straightened in his chair as he spoke:
“Now that everything’s been clarified, let’s get down to business.”
Had I heard him right, or had he just said “business”? Zion moved to my side, finally showing some reaction to what had happened, and Ivanov spoke up before anyone else could:
“Yes, my good friend. You’ve been so kind I don’t even know how to thank you. If something like this were taken to court, my niece would be in serious trouble. I offer my sincere apologies for what happened and promise there won’t be a repeat. For now, I’m immensely grateful for your kindness.”
I could only think that promise was a joke, since Adele was constantly in trouble and her taste for hallucinogens and sports cars was known throughout Interion.
Lionel cleared his throat and accepted the other man’s words graciously.
I figured he was expecting something from Zion, but Zion wasn’t in the mood to argue.
“First, let’s address the simpler matter: Kyller Voluz got into a fight and, like Adrian, Ethan, Miverik, Naoki, and Adele, must pay 5,000 dunas. The fine is set by the academy.”
My mouth fell open. 5,000 dunas? I only made 600 dunas a month at the hospital—that was an absurd amount for me. It reminded me that Breno had been to the director’s office several times because of me and had to pay for it. I just didn’t know it was such a steep price.
Zion didn’t seem to care, and Ivanov nodded.
“The second amount is only for them—it’s the price of my silence regarding what happened with Naoki. I want 10,000 dunas.”
“This is absurd!” I found myself saying, shocked. “I only acted to save his life!”
“Quiet, Kyller,” Zion said, placing his hand on my shoulder. The warmth of his skin held me in place, and I fell silent at the sharp command.
“And I also want Mr. Ivanov to pay all of Naoki’s medical expenses, since he’s an exchange student and the academy assumes responsibility for covering the hospital costs, which will be…
” He pulled a sheet from the printer on the desk and scanned for the amount.
I already knew it would be 18,000 dunas before he even said it, since I knew the hospital’s rates. “Do you gentlemen agree?”
“Yes! I’m in full agreement, Lionel,” Ivanov said.
I looked at Zion over my shoulder when the room fell silent, waiting for his response. But his expression was so unreadable it was impossible to tell what he was thinking.
“I don’t agree,” Zion finally responded.
Not only did my jaw drop, but so did everyone else’s in the room.
Zion kept his gaze fixed on Lionel, who was starting to turn red.
“What do you mean you don’t agree?” the director sputtered.
“First, from what we saw in those recordings, Kyller did nothing that would qualify as assault or a crime. She did use her gift, but it was to save a life—something she swore to do when she entered medical school. If her case goes to court, the charge of using her gift without a supervisor nearby will be nullified by that oath. That way, we won’t have any problems, and if we do, it’ll only be a temporary suspension.
Second, regarding Adele, I think the reasons that led her to attack Naoki are compelling enough that I’m not inclined to take the case to court—something I should do, but won’t, because I think she’ll learn more from me at the academy than behind bars. ”
Zion finished his speech, crossing his arms over his chest. It struck me that was the longest sentence I'd ever heard him speak, but what surprised me most was that he'd used it to defend me.
The three men exchanged glances, and the tension grew so thick that, combined with my headache, it was almost suffocating.
Lionel drummed his fingers on the wooden desk.
“Gentlemen, I want 48 thousand dunas in my account, or I'll let the courts sort this out.” He leaned back in his black leather chair, looking immovable. Ivanov shifted his weight, visibly nervous.
The tension ratcheted up until I thought the air itself would become unbearable, but Zion wasn't going to back down—I was starting to know him well enough to see that.
“All right!” Ivanov said, raising his hands. “No problem, I'll pay the Voluz portion. Let's just get this over with.”
He pulled out his phone and concentrated on the screen. A moment later, Lionel's device beeped on the desk. The director checked it, smiling when he saw the funds had likely hit his account.
“It was a pleasure doing business with you, gentlemen.” Lionel stood, ending the meeting.
“The pleasure was all ours,” Ivanov replied, opening the door. He was clearly forcing a fake smile.
Zion didn't say goodbye—he just gripped my shoulder and steered us toward the exit. He stayed behind me like a bodyguard, getting us out of there as fast as possible.
Okay. Now I was certain things were about to get ugly for me.
We walked in silence to the administration building's exit.
Outside, the sky had already gone dark, and from the lack of movement or sound, I'd say all the students had been dismissed.
When we'd moved far enough from the door, he lifted his hand from my shoulder, making me stop to face him.
I looked up at him. He gazed down at me, his expression revealing nothing.
“Are you hurt?”
The question caught me off guard. I'd expected a soul-chilling sermon or a terrible argument, but not this.
“N-no,” I murmured, rubbing my wrists. His eyes immediately dropped to them. The skin still hurt and itched, but the bruises had faded, thanks to my gift. “My body's already healed the injuries.”
He assessed me for another moment and didn't seem at all satisfied with what he saw.
“Go get your things from the locker room. I need to report to the king, so feel free to clean up if you want, but I'll be back soon to get you.”
“You don't need to worry about me.”
“Don't I? Are you sure about that, Kyller?” His eyebrows rose in challenge. “What I just saw through Ivanov's gift proves exactly the opposite.”
I remembered he'd seen the whole thing—Adrian pressing my face into the dirt—and instantly my cheeks flushed. His expression told me this wasn't the time for jokes, and I was wise enough to lower my gaze. A good soldier should recognize her defeat.
“Just don't argue with me, all right? Get your things and wait for me here.”