Chapter 8- The Vaylor Estate (Part 1)
After finishing his lunch, Elio made his way back to the classroom, where he found Fiona had returned to her seat. She usually eats her food in class as she brings her own lunch with her.
Naturally, her friends sit with her and bring their own lunches too. Seeing that, Elio felt a bit odd. Fiona was behaving as if nothing had happened and didn't even give him a glance.
'She's really good at hiding what she's thinking of. Is that what it takes to be someone as famous as her?' He asked himself as he sat down and looked away. 'To be fair, why would she even stare at me? She is probably just curious about my condition and not about me. That's somewhat relieving.'
Elio didn't wish to get close to Fiona, as that only meant more and more trouble for him. Besides, this is a forbidden world for him. One he isn't supposed to even see, let alone be involved in. He was a merely normal boy from a poor family who wanted to survive and find a comfortable life.
Meanwhile, Fiona is destined to be a world leader, someone with enough power and influence to reshape the world as they know it. They were worlds apart on every single scale.
*RING* *RING* *RING*
The bell rang again soon after, announcing the start of the second part of the day. Elio tried to focus again, but he wasn't able to fully do that. His mind was too occupied with what would happen when the day was over.
A million ideas popped into his head that he quickly erased. Many were bad, some were good, and the rest sounded straight out of a fantasy story he had read before.
He counted the time by the seconds, staring at the clock a lot. The closer the time got, the more nervous he became.
Eventually, the bell rang, announcing the end of the last class. However, this time, Elio didn't immediately leave like he usually does. Instead, he sat there, waiting for everyone to leave before him. He didn't want to catch attention standing at the gates, waiting for Fiona.
The girl herself left soon after. But Elio didn't follow until the class became completely empty. Sucking a deep breath, he picked up his bag and stood up.
"Here goes nothing." Readying himself mentally, Elio finally turned around and walked out of the class. The entire school was already completely empty. Making his way out, Elio stopped right beside the gate and looked around him.
There was nobody around except for a few students here and there, talking as they were getting ready to leave.
Standing there, he stared around, left and right. There was no trace of Fiona. So he checked his clock.
'Did I perhaps go out too late and she left?' He rubbed the back of his head.
As he was like that, suddenly, he saw a black car take the turn around the street. It was a long, luxurious limousine with covered windows. It moved toward him until it stopped at the front gates.
Elio watched silently as the door automatically opened, allowing him to see inside. There, sitting on the other side, was Fiona, who stared at him and then signaled with her head.
"... *Gulp*..." Swallowing a mouthful of saliva, Elio looked around him before he walked toward the open door and got in. Immediately, it closed shut, and the car moved away from the gates like a ghost, unseen by anyone.
***
The interior of the limousine was unlike anything Elio had ever seen before. It was vast, spacious, with comfy, smooth leather seats, beautiful lights above his head, and, shockingly, there was even a table and beverages.
Elio looked around him with surprise and mesmerization. 'Why is this car so vast? It can fit an entire bed!'
In there, Fiona sat casually, reading a book with her face resting on her hand. Under the faint light of the sun, she looked as mesmerizing as ever.
"You were smart to wait inside until everyone left. I was going to tell you to do that." She broke the silence as she closed the book and stared at Elio.
"Y-Yeah… I guessed nobody would want to see us together." He nodded his head. "So… Ummm, where are we going? I didn't get to ask."
"Hmm, of course, back to the Vaylor Estate. There, I want you to undergo some tests to understand why your blood behaves in such an interesting way."
"The Vaylor Estate…"
Elio had already predicted that she would bring him back home with her. But, it was still shocking that he, of all people, would be able to see that Vaylor Estate of all places.
The Vaylor Estate wasn't merely a house, or even a mansion. You could even say it was an entire city of its own. Spanning an entire district, it was completely anonymous and guarded extremely well. Not even the media and paparazzi could take a glance inside.
It was safe to say nobody from the masses knew how the estate looked inside, so Elio could well and truly be the only normal person to have such a privilege in this lifetime. He didn't know if he should be excited or afraid since he was the first.
"Are you hungry?"
"Huh? Oh, no, it's fine… I'm not-"
*Grumble*
As if to betray him, his stomach grumbled at that moment, submerging the entire limousine in silence.
Elio's face turned beet red as he looked down. 'Curse you, stomach! Curse you and your ancestors!!'
Fiona blinked before she tapped a button next to her. "Alfred." She said.
A second later, a voice spoke back through a speaker.
"Yes, my lady?" It was soothing and calm, carrying a lot of wisdom.
"What do you want? We will stop by on the road to get some food."
"Ummm… Anything would do. I don't mind."
"Stop by the nearest fast food restaurant and get him a meal, Alfred. The choice is yours."
"Understood, my lady."
Elio sat there, embarrassed by the unsightly noise he made and also quite amazed by how easy it was for her to just get food. Clicking a button and wishing for anything… That sounded like a dream.
"So, tell me… Can I address you as Elio?" Fiona asked calmly.
"Yes. Please do."
"Good, feel free to call me, Fiona. So, I have done some research about you earlier today. May I ask a few questions, if possible? Feel free not to answer any question you feel uncomfortable with.'
'She was quickly able to learn about my life? That's so scary…' He frowned. "I understand, please ask away."
"You were raised by your grandmother, correct?"
"Yes…"
"What about your parents? They don't seem to be registered in the government records, from what I have seen. They're deceased?"
"Yes… I have never met them, but my grandmother said they died in the Blood Plague."
"I see… I'm sorry for your loss." Fiona said with a softer tone than usual.
"Thank you. I honestly don't even know how they look, so it didn't really affect me."
"It explains why they aren't recorded as dead. The government wasn't able to register all the deceased names at the time."
"I have heard of it, yes. It killed… 60% of all the human population, no?"
"Yes. To be more precise, 62%. Basically, everyone who was 45 years old and older died in that plague."
The Blood Plague, also known as the Boiling Blood Plague, or the Doomsday Plague, was an illness that struck the world 15 years ago. It caused the death of countless souls and the near extinction of all humanity.
An event so profound, they were still feeling its ripples to this day.