Chapter 5: The Next Phase

[biglenny]

 

"I can't believe it was just yesterday when we were holding you girls in our arms," said Vlastimir as he and Selena hugged their daughters. No matter how hard they tried not to cry, tears still rolled from their eyes.
"Well, things change," replied Ana.
“Take care of yourselves and study hard, OK?” added Selena.
"Will do."
"And Jelena?"
"Yes, dad?"
"Remember what your mother and I said before: none of that was your fault in the first place. We know you have a sense of responsibility to the family, but no matter what happens, we’ll always have your back."
Jelena quivered at the slightest mention of the incident a few years ago. Would their lives have been in danger if she had been harder on her sister and friends? What if that meant worse things to come? Best not to think about them for now.
"Alright," she said.
"That’s my girl."






To settle down into their next phase in life, Ana and Jelena moved to a dormitory and declared their majors: Art and Mathematics, respectively. Ana said that art will help her better understand the importance of cutting some slack at times. Jelena said that math will prepare her to follow her lifelong dream of becoming a city planner, pointing out Verdant Cliffs' vast tracts of land as an opportunity to expand it.










Meanwhile in Verdant Cliffs, Vlastimir and Selena celebrated their birthdays. The girls beamed with pride at their parents reaching their next milestone in life. The old couple couldn't be any happier, especially with two daughters in college. It better be a matter of time when they have grandchildren of their own.






It wasn’t long before Mowgli joined his sister to college, and Ana wasted no time catching up with him.
"Man, I miss you so much," said Ana after kissing him.
"Me too."
----------






Throughout campus, several students were wearing black blazers. Something about them piqued the girls' interest. Perhaps they held exciting secrets.
Ana approached one of them during dinner. "Excuse me, um…"
"Yuri Bierce."
"Right. Sorry I'm bad with names. I was wondering what you and Natasha Webber have been up to lately, since you guys always come to the dorm later than usual. As our RA, you should address this every meeting we have."
"So?"
"Just curious."
"Extracurricular activities. It’s important to have at least one in order to get ready for life after graduation."
"Of what kind?"
"Life skills. Now, if you’ll excuse me."
Yuri got up and went back to his room, but not before muttering something under his breath about nosy freshmen or something. Ana bit her lip, hoping that she didn’t pry too deep to raise their suspicions.






During another dinner, Jelena took a deep breath when Natasha sat across her.
"So," Jelena said, steadying her arms, “Can you tell me all about the places around here?"
"Well, there’s the auditorium and music hall for plays and concerts, the gym and its pool for staying fit, libraries and student centers to help you study without distraction, the lounge to hang out in, and a little park to bask in what nature has to offer."
"Oh, OK. I was thinking of something more exciting."
"I can’t help you with that. I’m sorry."
After Natasha left, Jelena sighed and slumped her shoulders. Talking to new people, especially in a whole new environment, was a new experience. Everyone kept to themselves, and it would be rude to interrupt whatever they were doing.






No matter how many times she tried to forget her little incident with Colby Littleton, it stuck to her memory like it was yesterday.
"I just wanna get to know you," she said when she reached out her hand to him. "Maybe it’ll become something more than that."
"No, thanks," he replied. "Besides, I'm already dating someone else."
"But I…"
"Sorry, I gotta go now."
After he left, Jelena stood in silence. What went wrong with her attempt to approach someone, especially a man she's into? And how will she carry on her family's legacy if she can't find a man who loves her as much as she loves him?








Nevertheless, she had to shake off that moment and focus on her term papers and assignments. They won't write by themselves, and she had to prove her understanding of math to her professors. Besides, Ana was also studying hard when she wasn’t talking about the beauty of grilled cheese art to her professors.






Jelena took a deep breath when Colby sat next to her during breakfast. This was her only chance to make some amends to him, after the awkward moment they had together.
"Colby," she said, "I'm sorry for the way I acted when we first met. You're cute, and I thought we could kiss someday, but I didn't know you are already in a relationship."
"That’s fine," he replied. "I just wanna tell you to be more careful with people next time. And don't give up on your search for that special someone; some things take more time and effort."
Jelena sighed. Apologizing to someone turned out to be easier than she thought. Good thing Colby didn’t lash out at her, or she might take a step back and wonder what she could’ve done instead.






While dorm life provided the girls with opportunities to meet new people, some of them proved to be too much for them to handle.
"Hey, jelly bean," said someone in a cow costume. "You look lost. Lemme keep ya company so we can have some fun together."
Jelena’s blood boiled. Her father warned her of cows like these: picking fights with people on campus and disrupting their routines with pranks. She never thought one would stalk her at night. How could campus security be so ineffective at dealing with these fiends? And "jelly bean"? Really?
"How about a 'no' in a million years, creep? And do NOT call me 'Jelly'!" she yelled, walking away as fast as she could. There must be a more private place to avoid them.






Parvati often called the Vidić girls to check up on them. Jelena would complain at being babysat and sometimes even told Parvati to leave them alone just this once. With so many assignments to do, there was little time to socialize.
"What’s up, Lena?" she said.
"I'm fine," Jelena chuckled. Hearing her nickname "Lena" was the only thing she slowly warmed up to despite her initial hesitation. At least it wasn’t "Jelly" or she would’ve lashed out. "Anything peculiar on campus?"
"What do you mean?"
She lowered her voice into a whisper. "Do you notice the black blazers some students wear? I'm just curious about your thoughts on them."
"Yeah. I see at least one in my dorm. He often comes home late but otherwise talks to everyone else with no problems. Must be a charade he tries to keep up. I don’t know much about those guys, but I heard that Randall, a guy who has been watching over the only Greek house on campus, might know a thing or two."
Jelena nodded. Her father told her and her sister about him founding the only Greek house in Académie Le Tour, which became a source of pride for the family. Moreover, Randall was an old friend of her father, so he might open up to them.
----------






One cool day, the girls finally met Randall Evans.
"Ana and Jelena Vidić, I presume?" he said.
"Yup," replied Ana.
"Your dad never told me you two look a lot like him."
"Heh, a lot of people say that about us," said Jelena. "Anyway, you know why we're here."
Randall sighed and suppressed the urge to cry at seeing his old friend growing old and his daughters all grown up.
"Alright. This is all based on hearsay, but I heard there’s a secret society on campus. I don't know how it accepts people, but it's probably based on trust among them. Back when I was living at your dorm, Yuri rarely checked how we were faring."
"Because he always came home late," interrupted Ana.
"Exactly. I talked to him about it before, but he would switch the topic as soon as he could. There was a time when he muttered about nosy students or whatever, but it was so soft that I couldn’t quite hear it completely.
"But now that you’re here, I'd like to pass the torch to you. Come join the Greek house and make your dad proud. Besides, you girls need a private place to stay and study."
The girls smiled. "Thanks for the offer," said Jelena. "You're too generous."
"You're welcome. Vlastimir's a great guy, and the least I could do is to provide you girls with better accommodations."






One night, Yuri and Natasha sat across Jelena, who just finished her assignment. She took a deep breath before turning to them. Better not fumble this.
"Excuse me," she said.
"Mmm-hmmm?" replied Yuri.
"No need to mumble," said Natasha, who turned to Jelena. "What do you need?"
"I'm just trying to break out of my comfort zone and chat with you guys. Is that a problem."
"Not at all."
The conversation with Yuri and Natasha went better than expected. Jelena thought there would be times when they'd shut her down or glare at her, but it didn't happen. She made sure to steer clear of anything that might arouse their suspicions like whatever secret activities they could be up to. Instead, they talked about their studies and what they were looking forward to, such as Yuri's dream to become an artist and Natasha’s fondness for cooking, which reminded Jelena of Ana.






Later that night, someone in a black blazer approached her when she was on her way to her room.
"What’s going on?" she asked.
"Confidential information," said the woman as she handcuffed Jelena. "Now get into the limo."






Half an hour later, the limo took her to a small castle outside of campus, where she was greeted by a few familiar faces.
"Woo! New recruit!" shouted a girl.
"Here’s a blazer," added another.
"Welcome to the Volauvent Society," said Natasha, who walked towards Jelena. "Here, we hang out together at night to marvel at treasures past members have invented. I trust that you keep this place a secret at all times, in case some of these things fall into the wrong hands."
Great, more things to keep an eye on.






Speaking of things to keep an eye on, their family Greek house was one of them for a good reason. The walk was short, and despite its small size, the girls couldn’t stop marveling at the Greek house their father founded.
"Sorry it’s not much," said Randall. "I'd renovate it if I can afford it."
"It’s fine," said Ana. “With our combined funds, we’ll expand it in no time."












The construction team rebuilt the building from scratch, turning it from a shack to a modest house with separate bedrooms, a spacious living room, and a dining room fit for a king. Randall and the girls couldn’t be any happier as they enjoyed their more bearable house.
"It could've been better," said Jelena. "But at least we can make do for now."








With the house rebuilt, the girls celebrated by playing catch. They wanted Randall to join, but he was so exhausted that he went to bed instead.
"Catch!" shouted Jelena, who threw the ball at Ana with all the energy she could muster. Ana caught it, but her palms were sore.
"Dang, Lena!" she exclaimed. "Can you be less rough next time when you throw?"
"No can do. You know throwing as hard as possible is important in any game."
"Yeah, but this isn't a competition or anything"
"Whatever."








The cow mascots still snuck their way into the university sometimes, but with a plaque ready in the Greek house, these bovines were in for a surprise. Jelena smirked at their cries of defeat. Perhaps this will teach them a lesson not to mess with her family or anyone on campus.
Finally some sweet justice, she thought.






As a member of the Volauvent Society, there were times when Jelena came close to revealing details about it. Nevertheless, she handled it as best as she could, though she feared she might be giving things away.
"So, what have you been up to lately?" said Ana.
"That’s confidential," replied Jelena, her fists on her hips.
"Calm down, Lena. I just wanna keep up with each other. No need to be that defensive."
She stood upright. "Sorry about that. I just don’t want you prying into my stuff."
"I thought we have to stick together as twins."
"We have different interests, though, and some things are best kept to ourselves."






The Greek house continued receiving visitors, and even though most of them didn’t say anything that came across as prying into the society’s existence, Colby came close.
"I was wondering why you don’t study with us anymore,” he said. "Is it because of something involving students in black blazers."
"Geez," Jelena snapped, "Can't you please respect people's privacies? What if it's something they hold so dear that they’d not tell anyone?"
"I was just curious, and you don't need to be aggressive about it. I'd understand if they wanna keep it private."
Jelena took a deep breath. Those outbursts weren’t helping her cause, and one slip of the tongue will compromise the society’s secrecy.






Days later, Randall was approached by the same woman who "arrested" Jelena.
"Is it because I got too friendly with some people on campus?" he said, trying to process what was going on.
"You have the right to remain silent," she replied. "Anything you say can and will be used against you."
Randall shuddered. What have I gotten into this time?






At the limo’s destination, he was greeted by various people wearing black blazers. They gave him one, which he promptly put on. A blonde woman held his hands.
"Hey, handsome," she said.
"Nora," his voice was softer. Never did he expect one of his crushes to be a member of this secret society. That at least made up for the gloomy castle they were in.
"OK, lovebirds," interrupted Natasha. “Now that you’re a member of the Volauvent Society, I trust that you keep this place a secret, just as Jelena does."
"I will."








Since Jelena and Randall joined the society, its members visited the Greek house from time to time, mostly to check up on their commitment to secrecy. In turn, they also attended the society meetings, where they talked about their assignments, for lack of a better term. It was actually adjusting their grades to their desired ones.
"But what about learning from class and applying that knowledge for our future?" Jelena once said to Yuri after a meeting.
"Eh, better to learn from the outside world than from stuffy academies."
"Don’t you think faculty will notice this?"
"Nah. They’re too dumb to realize what we're up to."
Jelena didn't like the sound of this, but didn't say anything further to avoid suspicion among its members. Best stay in their good graces.
----------






As a senior, Randall couldn’t be more excited and nervous at his impending graduation. His studies may be tough, but from what he learned from Vlastimir, post-college life might be even harder, such as getting a job and paying bills. Fortunately, there was a new apartment building in Verdant Cliffs, and the price was low enough for college graduates, ensuring that he wouldn’t experience homelessness like his friend did. Having found time to unwind before going back to his studies, he went to the Steel Abs Gym and Pool, a place Jelena once recommended as an alternative to the Académie’s eerily empty gym. He wanted to invite the girls, but they were busy with their studies, as were Samuel and Nora.
He marveled at its top-notch equipment, sleek ambiance, and friendly gymgoers. Working out there motivated him to stay longer to get into top shape. The ceiling fans cooled him down as sweat trailed from his head. It would be merrier if everyone else he knew had the time to join him. Nevertheless, he still appreciated working out by himself because it gave him some calm and more focus.






The workout was intense, but he got fit in the end. With a body like this, Nora and Samuel will be impressed, and he’d have an easier time attracting more guys and girls. He couldn’t wait to show it off to everyone else back at college.
"Randall Evans, I presume?" said someone. Randall turned around and saw a stranger with a covered face approaching him when he was waiting for a taxi.
Randall flinched. Why would someone in a quiet town like Verdant Cliffs know him? Something didn't feel right, especially when the stranger was watching him like a tiger ready to pounce on a deer. He sweated and quivered despite the night wind cooling him down.
"Tell me where the girls are," they whispered before he could grab his cell phone. He tried to resist but couldn’t move his limbs.
Don’t let them get to you, he thought.






Randall opened his mouth, but before he could say something, he curled his hands into fists and punched the stranger. Relief washed over him now that he finally regained control of his body. With the stranger unconscious, he ran away to the nearby woods, hoping for a safer place to call the police.






Something was sniffing at Randall. The stench of spoiled milk filled the air. He held his breath and slowly took a step back.
Why would a cowplant be here? Unless…
His heart was beating rapidly. Either someone snuck into the Volauvent Society castle or one of its members wanted the girls dead. He bit his lip and tasted the metallic taste of blood. Jelena must know about this.
A branch on the ground snapped when he took another step back. Before he could dive to the side, the moon and stars were gone as darkness surrounded him.
I'm sorry, girls.
----------






It was odd that Randall didn’t come home last night. Jelena searched everywhere – his room, the living room, the dining room, the backyard. This wasn’t like him. What errands did he have that he had to stay at another place? Even calling him was of no use because he didn’t pick it up. Nor did calling his friends because they were busy with classes.
She turned on the TV for the news. What she watched, however, made her stomach drop.
"This morning, a skeleton covered in gastric juices was found at woods near the Steel Abs Gym and Pool. Further investigation is underway, but it appears that the murder was recent, and it might have involved a cowplant."
Her stomach dropped. Randall couldn’t have wandered away from the gym, could he?






Unable to process what she watched any longer, she turned off the TV. Her phone rang, and her arms quivered.
"Hello?" she answered it after steadying herself.
"Our cowplant went missing," said Yuri. "And our surveillance cameras broken. Odd that there was a strand of your hair in the cowplant enclosure."
"But I didn't touch it."
"Then how come the last time you and Randall attended our meeting was two days ago? You could’ve done your assignments at the castle with us, where it would be faster to build up your grades. Moreover, the Volauvent Society has just been informed of Randall’s death. How reckless could you be, sending your own fellow member to his death?"
"No," Jelena whispered. "It's not what it looks like."
"Right. Should've known that your family attracts trouble since your dad came to this university. In light of recent events, we the Volauvent Society brand you a threat to our secrecy and hereby banned from the castle. Do not attempt to plead your case."






Jelena put away her phone and cried. Her family friend just died, and it all started when she recommended the Steel Abs Gym and Pool to him. Had she warned him about the wilderness surrounding it, he would've reconsidered going alone, wouldn’t he? There is strength in numbers, after all.
At the same time, her blood boiled at her so-called "friends" rejecting her. She should’ve turned away from them when she learned about their meddling with their grades. All the time they spent hanging out together went down the drain in an instant. How could she be so foolish with her choice of friends? As future clanlady, she should've been more careful who to trust once mom and dad were gone.
Remember what dad told you: it’s not your fault, Lena. It’s…
She covered her face in a vain attempt to prevent more tears from flowing.
It is.





That's it for Chapter 5! I've changed the format from slide to blog because back when I was writing in slide format, each slide limits the amount of words I want to write, resulting in me creating more slides and staging more scenes just to fit the words. With the switch, I can focus more on writing the scenes and using pictures as supplements. I hope it works in the long run.
Stay tuned for the next update!