" Is it necessary for you to leave? We have already arranged for a representative for the exchange program. You don't need to waste your senior years for something like this? You can go on a vacation if you need a break. Why are you insisting on going for the Exchange Student Program? "
Braze's mother had no knowledge that he applied to be on that list, even though she was the principal.
It was primarily because it was a trivial matter and things like these were handled by her subordinates.
It was when her son was about to leave, that she knew about the matter and she definitely didn't look pleased.
" I just want to go for the ESP, Mama. What's the big deal about it? "
It wasn't like he and his mother were particularly affectionate.
Besides, he too needed his time away from Mira. He knew he was running from his reality.
Those dreams that were haunting him lately, those urges that were telling him that he didn't belong where he was, those voices that were whispering in his consciousness every second and every minute, was making life a lot worse than it was, ever since he decided to hurt Mira.
It was a conscious choice that he had made. A choice that cut him more than it hurt Mira. A choice that he had to make for the sake of her. A choice that was necessary because he wasn't sure who he was.
Rather, what he was.
Every night he woke up with sweat dripping down his nightwear, looking at the mirror as if staring at someone else.
Something inside him had awakened.
It wasn't like nightmares or hallucinations.
It was like that intermediate stage when someone suddenly comes back from a coma or long sleep and loses their rationale, completely.
He found himself wandering alone on the streets at night, sneaking out from his window, pouncing like a wild bear.
His body was experiencing an immense surge of strength, to the level of the supernatural.
He would run along the deserted path for hours at stretch, just to cool off that energy build up that threatened his humanity and everything it stood for.
He suffered like that for those few days, just before that ball. Alone, scared, exhausted and afraid that he might hurt the people who mattered to him the most, he did what he did to Mira. It was alright if she got hurt once but stayed safe.
There was another reason Braze wanted to go for that exchange program.
He had found the contact of an exceptional vet who also believed in elements that were beyond the grasp of modern science. She was a veterinary surgeon but she was also a mystic.
After his extensive research and long hours of jotting down pointers, he could only zero down on that one person, from the entire list that he had made with the help of the internet.
He was supposed to have boarded his flight the day before but it was scheduled at midnight. It was the one the school had booked for him. But the night time was not suitable for him to travel or be in anybody's company. Especially not in the state that he was in.
So he was already two days late, because that was the only flight left during the day.
He wasn't staying at the hostel because he feared being put up with a roommate. He had booked a lodge for himself. It was more like a homestay, very close to the school, yet isolated in the mountains.
The only person present there was an old lady. She was a widow , whose husband had recently died.
" Welcome to your new home. "
She chirped as the toothless woman greeted him with a big smile and warm hug.
" I got a hot tub prepared for you and lunch is also ready. Freshen up dear boy. Let's sit and eat together. "
She was infectious. He couldn't resist smiling back and doing as she instructed.
He spent the afternoon unpacking and getting the information of the vet ready, before he went to register at the school campus.
Even though the vet had a proper hospital and everything, she was not someone who easily met people.
She only dealt with the animals and they said that her hands held miracles.
Her staff and juniors did the dealing with the animal parents.
So fixing an appointment with her was near to impossible.
But Braze was desperate. He needed to do what needed to be done.
He went straight to the hospital and decided to wait for her car.
She did arrive after a long wait. Her car was pitch black, just like her own dress code.
She was wearing a mask and entered the hospital through the back door, probably to avoid all the patients waiting in the front.
Braze silently went below her car as it was being parked by the vale.
He had no problem hanging under it. His strength was slowly reaching the height of the unimaginable.
After a few hours, she came back and drove straight home.
Braze had no problem entering her high security, posh estates, hanging under her own car, latched like a lizard on the wall.
After she was gone, he slowly came out and went towards the room, where she went.
His sense of smell had greatly increased as well. It was as if he had gained a dog -like smelling technique.
He had no problem at all following the marks left behind by her essence. It was easier to follow than following a line, drawn by chalk on the ground.
It was all okay and fine till then.
The real commotion began when the vet started screaming with a high pitched yell as soon as she noticed Braze's silhouette from behind her shower curtains.
Braze's brain was functioning just fine till then but her yell made him panic and he jumped right beside her in the shower and covered her mouth with his hands.