Chapter 8: Chapter 3: Moonlit Meeting

•National Science Academy, 1st Ward•

Valerian

"Just a little bit more, V" A man in a suit reassured a young boy who was strapped into a chair.

He knew what was going to happen. This must be another one of his father's experiments.

From his peripheral vision, Valerian noticed dozens of scientists watching him, taking notes and operating the machines and computers for the experiment.

Valerian's father injected him with a blue experimental fluid and attached wires with sensors on different body parts to monitor his heart rate and blood pressure.

"Just a little bit more...." His father said more to himself than to Valerian. And with a push of a button, a surge of electricity flowed through his body.

Valerian screamed and squirmed in pain. He felt as though everywhere in his body was burning. "AAAAAAHHHHHHH" Everything hurt, his head started to spin and white started to cloud his vision.

"s-stop" Valerian cried with a strained voice. He could feel the veins in his throat twitch with every painful scream. "It hurts! AHHHH ENOUGH! PLEASE!" His pleas fell on deaf ears as his father only increased the electricity wattage. "Just a little bit more...." His father chanted.

Valerian was sweating profusely, all his senses were numb, and he felt everything in his body ache in unbearable pain as the electricity rushed through his veins again and again and again.

Then suddenly....he woke up. He panted heavily as he sat up from his bed, nursing a terrible headache. His ears started ringing and the world around him seemed to turn and twist in peculiar ways.

Valerian ran his hand through his hair which was now damp from sweat. His thin shirt, soaked with sweat that clung to his chest. His childhood memories seemed to haunt him every night even after he cut his ties with his father.

Valerian stared blankly at the ceiling drowning in the white sounds. He could hear the leaves rustling outside his window, the drops of water falling from a leaking faucet, the vibrations from his room's air conditioning, and–

CREAAAK! SCREEECH! CREAAAK!

"What the hell?!" He cursed desperately covering his ears. Valerian's already bad mood turned even sourer as he heard the screeching of furniture from the room above him.

Valerian's room was on the 2nd floor of the dormitory. The academy's dormitory had a total of 4 floors. The boy's rooms were on the first and second floors while the girl's rooms were on the third and fourth floors.

He glared at the ceiling of his room as another chair screeched as it was pushed and pulled. He cocked his head to the side to check the digital clock by his bedside table. 2:45 AM, the projection read. "Who in the world is refurnishing their room in the middle of the night?!" He complained.

As if on cue, another screech from the floor above rang in his ears. With a frustrated sigh, he got out of bed and opened the balcony. He grabbed a couple of pebbles from the potted plant by the balcony and started throwing rocks at the sliding door of the balcony above him.

After about 10 pebbles, the sliding door from the room above his opened, revealing a girl with porcelain skin and contrasting jet-black hair. Her white nightgown, pale skin and black hair made her look like a ghost standing beneath the moonlight. "YOU?!" The girl shouted at him with shock evident on her face. The reaction surprised him. 'Have we met before?' he asked himself. He pinched the bridge of his nose and sighed. This wasn't important right now.

"What the fuck are you doing moving around your furniture?! Are you redecorating?! And in the middle of the fucking night at all times!" Valerian asked, annoyance evident in his tone.

"No...Well, actually I-" The girl started to say but his patience couldn't bear such useless excuses.

"I don't care what you were doing. Just stop doing it!"

"What if I don't want to stop?" The girl replied, a smirk forming on her lips as she crossed her arms and looked down at him from the balcony above. 'How condescending,' Valerian thought. He hated being looked down on

"What?" Valerian asked in disbelief as his voice deepened. Anger was forming from the bottom of his stomach.

"Why should I listen to you?" The girl snapped at him with a playful and daunting tone. 'How annoying' He thought

"This isn't a request. It's a fucking order and unless you want your life in the academy to be a living hell you'd watch your mouth." He snapped, his patience was long gone by now.

"That's funny. I heard the exact same threat from someone else today. So unoriginal." She said mockingly with a laugh. As she did the wind blew the hair away from her face.

Valerian clicked his tongue. It was obviously no use trying to talk to someone as stubborn as her. With his insomnia, he couldn't get much sleep even if he wanted to.

"Well, I suppose it is my fault. I must have woken you up. I'm so sorry" She said with a smile but Valerian could still hear the hint of sarcasm in her voice. "Awww a spoiled prince like yourself must need the utmost quiet to get some sleep don't you" And there it was the teasing tone.

"I bet you have to sleep on a dozen of the finest mattresses piled up, with silk pillows and--" she teased.

"It can't be helped especially when SOME PEOPLE selfishly think only about themselves. So immature." He said with the same teasing tone and a smirk.

The girl frowned, puffing her cheeks. But then her frown turned into a smile and she started laughing. It was a genuine smile this time, with no hint of sarcasm or mocking. She reached her hand down towards him.

As she leaned over the balcony he noticed her long wavy hair, as if it couldn't decide whether it should be straight or curly and ended up being an unusual mixture of both.

"Ana"

He skeptically stared at her outstretched hand. "Come on! It hurts reaching down like this!" The girl-Ana complained, waving her hand in front of him fervently.

"Valerian" He replied, shaking her hand.

"Well then, goodnight!" And with that, she returned to her room.

Valerian returned to his room as well and climbed onto the bed and once again found himself staring blankly at the familiar ceiling waiting for sleep to once again envelop him.

Then, suddenly loud thumping and stomping came from above again. He grinded his teeth, "She's doing this on purpose isn't she?" He said to himself as he grabbed a nearby book and threw it at the ceiling effectively silencing the loud stomps and footsteps.

"How annoying"

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