I felt like there was something more going on, like there was something that was once burdening her heavily that had finally been freed to fly away and give her release. It could very well be due to the near-death experience and having come out of it with no lingering injuries, but I wouldn't know unless she shared it with me.
Alaric still seemed a little jumpy, and after Tanner and Bianca nagged him for hours, he finally decided to get a psych check as a safety precaution. It was clear he had some sort of PTSD, but he still wouldn't share what occurred that left him that way.
We had a lot to discuss, which led to five solid days of meetings and connecting the dots to figure out where we stood with this case. It was obvious that Charles would be out of commission for some time, especially when he was officially blocked from traveling to any other universes.
Now that we had the chance to review everything that happened, we realized we'd really done a number on Charles. His intentions of running back to the apparent universe he'd been kicked out from was officially blocked, and now that we'd obtained an official international warrant for his arrest, we'd really cornered his movements.
He'd have no choice but to remain hidden, which gave us the advantage to try and figure out more about this Dark Universal Organization or what Silver had called the Dark Kingdom.
I realized I should have attempted to get Silver's number at some point. I doubt our phones could connect, but it was something we could try to figure out. Like a phone communicator that could connect us with different individuals through the universes.
As of now, I was extremely confident that Silver was one of the four girls I was supposed to meet, and Alicia had to be the second. How many more would I have the opportunity of meeting?
Both arrivals and interactions were random and uncalled for but somehow seemed to work perfectly when they needed to. I'm sure our destinies would entwine whether we liked it or not, but all of that would be linked to divine timing.
Until then, let me enjoy this small victory.
We may have not gotten Charles once and for all, but we'd made it so he wasn't a "free" man who could walk around and ruin my life. No more suicides at school or him interfering and threatening to hurt the people I loved.
He was now in the position I'd been in my entire life, and this time I'd make sure he felt the pressure of being cornered by us.
The primary dilemma now was whether or not to continue our time at Tracker Hive Academy.
We'd had an official board meeting with the heads of our department and the Maxwells’ department in regard to the change Tracker Hive had gone through in the last year and a half.
None of us knew that they had done a survey last week during our recovery in regard to our temporary leadership while Alaric was missing. I expected the students to complain or go off about how strict we were or that they wished for the old administration, but the reports were all spectacular.
Many of them enjoyed having me as Headmaster. It was simply because I somehow got the job done, but many wrote how inspiring it was to see one of their own rise up to the plate when the school was in mayhem and take the lead with the guys.
Out of all the semesters they experienced, many admitted that this was the first where they were willing to push themselves to learn something. About three-fourths of them complained that their struggle in the world wasn't necessarily controlling their powers, but the idea of being an outcast amongst their own peers.
I understood their worries because that's exactly how I'd felt for many years. I knew I wasn't a white sheep amongst the herd. I was a black one with a shadow twin, and our personalities were far too different to be accepted easily in any environment.
As a junior agent, things were no different, but as I proved my worth, with Alaric, Bianca, and Tanner behind my back, I ensured I was given the respect I worked hard to earn. I'd never fit into the shoes they made for those they wanted within their agency, but I'd proven to them that sometimes you'd have to look outside of a “one size fits all” model to see one's true potential.
Especially in a world full of magic.
With my adaptability to a position of power, many suggested I should have a higher position or become a student council president with the Trouble Four as my executive members. They even made a position for Calvin to be a security tech .
It amazed me that one semester had given the students a sense of safety as we worked overtime to try to keep everything afloat. None of us realized just how hard we'd been working, and the changes were enough for the school to praise us and want us to continue our work.
Obviously, they wanted Alaric back in his role because he was a really good headmaster, but the added help of myself and my men could potentially make things run a lot smoother.
To my shocking surprise, I'd been officially offered a position as a Tracker Hive Agent with a promotion to an executive trainer if I decided to remain at Tracker Hive Academy.
No matter if I declined the idea of continuing school, I'd at least be an official tracker, which was extremely tempting.
The guys were attending on my behalf, which meant if I stopped, they surely would too. We had the holiday vacation to make our decision, but the idea of leaving made me feel like I had unfinished business.
Aside from the struggles we'd faced, I did like the idea of going to school. It was different and honestly unpredictable at times, like when we were thrown into random situations. Though the classes weren't all that great in the beginning, it didn't mean I hadn't learned something new with each class.
It was also an excuse to be around the guys versus having to be concentrated on doing missions and other Tracker stuff that would probably make our schedules all over the place.
Shadow Jade was even adapting to the environment, even though at one point she’d hated it like I had. With Charles out of commission, we could have a semester or two in peace, and that was something I actually craved.
We still had plenty of things we had to discover, and being students at the academy would accommodate our needs while allowing us to focus on the research we needed to complete.
I think it would be best to continue. It would also be nice to have a diploma to hang on the wall.
We reached the entrance part of the cemetery before Shadow Jade giggled.
"Puppy! Kill!"
"Huh? Shadow Jade, don't go try and actually kill puppies!" I reasoned but noticed where she was skipping off to. I paused in my movement as I noticed Calvin was leaning against the wall in a black coat.
From afar, he looked really hot, even in winter attire. He gave off the vibe of an agent who was secretly standing at that very spot to observe someone's movements.
Hopefully not mine, though it would be a little interesting if he was. A little foreplay in a new relationship could spark things up.
He lifted his head to look over and see Shadow Jade skipping to him.
"KILL!" She tackled him hard enough to send them both down to the ground.
"Ugh," Calvin groaned but didn't seem upset with the tumble greeting. "Hey, Shadow Jade."
"Winter puppy!" she said as a compliment, which left Calvin a bit confused.
Until a pile of snow fell on top of him.
I held back a wave of laughter as snickers fought to escape. Shadow Jade didn't hold back her giggling before she was skipping around him in a flurry of black skirt, black boots, and black turtle neck sweater.