Vampire Days

Chapter 59: The Genesis Crisis

To be perfectly honest, he's not used to rejection and not getting what he wanted. Even when he's living with just the basic needs of a human being, Champion still got what he wanted when he simply asked for it. Of course, it wasn't something he was proud of. It was also something that he's aware of but trying not to get into his head in fear of becoming someone he doesn't like. Gio's parents must have really done a good job of making them feel like they belong, no matter how hard he struggled to take a step back from being fully integrated into the family, because now he had the luxury of feeling pissed for having his request declined by a freshman kid. Whether he admitted it or not, there's not much of a difference between Freebie and him. They both turned out to be entitled, spoiled brats.

Nothing was going his way lately. If this goes on, he might also lose the chance to become a proper swimming champion. He needed proof that he's the best; a medal, a trophy and recognition. Only then would his value go up as a person. It was his only solid ticket to stay by Genesis' side. But with his ultimate goal and motivation gone, winning just seemed so silly and pointless.

Even if Nurgis claimed he could no longer feel Genesis' existence, Champion still believed that it wasn't a dead end for them. Someone, somewhere, should know how to bring him back. He had ideas. For one, he knew about the strange inhabitants of the Downtown area. What he didn't have were the accurate senses to identify friend from foe so he couldn't just waltz into their territory and demand to speak to the manager. His only lead is a girl who might, or might not, be lying about her involvement with these folks.

"Knock, knock," Champion said as he peered inside the College of Accountancy's faculty office. The girl glanced up and offered him a small smile before burying her nose in the paperworks again. "Bad time, Hella?"

"Hi, Coletta. Yeah, kind of, actually. It is exam week so I have to organize all these forms and submit them to the accounting office," she answered. Hella was a working student and she's assigned to the faculty room and to one of the professors in that department, so whatever free time she had she surely spent inside that room. "Where's Genesis? Haven't seen him strutting around lately."

"Yeah, about that. . ."

Hella glanced up at him again, this time her expression unreadable. She's already a couple of years older than he was but she's still in her second year of college. Champion had an inkling of what she had to go through before going back to school but she seemed happier now compared to the first time they met each other several years ago.

"Do you think you can help me get in touch with your boss?"

"Sure," she shrugged, adjusting her thick-rimmed accessory eyeglasses up her nose. No questions asked. That's what he liked about her: she didn't pry. Although Champion found it suspicious that she chose to dress like an old woman inside the campus, with her hair in a tight bun and her black shoes scruffy as heck when outside she dresses just like any other party girl out there.

"What? Really?"

"Ugh, dude, I'm really busy right now so uhm, could you maybe wait for me outside? My last class ends at eight o'clock tonight."

Champion nodded. With Hella, he decided that obedience would be the best approach. He needed her connections more than she needed him. She actually had no use for him at all.

When he went out the door, he was cornered by Genesis' two other friends, Lorenzo and Clifford.

"Word is, you've been running around in a department that isn't yours while skipping classes and swimming practice," Clifford said, probably roleplaying a character Champion couldn't identify. The short, fair-skinned boy narrowed his eyes and blocked his passage by an action most commonly known as a kabedon. It would've been cooler if he was two feet taller.