My spirit animal is a F–Rank gecko-Chapter 43: Back to the past (4)
(Marcus POV)
Marcus watched as the green-haired girl lay motionless on the hospital bed, surrounded by countless medical machines.
The room felt dark and gloomy. The curtains were drawn tight, and silence hung heavy in the air—broken only by Jade’s labored breathing through the ventilator.
Marcus sighed and clenched his fists.
"If only I was—strong enough.... If only I told you not to go that day..." His voice cracked, breaking into sobs and hiccups.
He rubbed his tear-streaked face.
"I’m—so... sorry, Jade...I’m really—really sorry...."
Marcus’s crying quickly consumed the depressing room, drowning out even Jade’s mechanical breaths.
-----
Outside the hospital room, Coral waited. She couldn’t bring herself to face Jade yet.
Because in her mind, she was responsible for Jade’s condition.
Coral had been the only one besides Tina who could survive the poisonous fog. Not only had she failed to defeat the Broker or gather any useful information, but she also hadn’t saved Jade.
She let out a heavy sigh and rubbed her eyes—dark bags hung beneath them.
Sleep hadn’t come easily. And whenever she did manage to drift off, Jade appeared in her dreams, blaming her for everything.
That was probably why she couldn’t confront Jade yet.
The exhausted woman cupped her face and sighed even deeper.
THUD
The door opened. Marcus stepped out, walked right past Coral, and kept going without a word.
Coral’s eyes widened. She scrambled to her feet and chased after him.
"Marcus! Look, I know I could have done something for Jade. I KNOW that! And I’m so sorry I couldn’t do more!"
Marcus ignored her. Frustrated, she grabbed his arm.
He spun around, eyes wide, and accidentally pushed Coral to the floor.
She hit the hospital linoleum hard, rubbing her head as she looked up at him with trembling eyes.
"I—I didn’t mean to... I’m so sorry..." Marcus bent down to help her, but she shoved his hand away.
"Coral—"
"Fuck you..."
Marcus’s eyes went wide. Coral stared down at her skirt as tears began soaking into the fabric.
"Fuck you, Marcus. I should never have voted for you as president....."
Hearing those words shattered Marcus’s world.
He tried to explain himself, but Coral simply stood up and walked away, ignoring his desperate pleas.
Marcus stood frozen, mouth agape, tears and saliva dripping down his chin. He clutched his head with both hands.
A panic attack seized him. His breath came in ragged gasps while tears streamed uncontrollably down his face.
"Stop—Please make this... pain... stop..."
He pressed a hand to his chest, where it felt like the souls of every deceased student were stabbing into his heart.
Each spike of pain made him cry out louder, until the hospital hallway filled with his anguished voice.
Then his chest began to glow cyan.
Particles emerged, coalescing into a tiny firefly—his spirit animal.
"Bzzz?"
The little firefly tilted its head, confused by Marcus’s breakdown.
It flew to his face and wrapped itself around his nose.
Marcus kept crying until he felt the gentle buzzing against his skin.
He opened his eyes and met the firefly’s gaze.
"Bzzz bzzz!!"
It rubbed its tiny head against his nose.
Despite everything, Marcus chuckled. His heartbeat slowed. The hiccups faded.
His eyes remained red and puffy, but he looked at his spirit animal with pure love.
"Hope... thank you for always being by my side."
The firefly’s warm glow illuminated the depressing hospital corridor, it’s a proof that where there’s darkness, light can always find a way.
---
Reza and Benjamin never returned to the group. Jay told the others they had places to be.
Anastasia kept checking her phone, waiting for Ben to text her back.
"What are you looking at?" Ivy leaned in to see.
Ana sighed. "I’m currently waiting for Ben to respond. It’s not like him to leave me on read."
Ivy patted her back, trying to reassure her.
"I’m pretty sure your friend is fine. Maybe it had something to do with Reza, since they both left at the same time."
Jay didn’t tell the girls about what happened back at the bathroom, his eyes squinted, while he smiled ears to ears.
They finally reached Bondspire, where students crowded around, picking up their classroom keys.
The group approached the front desk and handed over their IDs.
The administrator glanced at their cards, then at the group. He paused, studying them for a moment, then scoffed.
"What’s so funny?" Karina frowned.
"Nothing, nothing—It’s just..." He chuckled. "I can see why you ended up in the lowest class."
The insult hung in the air. He tossed their IDs back and called for the next student, before they even left the front desk.
They could even hear students laughing at them, while some took glanced and whispered to their friends.
"Ugh!" Karina wanted to punch that smug face, but Ivy gently held her hand.
"Don’t. It’s not worth it."
Karina took a deep breath. "Yeah. You’re right. Thanks, Ivy."
They headed toward their classroom.
At Bondspire, classrooms served more as a hangout spots rather than a study space. Most learning happened outdoors or on the fields. And higher-ranked classes got bigger, better rooms.
In many ways, the classrooms was where students bonded with their classmates, its an important part of the student life at the academy.
Class J, however... wasn’t so lucky.
First, it sat at the very top of the school, closer to the scorching sun.
Second, it was the only classroom on that floor. They were completely alone up there, accompanied only by the dusty storage rooms.
Karina’s face went blank. Honestly, everyone’s expression froze as they took in the sight.
Dust coated every surface. The floor was filthy, stained with mud and dirt. Broken windows let in the sweltering heat.
Chairs and tables were missing. Rodents scurried in corners, and spiderwebs draped across walls and floors like neglected decorations.
Jay pinched his nose, Anastasia fox started coughing up dust, and Ivy squeaked. Looking at the smashed rodent, with it guts eaten by smaller ants.
Karina face-palmed.
"You’ve got to be kidding me."
