"You are the most sensible and intense man I've met. You are way too mature for your age."
Charles spoke seriously.

Alcohol really does bring out the real you.
Look at Charles being so frank after all the drinks we forced him to drink.
It's been more than four years with him and he finally trusted us enough to put down his hardass cloak for once.

"I always thought it was Kelly."
I replied.

"He is the most hard working boy I've ever seen. And reserved. But he's not mature. He makes his own mistakes and learns from them. But you - you keep an eye on everyone. You learn from others' mistakes and experiences too. You tend to pick up good manners from others and leave the bad ones no matter how much it hurts. You have the ability to feel what the other person is feeling. I've only seen this in you. Even I don't have a mind as strong as yours."
He spoke softly while I heard with my mouth open.

How did he notice things that I didn't even know existed.

"I... I.. am at loss of words, Instructor... Thanks."
He just nodded his head.

"You know.. People say you have this God's gift of seeing others' future. Is that true?"
I asked him the question I've been wishing to ask for a long time.

He laughed loudly.
Everybody stopped to turn around and look at him. He rarely does that - laugh wholeheartedly.

"I'm not a witch or magician. I call it foresight. I judge a person and his character and then form an opinion about how he will be in future."
He replied still chuckling.

"Let me test."
I said excited.

"Go ahead!"
He was game.
Awesome!

"Kelly?"
He laughed hearing that name.

"You think I hate him, right? By you, I mean everybody except you. You - you know how much I like that boy. He's like my son."
I sat with wide eyes.

I wanted to turn around and scream 'look at what this guy is saying!'
But then I'll have to explain them why is he saying what he is saying.

So I just sat shocked.
He laughed again.
"That's what I said about you."
Damnit.
He is definitely a witch!

"So coming back to Kelly - he'll be hell of an instructor as I can see. Well I take full credit for it."
He laughed deviously and continued.
"He is a hard headed man. If he decides a goal for himself, he'll put his blood and soul into it and he'll achieve it no matter what. And about the people he trusts? He trusts and respects them blindly. I pray for the ones he hates. They'll have to face a heartless jackass. And he will expect the same from those whom he'll train. He'll go as hard on them as I go on him. And he'll expect them to perform as good as he himself did. Little does he know that not everyone has the same level of commitment as he himself has, so he'll probably end up screwing everyone more than they actually need. I pity them too."

Charles laughed again and I joined him.
Yeah, all the best to his students.

"Neil?"
That was my next question.

"Neil Fermin. Hmm."
Charles thinned his eyes and thought hard.

"He has something big hidden up his sleeve. Something that affects all of us or will do someday. But it will be drastic. That's why he tries to keep it professional, doesn't want to get attached to anyone knowing he's going to hurt everyone anyways. Though he cares for everyone more than himself, he doesn't want to get emotionally attached."
And my mouth gaped.
How could he reach such a conclusion?

"How...?"
I could just speak one word.

"I'm sure of his social detachment because I've been there doing exactly the same. You don't talk much, don't smile much, don't get into anyone's personal life because you know the moment you do that, the other person will start giving you importance in his life. And that's exactly what you don't want. You want to stay aloof. If you become important to someone, you'll hurt him and yourself in the end. He is right there I can see it. And about the drastic decision - he hasn't told much details about himself. All of us know each other by thin hair. Except him. What happened between him and the king, why was he kicked out, why can't he marry - it's all suspicious. And if my mind works just fine, the answer to all these questions is same. And he's hiding that from us because that answer will be bringing huge change in our lives."
Charles sighed in pain.

"It's sad that he doesn't want to open up and share his miseries. But who am I to complain when I do the same."
This time he looked down in guilt.
Charles had always kept his life and his decisions out of discussion. He never gave his opinion nor agreed or refused anything anyone asked about his personal life. Now it all clicks. And it makes sense how he understands Neil's thinking.

"About his future - he's going to fuck it all up. And he knows that well. May be that's why he's hell bent on not getting close to anyone because his or her life is going to get fucked as well. And being a future king, he can't stand that. He couldn't stand the night you all were screwed because he couldn't control his anger, how can he stand fucking up others' lives? I just hope that he gets hit hard on his head and he forgets whatever is eating him up. Or may be someone sprinkles some magic over him that he starts looking at life differently. That's the only way he'll live a life he deserves."
Charles sighed and I had no words.

Even when I tried speaking, no sound came from my mouth.
It was like I was stung by a hundred bees all on my head and I couldn't decide which hurted more.

I have had similar thoughts about Neil but the way Charles put it in words, I can't unhear it now.

"You know I have thought the same. He is punishing himself for something he didn't do and he's going to stop when he destroys everything. That's why he doesn't want anyone to be around him."
I said.

Thousand thoughts hit my brain at once but one sparkled.
"Guess what? I'll make him important for me. Afterall he pushed me through everything and landed me where i am now. I'll make him realise that his actions will affect my personal life. That he is answerable to me before he signs a life sentence. May be, just may be he'll have the sense of belonging and won't ruin himself? It can bite me back harder but isn't he worth taking a chance?"
I asked more to myself.

Charles looked at me curiously as if waiting for days to say what he said next.
"You are a good man, James. You work in the dark - without telling anyone, without showing anyone. You have qualities of all the men here. Kelly's determination, Neil's care, Mark's healing aura, Garry's adamance - you have them all. And then you have the ability to feel. But you lack something very important."
He said seriously.
My heart fluttered as if I knew I'm going to hate what he says next.

"Power to express. You have so much to tell, you wish to do so much for others, but you just can't tell them out in the open."
"The Fuck, Instructor! You drank Gin or some magic potion? How the hell can you spill all truth in just few words?"
My mind was fucked because he caught me red handed.

Charles laughed loudly again.
"You need to learn how to express your love and care. I'm sure these men know because they've seen you sweating and bleeding for them. But the ones who'll come into your life here onwards, you can't go hard on them like you do to all of us. They'll expect more. And if you don't give it to them, they'll walk out on you. Remember James - be soft and expressive to people who matter to you. I know you'll reach great heights. You are talented, there's no doubt that you're not ordinary and there's so much more left for you to achieve. But you'll lose a lot during your journey if you don't express."
He spoke the last words calmly and it triggered me more than it should, because Charles never gave any advice on anyone's personal life and this was a fucking bomb.

"I... Fuck it. I don't know what to say. I can't do it. I just can't. I've always stayed in the dark and I can't come out. It's... just... impossible..!"
"Don't ask for a big mistake just to learn this lesson."
He warned me.

"It's the most difficult thing one can ask me to do. Tell them in words how much they mean to me. I'm too weak to do that."
I confronted after much efforts.
I couldn't believe I'd say that to someone.

But he grinned.
And suddenly the hair on my neck rose.
"What is it?"
"Weak? You'll be a terror."
He said chuckling.

"Ah come on! Me? Terror? Time for you to stop thinking. Now it's not foresight, but drunk talking. How can you even think that? I'm the junior most here. Not to brag, but I keep myself as low as possible. How can I scare others?"
I asked genuinely, feeling very conscious.

"It comes with personality. You won't intend to. But once you reach high up, you'll exercise it. Your personality emits 'don't shit me' aura. Your looks are enough to tell that. You must not have noticed it because you have never been on the giving end. Once you reach there, there will be no coming back."
He laughed at my confused state.

"Alright enough of that."
Marks interrupted us.

"That much alcohol doesn't suit your age, Old man."
Marks challenged Charles and I waited for his sassy reply.

"Atleast two spoons of Brandy works for me in cold, unlike you who needs a sugar syrup."
I cracked up laughing and so did Marks.
He asked for it and he got it.

"It was nice talking to you, James. I mean James sir. Damnit I didn't call any of you sir throughout our conversation!"
He realised suddenly.

Before he could push himself into a guilt trip, I got hold of him.
"We talked about the time when calling Sir will not matter. So it definitely wasn't wrong, Instructor. Your wisdom matters more than your salutation."
I smiled going over everything he said.

"Kelly!"
He called his son loudly.

"Yes sir."
And the boy was by his side the very next moment.

"Don't let me touch that again."
He pointed at the bottles of alcohol he emptied making all of us laugh.
Finally we all finished our drinks and retired to our rooms.

His words kept ringing in my ears and images of Merlen and Nick appeared all night. I couldn't sleep out of fear.
Was I that bad?

************************************

Hello people!
Some wise words and correct predictions up there eh?

The story is soon going to take a turn, so grab your popcorns. 😁😁

Till then.. let those theories flow...