Chapter 2 - The Seven

The alarm clock in the corner of her bed ring, Sol snuggle herself in her bed as the sunlight through her window shines on her. She groaned and slowly open her eyes and a headache came, she slowly moved upward while messing her hair, she look at the clock in the corner and her eyes widen. It's almost 8 in the morning. She's gonna be late to school. Despite the headache, she rush herself to the bathroom and make herself ready.

Sol forgot what happened last night. She didn't bother remembering at all. All she cares about is how late she is to Mrs. Miller class, her strict science professor.

As she went out to her apartment building, greeted the guard good morning and went straight to the bus station. Thankfully, there was a bus in waiting, she quickly rode on it and sighed as she sat on the chair next to the window. What happened to me? Sol was never the kind of girl to be late at school. Maybe because of that alcohol last night. She remember drinking some and went home. She swore that was the first and last. Hopefully, she would be able to make it to her class.

As she arrived at her school, the Decelis Academy. She thought there would be less student wondering around the academy ground but somehow there's something going on. It's quite early for the school to be crowded like this. Mostly students would be at class right now but they all running towards the academy's field. She followed them as she was curious as well. She found her classmates in the corner bleachers, she approached them, "What's going on?" She asked.

"Oh, Sol. Good morning," she nodded on the greeting, "Apparently, there's a nightball match going on."

This early? A nightball match? Aren't Nightball match happens at night only?

Decelis Academy is known for its famous sport which is the Nightball. This kind of sport is made only in Decelis but other schools started adapting this sport as well. It's a mix of the two sports – rugby and football. But this sports' only can be played at night, that's what its name for. What's gotten  into their team to play a match this early? Maybe they do play Nightball at daylight too? She just doesn't know it. Maybe because she wasn't payed much attention to this kind of thing or even watch when theres a match going on. She wasn't interested at all.

"OH MY GHAD!"

"THE NIGHTBALL TEAM LEAGUE IS HERE!"

A lot of people started shouting, screaming their lungs out and getting crowded on her spot  which make her back out a little. Sol couldn't see what's going on in front of her or who they're referring to as the waves of hands covering her view. She knows that there's this famous team in the Nightball League but she didn't bother to know them at all. Base on the rumors, they're quite handsome and build the Decelis standard. Sol isn't really interested in any kind of sports as she doesn't understand the rules of the game, let alone the team in it. She didn't bother peaking or mingling her way through the crowds at all. Instead she's making her way out.

As she almost on the way out, she realized she's on the wrong direction. Now she's in front of the crowd, on the Nightball field where players are getting fired up on their game. Sol watched as how they passes the ball around and in a second, flying towards her. The ball hit her face so hard that she fell to the ground. The girls behind her scream and kneel down to her, "Hey, are you alright?" they asked. "Oh my ghad, her nose is bleeding." The girls are trying to make sure Sol was alright. Sol couldn't hear what they're mumbling about as the impact of the ball makes her hearing tingling, almost ringing. Her vision turns to blurry as well as her head hurts, "Agh," she groan. She didn't know what happened just now.

The game ended as the commotion on the side of the bleachers makes everyone look and curious. Sol was surrounded by students, trying to know if she's alright. They started whispering, wondering who the girl is and how it hurts to hit by a football. Then suddenly, "Move aside," a male voice was heard. All of the students that surrounded Sol makes a way for this boy to enter of the mingling crowd. The guy kneel down to her and grab a napkin from his pockets and wipes it to Sol's bleeding nose, trying to hold the blood from dripping,"You're gonna be fine," He said.

Sol looked at him, wondering who he is. Her sight was still a bit hazy but she noticed that he's wearing the Nightball's team jersey. Is he one of the players? Sol wanted to get up so she did but then she felt dizzy, her vision turns to black and suddenly, she passed out.

...

Inside a white room, on the bed. Sol slowly wake up and stand up, she feel a little throb in her head, she touch it and look around her surrounding. This was the academy clinic. What happened? She thought. She remembered earlier, how the ball went straight to her face and fell to the ground. oh my ghad. She gasped. She remember how that was so embarrassing. She face down on the bed and scream at the pillow, barely a faint scream. Then she remember something, "That boy," She mumbled. She put her feet down to the floor and was about to wear her school shoes when she noticed the small chair on the side of the bed, as if someone was sitting there a while ago but there's was only a handkerchief on the chair.

She grabbed it and noticed the small blood on it then she remembered a while ago that this was used to wipe up her nosebleed. That boy probably put it there or ohmyghad "what if he stayed and watch me sleep?" She suddenly burst out and started overthinking. "ohmyghad what if he take a picture of me looking ugly sleeping?" She started rumbling, "did I snore? ghad, it so embarrassing." Once again she buried herself on the pillow and started screaming. "Shut up." She stopped and looked around, she furrowed her eyebrows. Is someone here?

She looked around, the clinic room was coated by the raiding sunlight and the open window let the wind in making all of the curtains flatter, dancing around. Surely, it was peaceful and quiet. There's no one around so where did it came from. Then she remembered, there was another bed besides the one she's using, behind her, a wooden board separating the beds and was surrounded by curtain. She was sure the voice came from the other side.

But what if its a ghost? Shiver went down her spine. She quickly wear her school shoes and was about to leave the room when she got curious. A ghost? Saying 'Shut up'? She thought, Certainly, maybe a person right? Sick on bed consider its a clinic?

She slowly approach the other bed, surrounded by white curtains. She reach to open it and saw a boy laying on the bed, eyes closed. She was in awe for a moment. In front of her was an ethereal sleeping boy. With his jet black messy hair blowing away from the gentle wind, to his long lashes and pointed nose. Pouted kissable lips, sharp jawline. He look familiar for Sol but where did she saw such pretty boy? In that position where he's laying on the bed, wearing the Decelis uniform, the guy looks so innocent that even Sol couldn't agree if he was the one shutting her up. He sounded asleep. Sol approach the guy in a quiet way, somehow this is also familiar, almost like deja vu, Sol made her way, not making a sound for him not to notice and take a closer look of the guy. No doubt he's so handsome and pretty at the same time.

But why does he look so dead and not sleeping? Sol examined the guy and quickly realized that he's not breathing at all. She panicked and touch the guys hand. Cold as Ice. Her eyes widen, "Hey," She called in worry waking the guy up but he didn't budge at all. "Hey, are you okay?" But there's no response. As if he's talking to a corpse. Sol checked his vitals and lean closer to his face if she could distinguish his breathing but there's no sign. No pulse either. She got alarm and about to call someone for help but as she turn around, she suddenly bump into someone and fell to the floor. "What are you doing?" A voice of a guy spoke. Sol look up and saw another handsome guy with dark straight hair and brown eyes looking down, stern eyes at Sol, with his uniform intact and his hand on his pockets. What is up today? So many handsome guys.

"T-This guy is-" She lean to the side where the guy was sleeping but was in shocked when the boy was already sitting and looking at them. "You guys are so loud" The boy commented, a little sleepy. Sol was speechless and shocked was all over her face. "Y-You-"She stutter, the guy look at her with curious dark grey eyes. How? How can he? He was cold as Ice right, there was no vitals either. "A-aren't you d-dead?" That burst out of Sol mouth, she covered her mouth. Both of the guys look at her, not saying a word. It was then a moment of silent, only the wind that making the curtains sway was heard. Then suddenly the other guy started bursting laughing, "You're funny," he said and laugh again.

All that was heard in the room was his laughter. Sol looked at them confused. Wasn't the guy earlier not breathing? She thought. Sol slowly looked at the guy on the bed and freezes when he was already looking at her with those dull grey eyes of his. He was staring at her as if studying her. They were staring at each other. On that moment everything stops and not a sound was heard not even the laughter the other guy makes, only her heartbeat and her breathing she only heard. Suddenly, Sol feels something sharp on her heart. Pierce. The guy looked at her, furrowed eyebrow. She couldn't breathe. She grab the hem of her shirt to her heart, gasping. Now, he looked confused. The other guy stop laughing and look at her too, confused but she suddenly stand up, "Excuse me," and ran away.

"Hey!" Sol heard the guy calling but she already ran outside the hallway, breathing, and gasping until she was away from the clinic, she reached the rooftop of the building. She didn't know she was running to here, all she was thinking was she needed a fresh air. She didn't thought she could feel that pain again. It's that feeling again. She grab her shirt. Sol thought she was okay. She was okay. She took a deep breathe and stand up properly, "Are you okay?" Alarmed, Sol looked at the corner where a building lies and under the shadow, shown a rather cute boy, looking at her with a concern face. "U-uhm," Sol scanned him, he had neatly strawberry blonde hair and brown eyes that even overshadowed, it looked rather light. He was holding a book, which she believed he was reading earlier when she hadn't shown up and interrupted him.

"I-I'm sorry, I shouldn't be here," Sol said and was about to grab the rooftop's doorknob when it suddenly opened. "I'm sure he's here–" the other person stopped when he looked at Sol. Sol widened her eyes with shock. What's with all the handsome guys today? She thought. She keep bumping into one. In front of her was another boy with straight black hair that had slightly green highlights and black eyes staring at her, curiously, and beside him was another one but younger with straight blond hair and black sharp eyes with eyebrows raising at her. "Who... are you?" asked the guy who opened the door. "Uhm," Sol couldn't think anything to say.

"What's all this ruckus about?" A sound of a guy approached behind them, they glanced. Sol step backward a little when the guy enter the rooftop along the two and then he met the eyes of the guy who just arrived. He got this slightly curled light brown hair and brown cute eyes, a cute boy too, "Oh?" He tilt his head a little as if examining Sol on the spot, "You look familiar," He said. Sol looked at them confused and bit mesmerized by all the beauty in front of her, "Ah!" He finally said, "Aren't you the girl who got hit by the nightball?" He asked. Sol recall the incident earlier. Aish. That was embarrassing. Sol slightly turned red from recalling the incident, "So you're the one who Jax–" Suddenly a strong wind interrupted him.

"Not so loud, Wade," A voice said, they looked up at the corner where a building rested, and at the top of the roof was a guy sitting with his other feet swaying, under the roof was the cute strawberry blonde guy earlier, also looking at him. Sol looked at him, was he there all this time? She thought she hadn't seen him earlier. The guy had black hair that was blowing gently by the wind and black eyes looking through Sol. She gulped. Then the two guys he met earlier at the clinic came, the guy who laughed earlier noticed Sol and was amazed, "It's the funny girl," he declared. Sol felt embarrassed. On the other hand, The guy who she thought was dead just made his way to the corner and rested his back on the wall, closing his eyes. As if the sleep he had earlier wasn't enough. And this was boring for him. Sol examined him and clenched her shirt, she then looked around. Now that she took a closer look at them, they are rather familiar for her. Like she'd met them already.

Somehow Sol finds herself stuck on the rooftop of Decelis Academy with seven weird and familiar but handsome guys. Is this the thrill she's looking for? At that moment, Sol didn't know that after this encounter with her and these seven boys could change her boring life into one peculiar adventure. And even find some missing piece...