2.30 Absent

Early in the morning, Tula creeps downstairs. Her father is at work, Sun and Haliya are fast asleep, and Guy is in the shower. 

The perfect time to strike. 

It took a while to dilute the Valerian root the way she wanted, but after weeks of experimenting with the sleeping syrup from the chemistry set, she thinks she's ready for a test run.  First she cuts out two slices from last night's dessert, one for herself and one for Guy. She pours a small amount of the elixir onto the Guy's slice, patiently waiting for the syrup to be absorbed. She then picks the pie up and drains the excess liquid back into another beaker. Waste not, want not. 

By the time Guy gets out of the bathroom, the pie looks normal, if a bit moist. She hands Guy his slice, which he takes without question.  

Tula grabs a plate for herself and sits next to Guy, like they do every morning. 

Guy smiles as he bites into the pie. He likes key-lime. 

Tula notes that it seems to taste no different from normal for Guy. She would've tried it out herself, but she couldn't risk the adverse side effects of Valerian. 

"That was a nice goal you scored yesterday," she compliments Guy on his soccer game. True to his word, Guy did end up joining the soccer team with Tula for his last semester of high school. Though he usually just hangs out in the back, sometimes he surprises everyone. 

He smiles, "You think so? All I did was kick the ball, I didn't think it would actually go anywhere..." 

"Could've fooled me." 

Guy smiles at her praise. He's been feeling good about school for the past few weeks. He might not be an honors student like Tula, his grades have been alright and soccer has been fun. He's even been thinking about getting a part-time job once he graduates and looking at the online courses his guidance counselor recommended. Maybe the job experience could lead somewhere... 

As Tula finishes off her pie, she notices Guy's eyelids drooping. 

"Guy? What's wrong?" 

"I dunno I feel...really...tired..." 

Like a rag doll, he suddenly slumps. His face is cushioned by his plate, but his body causes his chair to slide outwards. 

After putting her plate away, Tula looks down at her handiwork. She wasn't expecting it to be so efficient, but this is a pleasant surprise. 

Now all she has to do is carry out the rest of her plan... 

"Guy, stop it!"

Guy wakes up with a start, fully clothed on his bed. His head is aching and his hands hurt like hell. He looks down and finds his knuckles bruised. 

Slowly, he sits upright. Why is his head so heavy? 

He tries to remember what happened, but only a few blurry images come to mind. 

"...I can't breathe!" 

"...I'll tell the teacher you're sick. Don't worry. Bruises heal. You didn't mean it." 

He shoots to his feet. 

Oh no, what did I do? 

What he should be asking is what did Tula do? 

She gently probes the bruises on her neck, then lets her hair fall, effectively covering them. Guy put up a bit of a fight in between his fits of consciousness, probably due to hallucinations. Violence wasn't necessary for her plan, but it certainly helps. 

She checks her phone; only ten minutes before class is supposed to start. The bus has long driven past, giving up on them, meaning she'll have to walk to school. Pulling out her concealer, she dabs over her discoloured skin. There would be too many questions if she showed up to class injured. It's too early for that. 

She looks at Guy's door one last time, then begins heading out. Someone needs to tell the teacher Guy won't be in school today. 

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AN: ;__;