Checkmate - Chapter 14: Chapter 14

Hana was perfectly enjoying her tart as Fallon and Liezel sat beside her. Hildegard used their break time as an advantage to introduce the AI she was working on for her robotics class.
The German girl raised a small blackboard that said: His name is Mikebot. Ask him questions.
Everyone stared at the little dude. Mikebot's a mechanical robot with a large head that looked like a Nintendo game console, a small body with two arms and legs.
"What time is it?" Fallon asked. "And is it going to rain?"
"Boring," Samantha yelled. "You have your phone to check the weather update!"
But despite that, Mikebot replied with his little voice. "It's three in the afternoon with a cloudy chance of rain."
"What's the most poisonous mushroom?" Liezel took a shot at questioning.
"LIEZEL!" Fallon said, her voice scolding.
Liezel merely gave her signature cackle as Mikebot replied with clear precision. "Scientific name: Amanita phalloides, more commonly known as the Death Cap."
"What's Hildegard thinking right now?" Samantha pointed a fry at the robot.
"That you're an idiot!" the high-pitched reply of the little dude was a little too loud as he pointed back to Amanda's face.
"WOAH! Alexa, Siri and Sophia beware!" Samantha grinned, enjoying the responses Mikebot gave them.
Hildegard took a series of cardboard and showed them to the group one by one.
I made him because I need a helping hand in performing various tasks and as well to express myself. So everything he knows he either learned from me or because I connected him to the web. I'm still adding the feature where I allow him to speak on my behalf. So for now, I programmed him to have sentience and intelligence of his own, allowing him to work independently.
"It's so beautifully made!" Natalya said as she took a piece of donut from the box on the table and handed it to her. "Here's a prize."
Hildegard smiled as she accepted the donut and happily ate it.
Being introduced by Hildegard's gadgets, Natalya'scooking and Amanda's prank stories and ideas were some of the reasons why Hana love hanging out with the group. And on every occasion they were together, Hana knew what was up inside Liezel's devious mind. Although frequently she couldn't tell what sort of surprises and pranks were actually brewing, she just knew that she's always up to no good.
"The treats and teas should perfectly be free of any mushroom sauce, okay?" Hana asked, reminding Liezel not to mess with Natalya's proud creations.
"Yes of course," Liezel said in a monotone. "After all, it would be obvious which treat has a mushroom sauce. All my handmade brews have a different color among all sauces. You are an idiot to always fall for them."
The Filipino girl smirked, showing off her razor-sharp teeth and silently cackling. Hana pouted, annoyed at her friend's sense of humor.
Fallon who had been listening to their conversation gave a concerned look. "But seriously, Liezel, we know you. Did you add anything to the food while everyone was not looking?" she eyed the treats warily.
"Kehehe, I might have poured a lot of chili powder in one of the cinnamon sprinkled teacups."
"Oh," Hana mused, brushing off Liezel's arm before acknowledging what it meant. "YOU WHAT?"
As if on cue Althea screamed as if she got burned on hot coal. She spewed the tea from her lips onto the grass and some still stained the white table blanket. She fell from her chair, hands planted firmly on the ground. She began retching, and her coughs were indefinite.
"ALTHEA?" Hana gasped.
Liezel was now visibly cackling to no end, Hana glared at her. She was about to dash headfirst to Althea's side when she felt a strong hand holding her in place. She looked back at Liezel, petrified.
"Mau... LIEZEL!" Hana yanked her hand free but the other girl had an iron grip. "Liezel? Let me go!"
However, Liezel held her with an iron grip. Hana was shocked to know that despite the Filipino's lazy appearance; she was not someone to mess with physically.
Everyone was stunned in about a few seconds before taking action. Hana can only watch as Samantha gave Althea a bottle of water, and like a wounded soldier in Hildegard's RPG, Althea took the healing potion and didn't hesitate to gulp it all down.
"Althea?" Joshua offered assistance straight away. "What's going on? What caused you to go on a coughing fit?"
Althea found herself unable to formulate words, so she gestured at her slightly reddened tongue, "IT BURNS!"
With a rush, Samantha quickly took bottled water from a nearby ice bucket and handed it to her.
After a few gulps, Althea dreaded that she finished the bottle and that her bland tongue still needs soothing but at least her breathing returned to normal.
Once Liezel's evil laughs ceased, it was Amanda's turn to chuckle. "Lancaster! You should have seen your face! It was freaking hilarious! I can't—I can't!" she began to heave.
"Aww, poor you, you became Liezel's latest prank victim." Natalya handed her a carton of milk. "Here, this will provide further relief."
"Thanks," Althea said, weakly as she reached for the milk carton with a cow face on the logo. She opened it with a straw and sipped its creamery goodness slowly, rejoicing for the wonders of milk.
She let out a sigh of relief before she heard Hana apologize for something she absolutely no control of. "Althea, I'm really sorry for that."
Althea stared hard towards Hana's left side. Liezel looked bored as if the initial thrill of excitement caused by her wily prank had disappeared once she's well. She submitted Liezel for observation.
She didn't know if Liezel was merely doing it on purpose. Maybe because the girl had realized what an effect Hana had on her. Althea's blood boiled. She vowed Liezel would not have the last word in this confrontation. Quite calm, and overly self-assured as she always was, Althea stood up from the grass and sat back on her chair across from them, next to Joshua who continued indulging himself with an afternoon tea.
"I'm fine." She said, cool and measuring.
Althea had just met Liezel because of Hana, but they had hardly got along well. Their relationship was rather an odd one. She didn't know what to feel towards the strange girl. She doesn't even know what to categorize her; however, as she recovered from the traumatizing event, Althea was livid.
It was the worst kind of embarrassment she had gone through. Truthfully, she has never gone through any awkward phase herself. If she did, she could count on her wits to save her from being a fumbling mess. But to be tricked into a barbaric and childish means became too much for Althea to handle.
Her dignity couldn't keep up.
Ever since they both met this morning, there had always been some sort of a rivalry between them, and apparently, the competition was far from being over as they had both struggles for Hana's attention. In fact, one could easily notice the degree of apathy between Althea and Liezel by merely looking at them; they were honest about their differences, and any occasions for them to show just how skilled one was and how inept the other appeared was more than welcomed.
The low attack Liezel did to Althea would never go unpunished.
Althea could outdo Liezel in any given field and she most certainly wouldn't stand a chance in romance, or whatever this was. It would have to be subtle and thoroughly planned; she needn't take any action now as it would have come as a rude thing.
It's highly unlikely for Althea to go impulsive, but she was desperate to have Hana all to herself and out of Liezel's influence. Also, Hana was having creativity problems and she wanted to help. Surely, she has a logical plan.
"Joshua?" she whispered.
"Yes, mate?"
Althea's lips formed a thin line when he called her that but she didn't give it any mind. "I'll need your help in a favor."
"Regarding your little crush?"
"Why not?" Althea said with a smirking. "Then maybe tomorrow we can have tea and talk about you being so in denial that you have a crush on Charles."
"I DO NOT."