Checkmate - Chapter 21: Chapter 21

Hana found herself back to the same halls of the Medicine department, running and kicking doors just to search for Althea. The thought of her being scolded by the Dean, Professor Faulkner, didn't deter her resolve. As long as she wouldn't get caught, she wouldn't get expelled.
All Hana knew was that she needed to talk to Althea. Althea was Hana's first thought in the morning, her last thought at night.
Hana was certain she had seen something in the British girl's eyes, something almost wishful filled with 'please' and 'what ifs', something that actually did wish for more than what she had. Or maybe Hana was just wishing on a star.
She was about to head towards the surgery room when she heard the voice she had been dying to hear since last night.
"Hana!" the blonde had given her that astonished look.
"Althea!" All at once, Hana had darted forward. She hadn't had any clear idea of what she was going to do. "There you are! I'm not going to let you ran away."
"What do you want from her you psycho?" Madeline barked.
"Girls, please." Althea took a lungful of air. "Could you leave us alone for a minute?"
"What?" Heather asked but she seemed more speechless than ready to rebut.
"Althea, are you sure?" Madeline queried.
"I was planning to tell you girls sooner but given the circumstances, I will now."
Madeline and Heather abruptly stopped, listening intently like puppies to their owner with no other desire than to please her.
"I enjoy Hana's company, so much that I agreed to model for her last Sunday and she agreed to model for me as well. Inasmuch, due to that partnership, we're becoming close friends."
Friends? Why did that thought stab her through the heart?
"Oh," both girls were relieved.
"Althea," Madeline said. "You must reconsider joining the Moonlit Witch."
"Yeah!" Heather pointed a finger upwards, one of her frequent hand gestures. "We're sure you could submit an artwork before the deadline tomorrow noon."
"You girls have all my utmost gratitude for your concern and advice; I might whip up something good tonight and submit."
"We'll leave you two to talk then." Madeline grabbed Heather's wrist and pulled her along. Heather looked hesitant but the redhead was persistent.
Before they left for good, both girls gave Hana the I-am-watching-you gesture, making Hana gulp involuntarily. She wasn't even aware of what she was doing wrong but the moment she stared at Althea, the confusion doubled inside her mind.
Althea's brows lifted. Hana was afraid for a moment, yet decided that Althea looked more confused than angry. "We got to stop meeting like this."
"It wouldn't be if you hadn't run away from me!" Hana said gruffly. "And what were they talking about a witch?"
Althea was on the verge of more explosions but she thought better of it. "I apologize, I shouldn't have, and that was immature of me. I also apologize I hadn't replied. My phone was silent all night and I was busy with my requirements. We can talk, but not here. Do you still have classes tonight, Hana? Or would you be too busy with printing your photos for tomorrow?"
Hana's eyebrows reached her hairline. "There are night classes in this school?"
"Not the point, Hana." Althea gave her a look that was so done before it shifted to wistful.
Hana laughed with embarrassment, her cheeks coated pink. "Yes, I'll be so busy tonight. We can talk tomorrow! Will you be up tomorrow after the events?"
"School events will reach until nine in the evening, but yes. I am up for that."
Hana nodded a little too eagerly. Finally having a decent conversation with Althea and with a bit of luck, she could help her sort out these uncanny feelings growing inside her chest.
"So... a-about this witch?" Hana prompted.
"You're the kind of girl who's too preoccupied with passing your classes that you had no such qualms to concern yourself with campus activities."
Hana wasn't sure if Althea was scolding her for being apathetic to the school's current events or was just simply stating a fact. Either way, she pouted.
"Moonlit Witch is a title awarded to the most talented student on all campus," Althea said, with an air of nostalgia. "There are nine awards presented throughout Samhain Festival as per of customs, but the Moonlit Witch award is the one most special because it is akin to the highest awards for art."
"Oh! That means you'll win it for sure."
Althea let out a heavy breath, making Hana worry about what it meant. "We can't say that for sure, Hana." Slowly, she grabbed the shorter girl's hands and clasped them near her heart. "Besides, there are others out there who have had more worthy talents than mine."
Hana's brain threatened to restart when she became conscious of Althea's face nearing hers in a couple of inches, though she completely understood that Althea was also talking about her. "Y-you mean, I get the chance to win the title too?"
"Of course," Althea said. A small, sad smile flitted briefly over her face. Even that tiny glimpse intrigued Hana. "Joining the art exhibits on the campus guarantees automatic pass as candidates for the Moonlit Witch title."
"Eh, you will win for sure." She mumbled to herself.
Althea seemed to have more debating to do but stopped. "As much as I want to suspend the Committee Chair's responsibilities for a day, I can't. The activity is tomorrow and I barely have enough time to speak with you, Hana. Nonetheless, I stand by what I informed you yesterday; I will visit your exhibit."
"I'll wait for you!" Hana chirped.
Althea smiled, almost a smirk. "See you then, Hana." She flipped her hair, haughtily. Hana was well aware that the British girl wasn't trying to be snooty when she did that. Just a habit she couldn't get rid of easily.
In truth, Hana had no qualms about it. A hair flip like that makes the air be filled with Althea's scent.
"What are you grinning from ear to ear about, Yoshida?" Samantha leered.
Hana skipped the way back to her group of misfits with a smile that puts the Cheshire cat to shame. "Althea and I talked."
"What?" Samantha snapped her fingers. "Just like that? Poof?"
"Yes," her friends could have sworn they could see floating flowers and a pink aura surrounding her. "Turns out, she was just busy and her phone was in silence mode."
"See! I told you, Hana." Fallon said, clasping her hands together with a soft sigh.
"Or, she could be lying."
"Liezel!" Fallon was quick to scold her. It was a recurring process where only the Finnish girl could make the Filipino see reason.
"Hey, I'm just offering a different perspective," Liezel said, never wanting to anger the bespectacled girl.
Samantha blew a raspberry. "Never mind your love life right now, Hana. Think you can introduce me to that cute auburn-haired gal with the yellow ribbon?"
"What?" Hana's nose scrunched up.
"You know," the wild redhead grinned, a slight blush on her cheeks, "that one chic that follows Al around!"
Before Hana could react and yell Madeline's name, her French professor cleared her throat.
As soon as Professor Andrea successfully managed to get Hana's attention, she wasn't prepared for the fact that she received her friends' attention as well.
"B-before I could forget!" Professor Andrea's voice raised an octave higher but she bumped her lower fist onto her palm to look collected and calm. "The Exhibit provides you a spot to put your photographs in but you're in charged of putting your photos in the display of your booth and you would need a design to go with your topic's motif."
"Ehhh?" Hana was exasperated as if she wasn't informed beforehand of these important details. Hana could only scream at the imminent fear of more time pressured work. She was about to pull her hair out from frustration when Fallon managed to contribute something insightful.
"Hey Hana, you know what I realized? We never used those backdrops we bought."
Hana was momentarily distracted that she forgot the dread she had for tomorrow and slapped her knee "Really? Oh geez, then that's what I've forgotten to do."
"Guess the ransacking in garage sales and dumpsters were all for naught," Liezel said nonchalantly.
"We used some of them!" Hana said, crossing her arms ready to argue, but Liezel was unfazed by the brash sight of bravery.
Liezel rolled her eye... eyes—probably both because Hana can't tell with that overgrown bangs. "You're lucky I didn't tell those Englishmen the props used were filth."
"Hey, we disinfected them thoroughly!"
"Thoroughly!" Fallon corrected her.
"Thoroughly!" she repeated for emphasis.
"But you know Hana, we could always reuse them," Fallon said, faintly to help offer the hyperactive Japanese some peace of mind.
"Then that settles it!" Professor Andrea said. "You could use those backdrops to give a good background of your photos."
"What about my foreground?"
"We'll get there eventually." The Professor said, scratching her cheek. "But if you were to ask for my advice, I'd go with minimalism."