Clovel - Premium Web Novels

Chapter 39: 39—How things work Noah was enjoying this more sensible talk with a demon hunter. Even if Madeleine was just a trainee that had been spying on him. "Wait, why were you outside when Mikaela and I were..." Noah said, remembering how quickly she got there. Madeleine turned bright red, waving her hands through the air. "Forget about that! Let’s focus. The Union is not like the FBI; we have less restrictions and oversight. But you have to understand that their main focus is preventing contact between the supernatural and natural." Noah nodded, understanding coming to him. "So they’ll lock me up and try to remove the Phantasm, which will kill me. But what if they know a way to separate my spirit and the Phantasm?" That would be a way for him to get out of the game and live a normal life. He would force himself to forget about the mob and all this and just go back to a normal life. "They won’t try to help," Madeleine said, shaking her head. "You’re already dead. They’ll just see it as helping you pass on to the afterlife. Or RCB will trap you in a jar to be used by a Keeper." "Used? Like as a weapon?" Noah definitely didn’t want to be trapped forever. That plan immediately went out the window. "Yeah, maybe as a Dark tool or someone else uses you as a Phantasm," Madeleine said, an urgent look in her eyes. She walked out and took a case out of her bag. "Take these," Madeleine said, hurriedly handing him a small white case. "There’s some Xanax and some other drugs in there." Noah raised an eyebrow and handed her back the box. "Sorry, I don’t do that stuff anymore." "Urgh, no!" Madeleine yelled, pushing the drugs back at him. "The drugs in there help relax your mind and body. Phantasms act up when you are overstimulated. KLO gives these out to every keeper: Xanax, some anti-depressants, and special drugs that weaken corruption, called Cliffs." Noah glanced at the box and back at her, then he nodded and put it in his pocket. "What’s KLO? Do you also have a Phantasm?" "They’re the liaison office for young keepers," she explained, then chuckled. "And I do not have a Phantasm; my family would literally kill me." A bit extreme, but Noah didn’t know much about the supernatural community and their culture. Hadrian had repeatedly called him a cockroach and was unwilling to reason with him. So maybe it was a bit shameful for a Keeper to use a Phantasm. "So I take this for how long?" Noah asked, worried someone would find these with him. "I have school and basketball, I can’t be high all the time." "Just take it whenever you feel like you’re losing control," Madeleine reassured. Then she started playing with her black silky hair. "But I’d recommend leaving the team." "After having to jump off a roof?" Noah said, eyes widening in disbelief. "Just recommending," Madeleine hurriedly added. "It’s a stimulating sport. If you hurt anyone by mistake..." The air in the room grew heavy with the implication. They both just stared at each other for an uncomfortable time. "Then I’ll be liable for the damage since I knew the risks," Noah nodded, sighing. "I can’t quit but I promise you I’ll be careful." "Don’t make me do anything I don’t want to," Madeleine warned, turning away and checking on Mikaela, who was still unconscious on the bed. "You can go. I’ll keep an eye on you." Noah left the room quietly. Once the door clicked behind him, he just stood there staring into space, trying to unpack what just happened. She’s not a full keeper so maybe she’s just being shortsighted. But it’s still weird. Like getting stopped by a cop and being caught with weed, only for the cop to let you off with a warning. And give you more drugs to help you with your problems. He stuffed the white case into his pockets and went downstairs, searching the house for Fara and her friends. The problem was that he checked everywhere he expected her to be. His last stop was the outdoor basketball court that McCain’s parents must have built for him. There was a small pickup game being played between team members and normal people. He found Fara sitting on one of the courtside benches chatting with her friends. Instead of calling out, he walked up to her and placed a hand on her shoulder. With a little jump, she spun around, then a small frown tugged her lips. "You’re done already?" She asked, shrugging off his hand. Noah ignored that, instead asking. "Why’d you come here? I was looking for you everywhere, this is the last place I expected." "I watch games with you and dad all the time." Fara rolled her eyes. Then she fully turned. "When are we going, by the way? I wanna get home early and Mary’s too drunk." Noah chuckled, glancing at the court. His plan for tonight was to play a one-on-one game with Leeroy and bet some money. All he cared about was the money, of course; disgracing Leeroy was just a bonus. But what Madeleine said was true. He shouldn’t do anything that could activate his Phantasm abilities by mistake. This was a good time to go home. He already had a good time and he gained a possible ally for his other problems. Now all I should worry about is finding a way to separate my spirit from the Phantasm and hopefully I can come back to— A ball hit him in the forehead. Not too fast, but basketballs were pretty hard. He looked up to find Leeroy smirking at him. "I came too late to see your dive, dumbo," Leeroy said, walking closer. He glanced down at Fara and the smile on his face grew sinister. "Now who’s this pretty thing?" A/N: I wasn’t planning on having a Basketball scene next Chapter, but I wanted to ask you guys if you wanted on. Also please use your powerstones and comment what you want to see.