Decha watched as Rory took out her lunch bag and opened it up. Lunch had arrived, but Decha was trying to think of any excuse to leave to check on Amir's status. He needed to make sure the cameras were set up properly and start gathering information on the school routines.

Rory pulled out a sandwich and read her father's note, before smiling and putting it away. Then she began to eat. She was very aware of the glare he was giving her.

"Is there something on my face?" Rory stopped chewing and covered her lips with her hand.

"Why haven't you told anyone about me yet?"

"Huh?"

"I don't like repeating myself." Decha slouched forward.

"About what?"

"You know exactly what I mean."

Rory took a moment and thought about it. What was he talking about? Was he talking about the other night when he snuck into her room? Or was it the time before? "Oh! About you being a general—"

Decha slapped his hand over her mouth and pressed closer to her. "Shut your darn mouth." He hissed. She was crazy. What if someone else heard her? Decha snatched his hands away and sent her a warning with his eyes.

"Sorry. It's a bad habit."

"Why haven't you told anyone?"

"Well, I..." Rory frowned and placed her food down.

"Are you wanting something in return? Do you think I owe you? If anything, you owe me since I saved you. If you're wanting money, or—"

"Because you're protecting me." Rory intervened abruptly, and her response made Decha cough.

"What?"

"Everyone else here views me like I'm a piece of garbage. They won't leave me alone until I'm tossed away somewhere, out of sight." Rory observed the cafeteria. Heather and Terence, although from separate tables were staring at her with evil intent. "You're the only person I trust. On this side of the Walls, I feel safe with you. And since I trust you, I've decided not to report you. I feel like you have a good reason for coming to Grandell."

"You feel safe around me? You trust me?" Decha cackled. He was beyond irritated. "Listen here, Bracketer." Decha snatched the bag and slid her food onto the floor without noticing. Rory looked at her food with a scowl, but Decha blocked it away from her vision. "You know who I am, you know what I'm capable of."

"I do."

"And you still feel that you can trust me? What fool from the slums feels safe around an Astellian?"

"Me."

"Do you think I'm an idiot?" Decha poked her in her forehead.

"Not at all." Rory bit her lip nervously. "I'll admit, at first, I didn't want anything to do with you. But compared to everyone else, you don't look at me like I deserve to die."

"How do I look at you?" Decha scoffed. "I give this same look to everyone else."

"With pity," Rory answered him. Although his eyes appeared to be void and full of emptiness, Rory felt that there was an intense side to him. Maybe his eyes weren't full of darkness, but you had to dig deeper.

Decha pulled away from her and resumed eating his meal. He didn't know what to say. He decided not to continue the conversation. Rory stared at her wasted food in sorrow. "That night, I meant it when I said thank you."

"Shut up and eat." Decha spat.

"Were you hurt when you pulled me out of the way of the car?"

"Rory," Decha sighed. "You're pushing your limit."

"If you were hurt that night, I'm sorry." Rory smiled, but her lips slowly curled downwards. "Honestly, it probably would've been better if you hadn't saved me that night."

"It's the law. I did it because I had to." Decha shoved a piece of bread into his mouth.

"Is it still required of you to save people even if they don't want to be saved?"

Decha stopped eating and glanced at Rory. What did she mean by that? "Are you that ungrateful?" He spat. "You're regretting that I saved you? Are people from the Brackets always like this? I risked my life. We always risk our lives for people like you, and you don't appreciate—"

"I'd rather you not risk your life for someone who may not last long anyways." Rory leaned on her elbow. "I'm sort of a lost cause."

Decha wasn't sure how to take her words. He knew of her medical condition. He knew it was treatable, but what was she saying? Did her condition get worse?

"You should take care of your health and sleep when you're not in class." Rory gathered her things. "I have to get going to my LAB. Thank you for accommodating me to lunch." She smiled at him, but it was weak. Then she left him there.

Decha realized that she barely ate, and didn't even take her medication. He saw her food on the floor next to his feet and swore under his breath.

~~~

"Take a look at this," Amir motioned Decha over. In his hand was a tablet with a tiny flash drive attached to it. It was a way for them to see and hear what was going on in all the classrooms. Amir handed an extra earpiece to Decha and pointed at the screen. "All the classrooms and general areas for all the students have cameras. I wiretapped everything as you asked me to."

Decha placed the earpiece in his ear. "How much have you seen?"

"Nothing out of the ordinary. Except for on Rory's side—"

"Amir, I don't like repeating myself—"

"You don't have to look into that Bracketer. I'm going to keep an eye on her just in case."

Decha groaned and sat on the curb next to Amir and took a closer look at the tablet. He felt that looking into the other students and even the staff was getting them nowhere in their investigation. He swiped through the many screens lazily, not putting much effort into observing the events. In one class a group of students was sitting in class, as usual. In the dining hall, students were eating their meals casually.

Janitors and teachers were rotating their positions and heading to their next class or assigned cleaning stations. As Amir said, nothing was out of the ordinary. It wasn't until he swiped again that the camera showed a particular class, it was the laboratory.

"There's Rory," Amir mumbled to himself.

Rory was building something, a physical robot replica of her AI, POYO. She was typing away on the computer, writing down notes, and screwing together the pieces of metal and plastic. It looked like a prototype.

Decha paid no mind to her. He was focused on the Professor that was pointing and speaking to her. "Amir, have we seen this teacher at our school before?"

"You're the one with Photographic memory, but you're asking me?" Amir scoffed. "I haven't been to Grandell in a long time, Decha."

"I don't remember HIM." Decha racked his mind for memory, but nothing was there. The Professor speaking to Rory had dark brown hair and was dressed in a gray suit. His dark hair was slicked back neatly, and his looks weren't quite bad. He looked middle-aged, probably 10 years older than Amir.

On the camera, Rory began to cough. She excused herself and brought her bag with her, but the computer with POYO's disk inside. The Professor stared at the disk for a little bit longer than Decha would've liked.

It looked like the Professor was wanting to steal it. Decha tightened his muscles and clenched his fist when the Professor began to play with the robot replica, but when Rory came back, he placed it back on the table and smiled at her as if he wasn't just closely observing the bot.

The two exchanged brief words before he gave her a thumbs-up and went back over to his desk.

"Who the heck is he?" Decha whispered.

"His name is Professor Stephen Windsor." A deep voice that belonged to neither Decha nor Amir chimed in. Amir jerked forward, but Decha glanced over his shoulder calmly. Dean Risor stood over them, with his hands on his waist.

"Crap, dude!" Amir coughed. His heart was racing, he almost thought his identity had been compromised.

"It is good to see you too, Amir," Risor smirked.

"You can't just walk up on us like that! I would've killed you if I had a weapon on me." Amir grumbled.

"While I understand that you two are working on a very important case, I do hope that you are more aware of your surroundings. This is still a public place. If you are trying to separate from the rest of the students, I advise you use our main office. The students aren't allowed to roam there unless they are making an appointment to meet with me. Also," Risor clicked his tongue and cleared his throat. "If you're going to wiretap the whole school, it would be respectful of you to ask for my permission first. I am in charge of the place, so if anything goes wrong, I'll be held accountable."

"Nothing is gonna go wrong." Decha stood up and brushed his pants off.

"I'd hope not." Risor narrowed his eyes.

"Can you tell us more about the Professor in the Lab?"

"He's our newest hire. He specializes well in mechanics and engineering. If you search for him, his biography will come up. Stephen is one of Astell's greatest technology developers. He invented our bullet bus and train. His IQ is not too far from yours N96." Risor tapped Decha on our shoulder. "I do think that sometimes he may be eerie, but most great minds work in ways we do not understand."

"Eerie in what way?"

"Watch him more, and you'll find out. There are times when I don't agree with his way of teaching. He takes interest in a few students that he deems fit for the better of Astell, rather than showing as much attention to the others."

Decha nodded. That must've been why he looked at Rory's device in that way.

"I'll take my leave, I have much work to finish. And Amir?"

"Huh? Yeah?" Amir blinked at Risor. The two didn't have the greatest history. Although Risor tried everything to help Amir graduate, Amir still held a certain dislike for the Dean.

"Your fly is down. Zip it up. You're not a Freshman anymore, you're a general. Handle yourself with class and grace." Risor snorted and walked away, leaving Amir's face a dark shade of red. He immediately zipped up his pants, and Decha chuckled softly at his partner.

Later on in the evening, Decha and Amir agreed to go their separate ways. Decha would head back to the Agency, and Amir would meet him by the storage room. But on the way out of Grandell University, Decha spotted Rory by the gates, sitting down at the fountain. He still felt a bit guilty for ruining her lunch.

He hated the emotion. He despised it. The feeling of owing someone made him want to hurl. To get rid of that feeling, he decided to give her back what she lost earlier. Then he'd be out of her debt. He wouldn't have to be forced into having a conversation with her.

Decha looked to the right of the fountain. There was a cafe and another restaurant in one of the buildings. He went inside one of them, ordered a sandwich and a drink, and paid for it. The woman working inside the cafe placed it inside a bag labeled with an Astellian symbol that Decha couldn't stand. One that represented tenderness, or fondness. Most Bracketers called theirs a heart, but in Astell, the symbol was called a bind.

Decha snatched the bag out of the shopkeeper's hand and saluted her on his way out of the cafe. Then he walked over to the fountain where Rory was sitting.

Decha sat beside her, but Rory was too focused on writing on her tablet to notice. Then he placed the bag and drink close to her, which she noticed in the corner of her eye. Rory glanced at the bag and then at Decha. "Oh, hi..." She waved at him.

"Why are you sitting out here? Don't you have to head back home?"

"The curfew isn't enforced until 2 hours from now." Rory glanced up at the main office clock and squinted to make sure she had the right time. "I think I'll have enough time to make it back. So I'll stay here and study for a bit."

"Uh-huh," Decha mumbled and nudged the food bag closer to her legs.

"What's this?" Rory pointed at it.

"Food." Decha knew that she didn't eat. He memorized the label of her medication, also remembering the fact that she was supposed to take it after eating. One thing he didn't want to be responsible for was her getting sick because he ruined her meal.

"Is it for me?" Decha felt his blood boil when she asked him the obvious. Was she THAT clueless?

"If you don't want it, I'll just—" Decha reached for the bag, but Rory snatched it away before he could grab it.

She paid no attention to the symbol of the bag and only focused on taking out the sandwich inside. She unwrapped it and stared at it apprehensively. Her father's words kept nagging her. She'd only have it this one time. She promised herself it would be the only time.

"What's wrong?"

"... Nothing." Rory lied and took a bite. She began to chew slowly, letting the flavors sink in. The meat was savory, but the bread was sweet. The cheese was melted and combined so well with the other parts of it. She liked it, no, she loved it. Rory took another bite excitedly.

"Slow down and eat," Decha chuckled, and Rory pointed at him.

"You're smiling!" She gasped, "That's the first time I've ever seen a General smile."

Decha's lips curled back into a sour frown. "Of course, we smile. We're people, not robots."

"My father tells me that being a general is one of the worst jobs ever known to man. You have to go through intensive training under extreme conditions."

"He's not wrong," Decha mumbled. His mind drifted off to his past, the camp they were stationed at was in the middle of the forest. During that time, Astell had a major heatwave. Cadets were fainting left and right because of the heat.

"He also said that the training to become a general takes a lot of your ability to feel anything. I hate to say it, but in the Brackets, you guys are often compared to carnivorous Beasts."

"Don't chew with your mouth full," Decha sighed. Astellians were known for their upright behavior, that trait annoyed Decha to bits. But as a general, a cold attitude was necessary. Generals saw crazy things that normal Astellians and Bracketers weren't aware of. They had to be serious to take care of their citizens. A lot of sacrifices needed to be made. "There are a lot of things Bracketers don't understand about us. Don't expect to understand though, since we are not obligated to give you our reasons."

"I could say the same thing to Astellians about Bracketers. Not everyone there is stupid or as dirty as the people here make us out to be, Asher."

Decha cringed, realizing that she didn't know his real name yet. He supposed that was a good thing.

"I have a question to ask you."

"You should know that I hate when people talk a lot." Decha groaned.

"Your pins..." Rory was inching her way deeper into the conversation. After taking the quiz earlier, it was bugging her. She studied the great warriors of Astell, and she remembered seeing the pins on his uniform. "The quiz talked about how generals wear pins to symbolize their power and authority. It looked like you were wearing a lot of them."

"Did I wear my pins?" Decha asked monotonously, using a method to cause self-doubt within Rory. It was a skill he learned on the Outside.

"Did you finish the quiz that quickly because you are one of the warriors in our books?"

"Rory, finish eating your meal." Decha sighed and leaned away from her.

"No way, are you?" Rory bit her lip nervously. If the man sitting beside her was one of Astell's most ruthless, greatest, and most intelligent warriors, then she had hit the jackpot. If a Grand General was protecting her, then no one would touch her!

"You're talking a lot." Decha stood up, but just as he was about to leave, the Professor he saw on the cameras earlier approached them. Stephen Windsor, the odd man walked toward them but kept his eyes on Rory.

"Good day, students." He smiled directly at Rory, overlooking Decha completely. "Rory, it's especially good to see you. What are you doing by the well?"

"Good afternoon, Professor Windsor. I was just studying some notes before tomorrow's class."

"Why? Is Mr. Mass overloading you with nonsense again? I admire his passion, but he can't take a hint that no one cares about history." Windsor laughed and finally managed to look at Decha, who was standing by her. Instead of greeting him, he frowned.

"Professor Mass's material is very interesting. I like reading ahead of time because I find the history of your technology fascinating."

"Yes, I suppose learning the Astellian history of technology development is great since you're a Bracketer and it's all new. But why don't you focus a little more on your major? Hands-on experience in the lab. I must say, your research for POYO is very impressive, especially for a student your age. Don't give up on it, you have a bright future here in Astell."

Decha scoffed, but Windsor heard it and looked his way again. Decha knew that he was sucking up to her. Now he knew what Risor meant by showing favoritism.

"And you are...?"

"Oh, that's Asher. We share Mass's History class." Rory introduced him, to Decha's dismay.

"Are you also interested in Machines, Asher?"

"Why do you want to know?" Decha challenged him.

"I was just curious. I figured you may be friends with Rory because of common interests. I don't blame you, she's very intelligent. I do feel like other students can learn well from her manners and respectable persistence."

"She's not my friend," Decha snapped. "We just know each other. I came to deliver a package, so I'll be on my way."

"Asher, wait!" Rory shoved the rest of her sandwich in her mouth. "Sorry, Mr. Windsor, I have to leave to handle something. I'll see you tomorrow!" She grabbed Decha's arm and dragged him away.

Decha allowed her to. It was weird how his body moved in sync with hers as they walked out of the school gates. When they were enough distance away from the school, Rory released his arm. "Sorry about that, I'll see you tomorrow." She sighed. "Thanks for the food."

"I thought you said you had something to handle. You dragged me out here for nothing?"

"I do, but... I don't have to disclose myself to you, do I?" Rory didn't want Decha to hear Windsor accidentally reveal anything about her medical condition. It didn't matter if she knew one of his secrets, she was still a Bracket woman.

When he saved her and brought her to the Astellian infirmary, she was pleased to know that her medical records weren't sent and processed.

"As an Astellian student, no. However, since I am a General, legally, you're obligated to report to me."

"You're joking, right?"

"I never joke about my job," Decha stated honestly, raising his tone a bit as any general would.

"I—"

"One message from Dad." POYO's voice nearly scared Rory out of her mind. She quickly pulled her phone out of her bag and checked the notification. Her father was checking on her, asking her what time she'd be home. She began to reply, completely forgetting that Decha was in front of her. "I'm sorry, I have to go." She turned in the direction of the train station, which was at least a mile away.

"Rory,"

"Yeah?" Rory spun around and glanced at Decha.

"You owe me 200 Tekels."

"What?"

"Did you think that food was free?" Decha scoffed. "Everything comes with a price," Decha announced and continued on his merry way. He left Rory standing there with her mind in a panic. How the heck was she going to get 200 Tekels? That was her allowance for one week!