|DOC 09: ACES|
|AQUA LAVERDA|
It was a painful memory.
The death of Arivona Clove Lascova as well as the death of Clover "Clove" Ari Cross.
Funny how they have the same name and how they were already dead at the same time. Funny how I wish I'll never get to meet a person who has 'Clove' as her name.
Because they'll just end up dead for some reason.
Whether an accident or plotted.
"Aqua!"
I calmly glance to my right when a woman's voice reaches my hearing.
"Morri...," my lips form a gentle smile as I watch her walk towards me.
I was getting fresh air in the garden here in the dorm after getting discharged from the hospital three days ago when suddenly she called me.
"Hey!" I gently greet her while tapping the space next to me as I am leaning my back at the tree behind.
"Hi! You look like you've been carrying the whole world on top of your shoulders," she kids like she always does. 
"You mean, I look pretty much better after everything," I smile at her and rest my head on her left shoulder when she's done fixing herself beside me.
"How was your heart?"
She suddenly asks me after seconds of silence.
"Barely hanging in the edge, I guess?" I sigh and look at the sky over the horizon in front of us. Feeling the peace and silence around us.
"As it always been like before...,"
A sad smile plaster my lips as I keep silent.
"I thought you'll be coming home next week?"
I ask her because as far as I know, she told me she'd be back on the last day of Spring and that's next week. She's here early.
"My schedule permits me to come home earlier than the scheduled time, why? You want me gone that early?" She teases.
I playfully roll my eyes.
"Schedule my ass. How was your mission in Greece?" I ask instead.
Last month she had to go to Greece for a solo mission. Perks of being in a Deck of Cards Class. I wish I did come with her. You know, I don't want something bad to happen to her. Losing loved ones are far worst than losing your sanity.
"It was fine, as always. You really don't know how strong I am even without your support, huh!"
"Pretty much bragging, aren't we? Breathe, it's not a crime, Morri. You seem to be out of breathing losing air because you're sharing it with the weather, tsk!"
"Look, who's talking...," I shake my head as we both laugh at our words.
I missed her. Like always.
"Anyways, I was really confused why didn't you come with me to the DCC? You told me you're going with me you traitor!" She exclaims as I did her wrong when I was just too curious about how it feels like to be the Council President.
DCC, short for Deck of Cards Class.
"I want some twist and besides I'm already tired of seeing your face all the time. It's sickening, you know," I voice out and laugh my ass out and before she can hit me, I already roll to the ground on my left and move away from her.
"Stop with your violence, Morri!"
I shout at her before running towards the building of my dorm.
I was staying in my dorm for about a week now. A week later, classes will resume and I don't know how things will change after what happened. Or maybe, there will be no change at all.
I blink my eyes before closing my dorm room.
With my right hand holding the doorknob behind me, I remain standing. Looking around the place.
Normally, I would hear Clove's voice asking if I have eaten already and offer me a scrambled egg as our dinner. But now I can only hear nothing. Silence always greets me after that day.
I clear the lump in my throat before shaking my head while entering my room. I still need to fix my things as I will transfer dorm tomorrow morning.
___
Morning came.
I heave a sigh and start to do my morning routine. After fixing myself, I look at my reflection in the mirror on my vanity table.
I have straight blonde shoulder-length hair, thick yet perfectly arched eyebrows that emphasizes my deep set of green eyes as well as my long lashes together with my high pointed nose and thin kissable lips. I look like a doll, a foreign doll if there is.
"Where did they even get my name Aqua?" I randomly ask myself while staring intently at my eyes.
I shake my head and glance at my luggage at the side of the door with the backpack that I am using in school.
"Right. I have to go to the dorm now, they're probably want to kill me for being late," I exclaim while looking at the time on my wristwatch.
I walk towards my luggage as I pull it with me. I close the door and go straight into the living room.
One last glance all over the space in front of me before I silently take the way out of my dorm. It was too hard for me to leave but it was her last request.
___×××××___
"H-Here...," I can feel thin but a bit hard on my hands when she grips my hand to lend me something.
"What is it?" I asked her, voice nearly breaking because I can feel her heartbeats getting slower than before.
She continued to spit blood from her mouth too. What is this? Why does she need to suffer?
"It w-will help you, Aq- Aqua...,"
___×××××___
I look at the card I am holding while standing still in front of their dorm building, which will be my dorm building too after this.
It's funny how I refused to get transferred to Jack's dorm just to be transferred to the Aces dorm building.
An ace of spade.
Clover Ari Cross. A DCC student, one of the Aces.
It's never a secret to everyone but it's just dawned on me that she was higher in position than me. Well, she was a friend. It never crosses my mind that I'll be replacing her place.
But it's one of the rules.
Once a DCC member died, the person whom they gave their cards will be replacing their place.
That happened in my case.
I breathe heavily as I stare at the building in front of me.
Never did I imagine that I'll be stepping my feet inside their dorm. It's just too impossible for my case. I still don't know what will happen after this.
I am a Council President and will be an Aces member. Oh, I am already but I don't think I can still be the President.
Hmm, maybe I'll discuss it with the HeadMistress. She'll be the only one who can tell.
"What are you doing?"
"Huh?!" I blink my eyes in shock when someone talks behind me.
I immediately step aside and look at the person who suddenly voices out which caused me to be in shock for a second.
My eyes widen but I quickly compose myself and bow my head a bit.
"I'm sorry," the words I'm only able to say.
I'm too fluttered with her presence and the aura of the atmosphere once I get to look at her cold pair of indigo eyes that I can't say any words.
Gunreigh Chi Deluxxe. The Queen of the Aces.
"Follow me,"
Even her voice, it's too chilling! I'm having goosebumps!
Clove, you're still giving me headaches! Why do you need to give your card to me?
I'm doomed.
My life will never be the same anymore. I'll be surrounded by cold people. I hope, I'll survive or I'll soon go with Clove to hell.
Kidding aside, I start to walk and follow Reigh, that's what she wants other people to call her, and I heard, you can only call her 'Gun' if you're a member.
But I don't dare to call her that. I don't dare.
My eyes had never seen such paradise. Too sarcastic to remark after seeing what their dorm looks like.
My shoulders weaken as soon as I set my eyes on the whole place.
A wide living room at the center, two rooms on the right side, and in the middle is a stair towards the second floor. A huge sparkling gold chandelier above. A hallway between the large L-sofa of the living room and the stair towards the kitchen. I bet, it has also two rooms upstairs.
It looks luxurious at first glance. Yet, it looks dull. For me. Almost everything has a color of gray and black. Though the floor is glass. The only thing that is painted white is in the kitchen.
Uh, maybe I was used to the bright and has a life dorm of my previous one.
"You can have the empty room upstairs. Left side," I watch her walk towards the kitchen.
Until she opens the refrigerator and gets a pitcher of water. I can see her from here because the wall that's separating the living room from it is a glass transparent wall.
"I can already feel how cold my life will be," I take a deep breath before making my way to the stairs.
As I turn right, there's a mini-living room in the center of the floor and another corridor on the left side which I presume is the way where the other rooms are.
It didn't take long to satisfy my eyes with the interior of the whole floor because I have to fix my things first as well as my new room.
After closing the door, my mouth goes agape in astonishment.
"Wow!" I exclaim while roaming my eyes of the whole room. It has the ambiance and color that I love the most. Different shades of blue and dark gray. It's just the two colors that can calm me and a great job for the person who designed the room.
"How did they get to know I love blue and gray?" I mumble under my breath and excitedly pull my luggage with me beside the queen-sized bed in the middle.
After fixing the room, I weakly lay down on the bed and stare at the ceiling.
These days have been stressful for me. Clove's parents didn't let me attend her funeral even though I badly wanted to go and see her for the last time. They don't blame me but I know deep inside, they are. It was her last day yesterday and I just stayed in my previous dorm all day. Lying in the bed, reminiscing our memories together.
I heave a deep breath and close my eyes.
___×××××___
"It w-will help you, Aq- Aqua...,"
"W-What?" I asked, wondering what does she mean by that.
"You've been wanting to be part of the Aces, remember? You never told me b-but... I know. I-I a-always know-,"
"Don't... Stop talking, hmm?" I gulped down the lump in my throat that was preventing me to breathe properly.
"I'm destined to die, A-Aqua. I'm happy to go knowing you're a step ahead with your plans, w-whatever that i-is-,"
"Clo-,"
"A-Aqua... Go. You s-still... h-have a long w-way. T-Take care, h-hmm-," my hands clenched in balls while I watched her spits blood from her mouth.
"Stop it, please?"
___×××××___
Flipping the Ace of Spade card in my hands, my eyes glisten with something dark.
"You're death will never be in vain, Clove. I'll assure you that,"