The Spirit Academy

Chapter 28 - What The Dead Heard

Lana

Lana woke up with a feeling of nausea. She sat up in a bed, her head spinning. She clutched her stomach and looked around her. She was at the castle. She was at the castle.

She tried to realise if this was a good thing or not. Yes it was.

They had found out about her. That was the only explanation for why they were running after her. She'd climbed outside and then made it to the dining hall. And then she'd fell.

Then she'd woken up here. Guthrie and Mishal were still at the academy but so was Lynn. Lynn could help them, couldn't she?

With a groan Lana stood up, and leaned on a table for support. She limped across the hallway trying to find the others.

She heard whimpers, and followed them. "Lynn?" She yelled her voice echoing in the empty hallways. "Dahlia?"

"Roxy?" No answer. "Marie?"

The whimpers were louder now, and Lana realized there were many of them. "Fawn? Raven? Rekka? Aithne?"

She saw Adara first, her hands tied behind her back, lying on the floor, hair streaked with blood, and eyes wide and frightened. Her voice was muffled behind the rag in her mouth.

"Adara?" She leaned down next to her and she saw Adara shaking her head as she tried to unbind the rag in her mouth. "What happened?"

"Get out of here..." She wheezed, "Go!"

"What?" Lana said, "No, I have to help, where are the others!"

"No..." She said and Lana turned to the sound of footsteps, she whirled behind her and saw Makani standing in the middle of the hallway.

"Makani?" She said, "Oh thank God, help me find the others," She said walking towards her.

Suddenly, a blast of wind hit her, and she fell backwards.

"Always so oblivious Lana."

"What is wrong with you?" Lana said standing up.

"You have to help Adara," Lana whispered helping Adara to her feet, "I'm not the bad guy here."

"No," Adara whispered, "But Makani is,"

Lana whirled as understanding dawned on her. Makani was standing to the side, her lips curled into a smirk.

She stood in front of Adara and weighed her options. She hadn't learned to refine her powers. She knew she could bring down the whole castle, but taking out one brick to hit Makani's head with? She couldn't do that.

Makani had her hands by her side and feigned a yawn as if Lana wasn't worth her time.

Lana's hands curled into fists by her side. She tackled Makani to the ground.

Mishal 

Mishal had heard a lot in her sleep. She had learnt that the less she talked the more she heard.

She had heard when they decided to attach her to the tubes.

She had heard when they decided to bring Lana in.

She had heard when they had laughed about how clueless we were.

She had heard when they had laughed about how trusting we were.

She had heard when they had decided to bring everyone in.

She had heard when they had lost visual of Guthrie, Dahlia and Roxy.

And she heard Auretta. Every day she would come in. Humming under her breath, check her vitals, clean the tubes, fill her drip.

"I know you're awake, Mishal."

She said today, sitting beside her bed instead of doing her tasks.

"Or at least listening to me anyway,"

She continued after a moments beat of silence. "Well, you aren't the one anyway, so..."

Mishal heard shuffling and felt Auretta move closer, her breath warm on her cheek and her voice a whisper in her ear.

"They're taking you of your tubes today," She whispered, "It didn't work, your gene, they couldn't multiply it, we need your help,"

"It's Dahlia, she's one of the five, I'm sure of it. We need you to find her."

Mishal opened her eyes and saw Auretta's looking back at her.

"Will you help? Will you help find her?"

Mishal spat at her. Her spit landed just below her left eye. She wiped it away like it didn't mean anything, but she saw Auretta's jaw clench. It had hurt her ego.

"You're a witch you know that. You care about the GloBals so much. They're saving the world and we have to help them... Why don't you help them? You were top of the class, Auretta," She said her name like it was a curse, "Let's see them tie you to one of these and see how you do."

Auretta fell back as if Mishal had physically struck her.

She raised an eyebrow. "They wouldn't do that," She said. "I'm a descendant, a direct descendant, my mother's Aella."

Mishal laughed. "Right."

"You don't want to believe it because you're jealous. Who was your mother anyway? You don't remember do you, you don't remember a thing about your past. I do. I'm nothing like you."

"Know that I think about it, I do see the resemblance,"

"What?"

"Self-entitled brats, platinum blonde witches, ugly as faces,"

Mishal heard Auretta muttering under her breath before she slammed the door.

It took her a minute to realise what she was saying.

I am nothing like you.

At least they agreed on something.