Surrogate Soul

Chapter Four

The Culminating day came in honour of the knowledge of Magic we had acquired as we concluded our days in the school of magic, nothing really happened that was spectacular than we would’ve expected on such a day. There were dancing and giving of honours then we ate. It was a feast fit for the Gods and Goddesses with servants coming and going putting all kinds of delicious mouth-watering food in front of us. There didn’t seem to be any shortage of food. Then we were all invited to join Sophie’s family in celebration up at the Upper Village. In hopes of escaping my own celebration with my family I joined her and, surprisingly, so did everyone else. The party lasted for three days with just people dancing, eating and making merry. It was going to be the highlight of our student days. It did, only not in the way we expected it to be.

            On the third day, only a few people came and the celebration was more solemn with only the closest of the families present. It was the first time that Sophia introduced Clyde and Alice to his father.

            “Papa, I know it was very remiss of me to have forgotten to introduce these two friends of mine.” His father stood towering the two sizing them up and watching Clyde intently. He never once looked at Alice.

            “Is there something wrong?” There was a worried note in Sophia’s voice as she watched her dad and gave Clyde a questioning look.

            “Get out.” Sophia’s father shouted at Clyde and Alice with his growling voice and his face going awfully red. He stood there pointing towards their massive oak. We couldn’t understand it. Sophia was going into tears and her mother just stood watching Alice with a very worried and scared expression on her beautiful face.

            “Sure,” Clyde said shrugging as if it was a normal happening. As he was about to turn, Alice, who was very quiet and staring back at the huge glaring man in front of her, smiled and shook her head at Clyde. Sophia’s gasp was very audible and when I looked at her she was very white and nervously wringing her hands.

            “Alice? What are you doing?” Sophie hissed and grasped at her father’s arm afraid that he would do something to her friends.

            “Nothing,” she says with that silky soft voice of hers.

            “Mr. Steward,” it was Ellie who suddenly walked up beside Alice, “this is not what you think it is.” Ellie’s voice was soothing and Mr. Steward took a step back, heaved a sigh and turned around.

            “Leave,” he said.

            At that, Ellie yanked Alice out when it looked as though Alice was not about to budge from her spot. Later, Sophia told me that Alice was murmuring something, like she was murmuring a string of spells. And she felt something strange come over her. It was as if she just wanted to sleep forever. And when Alice left with Clyde and Ellie, the feeling was gone. She was to ask them for an explanation but upon reaching the garden where she saw the three went she heard them conversing in suspiciously hushed voices. That was when she decided to eavesdrop. She hid behind a relatively high shrub just behind where the three were talking. The conversation went like this:

            “Ellie, what are you saying?” It was Alice, she sounded as calm as always without a trace of disturbance.

            “Alice, stop this. You know you can’t just go on challenging every magical being you meet and were you forgetting it was Sophia’s father who was in front of you?” Ellie hissed her words. I imagine she would’ve been fuming red and clenching her fist.

            “Ellie, she was not going to. She was just teasing and besides, he was ready to kill us. Luckily, Alice was not in the mood to fight anyone. This will not happen again. I will not let it happen again.” Clyde looked and sounded old and tired as he said this. He lowered his head but looked at Alice with weariness and fear before he stared down at his mud stained boots.