Black Mist: Seedling

11. Spoken Secrets

Alastair was released from the infirmary the next morning. He anticipated a day of resting and relaxing, but instead he was called to a leadership team meeting. He actually felt fine physically, it was more a psychological recuperation that he required. The events of the prior day had been traumatic, and when he thought about the crimson puddle on the floor of the museum, he became woozy all over again.

He sat down in his usual spot around the large table and waited. The room filled up, and after twenty minutes, Dr. Olivier finally came in and flopped in his chair. He looked battle-worn. His hair and clothes were disheveled, and he had the weary look of someone who hadn't slept at all.

"We have a lot to discuss. First, we need to hear from all involved exactly what happened yesterday, both here and at the museum." Olivier turned toward the elementary teachers. "Mr. Hazlitt, please tell us about what happened here at the school."

The middle-aged fourth grade teacher Alastair had hated explained how a couple of hours after they left, a group of men attempted to enter the school, at first through manipulation and eventually through force. "No one made it in, thankfully. The protections held, and we evacuated all areas to the auditorium. There isn't much else to tell."

Alastair noticed that Daniel Choi sat up straighter as Hazlitt spoke. He had been the first to suggest they go ahead with the trip, and Alastair thought he probably felt guilty.

The director turned toward the secondary teachers, "Mr. Cain?"

"First of all, Alastair, we are all so glad you're okay," he began, the group of twenty teachers and staff nodding and murmuring in agreement. "So, my group and Nurse Durand's group were on the first floor, just heading into the gift shop. We saw a group of men, all in black, enter the museum and head for the second floor. The museum was closed for our visit, so security tried to stop them, but they just kept going. We held our groups in the museum store until the lights went out. When Clive Hilliard arrived, I left them all with him and Nurse Durand to go assist."

"Okay, I guess that's me, now. My group was up on two," said Dean Whitley. "We heard the shouts before we saw anything. Daniel went to warn the others, while Miguel and I secured our group in a gallery in time to see the assailants running up into the Marron Atrium. Mr. Bennett and his group were just coming down the stairs."

Alastair looked from Daniel Choi to Miguel Santos, two 10th grade SOs. They looked as nervous as he felt.

"Right. They ran towards me and my group," Bennett said. "The kids were halfway down the stairs in front of me, so we retreated back to the third floor, where Dr. Olivier's group was. As we made our way up, we heard a loud scraping sound. I stuck my head over the railing to see the Newman statue fly over the side of the balcony, landing on the first floor with a shaking thud." He looked around at them, everyone from the trip nodding that they heard it.

The assembled group began talking urgently, guessing at how that could have happened. Even the most experienced practitioner would struggle to lift that piece through levitation.

Dr. Olivier waved his hands for quiet. "Let's save speculation for later and carry on with the narrative," he requested solemnly. "Which is where I come in. My group was on the third floor, as Bennett said. We combined our groups and tucked them away in the photography gallery, leaving our four senior SOs with them. We made it to the stairs in time to see the last man going up to four. We followed them up the stairs, where we met up with Mrs. Cowdrey."

"I saw the men go past, toward the galleries where Alastair went to look for Rose Regitano, who had gotten separated from the rest of the group," Cowdrey explained. "We stayed hidden until they past, then Mr. Bennett and Dr. Olivier came up the stairs. I explained quickly about Rose and Alastair, and we decided to walk my group over to where I had last seen Jackson, also on four."