The Inevitable

Chapter 14

I decide to skip the idea of going to my room, and ended up going towards the practicing arenas outside instead. Some fresh air to clear my thoughts will do me good. I find a tree next to the swordsmanship arena and sit under its shadow. I admire the two students, a boy and a girl, fighting each other with their swords, something I've always wanted to learn. The coach is standing not too far away, waiting to yell at them if they do something wrong. The boy seems to be exerting a lot more effort than the girl, his grey shirt completely drenched in sweat. He strikes her with his sword in amazing speed, aiming to her left, but she deflects it just as fast. He strikes again, this time going for her legs, but she's on to him in a matter of a millisecond. Now it is her turn to attack first. She brings the end of her sword to his left, but he blocks it, then just as fast, she brings it to his right. The boy clearly didn't see it coming because she knocks the sword from his hand and it goes flying several feet away. The boys eyes are open wide in utter shock, but she gives him a warm smile then pats him on the back. A few students start to cheer for her, but she just smiles at them, instead of embracing all the attention she's getting, like how any other person would have probably done.

These students are way out of my league, what am I still doing here? I lay on my back and close my eyes. The gentle breeze of the summer air welcomes itself into my body. My thoughts wonder from my father, to this school, then to Blaze and Nick. I even start to wonder of how Dex is doing, if he has healed by now. But my thoughts linger to Debs, every time I think of her, I start to feel queasy. She must think I'm the worst best friend in the whole wide world. After such a horrific bus accident, I just disappear and I was never able to tell her where I went or what had happened to me. I think about her fragile bloodied body as I held her in my arms before Lord Codd's men took me away. If only there was a way that I could call her and see if she's doing alright. When I last saw her, she was hardly breathing, but at least she was breathing. There's no way she could have died, because if she did, I'm sure I would have felt her loss. And that's when the world's greatest idea hits me. My eyes shoot wide open and I'm immediately on my feet. A phone, oh, my God, duh. There has got to be a phone somewhere in this school, and if there is, I'm going to find it so that I can call Debs. I remember seeing one inside the Head Masters office, and if push comes to shove, I'll sneak into his office just to call her.

A rush of excitement washes over me and I start to make my way towards the school, thinking about the one person who could possibly give me my first clue as in to where I could find a phone in this wretched place. The nice cafeteria lady I met on my first day here.

As I reach the cafeteria, a delicious aroma of spices and herbs consumes me and my mouth starts to water. I wonder if this is probably a good time for me to start freaking out over the amount of food that I've been eating ever since I got here. But that's the last of my worries. I walk towards the kitchen and find the sweet cafeteria lady within seconds. She's doing the dishes of what seems to be over two hundred plates. I get closer to her and start to feel guilty and ashamed for all the complaining that I've been doing these past few days. She notices me immediately and a bright smile fills her round face.

"Hello dear, it's nice to see a friendly face again," She says, her voice sounds so soft, it's like someone's playing a delightful symphony. Her chipper mood just makes me feel that much more worse about myself.

"Yeah, you too." I say, returning her smile. She looks at me for a few seconds and her eyes soften. She can tell I came here to ask her for a favor and not because I wanted to be in her friendly company. I say something quickly, trying to make small talk with her before I ask her for help.

"That's a lot of dishes. Isn't there like some crazy voodoo magic trick that you can whip up that'll clean those things up for you?" I say, as I scrunch my nose at the plates.