By Samantha Cook
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Chapter Four Surveillance
The attack did not last long. It was less than an hour before Mr Martel's accent boomed down the hallway, denoting an omnipresent voice that must have been his slight gift. He instructed that it was safe to return to their dorms. The corridors soon flooded with Embers and buzzed with conspiracies to why the Demons attacked this time. It was clear from the colourful and fluctuating theories that no one knew what had happened, although one fact remained consistent - two years ago Oliana cast a Boundary spell, and the Demons could not, and did not cross that line.
Even the following morning still brimmed with the same gossip, some quoting their 'reliable' sources, dropping in the names of various mentors and respectable Embers of the bunker. Feya and Kelsey were already making plans as to how they would try to trick Oliana into sharing some information, and their eyes lit up when they saw they had an hour's session with her next. They took their seats, ready to put their plans into action, but Oliana's first words threw them off course.
"The ghost letters have reached your parents." Feya gulped, but Kelsey knew what was coming. "I'm afraid, Kelsey, that your mother does not wish to arrange a meeting with you." Still, it hurt to hear that she was truly disowned.
"Feya, your father has agreed to meet you at half eleven. After this lesson I will direct you to Judith Holmes, who organises all of our human arrangements." Feya forced her head to nod, dread filling her stomach. This was very surprising, considering he was an avid member of LOCAL. Whatever her father had planned to say to her could not be positive.
"Now that personal matters are out of the way, let us begin."
"No," Kelsey said, her eyes staring at the floor. She crossed her arms tight so that her hands held onto her waist.
Oliana snapped the book shut that was perched between her thumb and index finger. "Is there a problem, Miss Black?"
"This whole place is the problem, so no. I'm not going to sit here while you feed us information about your kind - I'm choosing not to be an Ember. No good has come from magic, so I'm not going to learn it." She awkwardly stood, her chair scraping against the floor so that it squeaked and clattered. Before leaving she waited for Oliana to challenge her, or to order her to sit back down and obey like the rest of the young Embers did, just so that she could be defiant. She almost needed to hear Oliana fight for her to stay, just so that she knew she was harming the Ember community by not becoming their asset. When Oliana spoke, she knew she would have to be resilient to her words.
"I will make you offer as long as you are willing to listen." These words were not as forceful as Kelsey had expected, but she still took them with as much caution as she could concentrate on.
"Go on," Kelsey said. Her throat felt thick as she swallowed her pride.
"A surveillance team drive around the neighbouring towns, using their various gifts to detect magical evolvement," Oliana began. "We then follow the signal and rescue the survivors, using our van to take them to the protection of the Velvet Bunker. A team stays behind to collect personal items such as the victims' clothes, but other times there is magic to reverse, or damage to clear up. Then we return to the bunker to test the victims, or witnesses, to see why the Demons targeted them."
Kelsey looked to Feya and noticed how captivated she was by the little anecdote. On the other hand, Kelsey was more strategic. "I get it, alright. You Embers saved us. Me, Feya and Tristan - and that makes up for all the evil you do-"
"Yet again you have failed to understand me. I do not want to tell you that we are good for society, I want to show you."
***
