Crimson

Chapter 5: Finding Simone

"Sleep well?' He asked.

"Like a baby," you said. "But I can't say the same for my roommate. I can't find her anywhere."

Eleanor sighed but his smile remained. "Maybe she's pulling a Maurice and went for a stroll to the night class."

You made a face and shrugged.

"Yeahhhh about that," you tried to say as casually as possible. You were about to tell him about your little excursion with Simone, losing your stuff, meeting Bel, finding your stuff, then losing Simone- it was a wild night.

But a loud voice broke the silence.

"LISTEN UP."

Everyone turned to the staircase balcony to face Theodore.

"My partner is taking care of some other stuff so for now, you're going to listen to me- boys and girls." Said the red head.

Everyone gave their attention to him but the eagerness to explore Arcadia Castle Academy didn't die.

"Now, it says here I'm supposed to give you a tour," He said, flipping through his clipboard, "But that's just for half of the day. The rest is in class."

And with that, he motioned towards the doors, and strut down the stairs taking the lead. Everyone followed him excitedly, including you and Eleanor.

Crossing the bridge outside was much different during the daytime than it was during the night. And having Theodore lead was a nice change from Cadere. Still- Theodore would probably rock a cape.

The red head stopped suddenly and more than a few students ran into eachother.

"That's the night dormitory, blah blah blah," Theodore reiterated, "Don't go there, leave the night class alone, blah blah."

Theodore suddenly stopped talking. He leaned casually against the bridge ledge and stared at the ground busy with his thoughts.

"Although I can't say that since they leave US alone we should leave THEM alone because they always cause PROBLEMS." He thought out loud. "Except for the night girls. They're alright."

Theodore gave a sheepish look Eleanor's way and kept walking.

"You'd be surprised how many people know who my brother is here," Eleanor said, following the group.

"How long ago did he graduate?" You asked. When you saw Maurice outside the train, he didn't look that much older. Just with darker hair- and no glasses.

"Couple years ago," said Eleanor. "But he visits, occasionally. Theodore is starting to remind me of him, actually."

You smiled- you could see it.

"So what were you doing?" Asked Eleanor, raising an eyebrow. "He went looking for you when you didn't show up to breakfast."

Your eyes widened. "Breakfast- I completely forgot- I slept in through it?"

Eleanor nodded.

"Why didn't anyone wake me up?" You asked. The group stopped in the plaza.

"Your roommate left without waking you up?" He said in disbelief.

"Actually, I haven't seen her since last night." You sighed.

Eleanor pulled something out of his pocket.

"Here," He said, handing you a green apple. "You'll need your strength if you decide to go on any more adventures."

You thanked him and took a bite of it without realizing how hungry you'd been. The last time you ate was on the train. And that felt like a lifetime ago.

Theodore drew his arms out dramatically, explaining the various buildings across the plaza. There was a small restaurant, a bookstore, a recreational room, some classrooms, and one of the more interesting links was an apparent night building. Theodore described it as a 'dance hall' but really he thought it was more of a club than anything else.

He also pointed out a bit further, the library. You asked him which floor it was on, but apparently it was that whole section of the castle. You couldn't imagine a library that enormous. You'd have to check it out at some point, and maybe drag Eleanor along with you.

It was obvious Theodore knew all the secret spots and you were willing to bet Eleanor did too, but half of your class was new and half wasn't. You'd have to talk to Simone a bit later.

Busy listening to Theodore, you were eager to tell Eleanor about your adventure last night, but you'd have to wait until you had some free time. Theodore concluded his tour of the plaza and said he'd be taking you inside the actual castle now, to see where the classes were.

It was then that a familiar head of inky black hair caught your eye in the corner of the plaza. Just for a flash, you saw her cut the corner of one of the buildings and head down the pathway through the far side of the plaza.

"I hope they have the underground tavern my brother was telling me about, that'd be fun, don't you think y/n?" Eleanor said, still focused on Theodore. "Y/n?" He turned around, but you were already gone.

"Simone!" You called to her.

Where was she going? And more importantly- where had she been?

You snuck your way out the crowd undetected, as soon as you saw her. And you caught another glimpse of her just as you made your way around the same corner. But she was gone. And you were suddenly alone in the garden... or so you thought.

"You look lost."