Lights (Book 4)

Chapter 7: Swan

"...battle sites from the War of the Shealands are still very well preserved today thanks to the dense cover of the Rhenan rainforests, affording historians a golden opportunity to study the events of the war and how exactly our hard-earned victory played out." 

I sat at the desk closest to the window, half-listening to the Lessaenite History teacher's airy voice as she droned on and on about the War of the Shealands. It, along with the Galactic Wars, were the only armed conflicts that were ever studied in detail at the IAYN, despite the fact that Lessaenes had been involved in hundreds of wars over the course of its history. This was for no reason other than the fact that these two wars contained some of Lessaenes' most glorious victories. Bragging was one thing that Lessaenites never grew tired of. 

The silky fabric of my skirt stuck to my legs as I crossed them, feeling the beads of sweat that covered them, and I gazed longingly out at the colorful leaves blowing in the chilly, autumn wind outside. The IAYN overheated its classrooms during the colder months of the year in an effort to keep its students "comfortable," but we felt more like they were trying to slowly boil us. This was not surprising, given the overall personality of the IAYN as a whole. 

Many things were in excess here. 

"Stop!" 

I was shaken out of my wandering thoughts by a wheezing interjection by Tamara Leinkepf, the gray-haired, pointy-nosed freshman history teacher. I turned my attention to the front of the classroom along with most of the class, confused as to what had caused the usually soft-spoken teacher to react so violently. 

That question was soon answered. 

Leinkepf's eyes were compressed toward the bridge of her wiry glasses as she stared mercilessly at a quivering student in the front row of the class. The boy was unfamiliar to me- probably the son of an Assembly member or other lower ranking noble- but I found myself feeling a pang of pity for him at the sight of his petrified face. 

"How dare you bring up such an inappropriate topic of discussion in my class, after having been specifically instructed by school officials not to say a word about it?" Leinkepf snarled. "What is your name, boy?" 

"M...Martin, ma'am," he stuttered, gripping the edges of his desk in terror. 

"And what, Mr. Martin, gave you the courage to speak about what you were just speaking about?" 

"I'm new," Martin muttered, his black hair falling over his forehead as he lowered his head. "This is my first year here. I d-didn't know they were serious when they said we'd be in trouble if we said a word about it. I didn't mean any harm- I only said a few things to a friend. I'm sorry." 

What was he talking about?

I leaned over my desk, curiosity taking control of me as Leinkepf continued to stare Martin down. 

"It's such a shame that the government would go to such lengths to keep their devious little secrets," Nemesis shook her head. "Look at what they're forcing Mrs. Leinkepf to do to that poor boy." 

"For all we know, it has nothing to do with the government," I shrugged, unable to associate anything negative with my caring aunt and uncle. "Anyone can keep a secret." 

"I'm sure it has everything to do with the government," Nemesis said darkly. "Just watch." 

Something about the way she said that made me believe that there was some truth to it. After all, none of the predictions about the government she had made so far had proved to be false, and it was already the third day of school. 

"It's just the Science Institute! And our Science Institute, too! I mean no disrespect, Mrs. Leinkepf, but I don't understand why you are treating this like a grave offense! All I did was happen upon something unusual while circling the school grounds during my early morning jog, and mention it to Giraeth here." Martin gestured to the boy who sat beside him, protesting as Leinkepf tapped twice on his initials on the class roster that was spread out along the large Aurascreen mounted on the wall behind her. The two letters began to glow red, displaying his newly acquired disciplinary warning. Each one of the hundreds of history students who would pass through this room sometime in the school day today would see it. 

Shame was a very common and effective punishment at the IAYN. 

"Settle down, class!" Leinkepf clapped her thin hands together. "I did not give you permission to talk amongst yourselves! Now, since our friend Martin has broached the topic, the only way for me to avoid the kind of mindless gossip that abounds among young people of your age is to tell you the full story of the events that unfolded late last night in the lobby of the IAYN's Alisha Valior Institute Of The Sciences."

Whispers ensued throughout the class as the Empire's wealthiest teenagers widened their eyes in awe, surprised by the very notion of any kind of abnormal occurrence on the grounds of their prestigious school. 

"You must, however, promise not to spread the word too far. If the story gets out, it will be nearly impossible to track, so this is on your honor. Once you hear the tale, you will understand why keeping it known only to a select few is important to the safety and emotional well-being of you and your schoolmates." 

"This is getting good," Nemesis smirked, rubbing her hands together. I laughed nervously, unable to understand how she was taking this so easily. This was the IAYN. If someone was accidentally served the wrong flavor of Linaberry tart at lunch, the lunch ladies' negligence became hot news. In a place at which even the smallest of activities was conducted with a machine-like degree of precision, whatever Leinkepf had to say could potentially change our lives for the worse. 

"It began last night, at the start of the ferocious thunderstorm that must've kept many of you awake for a long hour. Unbeknownst to her dorm's hall monitor, a tenth grade student whom some of you may know by the name of Rhoda Faye had stayed out past curfew to study for a biology quiz. According to available evidence, she was sitting in the lobby of the Valior Institute with a textbook and an Aurascreen when something happened," Leinkepf paused, lowering her voice. 

"What happened?" Zaliana asked fearfully, brushing a strand of straightened, black hair out of her makeup-bearing face. 

"We don't know, exactly," Leinkepf shook her head. "But the point is, Rhoda Faye is dead, and we have reason to believe that it wasn't an accident."