Everything Included

In Which We Find A Hidden Memory

Don't go.

That's what Chantham had said. That's what Crispen had looked as though he'd wanted to say. And that's what my liver had screamed as I approached the school on wobbling knees and unsure feet, weaving in and out of the sea of frozen peers and school staff.

The school was covered in an aura of thick, slimy green, as though it'd been submerged in a lake for centuries, only to reemerge algae clad and miserable. Heavensley had told me only I would be able to pass.

Of course.

All manner of magical creature had clamored for my attention these past few days, why not the bringer of the storm? Chantham had warned me this was a trap.

Obviously.

But still, and stupidly so, I found my feet pressing ever forward, their sound against the black top, the only one that sang to my ears. It was odd to be surrounded by so many familiar faces and yet feel so out of place.

As I strode up the seven steps before the school's entrance, I thought of my why. Why was I doing this? Why was I being so unarguably stupid? Was I some hero with a sense of bravery or noble intentions?

No. Most certainly not.

Did I feel the need to sacrifice myself for the greater good?

Emphantically no. I very much like my life, thank you.

So then why?

The reason I came up with as my sneaker hit the fourth step was certainly ridiculous but as my left foot hit the fifth step, I could fathom no other reason than it. I was simply curious.

If the boy I'd met earlier had been this mysterious bringer of the storm- which I figured must be the case since coincidences were no longer mere coincidences- then I wanted to find out why that boy's green eyes had bothered me so much.

See? Sleep no longer needed to breed stupidity. I was perfectly capable of being stupid all on my own.

The sound of the double doors shutting behind me caused me to jump and in doing so, I knocked over a trash can on my right. Crumpled up messes of test scores and secret notes flooded into the hallway. Nervously, I picked them up and placed them and their captor upright.

Fear welled up in my bones as I walked the now unfamiliar hallways of Oaks High. I was in the eye of the storm, alone and unprepared, Peneloper Auttsley- the stupidest odd duck to ever exist.

Why had I thought to put myself in danger all for the sake of answering a question? Were all owls this stupid or had I been in a league all my own?

Before I had left Chantham and Crispen, Heavensley had taken it upon himself to draw a ward of some kind on my palm. He'd run his smooth fingertips over my skin, tracing a few interlocking circles on the skin. I could sense the magic in his movement but I couldn't tell if the heat I'd felt had been from the magic as well or Heavensley's gentle and reassuring touch.

"For protection," he had said. I had nodded him a thanks and as I had turned to leave, he'd kept my hand in his own, lingering, relutance in his grasp and his grimace.

I'd flashed him a false smile hoping to convince him and myself that I would be okay. He hadn't bit. Forcefully, I had to peel his hand off of my own, Chant assuring me he would check in with his parents and text me any new information as I had turned to leave.

"I'll find a way to you," Crispen had yelled before he'd followed behind Chant. His words had never rung any truer. I had smiled before I passed through the aura blanketing the school; one brought forth by the lovely nature of Crispen Heavensley.