Mirage - Shall We Date Wizardess Heart' Fic

Chapter 21: An accident waiting to happen

Aurora closed the door behind her softly and didn't notice Professor Merkulova at first. It still felt like a dream what happened last night, leaving the nightmare out of the equation. They were closer than never; perhaps being together might not be impossible after all. If her pulse were any indication, she should be happy and, also cautious.

"Aurora?" Upon the sudden call, she turned her head down the hall. Reflexively, she held her breath,  seeing that Professor Merkulova approached her."What are you doing here?" He asked, slowly eyeing her up and down; she was wearing her black leggings still but, had kept Randolph's shirt on. She realized now how bad it seemed.

"P-Professor Merkulova...! I--" She tried to justify herself with a little white-lie but, was immediately cut off by him.

"Oh, are you here to tell headmaster what happened back in the dorms?" He said more than asked. "That's good then, I can return to my office with a rested consciousness."

 For a moment she looked confused, "What you mean?" and asked him to kindly clarify his question.

"Well, a terrible incident happened with one of the female students, back in the dorms. No one seems to understand what exactly happened but, the board is suspicious that dark magic is involved. The ambulance is recoiling the body right now and will be taking it to the medical wing." When he explained it to her, she became unwell."Are you feeling alright? You're kind of pale. Do you want to sit for a second? I can bring you something to spat your sugar levels."

Unable to function from shock, she had to lean back against the door to steady herself. "W-What?" Her voice cracked more than she wanted.

"Exactly what you heard." He shifted the books from beneath one arm to the other; weren't many but, not ceased to be heavy."It's a tragedy indeed. But, rest assured that the culprit will be found."

"Ahh-" She froze, realizing that, perhaps, her dream from last night had another meaning. She had to have misinterpreted it then. The body she saw... it was him after all. She wasn't sure what to feel on the matter; on one hand, she felt relieved but still, anxious and worried. Might it have been some kind of a metaphor for this? Did she have predicted the death of one of her fellow students? What was it? She couldn't wrap her finger around it. It was all so confusing. When her shock finally wore off, she asked quietly."Why are you telling me this, professor?"

"No reason at all." He said."A lot can happen in the bewitching hour and, I thought you should know so you can be careful next time you ignore curfew." 

"How did you..." 

To her surprise, he stepped forward, one hand upraised and came to stand beside her."If I were you Aurora, I would put aside those feelings and know my place." whispered into her ear. A Cheshire smile subtly crept across his face.

She bit her lip to keep them from quivering and blinked her eyes to get rid of the blur. He knows!

"Anyway." He stepped back."I don't know all the details to this incident but, If I remember right, the girl had brown hair. I wish her well tho." He returned to his usual friendly self.

Her eyes flew up in a startle, and only two names came to her mind." Louise, Liz...!" On a sudden thought, she turned and ran away, leaving a nonplussed teacher behind, his silhouette gradually fading as the end of the hall became far. Upon reaching her destination, she saw the ambulance parked by the entrance, as professor Merkulova said earlier, and a crowd of male and female students, with all kinds of expressions to their faces."W-What happened here? " Whether it was the panic in her voice or the lack of breath felt, Aurora was beginning to realize the seriousness of what might be happening in her dormitory, possibly a few rooms from hers. She was shook at how something like this in the most protected land was possible.

"This girl... to be found dead on her own bed, it's a tragedy on its own." A plain boy noted."It was her own roommate that found her, right? I can't imagine what she's feeling right now. I wouldn't want to ever be in her shoes."

"You dummy, she was found unconscious not dead." A slick girl with greenish hair and glasses immediately corrected him.

 "I've heard when she was found, she had this look of terror in her face. Like she had seen a very ugly ghost! Eeek--! M-Matias!" A pony-like girl grabbed the boy's arm, clinging onto him like a child inside a haunted house.

"Hey, Rina. Is it true what they say? That she's still alive but, not responding to verbal or painful stimulation? As if she's in a suspense state... Petrified?" Another girl in the group intervened.

"I bet that's just rumors."  said the 'Rina' gal, hastening to reassure everyone."I'm sure they'll tell us something soon."

"We do hope so. It's not the first time this has happened. How terrifying to thinking it had stopped and now..." She shrieked with a cold chill.

"It gives me goosebumps just to think about it. Eeek!" The scared-cat girl jogged her body further onto the poor boy.

"Look. There she goes." Someone in the crowd shouted, pointing at the dorm's door. 

Two male individuals dressed in ambulance-crew uniforms exited the building with a stretcher that surely carried the body of the supposed victim; nothing was at sight as it was covered with a white sheet and had three stipes to keep it in place - head, waist and legs. From the surface, it was possible to spot some weird-shaped relief on, not the typical shape from the normal outlines of a body, one might say. Something was seriously wrong. What weren't they telling them?

"Step aside, all of you! Let them get through." Professor Schuyler was already on the site, 'divide and conquer' guidance helping him keep the crowd in check. Everyone did as they were told, and opened way for the two men to reach the ambulance. As they tried to push the stretcher inside, a lump made the sheet fall off slightly. Aurora took both hands to her mouth and gasped; they were quick to cover it again and, finally step inside. The professor slammed the doors shut and hit it twice as if telling the driver he could turn the engines and be on its way. The students present watched the ambulance drive away."There's nothing else to see here, people! Resume your day promptly so, scatter off." He clapped his hands in a dismissing way but still, earning a couple of grunts and whispers from the crowd."Allez-Allez!" His strick tone of voice was what made him successful; everyone left the site after a while. He also left, using a teleportation spell.

Aurora reached for her forehead and almost sighed, not sure what to think about what she saw just now. Thankfully it was neither Louise ou Liz, but where were they? They weren't near sight and, she was sure that they wouldn't be inside 'cause the first thing to do in these situations is to evacuate the area. Could they've been sent somewhere else? No... that didn't make any sense considering the large crowd which built up in front of the dormitory. Perhaps they were staying with the guys somewhere on campus. She must check. Yet, before she could scatter out herself, at the distance, she spotted the housemother fast walking her way and, she was giving her an angry glance. Shoot. I'm so done for. 

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