Chapter 10
Grim snored loudly in the bed beside me. Then he began to sleep talk. "Mmm. Didja see that... Totally wrecked 'em with my power shot..."
"Grim's sleep talk has me wide awake," I mumbled. Maybe a walk would help me clear my head. I got up and headed outside. I was still not used to the cool air that greeted me, but it almost felt nice. "I wonder when I'll be able to go home."
"Hm? Who's that over there?" said a voice.
I spun around. "A ghost?!" No, it was only a boy with horns. He regarded me with cool eyes.
"Well, this is a surprise. A child of man, are you?" My eyes fell to his yellow armband. Which house was that? "Do you live here? I was under the impression that this dorm had been abandoned for some time. I quite enjoy having a place where I could go to enjoy the peace of solitude."
"Who are you?" I asked.
The boy stared at me. "Who am I...? You really don't know who I am? Interesting. What is your name?"
I looked at him curiously. "It's Ona. But I believe it's customary to introduce oneself first?"
"You wish to know my name? Hm. I'd rather you remain unaware. It's for your own benefit, I assure you. Instead, I will permit you to call me by a name of your choosing. Although you may one day regret it..."
"Okay..." This guy was a little strange, but at least he was not openly hostile.
"But alas... If you have taken up residence here, then this abandoned dorm is no longer 'abandoned.' Pity. I shall have to find some other ruins for my next nocturnal constitutional. Farewell."
"He's gone...?" I said, tilting my head to the side. What an interesting guy.
***
I had another dreams about the lions. This time, the younger brother of the king plotted to take over the kingdom. Why not try to reach some kind of agreement? I pondered the dream as I got ready for the day. Grim was quick to get me out the door and to Main Street. Along the way, I told him about my mysterious encounter the previous night.
"Huh!" Grim said. "A weird dude with horns? Did this dude have a name?"
"He told me to call him by a name of my choosing," I said.
"Ooh, ooh, let me pick it! Howsabout... 'Hornton!'"
I smiled. "That works!"
"If Hornton's a student here, who knows when we might run into him? If we do, introduce me! I ain't never seen a human with horns before."
"Mornin', Ona," Cater said, walking up to us with Riddle.
"Hm. Your tie is crooked, you know," Riddle said. "A disorderly uniform suggests a disorderly dorm. As prefect, you should set a better example for your dorm members. Even if you only have the one." He stepped forward until he was extremely close to me. I wanted to step back out of instinct but stopped when he took hold of my tie. He fix it and then stepped back, smiling. I could not remember seeing him smile before. It was much nicer than when he was angry. "...There. All better."
I smiled back at him. "Thanks." For some odd reason, I felt connected to him.
"So, where's Ace and Deuce?" said Grim.
"In accordance with rule 249, it's their turn to wear pink clothes and feed the flamingos," Riddle replied. "By the way, it seems there was another incident last night."
"Myah?! Really?!"
"According to a portrait who witnessed it, the victim was a sophomore from Scarabia House," said Cater. "His name is Jamil Viper. It appears the accident happened in the kitchen."
"With a portrait serving as our security camera..." I mused.
"It's breakfast time, so he may be in the cafeteria," said Riddle. "Let's go see." We hurried to the cafeteria, where Cater spotted Jamil in no time. The boy had long, black hair and tan skin slightly darker than my own.
"You're the guy who got banged up in the kitchen yesterday, right?" said Grim. "Mind if we chat?"
Jamil looked up at us. "What is this? An inquisition?"
"Oh, hey!" said the boy sitting next to him. He had red eyes, the same skin tone as Jamil, and short white hair tied with a headband. "That's the weasel who set my rear on fire at orientation!"
"Grim," said Riddle. "You need to work on your tone. Tact is important for these sorts of things." He looked at Jamil and the other boy. "Forgive us for interrupting your breakfast."
"Wow, the Heartslabyul housewarden and the fire-spitting weasel. Ahaha, what a fun combo!"
"I ain't a weasel!" said Grim. "The name's Grim. And that's my minion, Ona."
The boy smiled at us. "Huh! Well, I'm Kalim, Scarabia's housewarden. And that's the vice housewarden, Jamil."
"Uh, sure. Man, this guy throws me off."
I smiled back at Kalim. "It's nice to meet you." Grim was right; there was something different about him, but it was a good different. He put me at ease.
Kalim grinned at me. "You too!"
"So, why are you asking about my accident?" said Jamil.
I tore my gaze away from Kalim to look at Jamil. "We're inspecting the kitchen for safety."
"Huh... Well, not that I particularly mind. Last night, I was in the kitchen frying up some lamb rolls at Kalim's request."
"Oh man, you guys have NO idea how amazing Jamil's lamb rolls are," Kalim said. "You've gotta try 'em one day."
"That sounds good!" I said.
"Can we stay focused here, Kalim?" said Jamil.
"Ah, right," said Kalim. "Sorry!"
"When I was chopping the ingredients, it was like my knife hand went wild and cut my other hand all on its own."
"It makes no sense! Even the dorm's head chef can attest to Jamil's legendary knife skills. Were you tired from Spelldrive practice, maybe?"
"No. Not so tired I couldn't control my hands. But at one point while I was cooking, I did feel kind of light-headed."
"You got dizzy?" I said.
"Most people would think that, but I know that sensation. I think I was feeling the effects of someone's signature spell."
"Oh, right!" Kalim said. "Because your signature spell is—MMMPH!" Jamil put his hand over his mouth, and Kalim ripped it away. "Pffft! Why'd you put your hand over my mouth?!"
"Because we're not talking about me here. Anyway, my theory is that someone was controlling my movements with magic."
"Interesting..." Cater said. "That WOULD be a way to hurt people and have it appear like it was nothing more than the victim's own carelessness."
"And if it only lasted an instant, even the victim might perceive it as his own mistake," Riddle said. "When I nearly fell down the stairs, I never felt as though I was being controlled against my will."
"Well, I guess this is kind of a lead? What's our next move, guys?"
"A spell that can control someone..." said Grim. "If I could learn how to cast that, I could really clean up on bakery day!"
"Such small-mindedness..." Riddle said. "Truly, Grim? That's as far as your ambitions extend?"
"Man, imagine eating all the deluxe grilled cheese I wanted— Huh?" Grim's eyes grew wide.
Suddenly, it clicked in my head. "Speaking of deluxe grilled cheese..." I said. It took Grim a moment longer, and then he screamed.
"WHOA!" Kalim exclaimed. "Why are we screaming?!"
"I, Grim, Expert Detective, have solved the case!" Grim proclaimed. "I know who's got that signature spell!"
"What?" said Riddle.
"The culprit is...Ruggie Bucchi!" I said.
"Ruggie?" said Cater. "That lil' dude from Savanaclaw?"
"Let's track him down and see what he has to say," said Riddle.
Cater pulled out a book and flipped through the pages. "Hmmm... Looks like Ruggie's in class 2B."
"Thank you both for your cooperation!" Riddle said to Jamil and Kalim.
"I'm still kinda lost here, but good luck!" said Kalim.
"Maybe we'll see each other again," I said, smiling at him.
Kalim grinned back at me. "Yeah! We could hang out!"
"I'd like that."
"Enough chatting," Cater said, grabbing my arm and pulling me away from the table. "You can talk with your new friend later."
I returned my attention to the task at hand as we entered the classroom. Grim hopped onto an empty desk and looked around. "All right, where's Ruggie Bucchi?!" he said.
"Right here," Ruggie said, waving his hand. He frowned when we walked over to him. "Ah... It's you guys again. I really hope this isn't about that deluxe grilled cheese. We traded fair and square."
"Ruggie Bucchi, we need to ask you some questions about the spate of injuries that have befallen prospective Spelldrive tournament players," Riddle said.
"Oh ho. This sounds like some serious business."
"How about we move to the hall and keep this in the figurative DMs, if you catch my drift?" said Cater.
"I'm cooperating. Let's all try to be gentlemen, now." Ruggie stood up and followed us into the hallway. He stood facing us with his arms crossed.
"Very well," said Riddle. "While we do not yet know exactly what transpired, it is abundantly clear that your signature spell is a dangerous one. I will be casting 'Off With Your Head' to—"
"But Riddle, are you sure you should be casting such a powerful spell without your magical pen?"
"Huh?" Riddle looked down. "Wait...what?! What happened to my magical pen?!"
"Hey, Cater!" Grim said. "Your pen's gone too!"
"You're kidding me!" Cater said. "How?!"
"Shyeheehee! Children of privilege, every one of you," Ruggie said. "So unprepared. So complacent. Like stealing candy from a baby."
"Myah?! He cast his spell to snatch your pens away without us even noticing?!" Grim said.
"Puh-lease. As if I'd need magic to do that! Anyway, having a showdown in the hallway is not on my agenda for today, so I'll be on my way. Toodles!" He turned and ran.
"Hold it right there!"
"Curse you!" Riddle called as he ran after him. "You will halt if you value your head! 'Off With—'"
"Whoa, Riddle, stop!" Cater said. "Don't be a hero, man!" We continued running until we ran into Deuce and Ace. "Oh! Ace, Deuce! You boys are a sight for sore eyes!"
"Huh?" said Ace. "What's going on? Why are you running?"
"The culprit!" said Riddle. "He's getting away! You need to apprehend Ruggie Bucchi immediately! Housewarden's orders!"
"Whaaat?!" Deuce exclaimed.
"What does this gotta do with us?!" said Ace.
"Go get 'em, boys!" I said.
Ace and Deuce took off running after Ruggie. I was in good shape, but it was all I could do to keep up. Finally, I saw them corner him in the courtyard. I kept up the pace until I could hear what they were saying.
"Did you even think this through?" Ruggie said. "Let's say you do catch me—can you even be sure that I did it?"
"What?" said Deuce. "Of course you did it!"
"And what about evidence? Do you have a witness who saw me casting spells? For that matter, did anyone snap a picture? You don't have anything like that, do you?"
"Yeah, but...still!" said Ace.
"You're a coward!" I said, glaring at him.
"A coward?" said Ruggie. "I take that as a compliment, honestly. Shyeheehee! Next time you wanna come after me, do me a favor and gather some proof first. Though that sounds like a tall order given your track record."
"Grrrrr... This guy..." Grim grumbled.
"Well, I'm done playing tag for today. I'll leave those pens of yours I stole right here for you, okay? Toodles!" Ruggie waved at us before walking away.
"Argh! He really gets on my nerves!" said Ace.
"Housewarden Riddle is not going to be pleased," Deuce said, shaking his head.
"Do you think he's going to keep doing it?"
"So, you guys are still on the hunt, huh?" said a familiar voice. I turned around to see Jack.
"Yup," said Ace. "Hey, here's an idea: Next time, maybe give us a hand? There is seriously something wrong with that guy."
"Why're you going through all this trouble for the sake of total strangers?"
"I'm not sure I follow," Deuce said.
"I mean, I'd understand if you were out for vengeance for an injured friend, or something."
"Buddy, you're missing the point," said Ace.
"What?"
"We're not doin' this for anyone else's sake!"
"This is just a chance for us to score some kudos by catching the culprit," said Deuce.
"Yeah. I'd do anything to get on my dorm's team so I can show my talent to the world!"
"Yeah, me too!" said Grim. "I wanna catch the guy so I can get this glorious mug of mine on TV!"
"I feel bad about what happened to Trey, but if there's an opening on the roster... I'll take it."
"Wow," said Jack. "I was doubting whether I could trust people who would suffer like this for strangers... But it turns out you guys're total scum."
"I care about justice," I said.
"If we're scum, then you're less than scum, because you knew all along, didn't you?" Ace said, eyes narrowed. "You knew exactly who the culprit was."
"Oh! I get it!" said Grim. "That's why you were sure he wasn't gonna come for you—you knew the culprit was from your own dorm!"
Jack stared at us with crossed arms and narrowed eyes. "Fight me. The whole lot of you."
"Huh?" said Ace. "Why should we?"
"If I'm gonna trust you, I gotta size you up first. Prove to me that you ain't all talk, and I'll tell you everything I know."
"Ugh, do I have to? I hate getting all sweaty."
"Now you're talkin' my language," Deuce said, smirking. "Let's cut that smack-talk and THROW DOWN!"
"Myah?! I'll never get used to him flippin' out like that!" Grim said.
I sighed. "Must violence be the answer to everything?!"
Apparently, the answer was yes. Fortunately, I was not unprepared. The second week of school, we were all told to pick a club to attend after school. I chose a martial arts club. They practiced Wing Chun Kung Fu, a style of self-defense that relied on skill rather than strength. In face, it was the skinnier, leaner guys that seemed to do better at it. I picked it up pretty well myself. Not that I could overpower Jack, but I could fend off his attacks and force him to choose another target. Still, I was grateful when he called it quits.
"Man, you just... You just don't give an inch..." Jack said.
"Phew... You neither," said Deuce. "You sure can fight."
"It's like every one of your punches rattled me to the core..." said Grim.
"Yeeesh... Maybe we got a little carried away," said Ace. "Uuuugh. At this point, I don't even care about makin' the stupid team."
"Do we all hug it out now?" I asked hopefully, earning looks from the others.
"All right. The path ahead is clear. I'll tell you what I know."
"'The path?'" said Ace. "The path to what?"
"The path my heart's telling me to walk. Remember, I'm betraying my own dorm here. But I can't be quiet any longer! I don't care how strong the foe—I wanna face them with my own two fists! I've been training hard for this tournament. I was excited to see how far I could go. But these cowardly schemes are making me sick! A triumph won through treachery means nothing! I wanted to claim victory on the back of my own strength and skill, and fight to defend it!"
"I think I preferred talking to his fists."
"What about the innocent people being hurt?" I said.
"I get it!" said Deuce. "I know exactly what he means!"
"That's not a good sign," said Grim.
"Ruggie's signature spell—" said Jack. "It makes its target copy Ruggie's movements. Since he's making the same movements as the person he's controlling, he's able to make it look like an accident on their part."
"Huh. So that's how he was able to get Grim to trade without getting caught," said Ace. "He just put out his hand, and Grim put out his."
"That lousy, rotten...!" Grim grumbled. "Aaargh! Now I'm angry again! Food grudges never die!"
"Wait, hold on a minute," said Deuce. "If he was mirroring the movements of someone about to fall down the stairs, surely someone would have noticed that?"
"Ruggie didn't cause these accidents by himself," said Jack. "Most of Savanaclaw was probably in on it too. Like you said, someone would have noticed if he was near the targets and also mimicking their actions. I believe he escaped notice by surrounding himself with a wall of his dormmates."
"The whole dorm was in on it? But why?"
"Well, duh," said Ace. "How well they do at the Spelldrive tournament could make or break their careers. If that's their motive, well, it isn't hard to understand where they're coming from."
"Grrrrr..." Jack growled.
"Dude! Don't bare your fangs at me! I'm just connectin' the dots!"
"Hmph. If they're not willing to show what they're capable of now, what does the future even matter? I'm most disappointed with our housewarden, Leona Kingscholar. He has incredible talent but refuses to even use it!"
"Yeah, for as lazy as that guy is... He seemed insanely strong," said Grim.
"Right?! Why would you possess such power and not even hone it? I despise guys like him! The way he played when I saw him three years ago... It blew my mind. That was the reason I came to this school. I thought if I joined Savanaclaw, he and I would be tearing up the Spelldrive field together."
Ace moved in close to me and whispered, "Yo, Ona. He's pretty harsh when he talks about his own housewarden, but I'm starting to think..."
"He actually really admired him," I said.
"All these 'accidents' are just an incidental part of the plan," said Jack. "They're hunting bigger prey here."
"Bigger prey?" said Deuce.
"Malleus Draconia, the Diasomnia housewarden. He possesses monstrous power. He led Diasomnia to victory two years running. He's the reason we were knocked out of both tournaments without scoring a single point. The older dorm members won't ever forgive that."
"Without a single point...? For a dorm that usually wins the tournament, that had to hurt."
"You know it. Our greatest moment of shame—broadcast to the whole world in real time. The upperclassmen want to redeem themselves, but the way they're doing it is despicable."
"So this all comes together on the day of the tournament," said Ace.
"Yep. And that's why I need to stop them!"
"I believe I've heard enough," said Riddle, moving closer with Cater.
"Hello, Housewarden Rosehearts. Cater," said Deuce.
"I cannot allow such an important tradition to be tarnished by personal grudges."
"So what's the sitch, Riddle?" said Cater. "We got a plan?"
"As we have no proof of Leona's machinations, nor of Ruggie's assaults, we cannot take this to Crowley. Without solid evidence, that sort of accusation would never stick to someone as sly as Leona."
"So you're saying we need to catch him in the act?" said Ace.
"Yes. And I have a suggestion to that end. First—"
"Stop," said Jack. "I've told you what I know, but that doesn't mean I'm plannin' to join your merry band."
"What?" said Cater. "C'mon, Jack, even after all we've been through together? The smiles and the tears?"
"Savanaclaw is my dorm, and I'm gonna be the one to settle this. Seeya." Jack turned.
"Even though you did nothing until now?"
Jack swung around to face me. "What'd you just say?!"
"Ouch," said Grim. "Been a while since you've let someone have it like that, Ona."
"It's true, though," said Deuce. "You versus your entire dorm? Can't say I see the odds favoring you."
"If you truly want to stop them, work with us," I said.
Jack stared at us long and hard. "All right, fine. I'll hear you out. But I'm not committing to anything. If I don't like the sound of your scheme, I'm out."
"Man, this guy is impossible," said Ace, shaking his head.
"Funny, I was just thinking how much he reminds me of you and Deuce," Cater said in amusement.
"Then, if I may continue explaining my plan?" said Riddle. "The first step is..." He proceeded to explain everything, and it actually sounded like a pretty decent plan.
"Huh," said Ace. "That's actually not half bad, dude."
"That is quite the plan, Housewarden Rosehearts!" Deuce said, nodding in approval.
"Sounds like 'ol Cay-Cay has a lot of prep work to do before the big day!" said Cater.
"Thank you, Cater," said Riddle. "Take care not to raise any suspicions."
"So, H-B-U, Jack? You heard Riddle's plan. Are you in? Or out?"
"There's nothing cowardly about it, at least," said Jack. "I suppose we can work together this one time."
"Really feelin' the trust there, Jack," said Grim.
"Cool beans," said Ace. "Let's all get back to our dorms for today. I know I'm about ready to keel over."
"Yeah, and I'm starving!"
"Hold on a moment, freshmen," said Riddle. "Because of the information it yielded, I am going to overlook your flagrant violation of rule #6: No fighting on campus.' But rest assured that if it happens again, it will cost you your heads. Are we clear?"
"Yes sir, Housewarden Rosehearts," we all said.
"...Yeah," said Jack.
"Very well," said Riddle. "Let us return to our dorms."
"We are gonna stop this crime, no matter what!" I said. Everyone nodded in agreement. Finally, I felt good about where everything was headed!
***
After figuring out the details for Riddle's plan, it was back to focusing on school. I was relieved because I really needed to study. Fortunately, some of the subjects were familiar to me, such as math. It was the few magic based subjects that I had issues with. Studying at home was not always ideal because of the noise Grim and the ghosts made, so on Saturday, I decided to brings my books to the cliff-side.
As soon as I approached the large tree, I sensed the presence of someone else. I glanced up into the tree. "Hello, Floyd," I said.
Floyd jumped down in front of me with a thud. "Hi, Lil' Shrimpy! I'm surprised to see you here."
"I feel like that's what I should be saying. Why wouldn't I be here?"
Floyd shrugged. "I thought you might not want to talk to me anymore. Your friends did warn you about me, right?" He appeared completely nonchalant, as if he did not care about my friends' opinions on him.
I frowned. "Well, yeah, but I'm not going to let their perception of you to dictate what I think of you. That's hardly fair."
"Huh. Well, just so you know..." Floyd stepped closer to me, his eyes widening in an intimidating manner. "Whatever they said, they are probably right."
I smiled and shook my head. "Thanks for the warning, but I'm good." I placed my hand on his chest and gently pushed him away to give myself space to breathe.
Floyd looked down at my hand and then back at my face. "You're not afraid of me?"
"Nope."
"You're really weird."
I lifted my eyebrows. "Am I? Well, compared to everyone else at this school, I suppose I'm different. I'll take that as a compliment." I sat down at the base of the tree and took out my notebook.
"What are you doing?"
"Studying."
"Why? That's so boring!"
"Yeah, but I have to pass my classes. Don't you need to study?"
"Nope!" Floyd plopped down beside me and leaned against the tree.
I looked at him skeptically but found no signs of deception. "What are you talking about? Do you fail all your tests?"
"Nah, not all of them. I ace them if I feel like doing them."
"How?!"
Floyd shrugged. "I just read the information, and then I remember it."
"So, you have a photographic memory?"
"Yep."
I looked down at my notes about potion ingredients and then back at Floyd. "I don't believe you."
"Fine." He snatched the notebook from my hands. "I'll show you." His eyes quickly scanned the page. He handed the notebook back to me and proceeded to recite everything on the page.
I nodded, impressed. "Pretty good. But it doesn't help me."
"Just forget about all that bring stuff and have fun with me!" He reached for my notebook, but I pulled it out of his grasp.
"I have to study, and you want to have fun. Hmm..." My mind started to analyze the possibilities. "What if we did both?"
Floyd looked at me curiously. "How's that?"
"Well... What do you consider fun? Do you like rhyming? Word play? Singing?"
Floyd's face brightened. "I love singing! Do you like to sing?"
"I like it, but I'm not that great."
Floyd nudged my shoulder. "I want to hear you sing, Shrimpy!"
I smiled slightly. "Okay, how about we make up a song together... using this?" I held up my notebook.
"Okay!" Floyd grabbed the notebook from me once again. "Let's start with..."
Surprisingly, the experiment went well. Floyd was quite good at coming up with memorable lyrics and tunes. Soon, I had everything down. When we moved onto history, he surprised me by taking my arm and pulling me to my feet.
"This would be a lot better with some dancing!" he said.
"I don't see how that's-"
"Come on!" Floyd grabbed my hands and started dancing with me. It took me only a moment to loosen up and get into it too. And that was how I spent the rest of my afternoon. Singing and dancing with a boy my friends told me to avoid. I was not looking for trouble, really. I just wanted to have a little fun.