She couldn't sleep.
It was late, she knew. It was around 2 a.m., and Wren had spent the past hours reading and rereading about Nicaea Valdis over and over again. Apparently, she was a faerie, and an evil Faerie Queen.
Wren tossed in her bed. She was tired and all she wanted to do was go to sleep, but she couldn't.
You might as well damn go to sleep, Wren told herself, turning around to lie on her right. A few moments later, she flung off her blankets and sprawled herself across the bed, lying on her stomach.
It was no use. The more she tried to sleep, she couldn't.
Her mind was consumed with thoughts of Nicaea, then she decided not to think of her. Maybe it was the disturbing thoughts of the Faerie Queen that kept her awake. She tried to think of something else ... her uncle. He was probably at home, snoring contentedly. Her thoughts drifted to Tabitha. Well, at least she wouldn't have to deal with cat fur on her now.
Eventually, she drifted off to sleep. But suddenly, she wasn't in sleep anymore. She was not in her bedchamber - not in the palace - instead, she was standing in a dark, gloomy forest. Branches of trees blocked out the moonlight, and the silence was so heavy it felt like a physical weight.
As she walked, the trees parted to reveal a clearing. Suddenly, Wren trod on something. It was a shiny, green locket, with an otherworldly glow, with a map beside it. She picked it up, but it was blank. Wren looked around, confused. Instantly, she changed locations ... and found herself standing in a vast palace made entirely of sparkling white marble. As she looked around, she noticed that there were no people in sight, only the echoing sound of her footsteps. She wandered aimlessly, the locket and map in her hand, then she found herself standing in front of a metal plate that had been hammered to a pillar. It read "The Grand Palace of Iridia."
Out of the blue, Wren heard a voice. She looked around wildly, but no one was speaking to her. 'You must journey this quest well,' the voice said, female and sounding faraway. 'Find the locket, and you will be led to a series of events to help you defeat the Faerie Queen. You are in danger. Great, great danger,' the voice murmured, slowly fading away. 'Take this locket that the Great She wants to shape into a weapon that will kill you.'
Instantaneously, Wren felt as if somebody had pulled a chair underneath her and she bolted upright, drenched in sweat.
Oh damn.
It was a crappy dream. Just a crappy dream. But it had seemed so real.
The leaves rustling beneath her feet ... she could remember. Wren tried to race back in the dream, but she couldn't. She tried recalling it ... recalling the events of what had happened ...
There had been a locket. With a map. But the map had been blank. And she had been transported into a palace, just like the one she was in now ... and what was the name of the palace again? Iri-something. Iridawn. No. Iridale. Iri ... Iridere. Iri ... Iridia!
Wren's eyes jolted open. The Palace of Iridia. Iridia must be a kingdom. Wherever it was, a locket was there. A map was there. A useful clue was there, waiting for Wren to find it.
Damn. Wren pressed her hands to her face, feeling the sweat trickle down her fingers. She peered at the time on her alarm clock and groaned. It was only four in the morning.
Wren quietly got out of bed and tiptoed over to her window, gazing out at the night sky. The stars were bright and twinkling, like tiny gems scattered across the velvety blackness. She wondered if they had any significance in her quest, but quickly shook her head. She needed to focus on finding that locket and map.
Wren grabbed a notebook and pen and began jotting down everything she remembered from her dream. She drew a rough sketch of the palace and the metal plate with the words "The Grand Palace of Iridia" hammered onto it. She wrote down the voice she had heard and the sense of danger it had conveyed.
As she wrote, Wren realized that she needed to be careful. If there was a great danger ahead, then she needed to prepare herself and her friends accordingly. She couldn't let them walk into a trap.
Wren finished writing and closed her notebook. She'd just wanted to find out what happened to her parents, why, how they died but the idea was stupid ... what she'd first read in the book telling her her father's best man, Hartley, had murdered them. But Wren felt overwhelmed ... almost like she didn't believe it. Didn't believe the fact that Hartley killed King Tristan and Queen Eana. sWhy would he, anyway? There were no relation between the three of them - Hartley couldn't conquer the throne, it was always Odyssey's to take...
She took a deep breath and made a decision. She would tell Jake and Ladislaya about her dream and together, they would search for the locket and map together. It was the first step in their quest to defeat Nicaea, and they needed to start somewhere.
So, step one of the quest had just revealed itself. And it was only the beginning.
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Jake spat. 'What?'
It was lunch, and Wren had just told him and Ladislaya about Nicaea Valdis and her plot, whatever that was. She'd planned everything accordingly. She told them about the book she'd read - and then she would tell them about her dream. She'd felt like she needed to tell someone - and telling Jake and Ladislaya was better than telling Odyssey - at least, that was what she thought.
Jake gulped down some water to prevent himself from choking for the third time. 'You're telling me that the Faerie Queen is out for blood?' he said in a low voice. 'Your blood?'
'What, my blood? The whole royal family's blood!'
'That's you and Odyssey. And she's tried to kill you countless of times but failed to connect with your mind? Practically, the whole world knows the Faerie Queen and her connection with some mysterious lost princess but ... What nonsense is that?'
'I don't know -'
'And she wants to kill you because your family was the cause of her kingdom's downfall?' Jake said disbelievingly.
'That's what the book said. But the book said she blamed us.'
Jake groaned. 'Books always say stuff like that. I mean, does the Faerie Queen even know your parents? I mean, they disappeared.'
'You speak as if you know the Faerie Queen really well,' Wren said, amused.
Jake rolled his eyes. 'Hello? Everyone fears her. She may be a faerie, but not all faeries are nice. She's powerful and demonic. No one can stop her. At least, I don't know anyone that can.'
'Have you ever seen her ... face?' Wren muttered in a low voice.
Jake looked petrified. 'No, and I don't want to.'
'I bet she looks terrifying,' Wren said, taking a huge bite from her croissant. 'Or, she may look innocent but actually, she's demonic inside.'
'She is,' Jake winced. 'She's the kind of person you don't want to go looking for, Carrots.'
Beside them, Tyler and Theo leaned closer to listen.
'Back off, Tyler,' Jake said, gulping down more water.
'Are you guys talking about ... Nicaea Valdis?' whispered Theo, eyes wide in amazement.
Jake scowled. Wren scowled. Tyler scowled.
'What are looking at?' Theo said in bewilderment, gazing at Tyler.
'I don't know, they were scowling, so I joined in,' Tyler said, shrugging as he bit a chunk of an apple. 'But seriously guys ... I mean, come on. Wren - are you going to find Nicaea?'
It took Wren a second to realise he was talking to her - she was too used to Jake and Ladislaya calling her 'Carrots.'
'Wh - oh yeah - I mean, maybe - maybe not,' she said, as Ladislaya and Jake sent her unreadable hand-gestures.
'That's crazy,' Tyler said. 'But ... why would you ri - AARGH!'
He stopped in mid-sentence as his glass of water came tumbling out of his grip. It happened in slo-mo ... the water from the glass spilled, directing itself towards Wren's head and the glass broke and shattered across the floor ... Wren heard Ladislaya scream, a chair toppling and Wren didn't know what she was doing and before she even did it - the water didn't plunge at her ...
Then the commotion stopped, and Wren heard Tyler's 'Who-oh-oh-aaah.'
For the water that was supposed to have drenched Wren right on top of her, it had frozen in mid-air, acting like a shield. Wren opened her eyes and squinted.
'What the -' she began vaguely.
Everyone gathered around to look. Corinne Hiroji was clapping her hands and saying, 'Well done, Wren!' and Jake had the expression on his face as if a dead man had just leapt up from his coffin.
'What's going on -?' said Wren, bedazzled.
'Hydrokinesis!' whooped Tyler. 'Your ability's controlling water, Wren! How cool is that? And I'm stuck at having the ability to mind-read pigeons,' he said, slapping his knee.
'How - I didn't even -' spluttered Wren.
'All thanks to me!' guffawed Tyler. 'Who spilled the water? Me! Who made it possible for Wren to discover her ability? Me! Who was the one who -'
'Shut up, Tyler!' yelled Jake in delight.
'I didn't -'
'You didn't Carrots, but you did,' Ladislaya said warmly. 'That's how abilities work. When I found out my ability was invisibility, it was when Tyler was running around the field and he didn't see me and he almost crashed into me, so I turned invisible - without knowing it. But you'll learn to control your powers later on,' she added.
When the commotion ended, and everyone had settled down and was back to eating and having lunch, Jake turned to Wren.
'It's super cool now you've got your ability - it might be easier for you to defeat Nicaea Valdis!'
'What - with water?' said Wren warily. 'What's her ability?'
'No idea - but still!'
'What do you want to do, Carrots?' Ladislaya sighed. 'Don't tell me you want to go after Nicaea. When the Faerie Queen is out for blood, dangers lurk everywhere.' She took a sip of apple juice.
Wren bit into her sandwich, chewing slowly whilst thinking. 'What is there to do?'
'Tell the -' Ladislaya begun, but Wren interrupted her.
'I know what you're going to say - tell the security, tell the security.' Wren tutted. 'But don't you see? This is a Faerie Queen -'
'The Faerie Queen,' Jake corrected. 'The one and only.'
'- yes, the Faerie Queen - and d'you really think a pack of security people and palace guards can stop her? No! She's after us, Ladislaya. She's after me. Bloody hell, that woman is dark. She wants to kill me? I was just living an ordinary peaceful life and when I come here, she suddenly decides to choose this time to come and kill me?'
'I'm supposing it was a coincidence,' Ladislaya said thoughtfully. 'She's regained her power from wars and battles. She's powerful enough to come after you now, Carrots.'
'Coincidences and villains don't work together,' Jake said. He gulped down water again. 'They fly solo.'
'The point is,' Wren argued, trying to make herself heard, 'she wants to kill me. Not only me. Odyssey. The royal heritage. Humans. Think of it, Ladislaya. Why would she want to kill humans?'
'She'd only do that if they stepped in her kingdom - her zone,' Ladislaya said. 'What's hers is hers, and hers only.'
'She would - but that's not the answer,' Wren said. 'I read all about it in the book last night. I was staying up late, reading and re-reading.'
'Is that why your eyes are so puffy?' Jake asked, observing closely. Wren ignored him.
'The book also stated that her loyal companion, the Phoenix, has been killed,' Wren told them. 'The Phoenix is one of the Three Spiritual Animals. Clamaconda, Phoenix, and Dragon. Land, sky and sea creatures.'
Ladislaya and Jake gasped. 'You said that!'
'Don't say that word again!'
'Never!'
'What?' Wren said, confused.
'The C!' Ladislaya lowered her voice. 'Never speak of its name again! It's cursed! The name has power.'
'What, the Clamaconda?' Wren said unthinkingly. Students next to her gasped. She looked around wildly. Aurora, who was sitting next to her, hissed, 'Never speak of the name ever again!'
'The name is cursed!' Jake trilled. 'You're not supposed to say it, Carrots! And we know what the Four Spiritual Animals are. Now, back to the topic. The Faerie Queen has a companion? A Phoenix?'
'It's her most trusted companion,' Ladislaya said in a hushed voice. 'Everyone knows that -'
'Yes, and it's been killed,' Wren said. 'Nicaea suspects that humans has done it. She'd stop at nothing to go after them and me.'
'So what exactly is your plan?' Ladislaya asked. 'You know, you're a princess, and you're not allowed to run off wildly like some commoner you know. For goodness' sake, you're Princess Wren Eloria Carezby.'
'If Nicaea stops at nothing to kill me, I'll stop at nothing to counter-attack,' Wren said defiantly.
Jake leaned back in his chair, crossing his feet. 'No bloody way, dude.'
'You're basically saying you want to run off and create a battle between you and the Faerie Queen,' Ladislaya countered. 'You're basically walking into death!'
'Well, not exactly,' said Wren. 'I mean - I am a princess after all - I've got a crown, haven't I?'
'You're the princess, not the queen,' reminded Jake. 'That's Odyssey.'
'You think your crown will protect you?' said Ladislaya incredulously. 'The Faerie Queen doesn't play by any rules, Wren. Besides, you're starting from nothing, you know that, Carrots? I mean, how do you even know where to start?'
'Yes, I do!' Wren said, surprising them both. She begun talking about the dream she had last night. 'It can't be a coincidence,' she said. 'The Palace of Iridia is in some ... kingdom called Iridia, I'm guessing.'
'Yeah, Iridia's nearby Argonian,' Jake said. 'Not far off. But we have to cross the sea in order to land in Iridia.'
'So we find Iridia, get the locket and map, and then what do we do next?' Ladislaya asked incredulously.
'Chill. Focus on step one and then we'll get to step two. Who knows the locket and map contains something useful that can help us.'
'And what if it doesn't?' Ladislaya said wistfully.
Wren groaned. 'You being pessimistic is not helping, Ladislaya.'
Ladislaya put up her hands in surrender. 'Okay! Okay, fine. Jeez,' she sighed.
'Besides, we can do it together,' Wren continued, forking into her chicken pie.
Ladislaya laughed nervously. 'We? No, not we. You. If you want to go, go ahead. But I'm not saying I'm coming.'
'Come on, Ladislaya,' Jake said incredulously. 'You can't expect Carrots to go alone, can you? Whatever it takes, I'm in,' Jake said, relaxing in his chair. 'Besides, this is a good excuse to skip school anyway.'
'Our parents would be so worried!' Ladislaya cried. 'Have you ever thought of that?'
'Don't worry. We'll leave them a nice note in the kitchen or something.'
Ladislaya fell silent. Wren and Jake were both staring at her intently. She swallowed and said shakily, 'Just promise me we won't end up dead.'
Wren could hardly believe it. 'We won't, I promise,' she said gratefully. 'So you're in?'
'I'm in,' Ladislaya said, a smile twitching. But then she lowered her voice. 'You cannot tell anyone of this, Wren. You cannot even speak of the Faerie Queen's name. The more everyone knows she's after your blood, the more lives you're putting in danger.'
Wren's stomach dropped. Who was there to tell anyway? 'I swear,' she said.
'Oh, we're coming for you, Faerie Queen,' Jake said, fist-punching the air. 'It's three against one. You don't want to know what's gonna happen, 'cause we gonna take you down!'
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'So what do you plan on doing tonight?' Odyssey prompted Wren that night as they sat down to dinner.
Wren choked on her juice unexpectedly. 'Oh, uh, homework and - and maybe go to the art gallery or something.'
'Art gallery?' Odyssey remarked. 'You're a fan of art, Wren?'
'Well - yeah.' Wren dipped her gaze, trying to make her tone feel like it was the most obvious thing on Earth. Inside, she felt guilty. She didn't mean to lie to Odyssey like that - but she had to, didn't she?
Lies to Odyssey: 1
'So you're not doing anything else tonight?' Odyssey asked briskly.
'No,' Wren lied. Half-lie. What was she supposed to do, say oh-so-matter-of-factly, 'Oh, I'm just going to run off to defeat the evil Faerie Queen and try to stop her from destroying the whole world. Don't worry, I'll be back soon! Wish me good luck!'
No.
'Well then, that's great news!' Odyssey said enthusiastically. 'We could embroider together. After all, embroidering is one of my favourite hobbies, and personally, I think you'd love it. I've got plenty of embroider kits in my room -'
'Oh no, it's fine,' Wren said quickly, trying not to sound brusque. Her mind raced with thoughts. Embroider? She didn't even know how to sew! 'I mean, I wouldn't want to ruin your lovely kits,' she added charmingly. 'Maybe you could teach me to do that some other time. I'm really tired tonight.'
'Oh well, better be off to bed then, Wren,' Odyssey said, tilting her head and looking concerned. 'Are you alright? Should you visit the sick-bay?'
'I'm fine, thanks,' Wren said. 'Just - just tired, that's all.' She put down her glass of water and got up. 'If I may be excused,' she said, tilting her head slightly towards Odyssey. Odyssey beamed.
'Your decorum has improved,' she remarked approvingly. Wren shot her a convincing and princess-like grin and once she was out of sight, she dashed up to her room, slamming the door shut. She looked at the time on her phone. It was half-past seven. Odyssey went to bed at 10pm sharp, on the dot, and the maids and servants usually went up before 11pm. Jake and Ladislaya had promised to meet her in the school gates at half-past eleven. Even though half-past eleven was ages away, Wren needed to start packing. They would also have to make a quick trip to the apothecary to pick up a few useful drugs.
She stuffed bottles of water that she had smuggled from the royal kitchen into her backpack. She shoved three pairs of clothes in - her too-heavy book that talked about Nicaea Valdis and her torchlight. She was about to put her pocket of gold coins into her bag when a ring sounded the room.
She felt her pockets. It must be her phone.
She rushed to her table. Her phone was there. It had been there the past few weeks. It had been there, untouched. She'd forgotten about it.
And she panicked when she saw someone was calling. When she saw the caller ID.
Ethan.
How could Ethan even call her? Was there even wifi in the palace? Did time and mobile data even work between two complete different worlds? Wren lunged for her phone and threw herself on the bed, trying to act casual. She messed up her tidy hair that Odyssey had made her brush through and brainstormed ideas on how she could answer Ethan if he ever asked her where she was. Besides, it had been weeks since she'd missed middle school. Here was her best friend from another world - just a normal, teenage best friend who ate potato chips and totally did not go on wild adventures.
One minute, she was a normal middle-schooler. The next, she was a princess saving her own life.
She accepted the call. Ethan's face popped up on the screen. Wren could tell by the length of his blonde hair that his hair had grown all the way down to his neck. He was sitting on a chair, with a textbook open on the table. Apparently, he was doing science revision.
'Wren!' he shouted. Wren flinched. 'Dude, where are you? Like, seriously, what happened to you? Like, what the fudge is going on? Your uncle says you transferred schools! He didn't even clarify on which school! I even thought he might be lying!'
Wren sighed. Her uncle was a terrible liar.
'Yeah, I-I changed schools,' she said lamely. Before she could say more, Ethan grasped at her sentence, talking feverishly.
'But, why? I tried texting you for weeks, but it all went to voicemail. I even called you, and this is the first time the call succeeded! You changed your phone number or something? Why didn't you tell me? I thought we were best friends! And best friends don't leave each other on voicemail -'
'Look, Ethan,' Wren said, interrupting. 'I-I lost my phone, okay? I was - I was taking my morning run around the park, and suddenly, my phone just wasn't with me. I don't know, I thought I'd lost it. I kept searching. My uncle didn't want to buy me a new phone. I found it. Turns out, it was hidden among the trees.'
Ethan went silent. At last, his voice pipped up. 'Are you serious?'
Wren laughed nervously. 'Yeah! Totally and utterly. It's not like it's the first time I lost my phone, yeah?' She racked her brains. Don't sound guilty, she coaxed herself.
Ethan didn't notice anything. 'Which school did you even transfer to? Why did you even transfer? Where is the school?'
'It's the one in L.A,' Wren said automatically. Through the screen, Ethan raised his eyebrows.
'We're in England, Wren.'
'Yeah - but - no, no - that's not what I meant. The school's name is L.A,' Wren said, trying to cover for her mistake. 'It stands for - Legoprime Ashville.'
Ethan sniffed. 'Legoprime Ashville.'
'Yeah. As in for, L.A.'
'Interesting name, if you ask me.'
'I know.' was the best Wren could come up with.
'Why did you even switch schools?'
It was Wren's turn to sniff. 'I, uh - my uncle couldn't afford the fees. His, um - his salary's been quite low lately, and -' Wren thought she could act up some waterworks, so she sniffed quietly. '- and so he decided that it was best I transferred. Besides, L.A School doesn't cost so much.' Wren sniffed, covering her mouth and yawning to make a few tears act up. She sniffed again.
'Oh damn,' Ethan said, lying back in his chair. 'That must be tough. Come on, Wren. I understand. I just didn't get why you didn't respond to my texts and calls.'
Wren sniffed, letting her fake tears dribble down her cheeks. I've found my talent, she thought. I can win a bloody Oscar for this. But damn, Ethan, I feel so bad. Sorry.
She really needed to apologise to Ethan for lying.
'I'm sorry, Ethan,' she sniffed. He winced.
'What did I do?' he said, grinning. 'It's not a Wren-thing to just randomly say sorry.'
'No, it's - I'm sorry I left you on voicemail.' Wren's voice cracked. God, I can't get through this now, she thought. 'Um, I gotta go. My uncle's yelling right now.'
'Yeah, okay. Call me back, okay?'
'I will.' Wren hung up.
And she cried.
What was her life like right now? Who was she? What kind of friend was she, lying to her one and only best friend in the entire normal world? What was her new life even doing to her now?
She'd lied to her only friend. The person who actually talked to her on the first day of middle school. The one and only person who didn't think she was different, or weird. The person who'd claimed 'We can be weird together' every day. And what was she doing? Lying.
Was there even a choice?
She was putting lives in danger if she even uttered the Faerie Queen's plot. Lying was a way to keep Ethan safe from Elryzian. From her.
Tears streamed down her cheeks as she tried to hold back the sobs, but they came out in ragged gasps. She felt alone, ashamed, and guilty all at once. How could she lie to her best friend, the only person she trusted with her life? How could she keep the truth from Ethan? It was a cowardly yet brave thing to do. If Ethan knew the truth ... who knows what would happen out there.
Wren rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand. She wanted to be done with the Faerie Queen already. She wanted to be done with Elryzian.
Another side of her screamed if she really wanted to give up this easily. If she did, it wouldn't stop the Faerie Queen from chasing after her, seeking revenge and blood. Her whole life would be an utter catastrophe if she didn't fight back.
So much for a fourteen-year-old.
But she'd do it. Giving up was not the solution. She'd made it this far, and she would be proving to the Faerie Queen that the downfall of her kingdom was not to blame on her parents but on the Faerie Queen herself. Wren had come this far, and she wasn't going to give up now.
When half-past eleven struck, Wren slung her backpack over her shoulder and opened the door to her room. She shut it quietly, silently saying goodbye to the palace. To Odyssey.
She left the note she'd written on the kitchen table, meant for Odyssey to see. It read: I'll be away. Faerie Queen business and all. Don't arrange a search party for me. Ladislaya and Jake are coming. Wish me all the best! Love you. Wren :)
Ugh, that smiley face was totally random. But it would have to do for now.
After leaving the note, she scurried to the back of the Palace. Going out of the Palace from the front doors wasn't easy, since there were guards there. She exited the almost hidden back doors of the castle that were securely locked. It was tricky to get past them, but at least there weren't any guards guarding the back door. Wren pulled a hairpin from her hair and inserted it into the lock. She wiggled it gently, feeling the tumbler give way under the pressure. She twisted the pin slowly, trying to mimic the key's movements as best she could. After a few tense moments, there was a satisfying click, and the door swung open. Wren let out a silent sigh of relief, grateful for her knack for lock picking. She quickly slipped inside, closing the door behind her with a soft thud.
She was in the back gardens. A tall wall made of bricks towered over her, and she knew once she made it over the wall, she wouldn't be too far away from Everhigh Academy. She checked the time on her phone. 11:19pm.
Wren scurried away from the Palace, shining her torchlight into the empty darkness. Statues towered over her as she cast the beam of her torchlight to her shadow that trailed behind her. Finally, she found her way to the academy. Two figures were standing there. Wren's heart jolted - then she noticed it was only Jake and Ladislaya.
'You're here early,' Ladislaya said surprisingly.
'Could say the same to you.' Wren hunched her backpack higher over her shoulders.
'Thought it would be better if we made an earlier trip to the apothecary,' Jake said. He and Ladislaya both had bags of their own - smaller than Wren's. Jake held his torchlight to the sky. 'The apothecary's that way,' he said, pointing to his right. 'I'll lead, both of you'll follow. I've also got the book of spells and potions in my bag. So we've got the list of the important ingredients we'd need.'
'Got it,' the two girls said in unison. They took off after Jake. They turned down the winding lanes and at long last got into the little village of Argonian. Wren checked the time on her phone again. 11:30pm on the dot.
'What's that?' Ladislaya asked, peering at Wren's phone when she noticed the strong beam of light that erupted from Wren's phone.
'Oh, it's, uh - it's a phone,' Wren said casually. 'Don't you - don't you have things like these here?'
Jake scrunched up his nose as Ladislaya frowned. 'What's a phone?'
Wren shook her head. 'Never mind,' she said. 'It's just a gadget so I can keep contact with people back in the ordinary world.' Jake and Ladislaya nodded in understanding.
'Right, so we're heading to the apothecary.' Jake checked his watch. '11-ish. We're lucky it's open for 24 hours.'
All of a sudden, something shuffled behind them. The three turned on their heels cautiously at the same time. Jake peered around suspiciously. 'Who's there?' he called.
'Shh!' hissed Ladislaya. 'Try not to be too loud! Imagine if that ... that thing was a person.'
'Isn't that what we're assuming it as?' Wren said.
'Well - it could be a rabbit,' Ladislaya said uncertainly.
Whatever it was, it shuffled around the bushes intently. Jake claimed it was definitely a person. A figure moved stealthily through the school bushes, taking care not to rustle the leaves or snap any twigs, but was failing miserably.
'There!' shouted Jake suddenly, directing his finger towards the bushes. 'I saw it! It's a girl! It's a somebody! It's a human! I saw hair! Hair the colour of honey!' he ended triumphantly.
Hair the colour of honey?
Wren immediately knew who she was. There was only one person she knew who had honey-coloured hair.
'Aurora,' she said.
Jake smacked his hand on her knee. 'Aurora!' he yelled. 'What are you doing here?'
Wren glared at him whilst Ladislaya nudged him. 'Be quiet!' both girls said in unison.
The figure appeared, showing herself. Wren staggered back in amazement. It was indeed Aurora. Her pale skin seemed to be glowing in the night light.
'Hello?' Aurora said uncertainly. 'What are you three doing here?'
Jake snorted. 'Could ask the same of you.'
Aurora was frowning, her eyes huge and frightened. 'I have a reason to be out here tonight,' she said firmly. 'What about you three?'
'We have our own reasons too,' Jake said.
Aurora raised an eyebrow. 'Oh? What of?'
Wren pounced before Jake could answer. 'We're just strolling around, being idiots, really.' Wren let out a hearty laugh which she hoped would sound convincing. 'What about you?'
'Nothing much, either,' Aurora answered. Ladislaya sniffed but didn't say anything. Aurora shuffled her feet. 'My parents grounded me. Um - I'm just lurking around.'
'Outside the school on a late night?' Jake said suspiciously.
'Look, what do you know of wandering outside the academy on a late night?' snapped Aurora, her eyes threatening Jake's. Jake held his hands up in surrender, backing away.
'Fine. You do your thing, and we do ours.'
'You're just taking a random stroll in the middle of the night here?' Wren said. 'Now?'
'Yes,' Aurora said defensively. 'Got a problem?'
'Looks like you were waiting for something - or someone,' Wren said dubiously.
Aurora let out a hasty laugh and blew her bangs out of her face. 'What would I be waiting for? There's nothing much to explore around here. It's just bushes, damps, and a few trees.' She looked up at the trees towering over the academy. 'There was just something I wanted to check out here, that's all. I've been hearing tales of a monster that lurks in the shadows.'
Wren's ears perked up. 'What is it?'
Behind her, Ladislaya whispered silently, 'The Shadow Angels.'
'The what?' Jake asked, his voice dropping to a conspiratorial whisper.
Aurora went on; 'But I suppose tales are just tales. Some things remain unknown. And perhaps they're better off when no one knows about them.'
Suddenly, she snapped out of her thoughts. 'I'm gonna go,' she said hurriedly. 'See you later - or tomorrow.'
She hurried away, her footsteps fading. Rain started drizzling from the sky, as Wren, Jake and Ladislaya stood there in the darkness.
'Looks like our dear old Aurora leaked info without realising,' Ladislaya remarked.
'She did notice - that's why she ran off,' Wren said pointedly. 'She mentioned she wanted to come here to find out about the - the Shadow what, Ladislaya?'
'Shadow Angels,' Ladislaya said. 'They're known to be unknown, lurking around in the darkness and shadows when no one is watching. At least, when they think no one is watching.' She paused. 'But their status is unknown. It seemed like Aurora knew a great deal of facts about the Shadow Angels.'
'How is that even possible if these - these Shadow Angels are known to be unknown?' Jake asked.
'Exactly what I want to know. And I think the answers lay here in this school. That's why Aurora was here earlier. She wanted to find out more about the Shadow Angels.'
'By herself?' Jake said lowly. There was a small pause.
'You think she could be meeting with others?' Wren said, reading his mind. 'You think it was possible she wasn't in this alone?'
'You're saying that there might be a group of people working with Aurora who want to know more about the Shadow Angels?' Ladislaya said in a hushed voice. Jake stopped in his half-nod, then nodded again, slowly.
'I mean, maybe. It could be possible. And yet it could be impossible.'
'The only way to find out is that we go inside the academy ourselves,' Wren said, excitement burning in her chest. 'But I seriously wonder why Aurora would want to know about the Shadow Angels. What else do the Shadow Angels do?'
But Ladislaya shook her head. 'I don't know. I just know a brief info of the Angels, nothing more.'
'Are these Angels dangerous?' Wren asked, tilting her head to one side.
'Define dangerous,' Ladislaya said doubtfully.
'How did Aurora think she was going to find what she wanted to find out about the Shadow Angels in this academy anyway?' Wren asked.
'Libraries?' Jake asked skeptically. 'Answers usually lay in libraries.'
'He's right,' Wren said. 'That's probably what Aurora thought of. We could try searching the library.'
'We could; but aren't we getting sidetracked?' Jake said.
'Whatever we find out, it may be useful.' Wren tied her hair with a ribbon. 'The trip to the apothecary will have to wait.'
'I mean - searching a library would take a lot of time,' Jake said.
Wren checked the time on her phone. 11:51. 'Right now, we have nothing but time. Come on.'
They climbed over the gates of Everhigh Academy and made it to the school grounds. 'The doors may be locked,' Jake informed them as they made their way to the doors. Wren tried the handle. It was locked. She withdrew her hairpin and her auburn hair fell over her shoulders. She fixed her hairpin into the lock, wobbling it slightly.
'Oh, picking locks now, are we?' Jake said, grinning. 'What's on the menu tonight - stealing copies of library books?'