Riley ran up to her mother, a sweet looking lady who shared the same petite stature. They hugged with such desperation that I had to look away from the personal scene.
I turned to Ender and Lyric, the latter looking absolutely exhausted.
We waited by the castle's side entrance, where carriages once stood in NIFEEN's early years. The space converted itself ages ago, now big enough for vehicles and other modern replacements. Even with that update, horses still neighed inside, the equestrian club taking care of its occupants.
Missus Cross excused herself from Professor Delarosa, turning towards my silent figure. "You're Nova?"
I stiffened. "Yes, ma'am."
"Thank you for taking care of her."
I froze as the stranger embraced me, a motherly touch that felt foreign. She then exchanged a few more words with the professor, only to somberly sit with her daughter and drive away moments after.
"I must thank you three for the collaborative effort." The spider spirit's remark was pinched.
"Of course," Ender responded.
Lyric nodded, attempting and failing to stifle a yawn. "It's no problem."
The older woman gave the Light Representative a grateful nod. "You may be excused from your classes today, Mister Mayfair."
"You're too kind, professor." The nightingale gave a serene smile. "I'll be in the aviary if anyone needs me."
He walked off, almost bumping into the doorframe entrance.
"Miss Bishop, you've contacted the headmaster... personally." Delarosa turned with heavy suspicion. "I must commend you for convincing him, the man hardly responds to my own letters."
"Ah," I intelligently responded.
Her rouge lips pursed. "Speaking of which, he gave me a corresponding message to hand over."
I accepted the envelope with confusion.
"The two of you should head off to breakfast," Delarosa said shortly. "I'll be in my office if there are any further inquires or concerns."
I watched her signature sangria robes stream behind an hourglass frame as she reentered the castle, obsidian hair also flowing in a graceful manner. There was still strong dislike for that professor, but I silently thanked her for having a balanced sense of justice.
I once again stared off to where Riley's car exited, the crisp morning air piercing through my lungs as an empty feeling entered.
"You contacted the headmaster."
"Not me." I faced Ender. "I talked to Connie, well, more like begged."
A deep frown marred his handsome face. "Solis has access to Headmaster Nifeen?"
"Apparently, I honestly didn't even believe he existed until recently."
The phoenix's head was somewhere far, a calculating expression forming because of my shared words. It was almost instinctual, the way he trailed beside me as we moved indoors. There wasn't any bickering for once, a silent connection that didn't need vocalization or sound to be understood.
I didn't bother to tighten my tie or adjust wrinkles, the previous night destroying any good appearance.
An amused smirk appeared as I observed Ender's own state of dress, which was bordering perfect. Even the small singe from my accidental burn was gone, a newly pressed blazer draped over assured shoulders.
His tie freshly ironed.
My smirk turned soft.
Of course he looked immaculate, not a spot out of place would dare appear on someone as esteemed as the Dark Representative.
The subject of my observation suddenly spoke and scattered musings away.
"I'm passing on breakfast."
Ender watched with an unwavering stare, only sighing when I continued to look up in question. He seemed uncomfortable, his next demand surprisingly courteous.
"Join me."
̶«̶ ̶̶̶ ̶ ̶ ̶̶̶ ̶«̶ ̶̶̶ ̶ ̶»̶ ̶̶̶ ̶ ̶ ̶̶̶ ̶»̶ ̶̶̶ ̶ ̶
We were sitting by the same window crook as last time, viewing an ample amount of white snow that covered the inner courtyard. I had my head braced against the chilled glass, while Ender crossed his arms and leaned back against a wall.
I was tracing patterns on the fog, watching as my finger dragged nonsensical lines over its surface.
"Is that a dog or giraffe?"
"It's a butterfly." Narrowed eyes slid over to his stiff position, then looked back at my drawing with a frown.
He critiqued the artwork. "One that made contact with a fly-swatter."
"Just because something doesn't look like it's supposed to, doesn't mean that it isn't." I made an offended noise.
Ender lifted his eyebrow in challenge. "Sounds like an excuse for lack of artistic skill."
"Art is subjective," I countered impatiently. "You can't measure it, and everyone interprets things differently."
He paused. "I interpret your butterfly as a dog-giraffe hybrid."
"And that's fine—"
"Then why did you get defensive?"
"Because you say things so rudely," I snapped back, quickly composing myself with an inhale. "It's always your tone."
His face produced a scowl. "What's wrong with my tone?"
"You're so frustrating." I bumped my head against the windowpane.
"Says the girl who can't draw a simple insect."
My hand rubbed against the fogged drawing, erasing the image and allowing a clearer view of outside. "There, no more butterfly-dog-giraffe crossbreed!"
Ender's face was smug as he lifted a hand, extending fingers and moving them against a patch of fog near his head. Nothing was said as he slowly wrote—elegant and strong, just like him.
An affronted noise left me as I read the single word of neat cursive: Fool.
I swiftly reached over and smudged it away with a sleeve, leaning over precariously and ignoring the blasted grin coming from my antagonizer. The sudden motion of him grabbing my tie downwards made me gasp.
"Proper uniform protocol is to correctly wear your tie."
My searing glare was an obvious answer to his abrupt action. "Let go, or I'll take it off completely and put you in a chokehold."
"Kinky." Ender only wrapped it further into his closed fist, bringing me closer in the processes.
"Very ungentlemanly of you." The salacious answer made my cheeks warm, his close proximity distracting me away from everything else that held importance. "Let go."
"Is that what you want?" His breath was minty and wholly too close.
"Yes," I barked back.
My momentum failed tragically as he abruptly released, causing me to fall into a warm lap. Apologies sputtered out as I intruded on his personal space, until a furious noise was added afterwards. Ender chuckled as he watched me struggle to get off him, observing how I ended up rolling onto the hard floor.
Unceremoniously on the ground, again.
I stumbled back up with little to no grace, pointing an accusing finger at his arrogance. "You're insufferable!"
"Do you even know how to properly do a knot?" He was unapologetic, though the stiffness of his shoulders were eased from our interaction.
My hands fiddled with the black piece of fabric, carefully placing it in intricate loops to sit neatly.
I looked up with a pompous expression.
Ender was completely ignoring me, attention now averted outside the window with a proud chin propped in his palm. Fingers tapped rhythmically as he observed the school grounds with heavily lidded eyes, not at all bothered with my building temper.
I gritted teeth. "Ender."
The corner of his mouth quirked upwards. "Novalie."
"Look at me," I demanded impatiently.
"No thanks, I'm already pleased with my current view."
I was about strangle him, but a bell's ringing made me straighten up.
"I could've been eating hashbrowns if it wasn't for you!" With a lifted chin, I pretentiously stormed away. "Have a wonderful day, my least favourite representative."
He lightly snorted at the last utterance.
There wasn't a proper goodbye, so I couldn't have seen Ender faintly draw a smiley face beside the word 'Fool'.
̶«̶ ̶̶̶ ̶ ̶ ̶̶̶ ̶«̶ ̶̶̶ ̶ ̶»̶ ̶̶̶ ̶ ̶ ̶̶̶ ̶»̶ ̶̶̶ ̶ ̶
There were many whispers amongst the student populace, rumours going wild as news of two students leaving was brought into daylight. Ridiculous claims, such as the duo eloping, made me furiously tap my quill against an opened textbook.
Connie's elaborate pen knocked it. "Stop fidgeting."
"Sorry," I apologized.
"Blaming yourself for the incident won't help anyone, least of all Cross." The unicorn sighed. "I'm not stating you forget about the incident, on the contrary—remember."
"You're right."
Connie's words were always blunt, a harsh voice that was needed for my jumbled up mind. "Continue your schooling and don't dwell on the situation, you've done what you can."
"Okay," I mumbled. "Dad."
"You're also thinking about that phoenix, please stop; it's utterly embarrassing to hear you fawn over him."
"Stop poking around inside my head!"
"Miss Bishop, is there anything else you want to add?"
I looked up at the surly gaze of our history professor, her permanent scowl forever deepening.
It was Connie who decided to show compassion.
"Novalie was so excited about learning the inner workings of our founded law that she simply couldn't hold herself back. She's naturally noisy, so I'll remind her to quiet down."
I pocketed a tongue inside my check in aggravation, keeping silent.
Professor Merrylite gave one last doubtful glance, before turning back to the blackboard. It was common knowledge that all the educators in this academy adored Constantine Solis, mostly because he blessed perfect scores on everything he touched.
Freaking nerd.
I had a feeling that it was one of the many reasons Ender seemed to hate his guts—he wouldn't admit it, but the Dark Representative also fought for top grades.
'You're thinking of him again.'
I inhaled violently, my tolerance running thinner than rice paper.
'Rice paper is a rather random metaphor.'
"Do you forget—" I quickly closed my mouth as Professor Merrylite sent one last warning.
The white-haired male stifled a laugh under his breath.
I whispered to the ceiling as my head tilted back. "Why is everyone trying me today?"
Connie suddenly strutted to the front, handing in his work with a superior expression directed towards everyone else, who looked both impressed and aggravated that he finished it before the end of this period.
He sat back down and closed his textbook. "I forget how self-satisfying it is to be in school."
"Just who do you think you are?" I gave him a disgusted look.
"I don't have to complete a ten paged essay by the end of our week," Connie quipped as the bell rung. "You aren't even half-way."
Hands robotically placed stuff back into my bag, giving the history textbook a rather hard shove. "So is the class' majority."
"I was never one to be placed with others." The unicorn neatly packed his things. "Such a simple mindset, to be content in common factors."
"Connie, sometimes people aren't given a choice in where they're put." We passed by Riley's seat while leaving, and I tried to shake off negative thoughts. "Not everyone is an immortal who's had years of insight."
"That's not my problem." He looked at me until I huffed and turned away.
We headed to our lockers without anymore communication, until Morwen brazenly stormed towards us.
"Nova!" Her breath was panicked. "She—she left?!"
"Morwen!" I worriedly frowned as she placed a hand over her mouth in a sore attempt to smother sobs.
The older student grabbed my arms and squeezed desperately. "Riley got involved with me, I told her not to!"
Connie was the first to notice a few students staring curiously in our direction, so he took initiative in leading us away from the crowd.
Morwen continued to release a flood of information in the process.
"At first we were just becoming really good friends, then it escalated to something I couldn't understand. I was scared. Then the issue with Adam arose once more, I genuinely thought he wasn't interested in me anymore, then he targeted Riley after discovering our relationship—"
"Morwen," I repeated. "One thing at a time, there's no rush."
Connie had an enlightened expression, as if he just figured out the missing piece of a puzzle.
I lead the capricornus to a nearby stone bench. "Start over."
"She left without saying goodbye!"
An apprehensive air surrounded us, and I almost felt guilty for being the one who comforted Riley, when it really should have been her girlfriend instead.
"What really happened?" She looked up at me with distressed eyes, the beautiful shade of jade turning into a dull green.
I grimaced at Connie for support, and almost punched him as his words were cut into sections of brusqueness.
"Adam Xanthus sexually assaulted her yesterday evening; she was then found in the greenhouse hours later. Novalie was almost caught up in a similar situation, but Mishal stopped it and directed her to Cross in hopes she would provide comfort."
Morwen's face went from horrified to harrowed in a matter of seconds.
Her pupils started to dilate and expand unnaturally.
My concerned expression was the opposite of Connie's unbothered glance as he walked over, whispering something that caused Morwen to visibly relax, expression grave but nowhere near frantic.
Unicorn voodoo magic.
"Nova, thanks for being there with her last night." Pure defeat wrapped around the water spirit, making me embrace her haggered body.
I lifted a brow at the third-wheel.
Connie scrunched up his face, mentally telling me that he would sooner give Ender a high-five than contribute to our group hug.
"What happened to Adam?" Morwen broke the abrupt cuddle session.
"I've heard that he has third degree burns, bruised ribs, multiple lacerations, and a broken nose." Connie gave a mental reprimand as I felt an ominous smile stretch, knowing that most damage was done by me. "Administers claimed he fell down a flight of stairs, grabbing the nearest torch in sore attempts to stop himself."
I was suddenly enraged. "Why are they covering up how much of a scumbag he is?"
"NIFEEN will do anything to cover up any reputation tarnish." Connie himself looked severely unimpressed by the way things were dealt with. "It's always been like that."
I shook my head in disbelief. "Then how do they explain Riley's absence?"
"An illness," Connie began. "A medical leave to be precise."
The male seemed to notice our downfallen expressions, a subtle sigh leaving him as he sat down.
"There will be many instances in your lives where justice isn't served, it's frustrating and wholly unfair. Because the world is never fair to those who truly deserve it; the only fairness in life is that of death, a destination we all find."
His attention turned to Morwen.
"Let Cross heal in a place where she feels safe, for a time will come when she'll invite people back in."
We watched in wonder, surprised that the surly unicorn actully managed to say something nice.
Connie got up and brushed off imaginary dust. "Let's go, lunch is practically over."
He didn't bother to check if anyone followed.
"Have you ever noticed that Connie talks like an old man?" Morwen gave him a long look. "It's almost as if he's from another era."
I gazed back feebly.
The gears in her head moved back and forth, until there was a pause and enlightened spark. "No way!"
"What?" Alarm settled in me.
"That would mean..." The capricornus made eye-contact with violet irises, glowing dimly from down the hall. "I should have listened to my brother."
"Don't be ridiculous!" I squawked.
"He's an Ancient." Morwen looked somewhat sick.
"He's harmless."
If you're on his good side.
"You and your twin are young, though there's a gap missing in the timeline." Connie's stare was critical. "I would say that you're both a few decades older than previously discussed."
They both ignored me as I stared with a slack jaw, disbelief marring my features, knowing one should consider that some mythical Soul Spirits would lie about their age.
This seemed to be a recurring event.
"Our first encounter with spirit education was back in Scotland, yet my brother and I couldn't learn more there. So we decided on NIFEEN, the most famous academy in the Spirit Realm, in hopes that it would teach us more."
"Has it?" I asked doubtfully.
"Novalie," Connie reprimanded. "I know that you think this academy is all hogwash, but it's the number one school for our kind. Records show a decline of lawbreakers to those who attended here, as well as a dropped rate of executions."
That made me stop short. "Executions?!"
The three of us made way towards our dining hall.
"There's a good reason you haven't heard of spirits until recently. If a Soul Spirit revealed their abilities to those outside the community, then they would get a strike recorded under their name. Continue committing the crime after three strikes, and punishment will always be without doubt death."
I opened my mouth in astonishment.
Morwen didn't look fazed at all by this information, giving a bright smile. "I already have two strikes."
"What?" I then whipped my head towards Connie. "How many do you have?"
"I lost count awhile ago."
I gave a doubtful look. "Then how are you still alive?"
"The Law of Execution bill was passed by a majority vote. The general public held a council of every country's most influential Soul Spirit, and this region chose Nifeen as its representative." He opened the dining hall doors, Morwen and I flanking him on either side. "This all happened centuries after Soul Spirits were already openly showing their powers. Therefore, those who already committed the crime of showcasing their true being weren't recorded, and they sullenly hid their instincts."
I frowned. "Did you get any new strikes since the law was set in stone?"
"I'm very careful," Connie said mildly.
"Why haven't we learned about this law in class?" I automatically stood in the food line.
Morwen answered, seeing that Connie was getting tired of the topic. "You usually don't learn about it until graduation day, since they refuse to scare students. Officials also want Soul Spirits to naturally have the instinct in hiding their powers, instead of using fear as a tactic."
I gave her an odd look. "You willingly chose to enroll in school a second time?"
"Gabriel insisted." She placed a salad on her tray. "He worried for me, especially when I got my second strike."
"How did you attain your strikes?" My attention latched onto a muffin.
"The first one happened when I was swimming with some neighborhood kids in a nearby river. Long story short, a whirlpool suddenly formed and I almost killed them."
I stared in dismay.
"Don't worry; everyone was fine in the end!"
A distressed smile left as I imagined being one of the kids caught up in that situation.
"The second incident was a few years back... here in NIFEEN." There was a visible tremor that took her body, vision subtly landing on the school's most popular table. "Gabriel and I stumbled upon someone drowning in the academy's lake. We tried to save the victim, yet the school board listed that she fell in because of us."
I leaned back in outrage. "Why, when you two are the reason she lived?"
"She wasn't breathing when we pulled her out." The girl forlornly blinked. "They proclaimed we killed her by accident, only allowing us to stay because the girl's brother insisted that it was all a misunderstanding."
My teeth gritted. "NIFEEN's school system is complete shit."
"Her brother had that much influence?" Connie lifted a fine brow. "It sounds like he was defending you two out of guilt."
"That's a rather broad assumption," I argued.
Connie merely shrugged, snatching a green apple and water bottle. He led us towards a table by the back, not at all bothered that people were whispering around us. It wasn't until my ears tuned in, that I realized the mumblings were directed towards Morwen. A dark look was morphing on her generally glitter-like demeanor, only worsening as we made our way deeper inside.
I walked around Connie and stood beside her. "Ignore it; they don't know what they're talking about."
"They aren't wrong." She gripped her tray until pale knuckles turned white. "I am the reason Riley and Adam disappeared."
Lips pursed as I heard a particularly rude comment from my left. "They don't realize that the school is better off without rapists."
"Do you want to eat somewhere else?" This suggestion came from Connie.
"No." Morwen shook her head and took a seat at our table. "I'm not going to let them believe they got the best of me."
I dragged a chair out with the tip of my foot. "We got your back, don't forget that."
"Thanks, Nova—"
Our eyes widened as a hard cup suddenly made contact with the back of Morwen's head, its sticky contents spilling all over the girl's hair and uniform. An enraged sound left me, only to be cut short as Connie's unopened water bottle exploded to my right.
The unicorn jolted slightly, promptly glaring.
Morwen didn't even notice that she obliterated the plastic container; instead, slowly turning around. "Who threw that?"
No one responded.
Conversation died, those who were in hearing and visual range refusing to acknowledge the incident. People were either holding back their laughs or giving looks of pity.
Connie silently handed Morwen a white handkerchief.
I then noticed Light students clumped together, smirking from a nearby table close to where we were sitting. They were recognized as people Adam hung around—it was only confirmed when one of them lazily flipped me the bird, his gaze moving towards Morwen with a mockingly sad expression.
What. The. Hell.
Connie noticed the interaction instantly, giving a cautious glance as he heard my thoughts.
'Novalie... don't.'
I cracked swollen knuckles, still sore from the earlier ass-beating.
Time to do what I've always done best—causing a scene.