Chapter forty-two (Blake)
Cassandra was sitting in Miss Birling's office, looking rather hollow when I was called in the early hours of the morning.
It was a few hours before breakfast, the sun had barely risen.
All of the Prefects had been called by Humphrey and Maximus, collected from each dormitory; of course, my brother was allowed to come with me as whatever had happened was so large, it included him, Georgina and Jacob too.
Georgina didn't say anything; in fact, she made herself invisible to everyone else. Wearing more bland but comfortable clothes and standing behind everyone else with her head down to the ground.
Mr Greymeddow was there, looking very displeased about whatever happened.
"Blackmail?!" Elise gasped, holding Cassandra's hands while she sat next to her.
Cassandra lowered her head, feeling very melancholy. "Yes, I received a few threatening notes. They were being left on my pillow whenever I came in from dinner."
Miss Birling folded her arms anxiously, looking out of her rosé tinted window. "What did these notes suggest Miss Church?"
The Alchemist pulled out a small pile, left in different types and ransom font. Passing them to Mr Greymeddow who examined them while Maximus looked over his shoulder.
"They suggested I give them my family heirloom, the diary and any information I had written for the process of regeneration." She said in a strong but croaky tone.
Chase placed his arms around his waist. His eyeliner smudged from not washing it off from the night before. "Of course you didn't give them did you?"
She shook her head in a very certain manner. "I would never give anyone anything! The thought of it made me feel so angry, that someone would actually think I would go through with such tripe!"
I leant forward to Humphrey who held a tray, pouring some coffee and handing it to Cassandra. "I'm guessing they offered a spot to leave the goods?"
"Yes, in the chapel and under the cross." She huffed, sipping the coffee.
Sebastian, who was still in pyjamas like most of us, placed a finger on his chin. "Did they threaten your life, Miss Church?"
"No, something much worse." She muttered with distaste. "After the first threat on my life didn't work. They took a step further, threatening to kill Caleb and Sam."
Elise looked deeply horrified by the news. "Caleb Davis and Sam Gethsemane? Oh god, Cassandra what happened?!"
Cameron Thorne, who had been hiding behind Humphrey drinking a blood-pack, stepped forward.
His expression was very grave indeed, no sarcastic smile and no scary necromancy. "Sam Gethsemane, a very nervous kid that I had been in charge of as head of the vampire dormitory. He was struggling so much since he turned... the other vampires can be so horrible. Yesterday he never came to dinner, and then never came back to his coffin for the night. I reported it immediately."
Mr Greymeddow pulled out a lighter and lit his cigarette; he looked like he needed it.
Puffing smoke, he spoke. "It was also brought to my attention that the warlock known as Caleb had also vanished from his party around the same time. Usually, we can find a student within a few hours... but two?"
Cameron continued. "One missing student is worrying but two makes it a horrific kidnapping."
Joshua tapped his fingers together in a calculative way. "They really did it, oh god it's happening again."
Jacob reached out and discreetly slipped his hand into Sebastian's grasp, taking a small breath of anxiety from what Joshua was suggesting.
Sebastian stared back at his boyfriend with sorrow, feeling the others intense fear.
"Please god..." Elise hugged her friend close, almost immediately blinking tears. "Malcolm and Cole, they died like his."
She met the eyes of Cassandra, breaking away and then pulling her close again. "Cassandra, I'm so sorry."
She shook her head, not even a tear dropped from her face or emotion. "No Elise, I'm sorry for passing it off with everything that's happened. It would have solved the problem if I had reported it earlier."
Miss Birling was remarkably silent, her hands shaking uncontrollably as she continued to face out towards the rose garden.
"Firstly..." Miss Birling spoke up, not even facing the crowd. "We must keep the rest of the Academy unaware of what's happened it will only deepen panic. Cassandra, everyone in this room has permission to not attend lessons to help with the search for the missing children, so be at ease knowing that no stone will be left unturned."
Cassandra murmured back, her eyes dead and tired. "Did Cullen do this Miss Birling?"
There was a hesitant pause from everyone on this note.
I coughed as I stepped forward to remind everyone about a key detail. "Mr Smith has been locked in his dormitory all this time so it couldn't have been him."
The Headmistress turned around, her face unconvinced. "That is very true, and on that note you all can go, please do all you can to find the missing boys. Unless it is too dangerous, then you must report back to me or a tutor for assistance."
"What about you Miss Birling?" Humphrey asked. "Should I go back to Cullen's confines?"
The headmistress shook her head and was the first to stride towards the door.
Her heels tapped along the floor as if she was on a mission. "No Humphrey, I'll be dealing with Mr Smith personally."
Just like that, she vanished from the room.
"Well, that was something frightening." Mr Greymeddow pondered. "As you were, we will take it all from here."
So we all filed out of the room, filled with doubt, disappointment and fear.
Georgina had slipped out of the room halfway through the emergency meeting.
I guessed she couldn't take it, everything she had believed and loved about her boyfriend was lies and fakery.
She was in the dance studio when I found her; we all started searching for different places so I started with the creative arts rooms.
Dancing alone, she was producing a routine which held a mixture of ballet and modern abstract dancing, like the type found in concerts or music videos.
The music blared with Lady Gaga's Applause while she performed a professional assortment of moves to herself facing the mirrors pinned to the walls.
She was very good at it, dancing I mean.
When she noticed me peeking around the door, she stopped the music with a slam.
"What do you want Blake?" She cautioned.
I waved my hands through my hair. "I was just checking on you Georgina, you've been avoiding everyone for days."
She shook her head with a positive sneer. "Don't lie, Blake, you never wanted to check on me."
"Okay, maybe I was sent to snoop around the place," I admitted, coming clean. "But I have noticed you have been avoiding everyone... do you want to talk about it?"
"Not really."
I raised an eyebrow.
Georgina made a long sigh. "Are you going to leave me alone if I vent to you by force?"
A big smile spread over my face. "That is exactly what I'm going to do, ready to tell me about it?"
She gave me a glare all men should fear. "Come and sit."
Obediently, I hopped over and sat next to her against the mirrored walls.
I had never had a heart to heart conversation with the daughter of Coventina before. I think it was the poison he had been feeding her before I even arrived at the academy.
She then raised an eyebrow at me with a secretive smirk. "Before I tell you anything, tell me what it was like snatching the Prefect role from my boyfriend?"
How was I going to answer that?
Should I lie and say something like, Oh it was never like that! I regret it completely!
But I didn't regret it; in fact, I wouldn't have it any other way.
"It filled me with great joy to see the proud smirk melt from his face." I bragged. "He had everything coming to him."
Surprisingly, she loved the response.
Even bursting into laughter. "Good! The lying, ungrateful, two-faced swine had it coming to him."
I cocked my head forward to make sure I heard her correctly. "I thought you were sad about what happened to Cullen?"
Her face grimaced. "No, I was angry and upset that he had lied to me, to the whole academy! Poor Elise and Cassandra, I was their friend once before I started dating Cullen. He seemed so sweet and a dreamboat back then, but over time he showed little bumps of jealously. He hated me talking to anyone except him."
Shaking my head, I lowered my voice. "I think he tricked everyone, Georgina."
"He tricked everyone else, yes, but he betrayed me." She snorted.
She reached into a duffle bag and pulled out a letter. It had been ripped into pieces in a rage and stuck back together again.
Examining close, it was written by Cullen. It was quite lengthy too. "Is this a confession?"
"Yes, in fact, it's an offer for me to go with him." She snorted. "He ruined my friendships and has ruined my name for all the times I stood up for him, believing him. He killed my friends, all for the sake of his so-called better world. I just wish I could have seen him, the number of times I would have slapped him."
I stared into her pink eyes. "He was toxic then? Controlled what you did and all that?"
She passed it off with a swipe of her hand. "Of course! I dressed and wore makeup to impress him, to please him. What a mistake that was... I can't even show my face out there Blake! All the people I wronged for defending the traitor, they will all hate me until I'm forced out of the Academy."
"Georgina, it's clear to me that you... haven't been yourself in a long, long time." I lisped. "Just go out there and be yourself, show interest in what others are doing and make it clear your views on Cullen if the conversation arises."
Her hand reached over and took the letter back. "It will be hard to do that Blake, harder then you can ever imagine."
That angered me a little, I didn't get it? Of course, I got it! I've been reinventing myself each time I went to a new school or classroom. All of them taking one look at me and pinning me as a troublemaker.
So I replied quite certain. "No, I can imagine that actually."
Looking away, Georgina took a deep breath. "Sorry, your right."
"Its fine Georgina, seriously you're in more trouble than me."
"If it helps, I ripped up the letter and cut some of his clothes when no one was around."
That made me laugh hysterically. "Really? You did that?"
She dipped her head, eyes wide and positive. "Of course I did! He deserved it all the way for working with those evil pigs."
After a while of just sitting and cackling about Cullen's failures. We both got up and ready to leave for breakfast.
It was reaching the end of the dining period so we had to run to the buffet and snatch random piles of bacon and scrambled eggs before seating down with the table.
Everyone gave us strange looks, must have been we were actually being friendly for once.
Joshua was the first to say anything.
Placing down his book, on musicians (that was of course written in Latin). "Georgina, you've been gone a long while, we were all wondering how you were doing."
The girl took a calm breath and then did something I had never seen her do.
She smiled.
An actual genuine smile.
"I'm doing much better now Joshua, I'm probably the happiest I've been in years." She gleamed.