Mishal
Mishal woke up with a start, sweat covering her skin, her breaths short and frantic. She looked to the side to see Kenna looking at her, like she had ever since assembly. It was a mixture of fear, disgust and pity and Mishal wasn't sure which one she hated more.
She spoke for the first time since then, "Should have known it was you."
"What was me?" Mishal said cracking a smile, "The platinum blonde dye in your shampoo? The itching powder in your coat? The onion in your shoes?"
"I knew they were you." She said not sharing Mishal's humour, "I just... out of everyone... I never thought it could be you, you who... never takes anything seriously, you were so powerful, I guess, but I thought, I can't believe it was you."
"What me?" Mishal asked, even more confused than before.
But Kenna just shook her head and didn't say anything.
Mishal closed her eyes but opened then when images from last night flooded her mind. Lana. Azalea. Knife. Blood. Golden.
She opened them quickly and looked to see Kenna sleeping soundly in her bed.
She then ran outside the dorm, outside the hallway, and out of the building. When she found the oak tree in the gardens, she lay under it and stared up at the moon.
She took a deep breath. Once Azalea had closed the door, they had all been magically teleported standing inside the fountain, with water up to their knees, all of them soaking wet.
Lana had explained to them bits and pieces. That were stolen from their homes. The principal always made it sound like they were the lucky ones, but that was wrong. Lana had told them that when they came, their memories had been wiped.
When Lynn had asked why, Lana had told her that she didn't know. All that she knew was from fragments of memories. There was a group of people who had escaped from the academy previously. Lana had said they were trying to save her from the academy.
She said that there was some previous students who were trying to save as many students as they could. Lana and Sefarina had both been shown their memories and had decided to leave.
Lana told Mishal she didn't know much other than that, and that she only found out about this a few days before the rest of them. Mishal had asked her how the ball worked, and Lana had said whoever touches it first it goes into their memories.
Lana had then asked Dahlia to come with her and Dahlia had agreed and left.
Lana had told Mishal, tomorrow at dawn, to meet her here.
Mishal sat down with her back against the trunk of the tree. She wondered what her family was like. Did she have brothers and sisters? A mother? A father?
She looked up to see Lana walking towards her.
"You're early." Mishal commented.
"So are you." Lana replied sitting down next to her and handing her a bag. Mishal opened it seeing the crystal ball.
"You mean you already have the ball. I don't have to jump in a fountain again?" Mishal said scorn leaking into her voice. Truth was, she was just nervous about seeing her memories.
Lana chose to ignore it. "Marina made the fountain have a false bottom. Last time I didn't have a bag. So I kept travelling into my memories. I could either leave it in the gardens or drop it in the fountain. Now hold the crystal ball."
Mishal nodded, reaching her hands out to find it. The crystal filled with colours and Lana laid her hands-on top of Mishal's.
It was the same. Dry, barren, almost red dirt covered every inch of the ground. From afar Mishal could see lines of spirits with Azalea at the front. They were in front of a sort of medieval tent this time. She opened the front and walked in, making sure to close the flap after Lana but no-one noticed. Of course they didn't. This isn't real. She chastised herself. She saw two figures huddled together.
"Azzie," Spoke a little voice.
Me. Mishal realised. That's me.
The girl then stood up. She had bright red hair, in a ball around her face, freckles covering her nose, and bright blue eyes. She looked around ten.
"Their coming, Azzie."
She said pulling an older girl who looked around sixteen. She had thick long brown hair and big brown eyes. Mishal wondered who she was, she didn't look anything like her. "Azzie! They're going to take me. We have to run!"
"No Mish," She said planting her shoulders both on Mishal's. "They won't take you. They didn't take me. Okay? If we run, they will know, they have the best earth spirits out there. They will find us, and they will kill us,"
"Then we lie, Azzie. Tell them I'm nine years old or eleven years old,"
"Mish, they have the best life spirits. They know how many years you've been on this earth. Hell, they know how many seconds you've been on this earth. They know your first name and your last name,"
"And my parents, Azzie? We can find both our parents! They can tell us!" Mishal said with wide, hopeful eyes.
"No, Mish, our parents didn't want us. All we can do is wait. All we can do is do as they say. At least that way you have a chance Mish. A fairly large chance too. None of my friends were cursed. Okay Mish? It's going to be okay."
The young Mishal nodded.
Suddenly there was a loud knocking on the door. It was Nawra this time, one of the life spirit leaders at the academy. She stood and said, "Aster Pele, 17, Mishal Brantley, 10."
Mishal felt tears streaming down her face, which was not from the pain the constant headache was giving her, but rather from the tears brimming in the young Mishal's eyes. You're going to be okay, she wanted to say to herself, it's not looking so good right now. But you're going to be okay. And she wished a future self would say this to her, promise her that she would be fine in the end. But that's not how life works.
And she screamed as her blood disappeared into the golden cup and she screamed as the spirits in black took her away and she screamed as Aster cursed at Nawra, kicking at her and scratching at her face and she screamed as the spirits in black punched her in the head and knocked her unconscious. And then it was over. She was sitting under the oak tree with Lana sitting next to her.
"It's hardest the first time." She whispered, "The headache as well, it'll get better."
"Is- Is there anymore?" Mishal whispered. "Any more memories?"
Lana shook her head. "Using that helps break past the block in your mind. After a week or so memories will start flooding back and you won't need the ball." She paused there and said the next part so quietly Mishal strained to hear her, "Sometimes, sometimes you'll wish the block was still there."
Lynn
Lynn checked under her bed to make sure it was still there. The sword that seemed to be made of crystal that Ilesha had given her was still under her bed. She knew it wasn't the best place to put it, it was easily found, but she couldn't think of anywhere else to put it.
Ilesha's words were still echoing in her mind as she made her way down to the dining room for breakfast. There is darkness in this world. She wondered if Ilesha was talking about the academy. What Lana had shown them chilled her to the bones. Everything they knew about the academy was a lie.
"Hey, Lynn!"
Lynn turned to see Guthrie waving her over. She took a seat next to Mishal her passed her a bowl of fruits, yoghurt and oatmeal. She took a bite and then glanced at the empty seat next to Guthrie.
"Dahlia's really gone then?"
Guthrie nodded and lowered her voice, "We'll leave soon too Lynn. It's what Lana said, it's too dangerous for us all to go at once, yeah Mish?"
But Mishal's attention was fixed on a table on the other side of the room.
Rosie, Lynn's roommate. Anala who had once been their friend and Ilesha's best friend. Kenna, Mishal's roommate and Auretta who had once been Mishal's best friend.
Lynn then looked back to see Mishal standing with her bowl of porridge.
"Mish, sit down," Guthrie said sternly. But Mishal didn't give the slightest indication she had heard what Guthrie told her.
"Mishal!" Lynn whisper-yelled.
Mishal ignored the two of them standing up and walking over to their table. Lynn got up and quickly followed her.
"Mish please," She protested.
By now, all eyes in the room were looking at them. But Mishal didn't care. Of course.
She stopped right in front of Kenna. Kenna stood up and Mishal dumped the entire bowl on Kenna's head. Her hair got the worst of it. The sticky bits sticking to her hair and the milk dripping onto her shirt. The entire dining room was silent.
But Mishal wasn't done. She pushed Kenna screaming, "You snake!"
Kenna pushed her back and suddenly they were throwing punches and kicking and pulling each other's hair. The students formed a circle around them and a few of them helped pull them apart. It lasted only a few seconds, but Lynn stood there, disgusted with herself for not doing anything. Anything.