Audrey felt as if she was going to faint at any moment, her breath getting caught in her tight throat and making her wheeze while her face started to go a light shade of red. She was panting while walking to the Garden of Sasor with her palms growing sweaty and her uniform beginning to stick to her wet, burning skin.
As she walked down the hallway she could see the garden in the distance and as she approached it, out the corner of her eye, she saw two figures huddled together.
"Audrey?" Mrs Binko cried out, rushing over to her with open arms.
Her arms swallowed Audrey with a tight embrace, while her familiar smell of sweet oranges with a hint of cinnamon danced around Audrey's nose.
Audrey looked up at her, forcing a smile on her face as she held back her tears like they were rabid dogs on a loose and tattered leash.
Mrs Binko was short and plump, her face could be deemed common but calming as she had unusually smooth pale skin and thin peach coloured lips that were often curled up into a pleasant smile. She had pine and amber coloured eyes, that were much like Charlie's, and nearly always wore something green. She was the sort of woman to be instinctively motherly and kind to almost everyone who had the pleasure of meeting her, but her forgiving nature was not be taken for granted as she was fearsome to behold when provoked. Mr Binko, on the other hand, was tall and stern looking. He had thick, greying brown eyebrows with pinkish pale skin and his curly dark blonde hair was much like Charlie's. He was an intelligent man but looked as if he was constantly day dreaming, and one would assume him to be a strict and daunting figure until they were to see him smile.
"How are you young one?" He asked, giving Audrey a smile that somewhat made her feel at ease.
She stuttered for a moment, struggling to respond until Mrs Binko cut her off.
"We know about Charlie dear, it's okay" she spoke in a soft clear voice.
"I'm so sorry" Audrey responded, her voice breaking as her lip quivered.
Mr Binko placed an arm around Audrey, "Come take a walk with us".
The garden was filled with all sorts of rose bushes, crimson red roses placed besides ones that were a glistening pearl colour while petals of a beautiful pink and yellow gradient lay scattered across the grass. As they walked throughout the garden, the smell of roses soothing and relaxing her stiffened muscles, Audrey's eyes began to fill with tears.
"This garden used to be larger before that horrid fire," Mr Binko began, "when Freya and I were students here".
Audrey let the tears trickle down her face as she listened, trying to steady her breathing while exhaling deeply.
"Do the first years still get pushed into the bushes?" He asked Audrey, making a small chuckle escape her lips as she nodded.
"That's how we met. You see Freya was so short that some nasty fourth years thought she was a first year" he began, as Mrs Binko huffed but kept a smile on her face as she looked up at her husband.
"We were in our third year, and I saw her get pushed into one of the bushes. Being the gentleman I am, I helped her out and well...now she's been following me around for twenty-five years." He continued as Mrs Binko let out a small giggle and shook her head at him.
Audrey couldn't help but smile as Charlie's parents walked beside her, the pounding ache in her chest becoming numb the more she heard their voices. There was a minute or two of silence until she composed herself enough to speak without becoming a blubbering mess.
"I don't know what happened to him, or why he decided to leave but he'll come back right?" She asked.
They stopped walking and Mrs Binko placed a hand on Audrey's face while looking deep into her eyes, "Charlie is a smart young boy, and Dostira is his home. Trust me when I say, he always finds his way back home".
Audrey nodded and gave a weak smile, "You must be off, classes will be starting soon!" Mr Binko said as he admired a small bud of a yellow rose that was beginning to bloom.
"I'll see you both for the Christmas break back home" Audrey replied before hurrying off out of the garden and towards her room.
What began as walking soon turned into running, as she rushed to the solis house room. She didn't stop running until she reached the room of her door, her hands struggling to grip onto the handle and twist it open. As she entered her room, she slammed the door shut behind her and rushed over to her bed. The moment her body touched the soft sheets, her emotions unravelled and she began sobbing. With her face beginning to soak and drip with tears, she began rummaging throughout her suitcase until she found it; Charlie's beanie. She held it tight against her chest, as memories of their car trip to Dostira flickered throughout her mind.
"Come on Audrey, give it back" Charlie's voice spoke in her thoughts, as she struggled to block out the memory.
She lay down on her bed, tears slowly falling onto her pillow and dampening it as she clutched onto the beanie with trembling hands. Her sobs grew louder and her eyes were now flooding with tears as she could hear his voice clear enough to almost believe that he was there laying besides her.
"Oh yea, I think you're a liar and just want something that's mine" Charlie said, his voice echoing throughout her ears as she lifted the beanie up near her face.
Her thoughts began to twist into something dark, and only worsened the rioting pain that was throbbing in her chest. She tossed and turned in bed, her thoughts glutting with gruesome images of Charlie covered in blood with burnt skin from his fight against Kane. She held the beanie near her face, almost cuddling it, as her weeping slowly drifted her away into a deep slumber.
⤜⤛
Zach knocked on the door of his sister's office, his thoughts swarming with what Kane had said. He felt betrayed and lied to by his own family, he felt embarrassed and irritated by the fact that he didn't know what actually happened to his parents. He knocked again, before opening the door himself and barging in.
The room was empty, illuminated by only a small flame from a candle that lay in the corner besides a bookshelf. Zach entered slowly, he looked around hesitatingly before rushing over his sisters desk and looking through the drawers. He could barely see a thing, and so scrunched up some empty parchment paper and lit it aflame with his touch. He focused his energy on it, lifting it in the air so it hovered above him slowly burning and crackling. He continued to sift through the files in his sisters desk until his eyes spotted a small pumpkin coloured book laying on the bottom of an open drawer, he reached it and took it out with widened eyes.
"The knights of Angles and the Phoenix" he muttered, opening the book slowly.
He remembered his sister reading the story to him as a young boy, and so flickered through the pages with a confused look on his face.
The story was about three knights who were ordered by their King Angles to capture a Phoenix, two of the knights were eager to imprison the great beast of the sun for they fervently spoke of the greatness and wealth that would be bestowed upon them if they succeed. However, one knight did not want to capture it for he feared what would become of the kingdom if the Phoenix escaped and sought revenge; this knight was named Caligineus. He warned his fellow knights and the King of his fears but was turned away, and so he unwillingly went on the quest for the Phoenix. Once they captured it, the King rewarded all three knights generously and confined the beautiful creature to a cage. The Pheonix spent years hidden away, and so it's powers were slowly waning while the King boasted of the powers of men over the magical. Years later, the Pheonix assembled the remnants of its powers and freed itself from the cage. Fire and ruin spread across the kingdom as the Pheonix destroyed the bloodline of King Angles, and reduced the castle to ashes along with itself. Caligneus collected the small sun creature that was reborn from the ashes, and crowned himself King with the great Phoenix by his side.
Zach flipped through the pages of the book until he noticed a strange illustration drawn on the last page, he struggled to see if it was part of the book or not as the dark ink made it appear as if it had been drawn in by someone else. He squinted his eyes, staring at the sketch of the tree curiously. It had long branches the drooped low, and within the bark of the tree lay a shadowy gaping hole.
"What are you doing here?" Ms Tarvins spoke, making a quick tremor rush throughout Zach's body as he quickly shut the book.
The small crackling fire was dimming, as Zach stared at it and watched the flames disappear. The small burnt paper fell to the floor in pieces, blackened and frail, as Zach hid the book behind his back.
"I'm sorry, I was looking for you and I got curious" he stuttered, backing away from the desk slowly.
Ms Tarvins looked at him, her brows furrowing as she crossed her arms, "Okay, and what did you want to see me for?".
Zach gulped, "What? I need a reason to see my sister?" He replied nervously.
"I know you Zach, I raised you. You're here for a reason, what is it?" Her voice was cold and stern, but not unusual to him as he took a deep breath in.
"I'm just worried about my friend Audrey" he said, exhaling in defeat.
Her eyes widened and she took a step towards him, "Now listen to me Zachary, stay away from that girl".
Zach rolled his eyes, "Yea that's twice I've heard that now, the first time ended up with me on the floor".
"Just trust me." Her voice was soothing and reminded him of his mother.
Zach nodded, and as she bent down to pick up the pieces of burnt paper off the floor, he headed towards the door with the book tightly grasped in his hand.
⤜⤛
Audrey awoke to the feel her body gently swaying, hands gently shaking her arm until she slowly opened her eyes. With eyes half open she saw Bella standing over her gently saying her name, as she slowly sat up.
"Hey, you weren't in class?" Bella said as Audrey yawned.
"Oh I'm sorry, I just needed to be alone" she replied, her hands still gripping onto the beanie.
"It's okay Audrey, it's just that Mr Harkness is looking for you" Bella said, her voice slightly shaking as she sat beside her.
Her eyes shot awake at the mention of Mr Harkness, and she looked at Bella with an anxious look on her face while quickly rubbing at her eyes.
"Why? Is it about Charlie?" She asked, stumbling slightly as she quickly put her shoes on.
"I don't know but he wants to see you and Nora" Bella replied as they both hurried out of the room.
Audrey was fixing her messy hair with clammy hands as she walked to Mr Harkness' office with Bella leading the way. Their feet rapidly pattered against the floor as they traveled down hallways Audrey had not seen before, and traveled up staircases that led to the highest points within the castle.
As they reached the door of Mr Harkness' office, Bella turned around to face her with a small smile on her face.
"I can't come inside," she began before reaching out and holding onto Audrey's hands, "but whatever happens I'm here for you and I'm sure Charlie will be okay"
She pulled Bella in for a hug, holding onto her tightly for a moment as her heart was rapidly thumping inside her chest. She could hear Bella's footsteps receding as she knocked on the door with her hand quivering as she did, she began fidgeting with the hem of the skirt as she waited for the door to open.
After a minute of silence, the door swung open and revealed Nora standing in the doorway with an uneasy look on her face. Audrey slowly walked inside, her eyes sweeping the room and its dark aesthetic. Seeing Mr Harkness' tall figure leaning against his desk made her hair stand on end, as she felt her stomach drop at the sight of him.
"Hello Audrey" he spoke, his voice raising goosebumps all over her body.
She gulped, turning her head slightly to see where Nora had gone, "Hi".
Nora looked as if she was glued onto the large black leather couch where she sat, her eyes gesturing for Audrey to sit beside her as she played with her fingers in her lap.
"Let's get this over with" Nora said looking up at Mr Harkness as Audrey made her way over to her.
Mr Harkness exhaled and placed his hands in his pockets, looking as if he too was nervous about the matters that would soon be discussed between the three of them.
"Audrey, I need you to tell me about the pendant you found and gave to Charlie" he said slowly.
Audrey could feel her quick heart beat in her throat, as she looked to the floor with her thoughts in a bedlam of confusion and guilt. She couldn't help but remember what Kane had said. Was this all really all her fault, was Charlie really suffering all because of her?
"Can't you see I'm doing this for you?" Charlie's voice echoed in her head.
Her eyes began to fill with tears, "It's my fault isn't it? I gave it to him" she replied in a croaky and brittle voice.
Nora placed a hand on Audrey's back, comforting her with gentle rubs as Mr Harkness tried to speak as calmly and kindly as he could.
"No Audrey, this is not your fault. Now, I need you to help me find Charlie." His voice soft and so unlike him that for a moment Audrey was unsure as to who she was talking to.
She swallowed the lump in her throat and nodded, "It was at the Luna Lavinrac and I got lost in the restricted section of the castle" she replied as she began remembering that night.
"I saw something shining in the moonlight, it was in a blackened and burnt room. There were ashes all over the floor," she began, "and as I walked in and held the pendant it moved".
Mr Harkness took a step towards her, "What do you mean it moved Audrey?" He asked
She lifted her teary eyes to look at him, "It moved, the flaming feather was moving side to side".
Nora looked at Mr Harkness, her eyebrows raising as she took a deep breath and waited to Audrey to continue.
"Well, then Ms Tarvins found me and I told her I was lost" Audrey began, but before she could finish Mr Harkness abruptly interrupted.
"Ms Tarvins?" He asked, as Audrey nodded.
"Did she say anything peculiar?" Mr Harkness asked, turning his back to her and facing the wall. He closed his eyes, trying to control his temper as she waited for a response.
"No, not really but she sounded as if she knew me when I told her my name" Audrey replied as she frowned, confused as to what this had to do with her.
Mr Harkness slowly turned around, his jaw clenched and his eyes slightly widened as he spoke in a dark and chilling voice.
"Do you know why that area of the castle is restricted?" He asked before seeing Audrey shake her head.
"Fifteen years ago, when I was a seventh year here, some students set fire to the school. Most of the castle was in ruins and so, in a remarkably fast fashion, we re-built most of it. However, those students did not just cause a fire." He began as his voice grew increasingly dismal and ominous.
"Most of them well, they saw the fire as a perfect distraction for murder. Teachers, students, anyone who had wronged them suffered or died that night. The restricted area of the castle, it is left that way to respect those that died there." Mr Harkness was obviously troubled by the memory, as Audrey could see his anger struggling to stay hidden behind his stern face.
He walked over to his desk, opening a drawer and taking out a small glass vial filled with a black liquid. He placed it in his pocket, and looked up at Nora.
"Nora, make sure Audrey finds her way back to the solis house room. I will handle all matters regarding Charlie" he said in a low, menacing voice before swiftly leaving the room with his cane in hand.
⤜⤛
Mr Harkness walked with his cane tapping against the stone floor aggressively, his nostrils flaring as he made his way to Ms Tarvins room with dark intentions. Any students walking throughout the hallways were quick to move out of the way when they saw him, whispering to each other indistinctly. For the first time in his life, Mr Harkness appeared much like his nephew Kane as he stormed through archways and entered hallways with a daunting and intimidating look on his face.
As he reached Ms Tarvins room, he didn't bother to knock and opened the door with such vigour that it screeched against its hinges. He slammed the door shut behind him, startling Ms Tarvins who sat at her desk with panic etched on her face. As he approached her, she slowly stood up from her seat and walked backwards away from him like a frightened dog. He didn't hesitate, and soon his hand was clasped around her neck as she scratched at his hand while gasping for air.
He took out the small vial from his pocket, twisting off its cap with his teeth as it held it near her face, "Drink it".
Her lips curled up into a sinister smile grew as she looked deep into Mr Harkness' eyes, "Or what" she rasped.
Mr Harkness tightened his grip around her neck, watching her smile quickly drop as she desperately wheezed for air.
"You know who I am, and you know what I can do," he began as he watched her grow more distressed with her feet starting to twitch below her, "now drink it Teresa".
She nodded and Mr Harkness poured the drink in her mouth before letting go of her neck, it flowed down her throat and she gulped hard before coughing. She fell to her knees, panting and struggling to breathe as Mr Harkness took a step away from her looking down at her frail figure.
"Is the pendant yours?" He asked, his voice thick with rage.
She lifted herself up off the floor, "I don't know what you're talking about" she replied in an insolent manner.
Mr Harkness threw the glass vial to the floor, hearing it smash into small sharp shards as he walked towards her with a finger pointed in her face.
"Don't lie to me, I know you put it there" he spat.
"It's not mine Alexander and anyway," she began, "you're too late".
A smile slowly grew on her face before Mr Harkness clutched onto her wrist. She winced in pain as his fingers dug into her skin and his eyes glared at her.
"If I find out that you had anything to do with what happened to my nephew or Charlie," he began until he heard a small chuckle leave her lips.
"This has everything to do with me," she snickered, "did you really think Leah wouldn't find out about the boy and his future?"
Mr Harkness tightened his grip around her wrist as she continued, "If you think I'm the only Eclipse in the castle, then you are in for a rude awakening".
"Whatever you've done to Charlie, whatever you've helped set up, the Overseers will hear about it" he hissed, as he hit his cane on the stone floor making a booming thud.
Within seconds the Noctissian appeared in front of the two of them and Ms Tarvins stumbled back at the sight of the monstrous, misty creature.
"Call the Ultors and notify The Regional Council of Overseers that a questioning session has been requested and flagged red" Mr Harkness commanded.
The Noctissian quickly faded, as Ms Tarvins scoffed, "You can interrogate me all you like, but you won't find your golden boy Charlie Binko".
Mr Harkness snapped his head to face her, "Now that's where you're wrong Teresa because I know who you." He took a deep breath before continuing, "And I will burn anyone who stands in the way of me finding him, even if that includes your innocent brother".
His threatening remark wiped the smile off Ms Tarvins face, she looked at his strict and brooding eyes in shock as her thoughts began repeating only one word, "Zach".