Chapter 16: Break

The three weeks came and went faster than Allyah’s color faded. By the time she packed her bags to go home, she was a light lavender.

There was no proof that Celestria, Kenley, and I were involved. Master Rhoslyn continued to give me private potions lessons on most nights and kept the fact that she’d gifted me the potions book to herself. In the end, we didn’t get into any trouble, and Allyah seemed to learn her lesson and left us alone.

If only Allyah’s bullying had been our only problem.

Not only was there no news about my parents, but odd things started happening at school. Expensive academy relics had gone missing. Master Carleton broke his leg and had to be taken to the magical healer after he stepped into the arena, the weeds came to life, tripped him, and he fell.

Half of the academy got food poisoning. The kitchen staff insisted the spells they used to prepare our meals hadn’t changed, but it was clear that something had gone very, very wrong.

When a few girls got extremely sick and had to be sent home early, Master Bavol addressed the entire student body.

“We suspect these unfortunate incidents aren’t coincidences,” she said, not even trying to hide her worry. “Once we know who is behind this, we will inform all of you. Until then, we ask you to be vigilant. The enemy is always looking for ways to take us out.”

I didn’t like the sound of that. Apparently, neither did Kenley.

“Willow is waiting for me out on the lawn. I’ll see you next week,” Kenley called out, grabbed her bags, and dashed out the door.

“Have a good break,” Celestria yelled after her, but she ran out without as much as turning around.

“I guess she got spooked by everything that’s been happening,” I said.

“I guess, and honestly, I don’t blame her.”

At least she said goodbye. Tanner did too. And Hunter? Not only did he leave without saying a word to me. He’d also been avoiding me for weeks. Anytime I tried to approach him, he’d find a way to get as far away from me as possible.

~Nobody knows where I came from. What if he thinks that I’m behind all these crazy things that are happening at the academy?~

On top of that, my heart hadn’t stopped sinking at the thought of not having a home to go back to. I could’ve returned to the village to do some investigating on my own, but frankly, I was scared of seeing the ruins where my house had once stood.

Administrator Dawson said that I was more than welcome to stay at Oswalda with the masters, but the thought of being at the academy without Celestria, Kenley, and the others made me feel uneasy.

I still hadn’t decided on whether or not I would head back to Madison, so before Celestria had to leave, we went looking for the administrator.

He was in the dining hall, watching the few remaining students of Oswalda have one last meal before they headed out.

“Drake, Celestria, how are the two of you this evening?” Dawson greeted us from his table.

Celestria smiled. “We are doing just fine, Administrator Dawson. How are you?”

I wasn’t trained in small talk, so I jumped right to the point.

“Any news on the investigation or my parents? Should I go home and look for clues as to where they could’ve gone? They could’ve left something behind.”

Administrator Dawson took a deep breath, the kind that you take right before you’re about to deliver bad news. “With everything that’s been happening at Oswalda, I don’t think it’s wise to go back. We don’t want you to spend the week all alone in case there’s…”

“In case there’s what?” I asked.

“A threat. You all are important to the school and the kingdom, and we don’t want to put any of you at risk,” he said. “Besides, I have excellent people looking into this. Trust me, figuring out your origin is our top priority.”

My heart hurt and my knees buckled at the thought of having to stay here all by myself.

“Why did you wait so long to tell me that I couldn’t leave?” I asked.

“I never said that, Drake.”

I looked at Celestria, who was smiling at me with her usual warmth.

“I told my parents that I met this amazing girl at school. They wrote to me and invited her to spend the break at our house. That girl is you, obviously,” she said. “And no, I didn’t tell them about your situation. I’ll leave that up to you. It’s your business.”

“You did that for me?”

“You’re my best friend. I wasn’t going to leave you here alone with the masters. No offense, of course,” she added.

Dawson chuckled. “None taken.”

“They even sent you a dress so you wouldn’t feel out of place,” Celestria said once the administrator wished us a good break and walked away. “I snuck into your wardrobe and got your measurements.”

“I don’t know what to say.”

“You can thank me by packing a bag. How does that sound?”

I threw my arms around her and pulled her into a tight hug. “Thank you. Thank you so, so much!”

Back in our room, Celestria handed me an aqua-blue dress with diamonds running down the back and helped me get dressed.

“I don’t know what to say,” I said, looking at my reflection in the mirror.

She smiled at the sight of me and held my hand. “Yes, you keep saying that. But I’m truly doing this because you’re my friend. I don’t expect anything but friendship in return. Deal?”

I nodded. “Deal.”

A carriage drawn by six white stallions waited for us outside Oswalda’s walls. I tried to stand up straighter and take small, graceful steps. After all, the gown could only do so much.

“You can relax,” Celestria said, noticing me struggle. “You don’t need to put on an act. My parents will love the real you.”

Celestria sat across from me in the carriage. From inside, the carriage looked even bigger. It was made of dark oak. Curtains hung on the windows. The seats were warm and covered in soft fabric.

My mind was a mess. I had never cared what anyone thought of me. I was who I was, and nobody could change me. But I’d been wrong. The people who raised me had changed me. They’d taught me everything I knew, but now it felt like nothing but lies.

~Is Celestria right about her parents, or will they judge me the moment they find out about my situation? ~

“Do you think Kenley will come back to the academy?” Celestria asked, pulling the curtain closed.

So, I hadn’t been the only one to notice the roommate’s dropping grades…. Some students had already decided to join the army, and the number of students in our classes had dropped significantly, but Kenley hadn’t mentioned anything to us. Actually, lately she had been just as distant as Hunter.

“I hope she will come back after the break, but since her powers still haven’t kicked in, I’m not entirely sure if she will. Only time will tell,” I said.

As I got comfortable in my seat, I couldn’t help but imagine finding Kenley’s wardrobe empty when we returned. Seeing it in my head was bad enough. I wasn’t sure how I was going to handle it if it really happened.

Something told me that Celestria felt the same.

Not wanting to upset her with my musings, because she already looked like she was close to tears, I glanced out the window and tried to focus on something more positive, like the fact that I was no longer a farm girl with no future.

Instead, I was riding in this carriage as an academy student with actual magic coursing through my veins. I had good friends. I finally knew what it felt to have the attention of a handsome guy, even though he chose to take that attention away, and it hurt.

Things may have gotten even more complicated than they’d been before, but these silver linings made me want to believe that things were going to get better. They simply had to.