Chapter 94 Responsibility

Chapter 94 Responsibility
Skylar
"I'm not so sure you can keep your temper in check like the last time you caused a scene," Professor Varkesh's cold voice cut through the silence of the Equilibrium infirmary.
The gaunt man, with his thick black beard and dense magical aura, glared at me sharply. His eyes were practically dripping with prejudice.
Out of all the faculty, he was the only one who viewed my presence as an outright threat. Ever since my first day at this paranormal academy, Varkesh had never bothered to hide his utter distaste for me.
"Your name is linked to every single bit of chaos here," he continued, his footsteps echoing heavily against the floor. "And now? You're the one who triggered the dark magic inside Katya. You're not just a problem student, Skylar. You're a walking jinx to Equilibrium."
I clenched my fists beneath the folds of my oversized pyjamas, feeling the flutter of anomaly magic in my blood itching to hit back. But I chose to hold my tongue and keep my head down.
I stared straight ahead, keeping my face as blank as possible. The accusation wasn't entirely wrong—I was the one who had drawn Katarina to Equilibrium in the first place.
Besides, arguing with the sharp-tongued professor would only land me an instant detention slip—something I was frankly sick to death of doing.
Let him run his mouth, I thought. The more I defend myself, the more excuse he has to walk all over me.
"Professor Varkesh, I do think you're jumping to conclusions."
Madam Duncan stepped forward, stopping right beside me.
"Skylar might have a... complicated reputation," Madam Duncan said, glancing briefly at me before turning back to Varkesh. "However, when it comes to looking after a patient, she is reliable. You surely remember when Elroth collapsed from the backlash of Skylar's magic back then? Skylar stayed by his side and made sure there were no further magical complications. She stepped up."
Professor Varkesh narrowed his eyes. He weighed Madam Duncan's words for a few excruciating seconds. At Equilibrium, Madam Duncan carried serious weight—mostly because she was the only one capable of actually healing the students.
"Very well," Varkesh finally hissed, adjusting the heavy folds of his cloak. "Though if anything happens to Katya while she's under her watch, the full responsibility falls on you, Madam Duncan."
Without another word to me, Professor Varkesh spun around and swept out of the room, leaving a trail of freezing air in his wake.
Madam Duncan let out a soft sigh, gave my shoulder a brief pat, and hurried out after the professor to sort out some investigation paperwork.
"You remember what I said earlier, Miss McKirby?"
"Yes, Madam Duncan."
Once she was gone, I winced at the stuffy air in the room. I walked over to the massive iron-framed window at the far end of the ward and pushed the heavy wooden shutters wide open, letting the crisp autumn air blow in to clear out the damp heat.
From the second floor of the infirmary, my view looked straight out over the East Courtyard. The heavy werewolf presence down there was making me a bit uncomfortable—it was basically prime real estate for Kareena and her clique of shallow minions to gossip.
And sure enough, no sooner had I pictured Kareena's stupid face from that incident in the changing rooms than there she was. She was craning her neck up, looking proper frog-faced and putting on that absurd, melodramatic voice of hers.
Her lips were moving rapidly, spitting out silent curses and insults that I could easily read just by watching her mouth. She was blaming me for every single thing that had gone wrong today.
I just stared back, deadpan. After Varkesh's accusations, my patience for werewolf drama was at absolute zero. Rather than entertaining her childish rage, I raised my right hand and gave her a crystal-clear middle finger.
Kareena turned bright red, equal parts shocked and furious. She took a step forward as if she were about to leap right over the stone wall, but I didn't care anymore. I turned my back on her and left her to blow her top down there.
As I turned, I froze. Two tall figures were standing right in the doorway.
"I'll just go ahead and say it... yeah, I missed you rather than sitting around speculating," Elroth smirked.
Deep down, I genuinely had missed his banter. Same went for the stiff vampire noble next to him, who was currently eyeing me like a riddle he needed to solve.
"How did Katya's initial assessment go?" Irlan asked, cutting straight to the chase in a quiet voice that still managed to echo in the quiet room.
"Exhausting," I replied briefly, resting my hips against the windowsill. "Setting aside the fact that Varkesh and Rowland stripped Katya of her magic, I just feel genuinely sorry for the real Katya—and massively frustrated at the same time."
Irlan gave a slow nod, folding his arms across his chest. "At least your mind is steady enough to reconcile things and not lose your temper with Katya—"
"Can we pause the heavy chat for a second?" Elroth interrupted out of nowhere.
Elroth stepped forward, completely ignoring Irlan's sharp glare.
He glanced down at Irlan's hand and, without waiting for permission, snatched the small cage from the vampire's grip.
"This bird won't shut up," Elroth said, peering inside. "Ever since I ran into Irlan on the stairs, it's chirped a hundred times and looked at me like it wants to give me a proper earful."
Seeing my little yellow canary inside the cage immediately eased some of my tension. I stepped closer and took Gigi's portable cage from Elroth. The moment my fingers touched the iron bars, Gigi let out a bright chirp and flapped her wings frantically.
"Come here, Gigi," I murmured, undoing the small latch.
The tiny canary hopped straight out, landing right on my palm. As soon as her feet made contact with my skin, a shimmering aura of gold and silver magic burst around her small body. The air in the infirmary thrummed with energy.
Within seconds, the canary's form expanded. Her feathers smoothed out into strands of fine hair, and her body filled out. The magical glow faded, revealing an elegant elderly woman standing right beside me in her human form.
"It's not that I wanted to scold the Demon, but all four of your mates should have walked you to the headmaster's office," Jovanka said, turning her head toward Elroth.
I looked at Jovanka closely. Her clear eyes radiated genuine concern.
"I felt my sister's energy earlier, and the vampire told me I shouldn't show myself without your say-so, Skylar."
"Yeah, Irlan was right. I'm not taking any chances with anything tied to Katarina's dark magic."
"Right, I understand. Now, I want to check on this girl. She's the one my sister possessed, isn't she?"
I gave a quick nod.
Mum had mentioned once that her mother was a chosen Veela healer, so I figured this had to do with her innate magic.
Without another word, Jovanka turned on her heel and glided toward the bed where Katya was lying.
The room fell completely silent. Elroth and Irlan held their breath, watching Jovanka's every move.
She stretched her smooth right hand out over Katya, her fingers hovering a few inches above the girl's forehead.
From Jovanka's palm, a soft glow of greenish-gold light began to emanate, glittering like stardust in the dim haze of the infirmary.
"Madam Duncan already gave her a potion for her stamina," I said quietly.
"I feel responsible for what Katarina did. Doing this is the least I can do to put my own mind at rest."