Chapter 41
VALERIA.
My heart drops when I hear my name. I slowly step away from the office, staring at the door like it’s death itself.
Eden tries to reach out to me. “What’s wrong? What’s going on?”
“Nothing,” I somehow manage to say, but my voice sounds strangled and stiff, even to my own ears. “I… I need to go now. Excuse me.”
“Valeria!” she calls out, but I’m already running away from her and the office. From everything else.
The beat of my pulse feels like it’s going everywhere in my body. Tears are brewing in my eyes and they’re making my eyesight so blurry that I have to stop walking and seek some sort of solace behind a statue. The weight of the situation crashes on me, and I find myself starting to cry silently.
Are they going to arrest me? Do they really believe that I’m the one who killed Mr. Murdock and Miss Sullivan? What are they going to do about it? What proof do they think they have?
I almost feel regretful that I didn’t stay there and listen to whatever they have to say about me, but I know that I wouldn’t be able to take it.
Taking a deep breath to steady myself, I wipe my face furiously and head to the dorms. I get changed into the normal sweatpants and jacket combo that the school provided, then I head to the Main Hall for dinner.
There are guards all over the place now. I see some Black Coats roaming around the hallways too, with big guns strapped around their shoulders. The irrational thought of being pulled to the corner by them and arrested invades my mind, and I find myself pulling up my hood so no one could see me.
The Main Hall is packed with students, which is a first. I have never seen the place so full before. All the teachers and the staff are here as well, dining in separate tables and whispering among themselves. But perhaps the most shocking of all is the presence of Professor Blossom himself, sitting in the middle of a long table in front, watching the students file in without touching the food laid out in front of him.
I get in among the others. The tension in the air is thick and I can feel myself almost shriveling with it. Still, I stand at the sidelines waiting.
Then, the Main Hall is full. It seems that everyone is now in attendance. The guards close the double doors, the sound echoing in the place.
As though on cue, Professor Blossom gets up from his seat. “Good evening, everyone. I gathered all of you here today for an important announcement.”
A quiet murmur ripples in the crowd, and he lets it falter completely before speaking again.
“I am sure we are all aware of the tragedy that happened today in the town area, but I will not get into any details as the investigation is still ongoing. However….” He falters and swallows hard. “The Society’s authorities and the School board all agreed that it’s time to take action. They all suggested to close down the School.”
This time, the murmur in the crowd turns into a full-on chatter. I can hear protests and even screams. I can tell that it’s about to reach its crescendo and turn into an angry mob, and it seems that Professor Blossom can tell too, because he raises his hand to his mouth and lets out a shrill whistle.
Order is restored in the hall.
“I will not stop the operations completely and permanently, as I have argued against it,” he announces. “All of you will go on an early Thanksgiving holiday. No student will be staying in the school. All of you must return to your families. And the process for moving shall be tonight.”
* * *
I’m screwed. I have no family. I have nowhere else to stay. My heart is racing with panic, and as the students start to file out to hurry up and arrange their departure, I find myself wading through them to get to Professor Blossom.
I have to tell him that I have nowhere else to go.
The school has been my home for months now. No one would take me. My mother is still lost and every day that passes seems like a confirmation that she will never reappear. I have no relatives. No one.
“Excuse me,” I keep saying, pushing past the crowd. “Coming through, excuse me.”
I’m trying to walk fast but Professor Blossom is already getting away. He stops by to say something to a teacher, but it’s so quick, and he’s already on his way out before I can even get within ten feet of him.
“Professor!” I yell, but my voice is getting drowned out by everyone. “Professor!”
I try to scream louder, but he’s already gone.
I stop in my tracks, watching the door close behind him. Hopelessness crashes against me, knocking me almost breathless. I force myself to turn back around and find a way somehow, but then someone blocks my way. I look up and I see Celeste.
“Where have you been?” she splutters. “I’ve been looking everywhere for you!”
“What?” I mumble. “I just…”
I falter. To my absolute horror, tears begin to appear in my eyes again. Celeste doesn’t miss this. She pulls me to the corner and holds my face with both hands. She looks at me intently, and I just break down.
“What’s wrong?” she asks urgently. “Tell me.”
I don’t know if she’s injecting her siren magic into the situation or not, but I find myself calming down enough to start speaking to her in complete sentences. “My mother is gone. Everyone thinks he’s dead. I have no home. I can’t go back to my hometown because I will be jailed if I do. I have no other family.”
Her face softens with pity. “That’s no problem, Val. You can come home with me. My chauffeur is already here, and you will be home with me, okay?”
This time, I’m certain that she’s using some of her siren powers on me because I find myself nodding to her words and coming with her. She walks with her arm looped around mine, leading me to the front of the school. Sure enough, there’s already a sleek black car parked in front of the gardens. It’s surrounded by guards, and they all step aside to let us come through. One of them opens the door for us, and Celeste climbs in, motioning me to follow her.
But we’re not alone in the car.
Sitting in the wide backseat remodeled to have bigger seats facing each other, are Stefano and Auric.
“Good evening, ladies,” Auric says easily, handing me a cold can of soda.
I gape at them in shock. The magic starts to wear off and the only thing left for me now is pure shock at how well and how quick my problem got solved. And it seems that I have some sort of a bonus too. Although having the boys with us could be a blessing and a curse.
I turn to Celeste. “What does this mean? Are they coming too?”
“Yes,” Stefano says in a grave tone. “And we will conduct our very own investigations about Miss Sullivan’s death.”