Chapter Nineteen Edith
I wake up with a splitting headache. Wonderful. A migraine to kick off my weekend.
I pop a pill quickly and lie back in bed, staring at the ceiling. It’s amazing I managed to sleep at all last night. I can’t stop thinking about the séance. About the accusation in Emilía’s voice as she confirmed my worst fear. You.
I didn’t want to believe it before, but after Emilía’s words… Could I really be a killer?
A loud knock on my door makes me jump.
“Hey, I’m going to get breakfast with Kris,” Tala calls out. “Want to come?”
My immediate response is no, but I stop myself. Now that I know Emilía was dating a berserkr, I can see if Tala knows anything about who it was. Maybe I won’t have to wait until class on Monday to figure out who she was meeting.
“Sure,” I say, getting dressed quickly.
When I open the door, Tala seems surprised to see me. I guess she didn’t actually expect me to say yes. Not that I can blame her. I haven’t exactly been friendly.
We head to the dining hall together.
“Hey, do you know if any of the berserkir are dating witches?”
“A lot.” Tala turns to me with a mischievous grin. “Why? Does this have something to do with that witch boy you’re always hanging around?”
Well, that went in a different direction than I intended.
“Nils and I are just friends, that’s all.”
“Does he know that?” Tala asks, raising her eyebrows.
I’m surprised she even noticed us together. Berserkir do have heightened senses, I suppose. Hopefully no one overheard our conversations. We’ll have to be more careful, especially now that I know Emilía was dating a berserkr.
I hurry inside the dining hall, hoping this is the end of the conversation. After grabbing some waffles—Bea’s favorite—I reluctantly join Tala and Kris at a table in the back. Tala has eggs and toasted rye bread, and Kris has skyr with fresh fruit.
“Kris, this is my suitemate, Edith,” Tala says by way of introduction. “You know, the one I was telling you about?”
Kris nods in my direction. “Hey, new girl.”
“Hi,” I say with a weak wave.
Awkward silence settles over the table as we eat. I have no idea what to even talk about.
“So how do you two know each other?” I ask eventually.
Kris and Tala exchange a look.
“My brother introduced us,” Kris says, but doesn’t elaborate. They take a bite of skyr instead and Tala prods at her toast like she’s lost her appetite. Seems like it’s a sore subject for both of them.
Across the dining hall, I spot Bea and her friends all eating together.
Of course she’s stuffing her face with waffles and talking at hyper speed.
She’s too busy with her friends to even notice me.
As much as I want to see Bea, I’m not sure if it’s safe for her to be around me.
Ever since my claws first came out, I can feel something inside me, shredding my insides, begging to be released.
Maybe I’m more like Dad than I want to admit.
“So, what are your weekend plans?” Tala asks.
“You know, the usual.” Kris cracks their knuckles slowly. “Probably go to the gym. Kick Isaac’s ass in Counter-Strike. Watch a horror movie or two—I heard A24 has a new one.”
Tala laughs. “Speaking of horror movies, I heard there was smoke coming from the seer school the other night.”
Great. Any mention of seers makes me think of the séance again.
While Tala and Kris continue talking, I bounce my leg under the table, unable to sit still.
I need to speak with Emilía again. I need to be sure who killed her.
Even if it’s me. Especially if it’s me. I can’t be around Bea again until I’m sure I didn’t do it.
But how? I doubt Irina wants anything to do with me.
After that look she gave me when I left last night—I’m sure she’s convinced I’m the killer now, just like Amund.
“Earth to Edith?” Tala waves her hand in front of me. “What are you doing this weekend?”
“Not sure yet.” I try to focus on our conversation, recalling the last thing I heard them talking about. “Why would there be smoke coming from the seer school? Isn’t that place abandoned?”
“Exactly,” Tala says. “No one should be anywhere near there.”
“Isn’t the school supposedly haunted?” I ask, recalling what Emilía said that first day on our tour. “Are there actual ghosts there?”
“Never seen any,” Kris says with a shrug. “Not that I’ve ever snuck in on a dare or anything.” Tala casts them a look, and Kris clears their throat. “What? I’m just saying, why leave the door unlocked if you don’t want people to go in?”
“Well, I’ve never been inside,” Tala says. “But rumor has it that ever since the Tragedy, the school’s been full of ghosts. That’s why they had to shut it down.”
“What happened in the Tragedy, anyway?” I ask, suddenly curious.
Tala shakes her head. “No one really knows. There’s a bunch of different stories floating around.
I heard that the school itself was designed to trap the spirits of those who died in Skallagrim.
You know, like staircases that lead to nowhere, and doors that open into nothing, those kinds of things. ”
“I can neither confirm nor deny,” Kris says before taking another bite of skyr.
Wait. I sit up straight. If I go to the seer campus, maybe I can talk to Emilía’s ghost myself. Irina mentioned spirits having more power there. If what Tala said is true about the school being haunted, maybe a séance wouldn’t even be necessary.
I jump out of my seat. “Sorry, I just remembered I have plans.”
As I step onto the seer campus, a chill spreads through me.
Clouds fill the sky and the wind whistles through the cold courtyard, sounding like high-pitched screams. Everywhere I look, the buildings are all dark and empty. Thankfully, the seer campus is smaller than the others, so I don’t have to search far to find the main building.
Cracks run through the crumbling stone, and all the windows are broken.
ENTER YE TO LEARN is etched in stone above the entrance.
Somehow it makes the abandoned school seem more ominous.
I stare at the sign stuck to the door reading KEEP OUT.
Is this even safe? I hesitate, nibbling on a nail.
I have to learn who killed Emilía, and this school is the only chance I have to speak with her directly.
I try the door—
It’s unlocked, just like Kris said it would be.
At least I won’t be breaking and entering. Hinges groan as I push the door open.
As I step inside the abandoned school, I’m greeted by a musty smell, strong enough to make my nose wrinkle. Damp stone and mold, but I can scent something else, too. Something rotting. A rat scurries past me, darting down the dark hall.
It takes a moment for my eyes to adjust, and then, like the flick of a switch, my night vision is back. The walls look dimly lit from within, giving the abandoned school an eerie, otherworldly glow.
Black mold stains the hallway, discoloring the walls.
Looking around, you wouldn’t know something terrible had taken place here.
My footsteps echo, too loud in my ears, as I walk down the hall.
Hopefully I won’t get caught. Or worse. All my senses are more heightened than usual.
Even if I’m not technically trespassing, it feels like I am.
The first door I try opens to a sealed wall. So much for that.
Next is an abandoned classroom.
Desks and chairs line the room. Paint peels off the walls like scabs.
Some of the ceiling has collapsed, and rubble is strewn over the desks and floor.
Giant spiderwebs cover every corner. Talk about creepy.
Shuddering, I retreat into the hall. What was I expecting to find in there anyway?
Emilía sitting at one of the desks, waiting for me?
I shake my head. There are no signs of anyone here. Not even spirits. But when I look down at my arm, all the little hairs there are standing on end. My body is sensing something, even if I can’t see it.
I clear my throat. “E-Emilía?”
Silence is the only answer I get. I thought maybe if I came here, she’d find me. But as I creep down the hall, I’m no longer sure I want to be found.
The scrape of claws fills my ears.
Catching movement out of the corner of my eye, I whirl around—
A rat. It’s just another rat scurrying along the hall.
This was a bad idea. I should leave.
“Help,” someone whispers over my shoulder.
I turn slowly.
No one is there.
“Emilía?” I ask, eyes darting everywhere.
No response.
I peek in the next door. “Hello?”
It’s another empty classroom. But as soon as I step inside, I can hear the chatter of students, the scrape of chairs, the rustle of bags and books. It’s unsettling, since all the seats are empty, the desks caked in dust.
And no sign of Emilía.
Someone clears their throat, making me jump.
An eerie voice fills the classroom. “If everyone’s here, then let’s begin today’s lesson.”
I turn to the teacher’s desk, but no one is behind it.
A slow shiver spreads through me.
The teacher continues talking. “When we travel the spirit realm, we take on great personal risk. If we aren’t careful, our spirit can become lost in the realm, leaving our body an empty husk. If this happens, then the risk of possession—”
“Why not return the spirits to our realm instead?” Another voice interrupts.
A student. I spin around to the back of the classroom.
It’s empty.
“Spirits cannot be trusted in the realm of the living,” the teacher chastises. “Though still dangerous, it’s safest for us to traverse the spirit realm to consult the dead and get their insight. We are never to let them return to ours.”
I gulp. Like a séance?
“Why not?” the student pushes. “Does a spirit not owe a debt to their summoner? Wasn’t it spirits who first taught us seier?”
“Perhaps, but once returned, spirits must possess a living host or become trapped in our realm. The havoc and harm they could wreak is unimaginable. Which is why we must always be cautious, even while traversing their realm. Now, as I was saying…”