Chapter 21
Chapter Twenty-One
Selene
My fingers grazed my still tingling lips and my head spun as my magic danced across my nerves like they were its own personal dance floor. My own thoughts berated me for leaving Ender, especially after that kiss, but Sydney and I had some late-night research to do.
A slow song played inside the gym-turned-winter-forest-wonderland, and there was an overwhelming buzz from everyone talking, adding to my inability to focus.
“Did Viv leave?’ I asked Sydney as we weaved through students I barely recognized, wishing I could blame it on their formal attire.
“Nope.” Sydney nodded toward the dance floor, and my gaze drifted in that direction.
Viv had her arms around April’s waist, swaying back and forth, smiling as they chatted.
I had admired Viv’s beautiful deep-plunged purple dress, and she had curled her hair into long, black ringlets.
Now, I admired it in a different light—along with her intense reaction when I had asked her to keep a low profile, which meant hanging out with her new friends less.
She had a thing for April—who also looked beautiful with a floral dress and matching flower crown seated in her curled, short red hair.
April was very social and always out, which would leave Viv alone in their room.
“Come on.” Sydney nudged me as she grinned. “We gotta go.”
We had research to do.
My math teacher was stationed at the sign-in and check-out book near the door. She seemed to be holding the attention of a guard as she chatted away. I tucked my head and quickly walked past, following Sydney out the door and disregarding the sign-out book.
We made our way inside the main building, its doors typically unlocked until late at night. But getting in wasn’t the problem—it was the locked doors on the inside that would slow us down.
“You couldn’t have picked this pantsuit in literally any other color?” I glanced down at the vibrant white that was a beacon in the dark academy halls. Staying in our dress attire was included in the plan in case we were caught—easier to make up some alibi about post-dance shenanigans.
“White is good for the soul.” Sydney smiled over her shoulder. “Plus, I like white when I use fire magic. It’s a bold look.”
It was too bold.
“You seem very casual about this,” I whispered as she led the way toward Headmaster John’s office.
I’d done my exploration of the academy at night to become familiar with the grounds, but I hadn’t expected Sydney to feel at such ease—but with her skill set, which I would be utilizing, I shouldn’t have been surprised.
“Do you know how I told you my parents sent me here to try to strengthen my magic?” she asked.
“Yes.” I also remembered April telling me how she would sneak off at night, though now I knew it was due to her panic attacks. Sydney had mentioned she was very good at picking locks—the reason she was coming with me tonight.
“Well, they also sent me here to get rid of me.” Her tone dropped, a touch of hurt seeping into it. “They were hoping it would get rid of my rebellious side.”
“I’m sorry.” I didn’t know all of her story, but from the pain in her voice, I could tell it was a hard topic, and I wondered if it had anything to do with her panic attacks in the middle of the night.
“Here we are.” Sydney knelt in front of the headmaster’s door. She pulled two bobby pins out of her hair and went to work.
Ender had believed I unlocked the doors in the library when, in reality, I had stolen the librarian’s key and didn’t want anyone to know.
Every single lock in this forsaken academy was made of tungsten—and I couldn’t manipulate it.
If we had gotten caught, it would have been better if he had no knowledge of stealing a key or taking part in the thievery.
Stealing the headmaster’s key, on the other hand, wasn’t a very accomplishable task. The little charm around Aura’s neck would immediately be noticed if it was MIA.
“Got it!” Sydney whispered in triumph a few short moments later. She went to open the door, but it wouldn’t budge. “That’s strange.”
“Are you sure you unlocked it?” I asked as she stepped aside for me to try. My hand turned the knob, and it opened just fine.
“Huh.” Sydney shrugged. “Must’ve been stuck.”
“And you just loosened it for me,” I joked.
Inside, the office was dark, so Sydney lit a small ring of fire. She didn’t know I was an ether mage, and despite how close we were getting, I wasn’t going to tell her. Not only did it put her in danger, but it also put Viv in danger.
“Thank you for your help,” I said to Sydney as I went over to John’s desk and began opening anything that was unlocked. She had been eager to help when I told her I needed to see why he had Ender’s file on his desk, but she’d declared herself all-in when I said we had to pick the lock.
I assumed Ender’s file had been present because of the rock creature incident, but that was a month ago.
Then there was the phone I had found, and no one seemed to actually know what type of mage John was.
He had a familiar, so was most likely a level four.
Of course, the directory had been left with the Demonher rats before I could find out and take more than a couple pictures of its pages. I needed to know more.
Inside one of the drawers was a lighter, the body carved from wood.
Interesting choice to make a lighter with.
I glanced up. Besides the soft glow Sydney’s magic was emitting, the room was dark. No candles were lit, and I wondered if they hadn’t always been lit with magic.
The file wasn’t on the desk, so we started searching the filing cabinets.
They were alphabetically labeled but locked.
I didn’t have to wait long for Sydney to unlock the cabinet marked H, so I could look for Hart.
After she whistled and muttered something about that being her fastest picking yet, I made quick work, my fingers moving through the files.
“Can you watch the door?” I asked Sydney, and she nodded, taking a guard position.
Once I found Ender’s file, I set it on top of the others, opening it. The first sheet had a picture of Ender. His face was narrower, and his hair was a bit shaggier—he looked like a freshman. I wondered if the files for me and Viv had our pictures—we hadn’t taken one during orientation.
There wasn’t a lot of information besides the mention of a small school he had attended in Canada prior to his arrival, a Priscilla Hart—his guardian who worked for the council—and that his parents were deceased. It didn’t even mention his parents’ names.
Another paper with a small picture stapled to it lay behind it, and I pulled it to the front. The older woman in the photo looked just like Miss Lee, the groundskeeper who had given Ender the cupcake. But the name on the sheet said Bernila Galang.
Why would she go by a different name? And why would a scant record sheet on her be in Ender’s file?
“Someone’s coming,” Sydney popped back though the partially closed door. “I can hear wheels and think it’s the janitor. They haven’t rounded the corner yet.”
“Let’s go.” If it was Miss Lee, the groundskeeper, I didn’t want her to find out I was sneaking into the headmaster’s office.
I put the file back and closed the drawer. The letter T caught my eye, and I paused. I would love to know what John had in my file—but then again, would it be nearly empty like Ender’s? How much did he know?
I guess it didn’t matter. Our time was up.