Third day of Sat’xahr, 4044 AOT

Second day of school, Tnej’zien, the tenth day of Sat’xahr, 4044 AOT. After getting through the trouble the night before, Azalea and Blair spent the night doing their own things. This is the first morning they are spending with each other’s company.

“You got nice abs there,” Blair complements her roommate while keeping a very cheerful expression. “You’re well fit; you must have gone through a lot.”

Azalea turns her gaze at the enthusiastic girl sitting by the lower bed. “You seem more fit than I am, I just can’t imagine how you’ve been spending your whole life.” She says jokingly creating a light atmosphere between them. “By the way, you barely made it in time last night.” She adds while they both prepare to attend class. “Make sure to remember the curfew next time, I don’t want to get in trouble.”

Blair laugh like a teasing kid while rubbing the back of her head. “I’ll try. I sort of got lost in the forest this afternoon and lost track of time so--” She pauses as their eyes met. She suddenly jumps closer. “WOAH!!! Your eyes are purple! It’s the first time I’ve seen one!”

“Could you not get too close?” Azalea says while pushing Blair’s face away from her. She then notices her necklace. It looks like a plain golden ring but her eyes is drawn to it as if she felt something off for a second there.

“I just got too excited. So cool! Do your parents have purple eyes too?” She continues to question with excitement.

“No. My mom had green while my dad had black. My eyes are hereditary from my grandmother’s side.”

“How nice. The color of your eyes reminds me of the sky just after the sun set. My fiery red hair and eyes only makes me look scary.”

“Yeah, it sure does.” Azalea mumbles and then something sparks in her mind. “Red hair… red eyes. What is your middle name?” Her tone suddenly turns serious.

“It’s Rouge.”

“I see.” She says to herself. The aura around her falls darker. “Is this part of that old fart’s plan? What is it that he wants to achieve?”

“Hello? What’s with the sudden silence? Are you familiar with that name?”

“I’m somewhat acting childish right now. It seems that she hasn’t realized it yet. It’s not her fault either. I’ll at least try to act normal or something like that.” Azalea falls deep in thought for a moment before pulling her usual business smile back. “Sorry, I was lost in my thought. That middle name, maybe you shouldn’t speak of it too much.”

“Err… I don’t really get it, is this some kind of roommates’ secret? I don’t mind though.” Blair speculates enthusiastically.

“Mhm…” She puts on her uniform. “Yeah, you can take it as that. By the way my middle name is Ashina that levels the info about us now.”

“Y-yeah…”

Blair is feeling confused after Azalea left. She then quickly puts her uniform on before running outside. She needs to hurry up before the time allotted for breakfast is over. On her way out, Shane warns her not to run inside the dorm because it is improper. She takes a couple of egg sandwich for breakfast before quickly leaving the cafeteria. She goes into a different building a couple of times before finding the right one, arriving just right on time before the bell rings.

“This morning is hectic. Ah--!” Blair pants. Then she notices Azalea who is supposed to be seated just a row behind next to hers. “Right, we are in the same class too.” She laughs.

“Yeah…” Azalea responds softly. “This girl… she doesn’t even remember her classmates?..”

“It’s great to have a friend in the same class.”

“I have no recollection of us being friends.”

“Miss Lisiantha, Miss Blakewood, be quiet.” Prof. Claws enters the room. He checks the attendance and then proceeds with their homeroom. “Before anything… Ms. Lisiantha and Ms. Blakewood, please see the guidance counselor before lunch break ends.”

The class murmurs.

“It hasn’t even been a week and they already got themselves a ticket to see miss guidance.”

“Whoa, guidance like in the second day of school? That’s friggin’ hilarious.”

“Hey, shut up!” Blair gets annoyed. “Can’t you just talk about your own asses instead?!”

“Ms. Lisiantha, lower your voice we are in the middle of class.” Prof. Claws says whiel connecting his tablet’s Bluetooth to the electronic board.

“Sir, why are we being called into the guidance office?” Azalea asks politely.

“You will know once you get there.” The professor answers indifferently. “Okay now we’ll start our first lesson in history. The old world, Elysium.”

The class is in disorder as they go on whispering gossips of baseless speculations to each other while class is in session. Although, neither Azalea nor Blair is feels bothered by their early ticket to the guidance councilor’s office. They go by their usual schedule like normal which mostly involves skipping classes or getting lost somewhere. Both of them has disappeared at some point between class breaks and did not return to class.

Morning classes have ended with two seats left empty for the rest of that morning. Azalea and Blair meets each other again on the hallway of the Administrative building’s first floor. Blair speed up her pace to match Azalea who is ahead of her. The Guidance Councilor’s Office is in the second floor, right wing.

“Let’s go together.” Blair says while running to catch up to Azalea. “You don’t seem to be upset about what the shit that our classmates were talking about earlier.”

“Getting upset over such trivial matter is tiring.” She answers indifferently while they both walk side by side. “I don’t really mind whatever they think about me, I don’t know them anyway. Besides, I’m used to it.”

“You’re… used to it?..” She taps Azalea’s shoulder while looking like she is about to drop a few tears. “I know that feeling. It must have been really hard, huh?”

“H-huh? No, not really. What the hell.” Azalea’s brow twitches. She removes Blair’s hand on her shoulder and continued on their way.

“Don’t worry, whatever it is, I’m on your side!” The red head seems to be determined about something.

On the Administrative Building’s second floor, Blair and Azalea stand in front of the Guidance Councilor’s Office. Azalea goes ahead and knocks while Blair stands casually.

“Azalea Blakewood and Blair Lisiantha, reporting to the guidance office.” They say in unison.

“Come in.” A low-toned woman’s voice answers. Then Azalea turns the knob, opening the door. “First, please take the seats in front of my desk, young ladies.” An old woman, probably on her late fifties with black hair mixed with few streaks of grayish white around the ear side welcomed them into office. She is wearing eclipsed shaped glasses. Her greenish blue eyes examined the pose of the two girls from head to toe.

They both heed the words of the intimidating woman in front of them. They fix their eyes on the name plate on her desk as they silently read her name, “Sadi St. Malupit, Ed. D, Guidance Counselor, Aluet Balaam Academy.”

The heavy silence continues while the strict looking woman browses through the files in her computer. Both Azalea and Blair anxiously face each other on their seat. The ice is broken when another set of knocks echo inside the closed space. A girl and a boy entered the room. It’s the same girl that was being picked on by the upperclassman the day before and the boy who fetched her after. The girl has curly black hair that looks like it has never known the use of brush before. She has jade green eyes with a bored and depressed expression printed in them. A mole rests under her left eye. An eye-catching collar around her thin neck draws their attention as she walks inside followed by the boy with the same messy hair that is covered by an orange bonnet. Coming in consecutively makes the girl look relatively small. The peak of her head only reaches close to the chest of the guy that follows.

“Come in and take two chairs over there, put them beside these ladies and seat so that we can start talking about the issue here.” Ms. Malupit says while pointing on the chairs

The two followed her instructions without any complains.

“Do you have any idea why the four of you were called here?” She asks. None of the four are able to answer, so she continues with her piercing eyes looking directly at their face as if she is reading every expression they make. “Ms. Blakewood, Ms. Lisiantha and Mr. Saintgregor, the three of you didn’t attend your afternoon classes yesterday. Why?”

“I got lost.” Blair answers normally. “I went too far in the forest and couldn’t find my way back so I decided to relax for a bit but I fell asleep.”

The councilor records her statement in the computer. “First of all, the forest is off-limits to students, read your student handbook. The next time you are caught roaming around the area then we’ll have to deal with you properly.” She then turns her eyes to Azalea.

“I was in the library.” She answers calmly. “I got into reading books and forgot to go to class.”

“You are a student; it is your duty to go to class.” She responds while typing. “Mr. Saintgregor, why didn’t you attend your afternoon classes?”

The boy in bonnet laughs while rubbing his head. “I sort of got tired so I decided to take a rest in my room.”

“File an excuse note next time.” She replies with a straight face while she continues recording. “And lastly, Ms. Saintgregor… You were asleep the whole course of your afternoon classes.”

“I felt sleepy so I took a nap.” The girl answers in monotone with an expressionless face.

“She did not ‘fell asleep’ but deliberately ‘took a nap.’ I wonder who’s the weirdest among the people assembled inside the room right now.” Azalea asks herself.

“If the both of you are too tired to attend your classes then get yourself excused and rest in the infirmary. Is that too hard to understand?” Ms. Malupit continues on recording. Her glasses only intensify her glaring eyes while she observes the problem children in her office. “As punishment to your misconduct, the four of you will sweep the garden outside clean and after your classes, for the next two days. DO NOT SKIP ANYMORE.”

“Yes, ma’am.” They answer in sync.

“Despite her intimidating appearance, she’s just going let us off like that?” Azalea thought trying to read the actions of the guidance counselor.

Their meeting with Ms. Malupit ends there and they are all dismissed to resume their lunch break. The students politely left the office. Ms. Malupit fixes her eyes at them as they gently and calmly close the door.

“Those kids don’t seem to be taking this seriously.” She whispers to herself while relaxing her back on the chair. “Their cases will be more problematic than what I’ve initially thought. What is that idiot up to this time?”

∞×∞

Right after their classes, Azalea goes to visit the Headmaster’s Office. She seems to be bothered by a lot of things concerning her school life. On the other hand, Headmaster Dimasalang seems to be enjoying his leisure time so much in his office that he totally does not mind Azalea’s intrusion.

“Hey, old man.” Azalea says while entering without knocking. She casually let herself take a seat on the sofa. “You pulled some strings in the dorm rooming system, didn’t you?”

“Is that a problem?” Headmaster Dimasalang answers while lining up several cigarette sticks on his table. “Do you actually mind living with her?”

“Do I?” She says as a vein pops out of her forehead. “You know that that is not the issue here.” She crossed her arms and legs while slightly tilting her head. “That person is trouble, and you arranged all this so that I have no choice but to get involved with her business, didn’t you?”

“Did I?” He answers with a make believe innocent expression. “I found a perfect friend for you. Isn’t that nice?” He is about to line up another stick when a magic circle sparked and then it all suddenly flared up. “Ah--… what a waste of cigar.”

Azalea purposely keeps silent while a thick amount of smoke rises up and then out the open window. “Old fart, are you taking me for a fool?”

Headmaster Oryx fixed his tranquil eyes on her. He makes a straightforward smile. “I guess I did. I wasn’t expecting you to come visit me this early.”

“That girl is…”

“Blair is a very cheerful child, isn’t she?” He deliberately cuts her statement short. He closes his eyes with a reassuring smile. “I knew you’ll get along pretty well.”

“And where did you get that idea?”

“Well, both you already got yourselves into the guidance councilor’s office on your second day of school. Furthermore, both of you will also clean the garden together later. You got along better than what I’ve originally thought.”

“Damn this old fart.” She grits her teeth. The she slowly stands up taking the first step to leave the office. “I don’t wanna get involved with more of them. I already had my fair share of trouble.”

“Don’t you think it’s about time for you to stop isolating yourself?” He responds with undisturbed expression. “I’m not going to force you to come out of that tough shell; however I wouldn’t stop dangling baits either. Everything you do here will be and only be something that you have decided for yourself. But hey, until when do you plan to keep acting indifferently around anything and everything?”

“I’m not here to entertain your curiosity so just get off my case already.”

“Stop running away. Instead of pursuing an unreachable existence like Naraka, why don’t you investigate your parents’ death?”

The vase sitting on the small table in front of the sofa suddenly cracked and shattered as if it was exposed to too much pressure.

“Oh--… did I step into a land mine?..” Headmaster Dimasalang says unmoved by Azalea’s enraged glare.

“That is not something you should casually speak about.” She then turns her back away walking towards the door.

“You can never run away from yourself, Azalea.” He says as the door slowly closes. “If you are not going to fly using your broken wings then you are better off staying in a cage where you can be protected.” He says softly looking at his slightly burned table.

The headmaster let out a deep sigh before pressing a button in the telephone. “Please call the utility man to my office … Yes, Mr. Wyvern. Is he available?.. I think I broke something.”