Knight

by RA. Gil

  The people present were shocked by the sudden chain of events. Mouths hang open, eyes glued to Valeriana's spot in distress and alarm.

  Courtney was panting heavily. Her hands were shaking. The fog gently settled, which revealed the wind-wrought markings on the sand. Everyone was watching in suspense.

  Someone pointed to the spot Valeriana was standing on. The fog had cleared completely and Valeriana's condition was brought to light.

  Seraphina had both her arms held out in front of her. Her brows were knitted and her eyes were hazy with focus and concentration. There were sounds that resembled crumbling and she firmly clenched her fists, the sound intensifying.

  Standing there with her feet apart and arms crossed protectively over her head, Valeriana was still in one piece. It tugged a sigh of relief out of Seraphina, knowing that she was in a good state. Her wall of earth had successfully protected the girl.

  Valeriana opened her eyes, arms still crossed in front of her. “I'm still alive?” She looked around and noticed that a massive piece of rock was protruding in front of her, cracked and ready to crumble after taking the brunt of the attack. Still, she could not believe it.

  “Or maybe I’m just a soul . . .”

  She pinched herself and grimaced.

  Her eyes then widened. “Oh my god, I am alive.”

  “Good thinking, Seraphina. You acted fast.” Aeron told the woman. “Though, you may have to hold up that wall. It seems Courtney isn’t done.”

  At that prompt, Seraphina put more effort and reinforced the previous wall with another.

  Valeriana feared for another set of Courtney’s attacks as another wall of Earth rose from the ground. Peaking past the corner of the walls that had protected her, she saw that the other girl was shaking in anger. The air around her was even worse than before. Her emotions seemed to be running out of control.

  Courtney howled in rage as she released a few more of her wind blades. A small frightened shriek escaped Valeriana's lips as she pressed her back against her temporary shield. The tremor shaking the ground she was standing on made her lose her balance, but she managed to keep herself upright.

  Courtney finally stopped after she tired herself out from overusing her power. “You can be assured . . .” She weakly muttered. “I will not let you off for doing this to me so easily.”

  So she had too much pride and anger issues.

  Her opponent looked up at her with a grimace before collapsing, passing out from the overexertion. The crowd chattered noisily, ostensibly relieved but at the same time, disappointed as well.

  Valeriana felt relief pass through her. Her knees gave out under her and she crumpled like a heap of jelly. The wall of earth retracted and reinserted itself to the ground as Seraphina allowed her arms to fall to her sides.

  “Oh, thank the gods.”

  She looked at Courtney.

  “The healers! Please assist Lady Courtney and take her to the medical room!” Someone yelled from the crowd. “The rest of you! Please apply first aid to the other girl's wounds and don't forget to check for further injuries she may have received!”

  A bunch of people rushed forward led by a woman dressed in plain, white clothes. They took Courtney to a stretcher and began attending to Valeriana, inquiring about her current condition.

  “Are you alright? Can you stand?”

  -*-

  Valeriana was brought to the infirmary and was forced to lie down. It was the first time she got a cut so big, and since she wasn't used to it, the pain was in another level.

  “No! No! That hurts!” She screamed, closing her eyes as the healer dabbed medicine around her gaping flesh.

  “It'll be fine.” The healer chuckled. “It'll be over in a minute.”

  “I'm gonna die. That fudging . . . argh!”

  Corvan appeared from the corner. Behind him was a person who belonged to the faculty. Lady Seraphina, Lord Aeron, and Headmaster Kylon appeared after him, all wearing contented smiles on their faces.

  “Do you mind keeping it down? We can hear your screams on our way here.” He told her, crossing his arms irately.

  “Well, it's not my faul—ah! YOU SAID IT'LL BE OVER IN A MINUTE!”

  The healer laughed. “She's the noisiest patient I've ever had. Calm down, now.”

  “Then stop making me scre—AGH!”

  “What do you expect?” Corvan asked. “If you didn't get yourself wounded in that battle, then you wouldn't be screaming like it's the end of the world.”

  The whole room was ruled with silence for a moment before Valeriana suddenly started sobbing. The girl sniffed, tears pooling in her eyes. She looked at Corvan with hurt-filled eyes.

  “That wasn’t my fault! Why do I have to be blamed for things I didn’t want to happen?” She blubbered.

  “Wha—” The lord's eyes went wide as he watched the girl in front of him break down in tears. His mouth hung open at the sight. His reaction never seemed as priceless.

  “Ever since from the start you've been a real pain. You're so rude and you keep making me feel like I'm lower than the ground.” She cried, sobbing violently. Her tears streamed down her face and stained her cheeks.

  “S-stop crying! That's—” Corvan stumbled over his words.

  Lord Aeron suddenly burst into laughter. “Ah, I see. Lord Corvan doesn't know how to handle a girl who has broken down crying.”

  “T-that's because . . .” He trailed off and gulped audibly.

  “Alright, enough. Perhaps this might cheer you up.”

  “What is it?” She sniffed.

  “Based on unanimous decision, Valeriana Kerrigan, you are now a student of this academy.” Announced a teacher with light brown hair and rust-colored eyes.

  A moment of silence passed. Valeriana's mood rocketed that she almost hopped out of the bed, if it weren't for her sprained ankle. She suddenly burst into a fit of cheers.

  Corvan almost fell over in relief if it wasn't for Lord Aeron who patted him on the back comfortingly. “Who knew Lord Corvan has a weakness for crying girls?”

  “That's not true.” He fervently denied.

  Lord Aeron shook his head with a loose smile. “If you say so.”

  “Also,” The teacher cleared his throat and continued. “The faculty agreed that the fight ended exactly right after the sword in Courtney's hand was cut in half. We consider the elemental attack as an act of defiance, and temporarily suspended Courtney.”

  “I don't think it's really necessary to punish Courtney for that.” She told them.

  “That's right.” Corvan agreed but then added bluntly, “She was really annoyed by your pesky attitude that she almost obliterated you.”

  The girl glared at his direction while everyone else laughed. “Shut up. The one with the pesky attitude is you.”

  Chapter Thirteen ♣ Back Home

  T

  he morning rolled in and Lily did not realize she fell asleep on the sofa, waiting for Valeriana to come back. She didn't come home last night and the woman was worried sick. She had spent the whole night moping around the living room, fiddling with her fingers while anxiously waiting for her daughter to open the door. She was gone the next morning after she found her lying asleep on her bed without her pajamas and she hadn't come back ever since.

  Once or twice she tried calling the police, but they told her that she should wait for twenty-four hours before reporting a missing person. She remembered throwing the phone down and deciding to go out and look for Valeriana herself, but did not know where to start.

  Jareth came trudging downstairs while rubbing off the sleepiness in his eyes. “I'm hungry. Mom? Aren't you going to work?” He sauntered to the sofa his mother was sleeping on and shook her awake. “Mom . . . mom! You'll be late!”

  The woman jumped out of her seat in fright and looked at Jareth with a questioning look on her face. A dried trail of her drool marked the edges of her mouth.

  She held the remote control in her hands and glanced towards the directi
on of their plasma television pinned against the wall. The screen blared with the morning news report. The television must've been running since last night.

  “Did Valeriana come home last night? What time is it already?” She asked, brushing back the locks of her brown hair that resembled a bird's nest.

  “Seven-thirty and I don't think so.” Jareth muttered sleepily. “I checked her room to ask her to cook something for me. She's not home yet.”

  The evident worry for her daughter could be seen through the lines that creased her face. “I think I’ll take a day off today, Jareth. I can’t go to work worrying for Valery the entire day. I need to find her.”

  Jareth sank on the sofa and trained his eyes to the television. “She’ll come back.”

  “How can you say that so easily? Don’t you care for your sister?”

  “No, it’s just that Val is really too stubborn to let herself be abducted that easily without fighting. I mean, if ever they try, I’m sure they’ll get a bruise or two.”

  “Still! I’m going to call the police and drop by the station after that. I’m really worried for Valeriana. What if those who kidnapped her were in a syndicate of some sort? Oh, good lords.” She said and fumbled with the receiver resting on the drawer against the wall. Not a split second afterwards, while the dial tone was ringing, she glared at Jareth pointedly and said, “Get the newspaper. Check if we also have mail.”

  Jareth obeyed her mother and walked out of their front door. He saw the newspaper on their front porch and bent down to pick it up. His eyes shot to the mailbox by their gate and he noticed that the flag was raised. He approached it, the newspaper clipped between his fingers. Jareth pulled on the small knob he personally hammered into it during his antics as a child and saw a letter inside. He carefully took it out and stared at the golden seal stamped on it.

  A winged sword with a shower of feathers on the background.

  “Weird.”

  It wasn't addressed to anyone in particular—which was strange. He entered his house, examining the letter on both sides.

  As he closed the door behind him, his mother was already in front of their clothing rack throwing in her coat. Lily approached him while buttoning up. “What's that?” She nodded towards the letter in Jareth's hands.

  “A letter, obviously.” He answered sarcastically.

  “Let me see that.” Lily snatched the envelope from Jareth's hands and flipped it to the other side. “No name? How did they send it, then?”

  She ripped it open and found two letters inside. She unfolded the first and started reading. After going over the contents written on it, she beckoned her son to come forward, keeping her eyes trained on the piece of paper.

  “Tell me this isn't true!” After reading it over two times, tears sprung from her eyes and she broke down. She began sobbing and shoved the piece of paper to Jareth's chest, covering her face with her hands. “That's got to be some scam!”

  “What does it say?” He asked, taking a look for himself. He started reading it aloud.

  Dear mom,

  I'm sorry. I want you to know that I found a great school that I can study in without having to pay for anything. There was this guy named Airon La-something who said that he would be willing to pay for everything I'll need. I’m sorry I wasn't able to tell you goodbye, but things happened this way and I sort of just went along.

  If you're worrying if this is fake, then don't. That is NOT the problem right now.

  I barely had time to prepare myself too. It isn't easy for me after being suddenly dragged away, but if you're going to ask why now when it's summer vacation, I think it's because this school demands a lot from its students. I'm even wondering if these guys ever rest—but soon, I'll probably be one of them.

  But that's the problem. PROBABLY. I mean, I have to (figh) find a way that I can pass the entrance exam. It's far harder than I thought it was. And everyone here is so mean! They're so mean towards me! Just because I'm from another (world) country from theirs. Because I'm a foreigner and they're not used to foreigners. But this academy has very high standards and stuff. Its name is Celeste Academy, in case you're wondering.

  I have a LOT of things to tell you, mom! There's this guy who's a big, cocky prick that thinks that he's more important than everyone else just because he's from a rich family! I mean, I never thought someone like that existed anymore!

  With lots of love and kisses,

  Valeriana

  P.S. I'll try sending you a postcard!

  “No. I don't believe it.” She shook her head furiously. “I do not believe that!”

  “It's sis's handwriting. What about the other one?” Jareth asked, pointing to the other piece of paper.

  Lily hastily began to read.

  To Mr., and Mrs. Kerrigan.

  We want to happily inform you that your daughter has been accepted into Celeste Academy, and will now serve as one of our beloved students for the next four years. We want you to be aware that the school requires students to reside within our dormitories. You've no need to worry about paying any of her school fees and other miscellaneous, for she would study under scholarship until she graduates.

  We want to congratulate you in having an excellent daughter.

  This by my hand,

  Aeron LaVallene

  with the consent of

  Kylon Cadalyn

  School Headmaster

  “Does Valery hate me so much she didn't even say goodbye before she left for an elite academy?” She sobbed, carefully folding both of the letters. “I will not allow it! All so suddenly—without even saying goodbye! How could she? She just . . . just left! She didn't even tell me! Where is her respect to me as a mother? Where!”

  Lily began to pace around restlessly. Seeing this, her son sighed. “Mom!”

  “Where is that school? How can I contact them? I need to talk to Valery immediately! I will not be able to rest easy until I know what kind of school it is!”

  While Jareth watched his mother practically cry her eyes out, he casually folded the paper back and shrugged his shoulders. “Calm yourself, mom.” Jareth patted her back soothingly.

  She began chewing on her nails. “I told her to fix her enrollment but I did not say to leave so soon!”

  “Mom, Valeriana's already seventeen years old. She's old enough to take care of herself.”

  “B-but . . .” She sobbed.

  “Look on the bright side!” Jareth commented. “Where is it anyway? There is no address written on the envelope.”

  Lily's brows creased into a frown as she stared at the letter Jareth was holding. She pulled out a tissue from its box and blew on it violently. She patted her tears dry with another ply before hiccupping. “Celeste Academy, was it?”

  “Is there anything wrong, mom?”

  She shook her head. “It's nothing. I'm just worried for your sister and all.” She guided herself and headed for the stairs, her heavy, seemingly dragged footsteps echoing within the room. “I'll go upstairs.” She carefully told his son. “I pulled off a simple ham sandwich at the moment, go help yourself.”

  She traveled through the hall and entered the bedroom which she and her husband shared before he passed away. She sauntered into the room and stopped just beside their bed. She took a deep breath and bent down, slipping her hands under the furniture. She grasped a small, antique box and pulled it out. Calmly kneeling on the floor as she stared at the small container sitting on her palms, she blew away the dust and closed her eyes.

  “Damn this! Jareth! Grab that letter! We'll get in touch with that headmaster or die trying!”

  Chapter Fourteen ♣ Getting Started

  Valeriana told the healer that she wanted to rest, but no matter how much she tried to fall asleep, her brain just wouldn't comply. She kept on tossing and turning on her bed, for instead of slumber, her mind was somewhere else. She was sure she looked like a mess. Lacking sleep always made her look horrible.

  She made a guttural sound in the back of h
er throat in frustration and sat up. Raking her hands through her hair, she pulled her arm back and stared at the bracelet around her wrist.

  A million questions swarmed inside her head and kept sleep at bay. She wouldn't be able to rest soundly if there were a lot of things she needed to know about. She was grateful that she was still alive, but the pressure was just too much.

  She stared at the golden band around her wrist, tracing the aesthetic design. There was a repeating illustration of a deer and a creature that somehow looked like a horse galloping in front of a tree with roses blooming from its branches. It was a weird but a beautiful kind of art.

  If it wasn't for Seraphina, she would have never come out in one piece.

  Her wounds were all healing favorably. There were a few that the healer managed to properly close, leaving a few scars in return.

  Three, gentle knocks interrupted her line of thoughts. Valeriana dragged her gaze wearily to its direction as the door opened and she spotted Seraphina. Her cerulean blue eyes peeked into the room curiously, traveling towards Valeriana's. The girl caught her gaze and gave her a weak smile before nodding.

  “It's almost time for class.” Seraphina said as she entered, a bundle of clean and bright clothes folded in her arms. “I brought this with me. This will be your uniform. The rest of these are extras. Please use it sparingly.”

  She was clad in clothes different from the ones Valeriana last saw her in. This was less formal in comparison to her uniform. Aside from that, nothing changed that much.

  “Oh, thanks.” She sighed again. She forgot about the classes.

  “Classes are five days a week, and nine hours every day—starting from eight in the morning up to five in the afternoon.”

  “I . . . understand.” She hesitantly answered. “How's Courtney doing?”