"You're strong." Coco said behind her. "Elfina raises few strong students. You never compare with dark students"
Fina watched her for any slight move.
Coco took out a red liquid vial and gulped it down.
"We've been here for years. Adapting to your world. Getting closer to the best of the best. We were getting close. And then you appear. You were never supposed to come to Elfina. Whatever Frida saw, must have gotten her scared. She knew the book was missing. Her Guardians were smart. They searched in secret. For years. But they never found the book. Xiana was a great dark student. She was praised highly by the Masters. The Masters trusted her and she obeyed. Then, we came here and she changed. Walker changed her. Parker, Black, Starr, Faye, Osborne and Rose changed her. She was one of them. She stopped being one of us."
Fina looked at her through half closed lids.
"What are you?" She asked
"We? We are your nightmares. We are coming. For everyone of you. The world will worship us. They will bow at our feet. Our years of sorrow will come to an end"
"You sound confident" Fina said slowly.
"You told Tyrell about the Queen. That was your mistake. The Queen must have seen something. And whatever Frida saw, it's always the truth"
Coco cut her palm with an invisible blade and drank her blood. Her tongue lapped the remains slowly with her eyes fixed on Fina.
"Xiana wanted to be free. Since she had a relationship with Swift, she wanted them to stop. She wanted us to stop. But she had forgotten she had made a deal with the devil. The Masters know. They know everything. They watches Amenix. And what the Masters want, the Masters gets. Even if they want your Queen"
Fina took a step back.
"So, they ordered her death. The same way Carly's was ordered centuries ago. Xiana never left. She must have been waiting for you. How stupid she must have been thinking she would give Frida the most powerful book in the world. That book, can wipe the whole world. That's how powerful it is. It belonged to us but they took it from us. And they'll revenge. When Tyrell knew Xiana's still appearing, he found a way to get rid of her. Xiana's gone. Forever. And so will you"
Fina's eyes searched quietly for the palest wall but Coco was perfectly watching her every move.
"Swift became your shadow. Shelly Jefferson" Coco laughed wickedly.
"She never knew she was playing with fire but we couldn't kill her because everyone will know. No matter how hard we try to wipe everyone's memory the way we did to them, we'd never be able to wipe hers.
"I really want to piece the puzzle together for you so you'd be free with your job when you are gone. Time flies when you are here." Coco said sadly. "Xavier was smart. He started to get suspicious so we start giving him the poison. Little by little until his body will adapt. Every drop wipe a part of his memory. But the idiot couldn't stay away from books. He remembers whenever he grabbed something to read. Xavier doesn't read for fun. He read to remember. And Bryce Parker always made sure he remember. Those two are closer than anything."
"You've been poisoning him for years. He thought he was sick"
"Pity. An advantage. He started to shut Tyrell off and if he fights with Tyrell, everyone will know our secret so we decided to give him the last dose."
Coco looked at Fina.
"But you came along. You ruined everything Fina Clark! You weren't supposed to be here!" Coco shouted. "The girls hates you so I wanted to be the nice one and make you my friend"
"Why kill them?" Fina asked, her eyes flickering from the wall to Coco.
"Rituals. Sacrifice. For the book. It was important. Their blood bring us closer to the book. Their blood brought us closer to you. You found the book. We made you and Xiana talk. Even in death, she was close-lipped. Even in death, she was loyal. In dreams does it all lay. If you die here, you are never getting back."
"Carly cursed you" Fina said
"Carly cursed herself. The Masters took care of her. Remember, the Masters watches" Coco said "Think carefully, when I came to see you in that room when you were hallucinating, I remembered the deaths and no one remembers"
Fina looked her straight in the eye.
"So? That makes you smart?"
Coco beamed.
"Yes. Enough of the bed time stories"
Coco touched her jaw and removed her mask.
Every part of her changed into spines and her eyes became one.
The red eye.
Fina didn't wait. She went straight to the palest glass and disappeared.
She felt something piercing her skin and looked down at her side to see seven spines in her skin.
She didn't need to be told twice it was poison.
The room began to tilt wildly and she struggled to keep herself standing.
Her body jerked as she felt another presence in the room.
Tyrell.
Tyrell looked down at her.
Fina glanced at his hand and smiled when she didn't see the book in his hands.
"Even walls of distraction bested you. You haven't found the book"
"I wouldn't say that. Even the hardest wall can be brought down"
Tyrell made a silent spell and the whole walls darkened.
"Tetsiya Sentimincus!"
******
Fina had said she was going to Walker. That had been hours ago.
Zo head swarmed with thoughts as she ran out of the castle.
Fina have been gone for hours.
She picked up pace as she went straight to her destination.
Walker.
Is she with Walker? Is she being punished?
She was out of the castle when Nancy and her minions attacked her.
"Who is going to help you now, Midget?" Nancy spat.
Zo glared at her.
"Oh… The kitten wants to fight" Carrie said and poked Zo on the shoulder.
They poked Zo with their wands, teasing and making fun of her.
Zo fell down when they pushed her.
She had to get to Fina.
She hurried up to her feet. No time to be weak.
As Carrie tried to poke her again, she took a deep breath and punched her hard on the face.
Nancy screamed and lunged at her.
Zo closed her eyes, ready for the hit but it never came.
She opened her eyes to see Shelly Jefferson winking at her.
"Hey friend" Shelly said "Miss me?"
"You are supposed to be on room arrest" Nancy said, trying to free her hand from Shelly's grasp.
"I got out" Shelly said
"On whose order?" Nancy asked in disbelief.
"Mine" Shelly said "Get out of my sight"
Shelly jerked her hand away and she yelped.
Nancy and her minions scurried away.
"Where's Clark?" Shelly asked
When Zo shook her head, Shelly's face lost all colour.
"She said she was going to check on Xavier. And that was hours ago."
"Let's go to Walker then"
They didn't walk.
They ran.
Fast.
People gave them looks but they didn't mind.
They raised their rings for inspection and walked right in without permission coming to a halt.
Walker wasn't alone.
He was with his favorite students.
And so he always talks about.
Bridget Faye rolled her eyes.
Walker was leaning on his desk, which wasn't a surprise.
The rest was standing in different places.
Ozias and Bryce were standing close to Walker while others was at a distance.
"What a pleasant surprise. You are here?" Walker said
"I'm not good at rules although I'll try to serve my punishment later? The best of the best are here only some are missing. That's mind bogling" Shelly said
"Tyrell's sick." Kit said, looking up for the first time since they'd stepped into the room.
"Yeah. He's definitely sick. Right. Splendid" Shelly said mockingly.
"Aside from breaking school laws, what are you doing here?" Walker asked.
Ozias glanced at Shelly but quickly looked away.
Kathleen, Camilla and Bridget all had an annoyed look on their faces.
Bryce Parker watched Zo.
And so was Mr Walker now.
"Why wasn't she punished?" Shelly asked "No. Don't answer that. Never mind"
Fina wasn't here.
Nor Coco nor Tyrell nor Jessica.
Shelly willed herself not to think about it.
If they are with Fina, then-
No.
"Is something troubling you, Miss Alvarez?" Mr Walker asked
Zo looked at Shelly with horror. Everything seeping into her head.
"Fina said she wanted to talk to you" Zo said shakily
"I haven't seen her today" Mr Walker said
"She was on our way out of the castle the last time I saw her. Hours ago?" Bryce Parker said "I saw her with Ian"
Silence.
"Oh." Shelly said
Mr Walker must have read something on their faces.
"I'll talk to you all tomorrow. You are dismissed"