The next day, classes on Monday ran smoothly as it could with Jia going through the motions with Soul Magic, Ancient languages, History and Runes. Try as she could, Zoey`s date with Cole bothered her and add to that she had been feeling off since last night after waking up in cold sweat.
She hadn`t had a nightmare in years. Since she was six years old. This nightmare felt real in the sense that she was watching a horrible event unfold and she couldn`t stop it. She saw a great battle in her school. Students fighting against mantic ogres, giant scorpions, Darklings and so many horrible creatures of the Nether world. She saw her friends fighting for their lives, standing back to back with Roy`s friends, defending each other. Worst of all, she saw a huge pale man in an armour fighting against her. She was losing and she could tell. She looked tired but not defeated. Finally, she had yelled something out and grabbed the armoured villain before they disappeared in a flash of light.
And that was when she woke up gasping and crying. Luckily, Zoey was a heavy sleeper and so she didn`t wake her. She felt scared for the first time in ten years and she didn`t like the feeling.
The school work distracted her until recess when she was allowed to let her mind wander. She couldn`t do that so she left the classrooms and headed outside to sit. There, she`d wait for her friends to catch her.
Jia sat on top of the wall of the fountain with a book in hand and eating a bonbon. The sweet chocolate and powdery pastry was helping her to ease the pain she was feeling in her stomach and lower back. It was the same pain that came every month since she was thirteen. That`s right, she was on her period and it was not the most ideal time for her to be walking around.
She hated moving around whenever her period came because the feeling was just unbearable. On the first and second days, she liked to sit or stay in bed with bonbons and a large soda. Unfortunately, there was supposed to be an emergency School Assembly so she needed to be there.
"I hate Mondays," Rose grumbled as she sat down beside Jia. Her hair looked like she had run her hands through it multiple times and she was clutching a very thick book. Rose was stressed out about the Ancient Languages essay that they had just been given by Professor Maze and they had to attend their first Combat Magic class later so they had to do power display. Not something she could easily do.
Jia looked up from her book and turned to her friend before pushing her box of bonbons towards her," Have some. There from Kyra`s parents."
Rose`s face lit up as she picks up one and eat it before moaning," This is so good!"
"I know right, Kyra`s parents are amazing," Jia gushed before grimacing and doubling over in pain.
"Shoot! Time of the month? "Rose asked with a worried frown.
Jia nodded before taking deep breaths and sitting up, "It's fine. I just need plenty of chocolate and soda."
"Really? I`m more of a chocolate ice cream and waffles kind of girl."
"Does it work?"
Rose nodded enthusiastically, "Oh yeah, definitely."
"What are we talking about? "Fiona asked as and the other girls joined them. They all looked equally tired and frustrated. The essay was a surprise for them as well.
"Pain food." Jia answered.
"Pain food?" Kyra asked with a frown.
"Food we eat when it comes to our time of the month." Rose explained, eating another bonbon.
All the girls winced. Those were not the happiest days for girls, with the cramps, backaches, mood swings and bloating. Unstable days were what most girls called it, or was it their boyfriends?
"Most girls get cravings around that time." Zoey added.
Fiona raised a hand, "I don`t, I just get really bad cramps."
"I get the bloating but my brothers say that I`m extra moody," Kyra wondered, she then turned to Clary," Was I moody last week?"
Clary frowned at her roommate," You had your period last week?"
"So you didn`t think I was moody?"
Clary patted her shoulder, "No offence girl but you don`t exactly broadcast your emotions to me, most of the times I`m guessing how your feeling."
Kyra gave herself and impressed smile.
"Anyway, I hate that we have to suffer every month."
"True, why can`t the guys get periods?"
Rose sniffed, "Because they don`t have the proper organs needed for it."
"What a shame," Kyra muttered.
Fiona chuckled. They kept on talking about the unfairness of periods as they stood and in front of the raised stand in front of the main doors. Fiona was trying to get Jia to explain to her the different ranks of Nobles when the Professors started moving up onto the stand; the girls ceased their talking and stood quietly. Everyone watched as Headmistress Aline walked up onto the stand and turned to address the girls.
Jia remember the first time she saw the Headmistress. It was during the First Day Assembly. She was what Zoey described as a 'Fairy Queen.' She had long silky pink hair and the softest green eyes. She was willowy and was dressed in a red suit. When she addressed the girls the first time, Jia felt like she was getting a pep talk from one of the most powerful Spirits of the Universe. Fiona said it was her magic.
Aline was an empathy and also possessed Emotion magic. Very influential and very advanced Magic. Mind control was one thing but emotion was another. Aline could make you want to do something and make you feel anything. From scared to even be inspired to fight a losing battle.
Headmistress Aline cleared her throat, "We have a very serious announcement to make this morning girls. I want you all to listen very carefully."
"Midterms have been cancelled?" Clary whispered hopefully.
"They can`t cancel Mid-terms," Rose stated, "They can only do that if we`re in a crisis."
"Oh man!" Clary whined.
"There is no easy way to say this but I was told to relay the news before panic breaks over the city...Earlier today, the Emperor`s Tomb was found and reports have come in that it has been opened." Aline revealed.
Gasps and shouts broke out across the Assembly area. Jia and the girls exchanged shocked glances. It was common knowledge that the Emperor`s Tomb had been lost for centuries and people had prayed that it would remain lost. Not anymore, looks like the Spirits weren`t listening to the people`s prayers now.
"The Consort who has opened the Tomb has yet to be found and the Emperor as well. We are about to go through some dangerous times and so I need everyone to be vigilant and to keep an eye out for any suspicious activity. If you see him, do not engage him! He is very dangerous! "line cautioned," As of today, we will be putting up a curfew and a barrier around the school to protect us. If anyone wishes to visit, there will be certain steps that they will have to take. Your safety is our number one priority."
Zoey grabbed Jia`s hand and squeezed it tight. The other girls followed suit and stood straighter. Who knew that this would happen on the days that they were alive?
***
Jia was in her room studying the lessons from the week and getting nowhere. Her mind just wouldn`t settle as she scanned her notes but nothing seemed to register in her brain. She groaned and slammed her books shut. Zoey had gone down to the Combat Room to practice her magic and Jia wasn`t sure where the other girls were.
She was about to give up when her phone rang. Jia signed and picked it up to see that it was her dad. She quickly stood and zipped up her silver hoodie before running out onto the balcony and sitting on the titled floor.
Jia peeked once more inside of her room before closing the balcony door. She then got comfortable and pulled her sleeves over her gloves. The nights at Viola were very cold and she didn`t want to risk getting hypothermia or pneumonia before a test.
When she answered her phone she was bombarded with an image of her father and her three uncles yelling their greetings.
"Would you all shut up and give me space so I can talk to my daughter!" Marcellus shouted over the voice of his friends. Her three uncles snickered and disappeared from the screen.
Jia chuckled, "Hi, papa."
Marcellus face instantly lit up with a smile, "Hey, Bolt, how are you? Am I interrupting anything?"
"No, I`m good, just studying."
"So how`s school been going? And your friends? Have you made any progress yet?"
Jia nodded with a smile, "School great, papa and yes, I`ve made some progress with my friends since the first week. We`re all close now and I even wore one of their dresses to the first Mixer. Can you believe it?"
Marcellus chuckled with a smile, "That`s great! I`m so happy for you, Bolt!"
"We are too!" A voice in the background shouted. Probably her uncle Nikolai.
Marcellus turned to glare at the said person, "Don't you have drills to be teaching?"
There was a chorus of laughter before her papa turned back to her, "Anyway, listen, I am so sorry I haven`t called you these past few weeks, I`m been so caught up with the recruits training that I- "
Jia smiled sadly, "Papa, it`s okay, really. I`ve been keeping myself busy. School work, potion making, field trips and visiting Roy. Trust me; I never have free time these days. I am totally happy."
Marcellus scanned his daughter`s face before sighing," What`s wrong? I know something's still bothering you. It`s not your friends because you said you`ve made progress so what is?"
Jia sighed and ran a hand over her mouth, "You heard about the Emperor`s Tomb right?"
"Yes, they`ve gotten the whole planet in a panic about it since Monday. A special team of the Elites are being dispatched to look into this."
"And that included you, right?"
Marcellus shrugged. She was at an age where she understood the need for confidentiality of secret operations so it didn`t bother her that much when her dad withheld information about his missions from her. Either way, she`d find out on her own eventually.
Jia chuckled before her a thought struck her.
"Papa, I know that only a member of the Honour Guard would know the location of the tomb. Whoever opened the tomb betrayed his vows and release him," Jia concluded.
"Yes and until we find the Emperor and his Consort, you have to be careful and stay safe, understand?"
Jia nodded, "I will, don`t worry. "
"So what else is bothering you?" Marcellus questioned," I know there`s got to be more. It`s you."
Jia gave her dad a pleading face," Promise not to jump to conclusions?"
"You probably shouldn`t have said that. Now I`ll really be worried."
"I sort of have boy trouble."
"Excuse me! Boy trouble! Jia Marian Norvel! I didn`t send you there to get distracted by boys! They are-" Marcellus spluttered before he went off ranting about guys being distractions and only being entities of destruction for young girls.
"Papa, stop! It`s not my boy trouble! It`s my friend Zoey!" Jia exclaimed as her father calmed down," And really? Boys are entities of destruction? You probably weren`t thinking that way when you met mama."
Marcellus cleared his throat primly," That was a different time back then, this is now. Anyway, this is out of the topic. Go on with Zoey."
"It`s nothing, the girls said to not interfere until the situation gets crazy and it`s been two weeks since they started going out so nothing has happened so I`m hopeful that nothing will happen and that my feelings of woe are just stupid," Jia ranted before she stopped to catch her breath.
Marcellus held his hands to pacify her, "Okay. Jia, honey, Bolt, light of my life, what your friends suggested is reasonable so stick to that advice and if you need back-up or you need me and your uncles to come and scare a bunch of teenage losers then, let me know. We`ve got you."
"Thanks, Papa," She then turned to look inside when she heard the room door slam shut. Zoey was back already?
"I`ve got to go, talk to you later, Bolt," Marcellus said when she turned back to him.
"Bye, Papa." Jia said with a wave.
When she was ended the call, Jia went back into the room with a smile only to see her brown haired roommate, crying on her bed whilst dressed in her combat uniform," Zoey? Zoey, what happened?"