Fiona was the first to go back the next day to see the two Norvels. Jia`s father was in the same place that he was in yesterday. Near his wife. Not that Jia was alone, Fiona wasn`t surprised to see Dylan seated in Roy`s chair.
"Hey," Fiona greeted him.
Dylan nodded at her in return as she took a seat on the other side of her bed. Dylan was one of the few people who didn`t blame her for Jia`s decision at the Battle of Viola. After Jia had disappeared, Tristan had grabbed her, demanding an explanation. She was left with the hard task of revealing Jia`s discovery. Only she could read the cursed tablet and it told her of how she could trap the Emperor in a Realm of Limbo using the Dagger of Limbo. The very same knife they used against her mother.
Jia had told her that it was a one-way trip because she didn`t see any way to come back and if there was, her mother would have come back. She had told Fiona that if she went with him, she wouldn`t be asleep but she would be awake and so she could watch over him for the time being. Just until the Honor Guard could be found and for her to come back. The others resented her for her deed. Dylan and Mike didn`t. Dylan understood why Jia did what she did, even if it brought great pain to him. Something Fiona was wishing she had noticed earlier.
Jia meant something to him and after she was gone, it finally hit just how much. The boy had been missing every night since the Battle. Mike admitted that he`d come back in the morning with bruises, as if he had been fighting all night.
As for Mike, he saw the logic in the plan and even if it put him at odds with Kyra, he stood by his judgement. Roy, however, didn`t speak to her again until now. Tristan was never really close to her so it didn`t bother her when he ignored her. Instead he had been spending the last few months with Jaz. Chase and Cole kept their distance.
As for the girls, they treated her with cool indifference for a month until they all finally fought. They had been fighting for some time now. Zoey was the only one now who treated her nicely. Fiona figured that it had more to do with her nature. She was too kind to hate someone forever.
Now as she sat near her friend, she was starting to see the price of Jia`s plans.
"Where`s Roy?" Fiona asked Dylan.
The Knight leaned back in his chair," I sent him away to get some rest."
"That`s good," Fiona said," And you? When did you come back?"
"Around Midnight, "Dylan answered truthfully.
Fiona`s eye`s widened slightly, "How did you get through the barrier?"
The barrier that had been destroyed was now up again with twice the amount of magic used to reinforce it. It was now a pure purple color that covered the whole school.
"I came back before curfew and hung out at the window," Dylan answered.
"The window is right across from the Head Mistresses' Office, she would have seen you and sent you home," Fiona pointed out.
Dylan shrugged," She said I could stay as long as no one else saw me."
"Roy and her father would have watched over her, over both of them."
The Knight sighed and ran a hand over his face," Look Fiona, I don`t know how to say this but I just can`t leave her now that she`s back. She was gone for three months and now she`s back with her mother. I want to make sure she`s safe. I just need to see her to remind myself that she`s here and she`s alive."
The lava sorceress scanned the Knight's face and she could see nothing but sincerity written on his face. Finally, she nodded and leaned back in her chair. They both sat in companionable silence until Roy came back with two baskets full of food. Fiona stood to give him her chair but Dylan beat her to it. Nodding at his friend, Roy sat down and after leaving a basket near his aunt`s bed and greeting his Uncle.
Marcellus thanked his nephew with a smile before turning back to his wife.
"No change?" Roy asked Dylan when he was finally settled in his chair.
"She hasn`t woken up yet," Dylan confirmed.
Roy sighed wearily, "I guess we`ll wait."
Fiona sighed, "She`ll be heartbroken when she finds out she`s lost her magic."
"She's alive, that`s all that matters," Roy remarked.
"Yeah but-"
Dylan cut in, "Magic or not, she`s still Jia, Fiona."
Fiona studied the two Knights before nodding carefully," Yeah… you`re right."
Dylan jerked his chin at Roy, "When will the rest of your family come to see them?"
"No one is coming," Marcellus said out loud.
Roy turned to his uncle, "Uncle?"
The three teenagers turned to Marcellus who stood from his chair and kissed his wife`s cheek before walking over to the foot of his daughter`s hospital bed.
"We still don`t know the person who arranged for Marina`s death years ago, only that he or she was in league with the Emperor`s people," Marcellus recounted as reached out to grasp the foot board of Jia`s bed," They needed to make sure that none of the Honor Guard`s children or their bloodline could be around to stop him. Now that Marina is back along with Jia. We need to protect them."
"But Uncle Marcellus, our own family? My parents?" Roy asked with a frown.
Roy grimaced, "I`m sorry, Roy but until I find out who the real, bad guys are and Marina is safe, we need to be quiet. I need to consider the fact that no one can be trusted now."
Fiona put her hand up to get their attention, "I think most of the girls in school have shared that Jia has appeared back in the school. Gossip spreads really fast here."
"Then she and Marina need to be moved effective immediately. Back to Castle Paravel. Thankfully, the holidays have started," Marcellus concluded.
"But Jia has amnesia right now, wouldn`t she be scared if she was moved to a place she doesn`t recognized? "Fiona asked them all," She`ll think we kidnapped her,"
"She`ll be in her home," Roy pointed out.
Fiona shook her head at him, "Not to her, Roy, you didn`t see how she reacted when she saw us and the entire school. It was as if the entire place was a ghost realm and her friends were dangerous monsters."
"Fiona`s right, at least wait until she wakes up and we assess how sever the amnesia is, "Dylan proposed, "If she wakes up with her memory back, then you can move her back home."
"I can`t delay moving them," Marcellus told them.
"Just give it a day, then," Fiona suggested. Marcellus sighed and ran a hand over his mouth before nodding.
Fiona then jerked her chin at Dylan," Come sit here, I`m going to have breakfast and then come back."
Dylan watched her rise from the chair and walk out. When Dylan was seated, Fiona started for the Infirmary door, he called out "Aren`t you going home today?"
"I`ll go home when Jia goes home, I owe her that much," Fiona promised as she left the Infirmary. Jia was in capable hands now and she needed to eat if she wanted to sit in the Infirmary all day with her friend.
Down at breakfast, she was grateful that the Head Mistress had still allowed free meals for the next two days so girls could move out of the school at their own pace. At the Mess Hall, the girls were nosy and excited. The holidays were here and everyone was leaving soon.
Who would be quiet?
Fiona ate her breakfast by herself again. The girls had stopped having meals with her. It was expected and yet it hurt even now. She refused to tell her dad what was going on socially because she didn`t want him to make well on his promise to pull her out of school. He already did that after the Battle but she loved Viola, she wouldn`t leave because her friends were being distant.
After breakfast, Fiona decided against going to the Infirmary early and instead, she went back to check the results of her exams. She had gone to check for Magic History, Soul Magic, Runes and Potions.
She was just coming back from the Potions lab when she heard someone calling out for her from the hallway. She was surprised to see Zoey running towards her before stopping in front of her to catch her breath.
Fiona pursed her lips, "Zoey, what`s – "
"Jia`s awake and she`s really, really mad!" Zoey cut in with a yell.
Fiona`s eyes widen as she pushed past her friend and ran for the Infirmary. When she was within earshot of the Infirmary, she had loud bangs and yelling from several people. She then heard a loud shout, "Get away from me! Don`t come any closer! I will hurt you!"
Fiona burst into the Infirmary with Zoey beside her. She took in the defensive stances Marcellus, Roy and all her friends were taking before she shifted her attention to the Doctor and Nurse Irma who were standing at the far corner of the room. There were food boxes plus fruits littered on the ground and Jia was holding a banana over her head like she was going to shoot someone with it. Fiona eyed her friend incredulously," What happened?!"
"You!" Jia yelled as she pointed at Fiona with the banana and Zoey took a step back. She was there when Jia threw an apple at Chase and she didn`t want to be the next target, "How could you put me to sleep?!"
Fiona resisted the urge to roll her eyes as she cautiously approached her friend`s bed, "It was for your own good, they needed to operate on you and they didn`t want you to feel any pain."
"Well…," Jia muttered as she mulled over the explanation," Okay… I…I guess I can understand that."
"Good now, why are you threatening your family and your friends?"
Jia huffed in obvious exaggeration, "Listen, I told you! I don`t know you or anyone here, how do I know that you're telling the truth?!"
"I`m family, I would never lie to you," Roy tried to tell her.
"Says you," Jia shot back with a glare. Roy flinched under her glare. It wasn`t the usual glare she used to give him where everyone could see equally amounts of playfulness behind her glare. This was a glare you gave to your enemy.
"Jia please, it me, Papa," Marcellus pleaded as he tried to approach her but Jia wasn`t having it.
Jia turned her banana and glare to him now, "I don`t know you! How many times do I have to tell you that?! And stop calling me Jia!"
"That is your name," Tristan pleaded with her," You are Jia."