Skyleene and Old Dulles walked through the main hall with two glasses of wine from a waiter, also wearing a mask.
Skyleene wandered her eyes over the crowd: male and female students, chatting with each other, looking happy. She did not recognize many, although she knew a couple of them. She did not talk much with them before; when she was assigned groundwork, everyone seemed to forget about her. She was too busy to visit and did not even have a reason to. Because of all the rumors about her, the other students did not dare to start up a conversation. Plus, Skyleene avoided conversing with anyone besides her teachers; she would not begin being talkative.
Old Dulles took her to a table from a corner of the room. It was well lit, a DJ placed between the two staircases, and in front of him was drawn on the floor a big rectangle that outlined the dance ring. The boy was playing some soothing music and seemed to wait for the whole party to start. He looked too young for that type of music; probably got bored.
Skyleene shifted her gaze from the DJ boy, and her eyes landed on a buffet placed on the other side of the dance ring, close to the wall. The whole dance floor was surrounded by tables and groups of teenagers and middle-aged men, all academics, talking with each other. Her gaze shifted from the buffet to the open doors, observing the beautiful sight of the sun falling behind the Academy campus. People of all sizes and ages entered through that door until the clock signaled 6 o'clock, and the doors closed; the whole room got quiet.
An elder man, the principal, stood on the first floor at the balcony, looking down at the crowd. All the attention turned to him. When he knew that everyone paid attention, his voice echoed in the room:
"Dear students and academics! I am glad you attended this reunion in such a huge number! As you may have noticed, some students have been assigned to other tutors as their positions have gotten an upgrade. Sadly, we have one person close to retirement. Mr. Dulles", he said, pointing his open hand to where Old Dulles and Skyleene were sitting at the table. "A round of applause for our beloved academic", he asked, and loud cheers echoed in the room.
Old Dulles smiled sadly at the principal's words, standing and giving a look to the crowd, who fell silent after he sat down, the principal continuing his speech:
"As we all know, this reunion is to celebrate the Academy's anniversary, so please have a good time! I ask the academics to gather in the conference room to finish soon and start the party!" his voice sounded happy.
Skyleene smiled at the sight of the optimistic principal. He remained the same as she remembered.
Old Dulles turned to her and gently touched her shoulder to get her attention.
"Before coming to the reunion, the principal asked me to bring you to the conference room so the other academics can meet you. Do not worry!" – He said as he noticed her expression change – "You will not take part in the conference - they will only see you."
She nodded and got up, following the man that took her hand and placed it around his arm. They walked up the stairs and turned right, walking in a long corridor. They passed a couple of doors before reaching a double and nicely decorated door. They walked inside, and Old Dulles took a seat at the round table. The room was a nice green-blue, decorated with flowers that grew downward, giving the room a mystical aura. There were windows on the front wall, all closed and darkened from the night's light loss.
Not long after entering the room, the door opened again; three middle-aged men and the principal. They looked at the other two presences in the room and smiled.
"Mr. principal, this is Skyleene Cathle, my last student" Old Dulles got up and introduced her.
Skyleene smiled softly and reached out her hand, the principal grabbing it gently and shaking it. The same ritual followed with the academics that entered the room. After sharing two words with them, Skyleene left the room, letting the men do their conference.
Now alone, her feet carried her to the balcony where she used to admire the view with Mushu. It was on the next floor, next to the library. Once there, she leaned on the border and looked down. She could see the entrance of the Academy from above.
Now that the doors were closed, the campus was quiet and dark. The trees were now other shades of black in the night, giving her a reassuring feeling. She used to stay up late with Mushu and talk about random things. She wondered what he was doing then, and her mind showed her a picture of Aper. His gaze pierced through her soul, making her wonder more about him. His behavior was weird, but he started treating her better. She smiled at herself when remembering his soft touches when tying the mask. The way he acted when she lost her mind when meeting Old Dulles or when he saved her from that rabid, when she had to look for him at the station and when they first met.
It was two years ago, right at her doorstep. Aper had found out about the 'local witch' and started blaming her for each paranormal activity happening in the district. There were times when she missed his visits. He became a part of her routine, and now his role was significant. She would one day leave Condemned City, and she would change; even the people she would have around.