The dull sky had turned dark and orange. The air was colder than earlier, and that much convinced them to head back to the Academy.
Her right hand was clenched as if hiding something within.—That was the case. Though she hid it in her pocket without looking to avoid tiring her hand.
Their steps were calm and steady all throughout, paired with the comfortable silence where words weren't needed.
They stepped inside a familiar circular stone platform etched with various curves at the foot of the mountain, the platform glowing grey and sending them beyond at intangible speeds. Despite not physically moving an inch, they found themselves at the top of the mountain where the academy resided.
The whole farce left Zephyr's head spinning a little. Clearly, she hadn't gotten used to the teleporter.
They were just in time for dinner, that much assured her when it meant the canteen will close in two hours.
The large wooden door was already open so they needed only to cross. They did just that and passed by a myriad of students who went on with their business.
Yet, unease lingered in her heart as some gazes laid heavy onto her. She didn't know why, but there were even upperclassmen giving her the odd stare.
It only intensified when she arrived at the canteen where gazes and murmurs uncomfortably lingered before most resumed their business.
She bought her food and walked to a table alone. Sanguinex split with her halfway to get to other things.. Such was a polymorph who only feels hungry nearly once a month.
She decided on ignoring whatever the students were up to and only focused on tending to her growling stomach. Some stares remained evident and heavy throughout her feast.
The pink-sprinkled Magiaville bread seemed less tasty. Whether because of her current situation or it simply lacked ingredients, for now she couldn't try to find out.
.
.
.
Such was the predicament the silver-haired girl found herself in as she lay in bed with her best friend beside and big brother across.
She gasped weakly when an arm rested on her waist—it was Sanguinex, who lightly snored in her sleep. She had grown accustomed to this polymorph's clinginess at night, and so she could only muster a small smile as a reaction.
Maybe the stares she perceived weren't actually stares? Maybe she was just hallucinating? She hoped that was the case.. Even so, why would they give her those tense looks anyway? She couldn't recall doing anything wrong—Zephyr wasn't popular at all to begin with, yet she loved it.
With a subtle shrug, she shut her eyes, ready to proceed to the next day—the final day before Sévir's birthday, and the day of her mission.
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.
But it was hard to sleep when she woke up to her sense of hearing picking up some noise.
"What brings you here?" said the deepish voice of who she identified as Sévir.
"I'm here to talk about Zephyr." said the elegant voice of a woman most likely belonging to Minerva. What was she doing there at this time?
From the warm air brushing against her hair-blanketed nape and the light pressure of the arm wrapped around her waist, Sanguinex was sound asleep.
"Zephyr.. What about her?"
She slowly opened her heavy eyes that begged to shut upon hearing her name. A voice in her head urged her to sit up and gain their acknowledgement. Alas she vetoed immediately.
"You.. Haven't heard?"
"Tell me."
Minerva's voice seemed to be filled with worry. Zephyr couldn't recall anything bad she'd done wrong to make her worry.. Perhaps.. Was she ending their student-mentor relationship?? That couldn't be it, she asked a different question after all.
"The secret's been spilled. The surname-less Zephyr's now labelled as [Zephyr van Doren]."
One word appeared in her thoughts: "What?"
A soothing feeling wrapped her heart.—She no longer needed to hide anything.. But that feeling quickly fled as she broke out a cold sweat and racing heart in trepidation.
That's right, how could she relax hearing such news? It meant her mask cracked—the truth was out.
Only two figures entered her mind. Two girls who knew her secret. Two most likely the perpetrators.
Deleena and Adina.
Her gut wrenched in pain at the thought of it, even moreso when considering the possibility that it was Adina's doing.
But that couldn't be. Adina held no grudges, in fact she was the complete opposite of Deleena—the ex-friend that hated the Dorens.
Her eyes widened as she realised one thing.
"..Who revealed it?" Sévir's voice grew deeper, as if holding back to stay calm.
"I don't know. By dismissal, I started hearing murmurs about it. Naturally, I inquired from multiple sources, and it was all the same."
He let out a brief "mm" sound as if to undermine negative feelings he could possibly be feeling.
"What now.. Zephyr?"
The way Minerva asked was as if she was asking Zephyr herself. The thought of being caught shivered her spine and prompted a shrug.
She sighed weakly and rose. It was useless to try hiding it when they've seen through it before, and even more when she moved that way. Though it meant moving Sanguinex's hand away, the latter won't wake up anyway.
Her gaze met theirs, as if they truly knew she was awake this whole time.
She couldn't help but gulp.
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*