Chapter 5
'Whenever I am with you, you make me feel like I am home again'
Mia took herself away from the forest, dejected about the new turn of events, she got to the fields and found out no single person was there.
'This is not happening again' she thought.
She is allergic to silence.
She looked around as she noticed an open hall and started walking towards it.
Getting close to it, she was happy to see everyone inside. She did not know what lesson was going on but she joined them, regardless. Since, this did not involve showing skills.
After the oral lessons, Mia tried to look for her friends among the crowds, as she kept pushing and pushing.
'Ahh! This centre has a lot of students'
Soon, she saw housemates still sitting, talking to other scholars.
"Mia, I wondered where you ran off to" Shamika said, looking at her.
"Are you okay?" Natalia asked.
"Yes," she answered, sitting beside them.
"Mia, this is Arthur and Raph" Natalia introduced to some tall, handsome lads who almost had their eyes out, when they saw her.
It seems this centre is full of handsome men but Tavon is still the most good looking.
"It is nice to meet you" she said, politely with a smile.
Arthur, the one with crimson hair, had blue and flirty eyes while Raph had green hair with green eyes, complimenting him.
"My pleasure, beautiful" Arthur said, taking her hands, as he kissed the back of her hand, it was ticklish, like he wanted his lips to linger there.
"My utmost pleasure" Raph said and kissed her hands too.
"Miss Mia, we meet again" they all heard a voice and she looked by her side to see Garrick, who smiled as their eyes met.
"We have to go now, see you all later" Arthur said to her housemates, as Raph followed him, taking their leave.
Her friends then faced her with a look that said, they were waiting for her.
"I watched your performance" Garrick said to her again and she smiled.
"Thank you and for the other day too" she said, appreciatively. After which, not knowing what to say.
With Tavon, all words come naturally but she just seems to keep shut with Garrick.
Now that she looked at him, he really was not that handsome when compared to Tavon.
'Wait! Why the hell is she comparing?!'
"Everyone, a body has been found!" A boy came in and shouted and everywhere became disorganized, as everyone wanted to know what was happening.
Mia felt that chill that she had last night, that bad feeling.
She knew whose body it was, she knew what happened and that is why, she cannot seem to move her body like the others.
•••
They all sat around the table, eating fresh fruits, chatting under the treehouse.
After the body was found, the centre said they would investigate it. The most surprising thing to Mia, was that the body was not found in the forest, where it had been yesterday. That was a mystery to her, as she wondered if Tavon had gone back to change the body's position.
Her father had not even replied her letter, since it was sent, she wondered if he ever got it.
Mia came to know that this had been happening before but the bodies are not scholars from the centre, it seems it was coming from the inner village and strangely, the bodies did not leave any form of demon possession as Tavon had said.
'could he have lied?' but then again, 'what hope do they have, that it won't come after the students too?'
Everyone seemed to have forgotten it, as the atmosphere was lively, the yellow lights shining brightly at night gave a complete beautiful scenery but while others were chatting, Mia was seriously thinking about Tavon and his father that she had never even met. She wondered if his father was also as cold as him.
"Uhm… everyone, do you know anything about Tavon's father?" she suddenly asked, bringing everyone's attention to her.
"You are seriously in love with him" Lydia said, teasingly, picking a plum fruit.
Mia sighed because of what she said
"Not that, I just want to know"
Everywhere went silent.
"Well?"
"It's not like we don't talk about him," Shamika said with a straight face, staring at a currant in her hand.
"So?" Mia asked for her to continue.
"He is too powerful," Natalia interrupted and Mia wanted to shout it out loud that she needed that- a powerful sorcerer.
"Merely exaggeration. The real reason is that he is said to be associated with witchcraft, he lives alone with his wife" Lydia said, fanning herself, even if there was sufficient air. Mia understood it though, Lydia was at the second grade, so she did not know how to manipulate the wind.
"Well, there is a better story I heard about him," Georgia said and lowered her head down to whisper.
Mia almost rolled her eyes, because she knew, no one outside, was going to hear what the girls in house 26 was saying.
Everyone bent their head, a little, regardless.
"I heard, he got his powers from evil spirits" Georgia said and everyone looked at her. With a look that said: "So, this is it?"
Soon after, they all burst into laughter.
"Stop it Georgia. Lydia just literally said the same thing" Mia said.
"Well, you were intrigued and that's what matters,"
"Where does he live?" Mia asked again and everyone looked at her, awkwardly.
"Are you moving to the father, now?" Lydia asked and Shamika smacked her.
"Ouch!" She said, rubbing her shoulders.
"He lives very far from here, Mia. His home is in the south bank of Enchantara" Shamika answered her.
"I don't know why you are asking these questions but I should let you know that he is said to be very dangerous," Shamika warned.
"Yes, I understand," Mia said, nodding.
"Before I forget, how did you meet Garrick?" Georgia asked, changing the topic.
"I wonder how you like many men at the same time" Lydia said to her and sighed
"We met on the first day i got here, he helped with my belongings" Mia said, not giving much attention.
The rest of the conversation was spent on teasing one another and Natalia telling stories upon stories that Mia secretly doubted if it was true but then, it was entertaining all the same.
It made her remember home, she and her sisters, used to do this too.
She wondered if Carina was braiding Daisy's hair, she had always wanted to do that with or without Daisy's permission, she just loves it. She misses her best friend- zoe, too, she wondered what she was doing.
****
The next day, the girls in house 26 had to hurry and get dressed because they all woke up late.
Getting out of the room with her housemates, Mia noticed another group of girls from another room, also late as well.
It seems they all, had a great late night and slept of, forgetting the next day.
The race at which all of them were running was really funny as Mia struggled to keep up.
"Wait, wait, what is going to happen if the master sees us coming late?" She asked her housemates who were running with so much energy.
"Are you seriously asking that? Master is going to punish us, of course. The last time this happened, the defaulters were flogged a hundred strokes, I don't want to imagine it for us" Lydia said to her.
"That will really be disastrous" Mia chipped in, because she has never been flogged before, she might actually faint or die.
"I cannot wait to actually learn the vanishing spell. The guards are really lucky" Shamika yelled, on top of her voice.
After running like cheetahs to the field, the girls heaved when they reached it, scholars were scattered all over the field and master leoric was not even around!
They were tired and almost hating themselves, running for nothing.
"I cannot believe I ran all the way here for nothing" Lydia said, sarcastically.
"Are you sure, master leoric or any master at all is even coming? They must all be talking about the issues with the recent dead bodies, again" they heard a voice say and turned to face the person.
Mia recognized her to be one of those girls from the other room that was running behind them.
"That is true, Arcanador's centre must really be worried, since they have no leads at all" Raph from nowhere chipped in.
"Hello Mia" he called, as he saw her.
"Good day" she greeted.
Lydia wondered if the rest of the people were invisible to Raph.
"Everyone, have you not heard the rumor? The demon clan seems to be back and are taking mages energy" Arthur said, putting his hands on Raph's shoulders.
"What?!" They all chorused, except Mia who did not know what was going on and had to ask:
"Demon clan?"
"Yes, everyone thought they were all gone but I overheard my father who works in the council, discussing it with my mother, saying they might be back but I still think it is just a rumor" Raph answered.
Mia sighed hearing all of this, Tavon must have really been doing a lot in secret, killing all the demons 'but what about his eyes?' She still did not have an answer for that.
"Rumor or not, we have to be careful, the masters are going to be busy with the other finders, we might not have time to practice, so the ones who have advanced can train the others, first" Arthur said, his blue eyes dancing with excitement, he was so in the mood to show off to everyone about his skills because he had just reached 6th grade level, which was the ability of levitation, flying and teleportation.
"6th grade levels cannot train us, Arthur" Shamika said, with her hands folded, squashing his dreams.
"You might have advanced but you are not properly sharpened in all of the grades, it's like a child walking but his legs are not strong enough. Your water spell cannot even defend Lydia's second grade fire manipulation" she added and Arthur scoffed angrily, saying;
"Watch it happen, before your eyes"
"There is only one person who has advanced more than all of us and that is Tavon, I still wonder why he is still in this centre, he should be in the world, fighting a greater evil" Georgia said with admiration.
"You wish. Tavon would never agree to train us, he would rather take his skills to the grave, he doesn't care about anyone, at all"
Mia saw Shamika's eyes lit up when Arthur said that.
"This should be the most amazing thing you have ever said since I knew you," She said, smiling.
"You…" Arthur wanted to scold her but master leoric's voice interrupted them.
He was already standing in front, at his spot.
"I'm sorry I'm late, assemble scholars"
Everyone groaned as they went to join the crowd.
Mia thought she needed to see Tavon's father and so, she lied she was pressed immediately. She excused herself, telling her housemates her situation, as she left the fields but unfortunately, Garrick spotted her and he followed.
"Mia?!" He called and she turned to see him.
"Good day Garrick" she said, to him surprised.
"Good day, where are you going?"
Mia was surprised about the question, thinking secretly, that it was not even his business, where she went.
"Uhm… I have private lessons" she said a random thought that popped into her mind.
It was not really a half lie, she wanted to approach Tavon again to see his father.
Telling Garrick, 'private lessons' would make him leave her for sure.
"Okay but I want to go with you" her face dropped, immediately she heard him say that.
"There is no need to trouble you…"
"It is not a problem at all, I have to go with you or I won't be at peace because of the recent happenings, I cannot let you go alone" Garrick said, firmly and she sighed, saying an "Okay"
'He really, could be stubborn' she thought and so, he escorted her into the forest, the silence was really deafening before Garrick asked
"Who is your master?"
Mia did not need to answer that because right there, Tavon was seen, leaning beside a tree and he turned his head to face them, when he noticed their presence.
"He is your master?!" Garrick asked, shrieking from shock.
'Maybe not yet but she will make him, be'