8

“Your father and I weren’t the best of friends, I remember not wanting my sister to marry him. But if there was something I knew and was sure of, it was that your father did not want you within the walls of that school. Not even close to it. I would suspect he became a council member to keep you away from that place. This has raised my suspicion as to why that invitation was sent to you as an order. I always knew those council people were sneaky bastards. They need something with or from you, and I need you to make sure they never get it.”

          

~A GUIDE TO SURVIVAL AT KINGSBURY HIGH, GIFTED TO RAIN ANDREA, RIVERTON. FROM ELOISE RIVERTON (section3) ~ 

CHAPTER EIGHT 

RAIN ANDREA RIVERTON

They say when you are about to die your brain is filled with a lot of good memories, rushing like wildfire. I never believed it, not until now. 

The windows and brown architecture of the school was all I saw as I fell to my doom. Everything went by in slow motion, my brain starting to slowly accept the fall. 

“per auras Fac lento gressu, strato molli subtus.“ A loud female chant broke through the wind’s harsh strokes on my face. “per auras Fac lento gressu, strato molli subtus. per auras Fac lento gressu, strato molli subtus.” 

The world around me snapped back and I began falling with speed. I shut my eyes as my back hit the ground– no, something soft sucked me in. 

A huge foam I had not recalled being there earlier. 

I am fine. I am breathing. I am alive—

“—gressu, strato molli subtus.” I instantly turned back. 

The girl who had almost killed me stood at the end of the corridor, her siren eyes blazing into line with hate. But something swirled in there, curiosity. Her hands were stretched out, blood dripping from her nose. 

I lurched out of the bed she had created, my legs wobbly from the fear I once had.

“You owe me your life.” She dragged the back of her hand across her face in an attempt to clean the blood on her nose. Her hair was tied up in a bun with two braids on either side of her face.

“How did you… why..” I looked from the bed to her. “Thank you.” 

“Don’t thank me yet, I might still kill you.” 

“Right. Everyone in this crazy place has a reason or two to kill me.” The bed disappeared. “Why did you save me then?”

“Your dagger.” Her gaze fell to my boots, which made me take a step back. “Back in the ring it glowed, and suddenly runes appeared on it. Does it do that often?

Runes? 

She saw it too, which meant I had not been too injured in the head and what I saw was actually true. “I don’t think it glowed, that has never happened. Must’ve been a reflection of some kind.” 

“I know what I saw.” She frowned and I quirked my brows. 

“Well, I am telling you what you think you saw is wrong. Like I said that day, the only power I have is connected to my emotions. I don’t go around with glowing daggers.” Running a hand through my hair, I sighed. “Now if you would excuse me.” 

“Let me see them.” She gestured to my boots. “Your daggers.”

“Like hell, you would.” 

She saved me, yes. But it seemed like everyone in this damn school had a thing for wanting to kill me. If she thought I was going to give her a weapon to make it easy then she must be one crazy witch. 

“Maybe I shouldn’t have saved you. It would’ve been way easier leaving you to fall to your death, I would’ve taken the daggers either way.” She paused like she was giving it some thought. “The only thing I would have to deal with is clawing through blood, skin, and whatever remained of your shattered body. But I can assure you, stealing from dead people is not my favorite pastime.”

This Bitch.

“Thank you for coming, I was wondering when your next visit would be.” A female voice said, Nazeera and I turned in the direction of the voice in an instant.

We would both be royally fucked if someone found us. It was past curfew and the dorm had strict rules. Nazeera turned back to me, her eyes saying the same thing I had been thinking.

A laugh came through, a male voice this time. “I have been busy. The council is working hard to make sure we use this coming eclipse to our advantage.” 

A member of the council.

“They are coming in this direction.” My head blared in alert, already going through the scenarios that could happen if we got caught. None of them had a happy ending.

“Get over here!” Nazeera ordered and without a second thought, I rushed to her side. “invisibilis. indespectus. caecus.” 

In a flash Nazeera could not be seen anymore. I looked down at myself and all I could see was the door behind, I had turned transparent. Invisible.

“In all you do, keep your foot to yourself.” She whispered, her voice barely audible.

The footsteps continued down the pathway between the dorm’s tall fence and the gate. 

The female voice spoke again. This time, I recognized who it belonged to. Headmistress Audrey. “Do you think the rest of the council members would finally listen to reason?” 

“I do not know. But if they don’t, that's fine. Not everyone sees the great things in front of them or accepts it. When it is time, they would have no other choice but to understand it is all for the greater good, or their souls would be a good addition to Odhal.” 

Odhal? Whatever they were talking about did not sound good. 

We could see them when they turned the corner and passed through where Nazeera and I stood but not for once suspecting we were there. I was right, that was Headmistress Audrey.

“The girl, is she here?” The male voice asked, “Did you get her?” 

“Yes, we got her.” 

“Good.” With the hint of a smile on his lips, he looked no older than my dad did when he died. Late sixties maybe. “She is an important part of our project. Only she can find the keys.” 

With that, they faded into the night. Nazeera removed whatever spell she had cast on us and we became visible.

“Key? Girl? What girl and who the hell is Odhal?” Confusion glimmered in my gaze as I stared at Nazeera whose eyes still didn’t leave the corner they had disappeared to. 

“Odhal is the god of Hades, the King of Hell.” She turned to me. “Someth

ing is going on in this school, and I strongly believe your dagger is connected to it.”