TWENTY THREE: SCAVENGERS

The next week it was finally time for the Founder’s festival which was apparently lasting a whole week, the school had been seriously decorated and there was a large banner declaring the start of the festival.

They had even gone as far as erecting a statue and when I asked Daphne she said they only erected the statue during the festival and always took it down, apparently it was the founder’s wish.

I was currently reading what was on the statue

Eldric Valdaris

Founder of Bridgeford high

Founded in 1810

Birth- 1415-1912- Death

The man lived over 400 years and then died, I wondered what kind of creature, he had been. I stared at the statue. It was of him when he looked to be in his forties had he been human.

I raised my hand to touch the statue and I immediately pulled back and winced. I looked at my palm and noticed it was red, almost like the statue was too hot to touch.

I stared at the statue again and began to walk away.

I looked at the school building in awe.

“So bridgeford high was 200 years old. That’s crazy.

I felt like someone was looking at me and when I turned, I noticed the headmistress staring at me from her window.

When she noticed I had seen her, she gave a small smile and then walked away.

I stared at the empty window where she just left for a few more seconds before leaving.

A loud horn was blown and a voice blared through the megaphone, “all students please gather at the assembly ground!”

Students begin to rush in that direction and I look at the founder one more time before following suit.

“All house masters, please come forward” Miss Forgate said and once again the house masters move forward.

I noticed my roomate had died her dyed red, I stared in unbelief as she had briefly mentioned it but I had never expected her to go through with it.

“All students may disperse into their various houses” Once again there was large amount of movement as the students began to scatter.

I reached where my house master stood and he waved his finger in a come hither motion signifying for me to come to him, I acted like I didn’t see him and didn’t bother moving closer.

“The games to be played have been selected, and first we’ll be starting with a scavenger hunt, hints have been placed all around the school to aid you and they’re all leading to a treasure” Miss forgate announced.

“Each house master would be given their first clue, don’t worry it’s all the same clue. The house that discovers the treasure first wins”

“How does the treasure look like, is it an actual treasure?” Jenna asked.

“I also do not know, but you’ll know it when you see it” Miss Forgate gives a small smile.

“You guys have a total of 30 minutes to find the treasure, every house member is to participate, there are some clues even in the forest behind the school” She declared.

“Forgate” The headmistress called in a warning tone

“Oops! I’ve said too much, on that note you may begin!” She shouted and then blew a whistle.

“What’s the first clue?” Jenna asked and Cillian held up a card, it was that of a red bird.

“A Phoenix?” one member asked confused.

“But there aren’t many here, are we supposed to catch them?” Another member asked.

Cillian stared at the card as if he wanted to say something.

“The first Phoenix of the school” Raphael said beating Cillian to it.

“Yes, the very first one” Cillian narrowed his eyes at him before walking forward.

“Walk behind me my subjects!” He made a sarcastic laugh and started walking forward, I purposefully slowed down my footsteps so he wouldn’t call for me again.

“Move weakling” Someone said bumping into me and I almost tripped over, I looked up to find Jenna clinging to Raphael’s arm giving me a wicked smile, I turned to look at Raphael who only gave me a once over and walked ahead with Jenna.

I scoffed at the both of them and continued walking.

Soon we all came to stop in front of the Founders statue. “The first Phoenix” Cillian declared and I looked at the fonder once more, He was a Phoenix?

That was crazy, I had read a bit about Phoenixes in mythology but even in the world of monsters, I did not expect them to exist, much more in human form.

Cillian raised the card to the statue and it picked up flames and began to burn, but Cillian held unto it even when it burned towards the brim.

“Cillian your hand!” I called rushing to him and smacking the paper out of his hand and it fell to the floor.

“Did you want to get burned?” I asked turning to face him in disbelief, while he just blinked at me.

“Great work Avery, you didn’t let the card burn completely and now we don’t have the next clue!” Jenna shouted making me freeze.

I looked down at the almost completely burnt card and my teammates started grumbling.

“It’s not like Cillian didn’t know what he was doing that you smacked the card out of his hands, acting like some saviour” One girl scoffed.

“Who do you think you are” Another asked.

I clenched my hands at my side and lowered my head. “I’m so…” suddenly a hand came and raised my chin up and Cillian’s red eyes stared at my brown ones almost like he was searching for something.

“You don’t have to apologise” He gave me a small smile and picked the card from the ground, Raising it to the statue, and it started burning again and this time I did nothing, once it was close to his fingertips, he threw it up in the air and it burnt completely, the ashes landed on the ground and gathered together drawing something.

“A door” one member said.

“That’s a very random clue” Another member said. The ashes moved again and wrote the number 2 this time.

“Two doors?”

“The second door?”

I stared confused trying to gauge what it means.

“I have a suggestion” Raphael spoke up.

“Go on” Cillian said.

“How about we split up” Raphael announced and Cillian’s eyes narrowed.