floated by. I knew he expected a Vire to walk through at any second and he had every right to be concerned.
Still, I heaved a sigh because something was tearing at me inside.
“Just…” was all I managed before returning to Mrs. Gaul.
As my hand came around her own wrist, she jolted awake, terror flooding her expression. She was incapable of defending herself , and she knew it.
I then whispered words that I knew were the last ones she expected to hear. “Incantatio sana.”
Her eyebrows furrowed together , as she watched me with confusion now .
That wasn’t all I’d come back for, however. In those few seconds before her body began to function again, I delivered my own message.
“No, Mrs. Gaul…” I stated gently , as one does while breaking terrible news to a child. “You control nothing.”
I stayed there, crouched beside her, waiting for the meaning of my words to sink in. When her mouth went slack and her face filled with resentment , I knew it had finally sunk in .
We left her there, the muscles in her arms coming back to life enoug h that her hands could uncurl. But w ith her limbs still frozen across one another and her lips unable to work, she posed no immediate threat. Mrs. Wizner would be returning to the classroom soon enough , and when she did, there was no telling how Mrs. Gaul would retaliate.
This thought hovered between Jameson and me as we parted ways in the hall , and I knew he was thinking the same thing I was…it would be wise to run ; although neither of us was willing to . So, we waited…
The next class came and went. And the next one went by after that. At lunch, I predicted that Vires would find me, enclose me, and haul me off to the ministry , or wherever it was they held prisoners awaiting trial s for crimes against the establishment. When this didn’t happen, I kept the incident to myself, not wanting to disturb my cousins. There was no need , especially when the Vires didn’t seem to be reacting. This actually confused me , until I theorized that Mrs. Gaul wouldn’t mention the incident. Her ego, which seemed grossly inflated for no apparent reason, wouldn’t allow her to acknowledge that the Vires’ most dangerous, roaming enemies got the best of her . This thought eased my mind some , actually bringing a smile to my face.
Eventually, the last class of the day ended , devoid of any unusual interaction with our enemies. In fact, I was so bored I had to rub the tiredness from my eyes after listening to Mr. Morow drone on about the defining differences between nomadic German rulers and the early African empires.
As soon as we were released, I was on my feet… remembering Alison was waiting for me in the locker room.
It took me no less than fifteen minutes to dart the Vires while traversing the school grounds. I had to rush into classrooms five or six times where , mostly, students were taking make-up exams . Once, I was asked if I was voluntarily sitting in on detention.
No, I thought … considering the number of moldavite stones I now endure on a daily basis … I live in detention every day of my life.
When I reach ed the locker room , Alison was sitting on one of the wooden benches, feet stretched in front of her, toes tapping madly . Her head was down , and it looked like she was biting her nails.
She grunted after seeing me. “Finally!” Throwing herself forward, her hand came out from behind her. In it was a wad of black hair. “Had to make sure no one saw this thing all day long.”
Turning toward the mirror, she slipped the clump over her forehead and tucked the rest of her hair underneath.
“Oh…” S he stopped and pulled out another wad of hair, this wig being sandy blonde. “I have one for you.” Handing it to me, she insisted, “Go on, ” and I began positioning it over my head.
“Want to fill me in on why I’m doing this?” I asked, brushing a strand of coarse hair from my nose and wiping away the tickle .
Alison took a moment to
Still, I heaved a sigh because something was tearing at me inside.
“Just…” was all I managed before returning to Mrs. Gaul.
As my hand came around her own wrist, she jolted awake, terror flooding her expression. She was incapable of defending herself , and she knew it.
I then whispered words that I knew were the last ones she expected to hear. “Incantatio sana.”
Her eyebrows furrowed together , as she watched me with confusion now .
That wasn’t all I’d come back for, however. In those few seconds before her body began to function again, I delivered my own message.
“No, Mrs. Gaul…” I stated gently , as one does while breaking terrible news to a child. “You control nothing.”
I stayed there, crouched beside her, waiting for the meaning of my words to sink in. When her mouth went slack and her face filled with resentment , I knew it had finally sunk in .
We left her there, the muscles in her arms coming back to life enoug h that her hands could uncurl. But w ith her limbs still frozen across one another and her lips unable to work, she posed no immediate threat. Mrs. Wizner would be returning to the classroom soon enough , and when she did, there was no telling how Mrs. Gaul would retaliate.
This thought hovered between Jameson and me as we parted ways in the hall , and I knew he was thinking the same thing I was…it would be wise to run ; although neither of us was willing to . So, we waited…
The next class came and went. And the next one went by after that. At lunch, I predicted that Vires would find me, enclose me, and haul me off to the ministry , or wherever it was they held prisoners awaiting trial s for crimes against the establishment. When this didn’t happen, I kept the incident to myself, not wanting to disturb my cousins. There was no need , especially when the Vires didn’t seem to be reacting. This actually confused me , until I theorized that Mrs. Gaul wouldn’t mention the incident. Her ego, which seemed grossly inflated for no apparent reason, wouldn’t allow her to acknowledge that the Vires’ most dangerous, roaming enemies got the best of her . This thought eased my mind some , actually bringing a smile to my face.
Eventually, the last class of the day ended , devoid of any unusual interaction with our enemies. In fact, I was so bored I had to rub the tiredness from my eyes after listening to Mr. Morow drone on about the defining differences between nomadic German rulers and the early African empires.
As soon as we were released, I was on my feet… remembering Alison was waiting for me in the locker room.
It took me no less than fifteen minutes to dart the Vires while traversing the school grounds. I had to rush into classrooms five or six times where , mostly, students were taking make-up exams . Once, I was asked if I was voluntarily sitting in on detention.
No, I thought … considering the number of moldavite stones I now endure on a daily basis … I live in detention every day of my life.
When I reach ed the locker room , Alison was sitting on one of the wooden benches, feet stretched in front of her, toes tapping madly . Her head was down , and it looked like she was biting her nails.
She grunted after seeing me. “Finally!” Throwing herself forward, her hand came out from behind her. In it was a wad of black hair. “Had to make sure no one saw this thing all day long.”
Turning toward the mirror, she slipped the clump over her forehead and tucked the rest of her hair underneath.
“Oh…” S he stopped and pulled out another wad of hair, this wig being sandy blonde. “I have one for you.” Handing it to me, she insisted, “Go on, ” and I began positioning it over my head.
“Want to fill me in on why I’m doing this?” I asked, brushing a strand of coarse hair from my nose and wiping away the tickle .
Alison took a moment to
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