The Aldean Chronicles: Spotlight (Part 2)

Maybe it's because I'm dreading going back home.

It'll be a lot harder to be insubordinate at home. Before I walk into my Wednesday exam, I get messages from Keri.

She wants me to go over my Itenary for the break.

I respond with "what happened to the two weeks in Tarwick?"

She actually responds with "haha."

The night before my Fire exam, I stop by class.

"Professor Cara," I call.

The room is empty.

I came by to say goodbye. I'm leaving immediately after the exam. I'm being serious. As soon as I'm done, Mavis is whisking me away to the black car. She and Yara even packed my stuff this afternoon.

I walk up to her desk and admire the plant. I light it on fire and it glows brighter than I've ever seen it.

I check to see if anyone's there and focus all my energy on my magic.

What comes out isn't exactly white, but it's not red.

It's been hard to practice with either Tweedledee or Tweedledum at my tail all month.

I knew Mavis wouldn't let me leave so late so I snuck out while she was in the bathroom.

I get a notification on my phone and check to see if it's from Keri. It's not, it's just Arin.

I respond and tell him that I'll meet him for dinner in ten minutes.

Cara's desk is as usual, messy. It's a miracle she can keep all her papers intact.

I huff and begin arranging them according to topic.

Her pile of flowers and magical plants is the easiest to sort. She truly is obsessed.

I stop at a particular piece of paper. It's an in-depth profile of Princess Kaili.

It contains information I couldn't even get my hands on.

I get another notification on my phone. I ignore it.

I examine the paper closely, it's highlighted in several places.

I riffle through her desk and find more colourfully coded pieces of paper.

There are three in total. They have the same template, and similar bits of information are highlighted in the same colour.

I'm very confused. Cara told me she wasn't researching this anymore. When I mentioned my progress, she looked bored and indifferent. Besides, she was only interested in Delia Beltane.

I keep searching her desk and go very still when I see a particular paper. It's the same as others. Except, the profile is on me.

It has my full name, my magical abilities, my parents home address, and there's a whole paragraph under all that with notes on me.

I flip the page over slowly and there's a picture of me on the day I took the pledge.

Cara circled my tiara.

"Cassandra," someone calls my name.

I turn back slowly.

Cara's smiling sweetly back at me.

"The entire building is empty. It's time for dinner, what are you doing here?" She asks.

"I wanted to say goodbye. Before I left." It's a miracle she can't hear the beating of my heart.

"Aww," she coos. "You are one in a million, Princess." She notices the paper in my hand and groans. "I can never keep that thing organized."

I drop the paper on her desk with steady hands.

"Yeah. It's a wonder you get anything done."

She snaps her fingers. "That reminds me. I have something for you. I was gonna give it to you after your exam. But I might as well do it now."

"Oh." I breathe.

"Yes," she walks closer.

I don't bother running to the door. There's no way she won't know something's up.

She doesn't go to her desk. She opens one of the cabinets by the corner.

I figure that my chance to escape is now or never.

I creep silently away from her with her head buried in the cabinet.

"Now, where did I put that?" She sings to herself.

When I'm halfway to the door, she yells triumphantly. "Cassandra, where are you going?" She sounds hurt.

"I'm late for dinner," I mumble and rush to the door.

I'm a few steps away and I can already taste my freedom.

Suddenly, my joints go stiff and the room feels stuffier than it was a second ago.

I fall to the floor and reach for my throat.

Cara sighs. "Oh, Cassandra. You really should start paying attention to your surroundings."

I can hear her heels, loud and clear, on the hard floors.

She takes my shoulders in her hands and turns them a few degrees so they're facing her desk.

"That's better," she whispers.

I try to speak but every breath burns my throat.

She walks back to her desk and plays with her plant. She faces me fully and I notice that her nose is covered.

She shakes her head. "Nose plugs. These things are very toxic if you hit them with just the right amount of heat."

I start choking and she frowns.

"You know, I'm surprised you don't recognize the Coleos." She points at her plant. "They make people lose their breathing and bodily movement."

I'm too preoccupied with dying to notice what she just said. She's kind enough to dwell on it.

"Coleos? They're stronger in Northeast Asia, Malaysia, particularly." She picks up the closest piece of paper. Presumably the one with my information. "And I thought you liked and knew science. Oh well."

"Ple..." I can't even beg for my life.

She stares at me sympathetically. "Oh, Cassie, Cassie, Cassie, I was really hoping things wouldn't end like this."

She begins clearing her desk.

"You want to know why, don't you?" She doesn't face me when she says, "I'm a Rypper, Cassandra."

I start a new choking fit.

"Yes, yes, I know." She laughs and shakes the papers in her hands. "You think Brimstone would vet their teachers better? I hid my past really well, but still..."

She takes the neat piles I made earlier and puts them in her bag.

"Believe me, Cassandra, I am sorry about how things turned out." She apologizes. "Truly, I had so much hope for you. Your fighting, your magic, your determination." She turns back briefly. "I was in awe of you. Even the way you talked about your family. I think you hate them more than I did."

She moves behind her desk and empties her drawers.

"It's how I knew actually." She says. "A week of rest. I thought to myself." She stops packing for a second. "Maybe she'll be on Earth this week. Less security, you know. So I called our spies in Intelligence, and through some persuasion and a bit of extortion, we got your address, paid a little visit." She frowns suddenly. "And really, Cassandra, you truly are a wonder. You survived not one, but two of my personal attacks.

"But, it really is a shame it has to end like this."

She finishes packing her things and walks up to me.

"Now, Cassandra, hand it over."

I stare at the floor. If I wasn't aware of half of my senses, I would be pissed. First, she tries to kill me, then she demands my tiara.

"It isn't too late, Cassandra." She crouches down and lifts my chin. "I have the antidote in my drawer. It's still there. Just give me the crown, and I'll leave with the plant. You can walk, well crawl, up to my desk, and save yourself."

My breathing gets worse and I struggle to keep my eyes open. I don't even hear everything she's saying.

"This world isn't for you, sweetheart. Give us what we need. Go back home, forget this place." She's whispering now. "Come on, Cassandra. Is all this worth dying for?"

I don't know how long I have left. It can't be more than a few minutes.

I focus whatever energy I have left and make my crown appear.

Cara beams. "Ah, yes."

She reaches over to take it. I close my eyes so I don't have to watch. So this is it? Where my dignity and self-respect die. I tell myself it's better that dies than me.

The door opens behind me and someone walks in.

"What the..."

Cara looks up and scowls.

My vision deserts me and the only reason I know I'm not dead is the muffled sounds around me.

There's a low shout, and an even lower thud.

With a subtle sigh, I give up and stop fighting to stay awake.