~9~

After testing with Mr. Anne for the whole afternoon, Ivory finally returned to her dorm room bruised and battered.

None of the other girls were back yet, and so Ivory took the time, to get unpacked and sorted. outside the sky was beginning to darken, and a fire was ablaze in the small fireplace across the room.

Ivory picked up the beautiful snowglobe Olivia had given her before she had left. It was beautiful, but as she turned it in her hands, she noticed a hole in the back of it. A space where a small key would have gone to wind it.

Ivory brushed the tips of her fingers over the hole, and lifted it to her face, and peered inside. It was too dark to see anything.

She put the snowglobe on the third dresser from the door; that was hers. On it, she also put some old books, some quills, ink, and parchment.

Ivory was just about done unpacking when a girl whom Ivory didn't recognize burst through the door.

"Where is she?" The girl snapped.

She had reddish-brown skin, curly dark brown hair, and eyes like honey. Ivory could see tears brimming around them, but the girl quickly blinked them away.

"So?" She said, "Where is she?"

"Who?" Asked Ivory.

"Rowen Brown. She's ruined me! I...I'm ruined..."

Ivory took a step closer to the girl, but she took two steps back.

"What did Rowen do?" Ivory asked, at the same moment Macaria, Melinoe, and Rowen appeared outside the door.

The girl noticed and whipped around to face Rowen.

"Look at me." She whispered in defeat.

Melinoe and Macaria both turned to look at Rowen, but she didn't notice. She was too busy trying to hold in her laugh.

"So it worked then?" She sniggered.

"Iris, what did she do?" Melinoe asked the girl.

"Look at me Mel...I've got my mothers' eyes..."

Both Melinoes' and Macarias' hands flew to their mouths as they gasped in horror. Now Iris really was crying.

"Rowen, how could you!" Macaria fumed. "Iris is a sweet girl. Whatever could she have done to deserve this? This...This is a cruel...cruel joke."

Rowen's face grew red with embarrassment.

"Come on Iris dear," Said Macaria, "We'll get you to a healer."

Iris thanked them as she followed Macaria and Melinoe out of the room whilst Rowen stayed behind.

When the three of them had gone, Ivory asked, "Did Charlie and Jax help you do that?"

Rowen siged.

"It's not their fault. I made them--"

"they seemed pretty eager to help you at breakfast."

Rowen glared at her for a moment. Then said, "We didn't think. We just...I just wanted to get back at her."

"For what?"

Rowen pursed her lips. "She bumped me in the hall."

Ivory stared at her in discust. "Did you see her? How could you do that to someone? She thinks that you've ruined her, Rowen!"

"Shut up Evans! You don't know anything!"

Ivory shook her head, then stormed out of the room. She couldn't belive Rowen could do something like that to someone.

Downstairs, Ivory found Avery and Jax in the dining hall talking to the little people in the fire.

"Jax, how could you guys?" she said as she entered the hall. The figures in the fire turned to look at her. At the moment, it looked to her that she had interrupted a particularly good conversation.

"Hello to you too Evans," He laughed.

"You guys did something to Iriss' eyes. What is it?"

Jax looked puzzled. Then she could tell that he knew exactly what she was talking about.

"Where is she? I told them...I'm so sorry Evans, I sware that I had nothing to do with that."

Avery looked back and forth from Jax to Ivory and back to Jax.

Ivory crossed her arms over her chest, but she believed him.

"Where'd they take her?" He asked.

"Dunno," Ivory shrugged. "They said they were going to find a healer--"

"Their going to take her to Kylo. He's the best healer on the grounds. I'll go and check on her. Wanna come Avy?"

Avery nodded as Jax stood and held out his hand for her to take.

"Will you two let me know how she's doing when your back?" Said Ivory.

Jax grinned back at her and nodded. And then they were gone.

"The year's hardly begun, and already students are getting cursed and jinxed left and right!" Said one of the flaming figures in a small high-pitched voice.

Ivory visited Iris once in the infirmary, but it didn't seem to do much. Iris was in hysterics as she hid her eyes behind the palms of her hands. Ivory tried to comfort her, but she seemed to only make it worse.

"Go!" Iris would scream. "Go! I don't want anyone to see me like this!"

Finally, Ivory left and met everyone else in the dining hall.