Chapter Nine

A sudden muffled scream halted the girls’-minus Katie who had resumed her sad wall staring- conversation about what kind of boys they would like to end up with by the end of their first year.

“What was that?” Said Estelle, looking out the open window where the sound had come through.

“No idea.” said Emily.

“The scream wasn’t loud.” Noted Charlotte.

“It sounded like it was blocked by a wall.” Agreed Silvia, and immediately, they glanced out the window and at the thick, unbreakable brick wall that stopped students from crossing to the opposite academies.

“I think it came from the vile academy.” Said Silvia.

“Probably fighting or something,” Estelle snorted, “oh and by the way, do you know the students at the vile academy each have strong powers they can use when they get really angry?”

“What?” pouted Emily, “that’s not fair!”

“And what do we have?” Asked Charlotte, knowing the answer.

“Nothing.” Everyone chimed at the same time.

“How do you know that?” Silvia inquired Estelle, who grew uncomfortable at the question.

“Well, you see, my older cousin was a vile and she told me. I tested it out, too, and it works. I said some rude things to her-I didn’t mean them of course, I just wanted to see for myself- and she uh, punched me really hard on my nose, which then, uh, melted,” She recounted in a stiff voice, “but it grew back within two years!” She added cheerily.

“Wait. Did you say your cousin went to the...Vile academy?” Demanded Emily. Everyone quickly looked at Estelle as if they’d just realized this too.

“Well,” Estelle began thoughtfully, “technically I said she was a vile but, yeah, she went to the vile academy.” She concluded.

“If you’re related to a vile, how come you’re not a vile yourself?” Questioned Charlotte curiously.

“Because my parents went to the honor academy and so did my elder sister. I have more blood to be here than the vile academy.” Explained Estelle.

“So that means, your cousin’s family all went to vile and so she had more blood to go to the vile academy.” Murmured Silvia.

“That’s right. But that didn’t stop us from being, well, like family(being all pleasant to each other which I find kinda strange).”

Hearing those words, Silvia immediately remembered Christie, her best friend. With a gasp, she asked, “What about friends? Friends who each go to separate schools, can...can they be friends again?” Her tone was unmistakingly desperate.

“Highly unlikely. Didn’t Lady Audrey tell you?” Answered Estelle.

“She only said that friends of opposite schools wouldn’t see each other much except for meals.” Said Silvia.

“But what you’re asking right now is could they be friends after finishing school, right?” Said Emily, raising one eyebrow.

“Also for holidays.” Silvia added quickly.

“You only get one holiday which is at the end of the year-” Estelle started.

“After finishing one year of classes.” Concluded Emily.

“So, the honest answer is no,” said Charlotte, “because the lessons that the vile friend attends will affect her and will most likely make her pure evil.”

Silvia gulped.

“Is there a reason why you asked?” Asked Emily.

“Um...you see,” Silvia didn’t know whether to tell them about Christie because it might make them dislike her.

“Yeah?” Estelle egged her to go on(she and the others-including Katie who had been listening-had become curious).

“I have a friend who went to the vile academy.” Silvia mumbled and stared down at the floor. She didn’t have to look up to see that they were all looking at her with judgeful eyes. All except Charlotte(she was very gracious) and Estelle(she understood perfectly because she had a cousin who was a vile).

“That’s okay,” said Charlotte, kindly, “It’s not your fault that your friend went to the vile academy.”

“And honestly, not at viles are bad. Some are actually pretty nice considering that they had to go to all sorts of different evil classes. For instance, my cousin and her family. They’re nice to my family.” Estelle remarked, understandingly. But from Emily and Katie(wasn’t really a surprise anyways), there was only complete silence and an occasional audible sniff or two from Katie.

“Emily?” Said Charlotte slowly. Emily averted her eyes from Silvia to her.

“Say something!” Snapped Estelle.

She nodded slowly and looked back at Silvia who was shrinking back. “I shouldn’t associate with people who are besties with viles. What a disgrace I would become to my mother.” She shuddered at the word ‘disgrace’ and spun around and faced the wall like Katie(minus the fact that Katie didn’t look angry).

Silvia sighed sadly as she watched her new friend-well, already probably no longer friend- sneer and turn her back on her.

“Er...don’t worry. She’ll come around.” Estelle patted her on the back, awkwardly.

“She positively hates me, now.” Silvia muttered under her breath.

Charlotte who’d heard said logically,“Emily never said she hates you. She said that she shouldn’t associate with you, not that she doesn’t want to be friends with you.”

At this, Emily snorted, but strangely didn’t deny. Emily smiled at Silvia and raised her eyebrows as if to say, “see?”

Sighing heavily, Silvia let herself fall on her back on her bed and wondered if barely seeing Christie-her best friend-could make her happy, if it could be like those old, fun times she had back at Roseville with two friends, just only without Christie. She sighed again. Thinking of her best friend whom she might not even get to see again made her feel miserable. A horrible thought swept across her mind.

What if Christie didn’t want to be friends with her anymore? What if Christie now preferred her new friends over her? These were obstacles blocking Silvia from getting her friend back. But she understood. If Christie didn’t want to acknowledge her as a friend anymore, if Christie wanted to start afresh in this new life with her new friends, she understood. All she had to do was just let her go. Let her go, she thought and drifted away into deep sleep.

In a manky room behind the wall-the wall that blocked the schools-a girl remembered her. “Silvia!.” She gasped.