A moment's respite

My stay in the infirmary lasted another two days. Although I had emerged relatively unscathed from my confrontation with Chloe, I was still completely exhausted.

I therefore decided to rest some more so that I could regain my energies and be discharged together with Amy.

I expected the healers to do everything they could to throw me back into the fray, but in this case they were strangely understanding.

As for the reason, well, I had an idea.

The day after I was admitted to the infirmary, Sophia had come to see us again.

She had told us that she had been summoned by Skylark, who had asked for information about the circumstances of Chloe's death.

But, according to Sophia, it was just a facade: the headmaster knew very well what had happened.

In any case, violence between students was, at least on paper, forbidden outside of duels.

Despite this, I would not be punished for killing Chloe, it would have been considered self-defense.

Sophia had then sarcastically thanked me on behalf of the headmaster for stopping the killer.

Thanks to that message she had found, we knew full well that it was only a front.

Behind the trail of death left by that girl was none other than the Academy and Skylark itself. They had used her for purposes that were not yet clear to me.

But of one thing I was almost certain: the headmaster was aware that we had read that incriminating message.

Evidence? None, just my intuition.

Perhaps that was why the healers had been so lenient toward me: Skylark wanted to keep me quiet by giving me what I wanted.

Despite the total control the old wizard seemed to exert over the Academy, it was unlikely that he wished his complicity in the recent murders to be made known.

Even though we were trapped in this perverse game, the Academy still presented itself as a champion of rules and impartiality. The fact that a student had been helped to kill went against this notion.

It would have been the perfect spark to fuel a student revolt.

But not now, of course. It would have been suicide.

No, we would have to do a lot of work before attempting such a thing. For the time being, I would stay put, just as Skylark wanted.

But my revenge, sooner or later, would come.

***

As Amy and I walked through the school hallways, heading to class, I could not ignore the stares that many of my classmates were giving me.

I even saw some whispering among themselves as I passed.

I had expected this. From what Sophia had told me, the teachers had decided to inform the class about the circumstances behind Chloe's death.

"To avoid panic and let us focus on the duels," they had said.

In any case, now everyone knew that it was me who had killed her.

But something felt off.

I was sure that I would be treated as an outcast, just like Sophia. After all, I was now a murderer like her.

But at that moment, the atmosphere around me was not one of fear but... admiration?

My impression proved correct. I was soon stopped by a girl I had never spoken to, who asked me how I was doing and thanked me profusely for defeating the killer who had murdered Mary Stillwater. And she wasn't the only one: before reaching the classroom, I was stopped several times by classmates who wanted to congratulate me.

"Hypocrites."

Why were they treating me like this when they had made Sophia's life hell?

We had done the exact same thing.

We had both taken a human life to protect the entire class.

If nothing else, she had done more for us. Valentine, unlike Chloe who acted in the shadows, had created a real reign of terror.

I was very well aware of that.

It was so unfair.

All because she had been forced to finish Valentine in front of the whole class in that gruesome way.

As they say, "Out of sight, out of mind...."

It must also be said that perhaps the other classmates felt more comfortable considering me a hero rather than a murderer.

The fact that I was a wizard like them and did not display an absurd power like Sophia's was more reassuring.

"A hero, uh? Lucky me they didn't see my entrance in Chloe's lab."

Well, if they wanted to get into my good graces, I had every intention of making their lives as difficult as possible.

As soon as I entered the classroom, I immediately headed for the last row before anyone else could stop me.

Sophia was sitting there, completely isolated from everyone, at the end of the bench.

Usually, now that there were many empty seats, a small desert formed around her.

But that was no longer going to be the case.

Immersed in a book, Sophia hadn't noticed my presence.

I tapped her shoulder, startling her.

«Huh!?»

«Good morning to you too. Make room, please.»

«What the hell are you talking about?»

«What do you think? I want to sit next to you.»

Sophia seemed surprised at first, but she quickly recovered.

Lowering her voice to a whisper she said:

«Get away! It's still better if we keep our cooperation a secre-»

«Don't even think about it. Now move, I'm not going to stand around for the whole class.»

I wasn't going to let her slip away.

By now I knew who was hiding behind her mask.

I was determined not to leave her alone again.

«Well, good luck then, I'm not moving from here.»

"Stubborn as ever."

I could just go around and sit next to her anyway, but I didn't want to give her that satisfaction.

«If you don't make room right away...»

«What, you want to force me?» Sophia replied, giving me a playful look of defiance.

"I missed a little arguing like this..."

But this time I was going to win.

I raised my voice a little:

«Oh, Sophia! I still have to thank you for what you told me in the infirmary the other day. What was it? Ah yes: "Elizabeth, you are the most beautiful, brave and intelligent girl I have ev-"»

Blushing furiously, Sophia grabbed the sleeve of my shirt with such force that she almost tore it off and almost knocked me against the bench.

Quickly she moved to the right, allowing Amy and me to sit down.

«You little shit... after making me say those things, you want to shame me even more? And by the way, I never said anything about you being beautiful!» she whispered sullenly.

«Oh? Are you sure? I'm sure I've heard you say you can't sleep at night from thinking about me. Right, Amy?»

Amy giggled in response.

«Please, not you as well....» Sophia intervened exasperatedly.

But I was sure I saw the corners of her mouth twitch into a smile.

"From now on, I hope we will have many moments like these...."

Our heated exchange had not gone unnoticed by the rest of the class, but no one now seemed inclined to approach me.

As I imagined, Sophia's presence was a good deterrent...

But I had no intention of using her as a shield against unwanted attention; rather, I wanted to do the opposite.

Perhaps by interacting with her, I would make everyone realize that after all, she was just a normal girl who need not be feared.

Sophia soon noticed the attention our classmates seemed to be giving us.

After all, they usually went out of their way not to look at her.

«Oh, have you become a celebrity too? Is that why you sat next to me? Do you want to form a club or something?»

«Sounds like fun. But no, unlike you they don't seem to hate me after all. I just wanted to keep you company. After all the compliments you gave me I didn't feel like leaving you alone.»

«I fucking hate you... Amy how did you put up with her all this time?»

Amy chuckled:

«Honestly, I've never seen her act like this except with you. You obviously have something that awakens this side of her.»

«What sin I have committed in my past life to deserve this...»

All three of us burst out laughing.

As I tried to compose myself, I noticed that a girl had broken away from a large group of students and was coming in our direction.

I immediately recognized Celeste Fitzroy's showy blond ringlets.

«Elizabeth, it's good to see you among us again! When I didn't see you in class two days ago, I feared the worst!»

If she was genuinely worried, she didn't show it: her face was as usual lit by a bright smile.

«Oh... Thank you, Celeste. I was fine, I just needed to rest a little more.»

«So it was that Chloe, huh? I wouldn't have guessed that. Good job finding out and taking care of her. I guess it wasn't easy, but in my opinion you did the right thing. She almost killed four people.»

"Not that I had a choice..."

But I guess it was nice by Celeste trying to cheer me up.

She was a little odd but she didn't seem to be a bad person.

«Oh and you must be Amy, right? It's good to see that you've recovered too! Nice to meet you, I'm Celeste.»

Amy seemed surprised that one of the most popular students knew her name, but she shook the hand Celeste enthusiastically held out to her.

Then, to my surprise, Celeste also approached Sophia and, still holding out her hand, said:

«Nice to meet you too, I'm Celeste!»

I heard a murmur spread through the classroom.

The fact that someone as influential as Celeste had approached public enemy number one so casually confirmed once again how unusual that girl was.

"Now please, don't screw this up!"

It was a great opportunity to set things right.

Sophia looked at the offered hand with a doubtful expression and after a moment gave me a sideways glance.

I nodded.

"TAKE IT!" I thought, hoping that my silent cry might reach her.

«Nice to meet you.»

"You're supposed to also say your name..."

But at least she didn't slap her hand away.

«Great!» exclaimed Celeste, heedless of Sophia's lukewarm reaction.

Then she leaned against the desk, lowering her voice slightly.

«How about that tea, Elizabeth? In my room, after classes,» she asked.

«Uhm, sure...»

That invitation was so sudden that I accepted without thinking.

«Delightful! See you later!»

Celeste returned to her friends after giving me a wink.

«She's a strange one. What does she want from you?» Sophia asked me with a suspicious expression.

"Look who's talking..."

«I have no idea. She's a bit odd, but... she seems like an okay person. Did you see how she shook your hand without any issues?»

«If you say so, just be careful what you say to her,» Sophia commented without changing her expression.

For some reason, she gave me the cold shoulder for the rest of the morning.