You took my friend away from me!!

Zach narrowed his eyes, "Before I answer that question, what did you do?"

Aria sighed and looked around. "Do you feel like taking a walk?" she whispered.

Zach nodded and the two slipped out from the back, unnoticed except by Professor Thomas who muttered to himself, "I wanna leave too."

Professor Iris glared at him, "You said something Professor?"

Professor Thomas scratched his head, "Nothing. I just said I was thirsty."

Aria and Zach walked out of the castle and into the grounds.

Aria gave the letter to Zach as he stood towering above her. "You're sure?" Zach asked, his eyebrows raised.

Aria nodded and said, "Read it first. I'll tell you everything later. And then I have a question for you."

Zach said nothing as he read the letter. He then handed it back to Aria who told him everything, from Harper's story to the choice she had given Bella and her friends the previous night.

As she ended, Zach stood transfixed. His eyes were fixed on something in the distance and his lips were pursued. "So, what did you want to ask?" Zach finally said, seeing that Aria was not willing to speak.

"You know the whole story, what do you think I should have done?" Aria asked in a small voice.

Zach held his head, "I don't know. I don't know!! You should have made Bella apologize or something. Do you have any idea what being in the academy meant for her!?!? How happy she was to be able to learn here!?!"

Aria said nothing as she hung her head.

"What did she do?" she asked in a small voice.

"I don't know!! I don't f*#king know what she did! She gave me this letter last night and she was not in her room this morning! Nobody knows where she went!" Zach shrieked.

Aria stood as if struck by lightning. Bella? Had left? Nobody knew where she went?

Aria's head snapped up when Zach yelled suddenly, "You are wrong!!! You didn't have any right to do that! You took my friend from me!!! You took her!!!!!"

And before Aria could respond, he had walked away, leaving behind Aria, clutching the letter in her hand.

Joseph knocked on the door of Aria's room. He had not seen her ever since breakfast that day. She had mysteriously disappeared during the result ceremony and had never returned, not even for lunch.

Jacob had finally found her in her room after lunch, but she wouldn't let him or anyone in, only asking to be left alone.

Joseph waited, but there was no answer from inside. "Don't you want some dinner, Aria?" he asked.

"I already told Jacob I don't. Just go to sleep. I'm fine." Aria's voice came from the inside.

Joseph sighed and walked back to his room.

Inside the big room, Aria was sitting on the floor with her back against the bed, with her head between her knees.

She looked up as she heard a knock on the window, and was not much surprised to see Joseph.

"Go away Joseph. I just wanna be alone for a while." Aria said, putting her head between her knees again.

"You've been alone for long enough. Let me in. I won't go away until you do." Joseph said as he continued to hover outside.