[17.4] History is a Mystery

Meanwhile, in the Headmaster's office…

Cyrus, Felix, Zephyr, and Caldwell all stood before the Headmaster with looks of concern.

Zephyr spoke to the Headmaster first, "We really need to do something. These past few nights she keeps waking up screaming and shouting gibberish. It's really interfering with my sleep!"

Cyrus also spoke, "It's interfering in class too. Today she fell asleep and woke up screaming before she ran out of the room."

Felix's eyes watered, "We have no idea where she is… I hope she's safe."

The Headmaster sighed, "Why didn't she come to me sooner? I could have helped."

Zephyr shrugged, "I don't think she's the type of person to ask for help when she needs it."

The Headmaster put aside his work and stood up, "Then I should have been more attentive. Does anyone know where she would go?"

They all shook their heads.

Cyrus spoke up, "The last thing she said was that she will get to the bottom of it."

"Of what?"

They all shrugged.

The Headmaster turned to Zephyr, "You."

Zephyr pointed to himself, "Me?"

He nodded sternly, "Find her. You're her familiar. You should know where she would go."

"Wait…" Zephyr frowned, "Do you even know my name?"

"...Fox?"

Zephyr's face twitched, "You don't know my name..."

The Headmaster snapped his fingers, "Cat."

Zephyr: "..."

Felix added in, "Kitty?"

Caldwell chuckled, "Pussy cat~"

"I WILL SHOW YOU A PUSSY CAT!"

As Zephyr attacked Caldwell, a single letter appeared from a magic circle and slowly floated down. The Headmaster picked it up without wasting a moment.

As he read it, his eyes widened. With the wave of his wand, and a uttered a single vowel.

Zephyr recognized the spell and shouted, "WAIT!"

He jumped onto the Headmaster just in time before they disappeared in a flash.

Everyone else left in the room froze and looked at the space the Headmaster had been occupying. Felix blinked in confusion, "Where did he go?"

Cyrus picked up the letter and read it aloud, "Aldrich. Reika broke into the M.I.B headquarters. Sincerely: The Brother you ignore."

…

[Author's note: Another Reika dream sequence.]

I opened my eyes to find I was in a different bed. At the foot, a somber-looking woman was staring off into space. I spoke hesitantly, "Mummy…"

She snapped out of her daze and turned to me with a smile, "I know. I know. I shouldn't be moping around…"

She sighed, "It's just that I keep thinking about how much he would have loved to see the capital. He always wanted to see the Academy and visit the port…"

I sat up and grabbed her hand, "Don't worry Mummy… I will find the people who hurt Uncle and make them suffer."

She turned to me with a firm look, "No, Reika. We can't stoop to their level. We have to bring them to justice the right way."

I rolled my eyes, "Yeah, yeah. We have to take the high ground."

"Exactly." She poked my cheek affectionately, "The last thing I want is to see you behind bars. You're too delicate and beautiful to be in prison. Just trust in the system."

"Pah!" I spat out hatefully, "The system isn't looking out for people like us. How could you trust in it!? They'll only screw you over and make everything worse! You should know more than anyone! They didn't do a thing to help you or Uncle when you were-"

She looked away with a downcast expression.

I realized I said something wrong and averted my eyes guiltily. I cleared my throat, "I just don't want you to put your trust in a system that is set up against us…"

"I have to believe in them… If I don't, then I will have nothing…" She forced a soft smile and stood up. She rubbed my head, "Time for sleep, my darling Rei of sun. I will see you in the morning…"

Before she left my small attic room, she smiled softly, "I hope that one day your scars will heal and you can trust again…"

I rolled over in my bed with a scoff, "Heal? Please. I will never trust those pigs nor will I ever believe in another again.. They'll only try to hurt me."

She muttered under her breath, "Plus scars don't heal. They just become invisible over time…"

Why is the original owner so guarded and cynical?

What exactly happened that I'm not seeing?

What happened next, even the original owner didn't know.

After her eyes closed, I felt as if my own stomach was being stabbed with a knife.

But why is it in the same spot!?

My heart is beating too fast.

...I'm scared….

Why am I scared?

...I can't escape…

Why can't I!?

...He caught me…

Who caught me!?

Smoke grabbed at my throat, clutching it in agony.

My eyes watered as I gasped for air.

I want it to stop!

I don't like this!

Please stop!

My eyes flew open to see flames engulfing everything around me. I fell off the bed gasping for air, but I couldn't breathe. My vision swirled, making it hard to see. As I crawled through the house, I realized that it was only the smoke hurting me.

The flames that touched my body left no burn scars.

It was as if it was part of me.

After I forced the door open outside, I coughed and gagged on the oxygen.

I forced my head up to look at the house completely engulfed in fire. It was spreading so quickly that one couldn't walk through it unless they could walk through flames.

I croaked out anxiously, "M-Mummy!"

My voice was so raspy and hoarse that I couldn't believe it came from my throat.

Despite the burning of my lungs and the soot covering my body, one wouldn't believe I had walked through a building on fire.

I reached my hand out to the flames consuming the small, run-down house. Tears crawled down my cheeks, "M-Mummy!!!"

…

My eyes flung open to see my hand stretched out to frantically grab the woman from my dreams as I was sweating and gasping for air.

I sat up slowly, wiping my cheeks as I heard hushed arguments coming from the other side of the door.

The Headmaster spoke, "Why did you bring her up here!?"

Chief Gonza spat back, "What would you have me do!? She was going on about corpses and ransacking my office!"

"But you brought her HERE! You took her to that terrible room with all your hobbies strewn about!"

"It isn't a hobby!! Don't you want to know who is responsible for our parent's death or do you not care?!"

"For the last time, it's not that! It's because your theory is wrong."

"It's not wrong! I'm telling you!!! There's a conspiracy-"

"There is no conspiracy! Stop with this nonsense!"

"There is! Why won't you listen to me?"

"Fine. I will listen. Do you have any proof?"

"..."

"Exactly. So just give up this matter already."

"I won't! I won't give it up!! I know I'm right! All of the information is here. I just need to connect the dots… If you just look-"

Finally, the Headmaster shouted aloud. "Enough! I've told you that you will only end up dead like them if you keep this up. Just give it up already."

Chief Gonza shouted back, "I won't! Unlike you, I actually care!"

The Headmaster let out an exasperated sigh, "But Reika is far too young for those kinds of images. It will only make her nightmares worse!"

"Why are you so upset? You should be happy I gave her a place to sleep! It's more than what you're doing for her!"

He hissed back, "What is that supposed to mean?"

"I mean that you are far too absent in her life. This is the tree all over again."

"Stop bringing up the tree!!!"

"Stop setting innocent plants on fire!"

Zephyr giggled in excitement, "Just what conspiracy are you two talking about? Hmmm? Tell me! Tell me tell me tell me tell me-"

They both shouted simultaneously, "SHUT UP!"

I grit my teeth in annoyance and picked up a nearby vase. I went to the door and threw it open. Before they could turn to me, I chucked the vase, shattering it against the wall beside them.

I looked at the four unwanted visitors with crazed eyes, "Shut. The. F*ck. Up. I. Want. To. Sleep."

Chief Gonza looked as if he wanted to cry, "...My vase…"

Zephyr hid behind the Headmaster, "Why is she so scary today?"

Belle, who hovered behind the Headmaster's head, trembled pitifully. "She's always scary!"

Chief Gonza picked up the broken vase pieces, "This was a gift..."

The Headmaster glared at Belle, "Just what did you do to her!?!"

She shook her head frantically, "I didn't do this! I swear!"

He frowned menacingly, "Well she wasn't like this before you hit her with that light beam!!"

Belle cried, "My light is harmless!!! Or… I think it is…"

"You think!?"

I groaned in annoyance as the two started arguing while Chief Gonza sobbed silently for his vase. Then, my ear suddenly felt as though it was ignited with a burst of flames. I raised a hand to rub it and found that my earring was pulsating.

Goldilocks!

I threw open the window and jumped out. I summoned the ice chunk, but the ice didn't solidify in time so I went through it.

I collapsed into a pile of snow and hopped up. I shook the snow off and tried again. This time, the ice chunk appeared, but the edges were rapidly breaking off. I didn't have time to waste, so I sped off in Cyrus's direction, ignoring my weakening magic.

Zephyr cleared his throat, "Um. Idiots?"

Belle turned to him in a fury, "Who are you calling an idiot, you idiot!?"

Zephyr pointed, "She disappeared."

The Headmaster turned pale and ran to the window, "Reika! Wait-"

Zephyr scratched his cheek, "Why do you look so panicked?"

"You can't use magic when you're that sleep-deprived!" The Headmaster clenched his jaw, "Something could happen."

"Eh. I'm sure she's fine… Wait…" Zephyr's eyes widened as if he suddenly realized something, "Nightmares? Sleep deprivation!? F*ck! Why didn't I think about this sooner!? We have to go save her! This is the work of a demon!!!"

Zephyr went to jump out the window but was quickly caught by the Headmaster. His expression was dark, "Stop. I have a better way of finding her."