I'm here to punish criminals

Aria said with an innocent frown, "Harper Collins. She's in the power course too. Don't you guys know her? I could swear I've seen her with you guys."

"Yeah? And how do you know Harper Collins?" another one of the girls asked.

Aria tilted her head, "She's from my village. We basically grew up together."

This left the girls speechless as Aria looked around, "Hey, do you all remember this clearing?"

"Is there something special about it?" Bella asked, looking down.

"You don't?" Aria tilted her head with a confused expression, "I used to think that a criminal always remembers his place of crime."

All the others stopped dead in horror as Bella, who seemed to be their leader, stood up varily, "What.....what do you mean? What are you doing here anyway?"

Aria turned her gaze on her and said in an authoritative tone, "Sit down."

Bella did not know why, but she obeyed.

Once she was sitting, Aria said, "I think you very well know what I meant. As to what I'm doing here...." her whole manner changed as she spoke the next words, "I'm here to punish criminals."

As she said this, Aria looked like a queen who had been angered by the acts of her subjects. One of the girls shrieked, "She's a monster!!!!" and they all scrambled up and started running in different directions.

"If you dare to run away, you all will end up the same as those four boys." Aria spoke and the girls stopped dead. They turned around to look at this girl younger than any of them, looking like she owned and deserved everything.

"Good to see that you are all not out of your minds. Come back, sit down. I have a proposition for you all." Aria said, looking around.

Once the six of them were seated again, Aria said, "Tomorrow is the last day before the holidays begun. I want you all to apologise to Harper and then leave the academy of your own accord."

"What if we don't?" a girl asked, challenging Aria.

Aria turned her gaze on the girl and she cowered even before Aria opened her mouth. "If you don't, the whole capital will know the real story of Harper Collins. And you all will be expelled anyways. So it's better to save your family's pride, isn't it Bella?" Aria turned her head to Bella, who looked very sick.

Aria knew that Bella's family honoured their pride more than anything, and they could handle anything, but not a blow to their pride.

Bella was about to break when one of them, who had been silent the whole time, spoke, "You'll never prove that it was us."

She was more calm than any of the other girls and seemed to believe her words.

Aria turned to her with a smile, "Alice, isn't it? If you think that the whole academy won't believe my words, you're sadly mistaken. But don't worry, I've got proof."

Saying this Aria waved her hand and a boy walked out, one of the four who had been expelled a month ago.

"He's your cousin, right Alice? And he seems really pissed off that he was expelled and you got to stay." Aria said, raising an eyebrow at Alice, who had turned pale white.