The Initiation

The line kept getting smaller and smaller as one by one almost everyone was initiated . Soon it would be time for Scarlett and she couldn't help but feel nervous , as she believed she wouldn't fit into any of the stones .

She wouldn't mind if she wasn't selected by any of the stones but she didn't want to face the same humiliation she faced as she walked the corridors . She couldn't bear being humiliated in front of a larger crowd and secondly her investigation would be jeopardized.

None of the students were initiated to the sixth stone . Everyone was initiated to either one of the five stones .

They would start with keeping the stones in students' hands . One by one they tried all the stones until one of the stones zapped the person holding it and shone the brightest shade of that colour . None of the students had the chance to reach the sixth stone ,until ... A student hadn't been selected by any of the five stones and they placed the sixth stone on his hand .

And....Nothing . Nothing happened , he wasn't zapped and neither did the stone shine . He was escorted out by two elite soldiers .

' What's going to happen to him ? ' Scarlett was befuddled . Shouldn't every student be selected by atleast one of the stones ? What about the one who isn't selected by any of the stones ? Are they sent back home ?

" What is going to happen to me if I'm not selected ? " Scarlett murmured as she couldn't stop thinking about it .

" You do know that I'm a vampire and can hear you right " Daisy said with a chuckle and then went on " In years , no one has heard about the people who weren't selected by any of the stones . They are known as ' The Forbiddens' and are not permitted to enter Zeldia again . But I also heard rumours that those students never returned home ." Scarlett was astonished .

What exactly was the mystery of this academy ? On her way to Zeldia , the ticket inspector and the station master had also warned her . Why do the forbiddens never make it home ? The academy held many secrets and Scarlett believed uncovering them would bring her closer to the truth .

As she was busy in her thoughts , the principal began calling out her name . " Scarlett ! Hello ! Are you lost in thoughts? The principal has been calling you up since the last two minutes " said Daisy , shaking Scarlett out of her thoughts .

The first stone that was tested on her was , Citrine . Citrine was said to the division for harmless creatures such as flower fairies , Elves , etc ,. Everyone waited anxiously for the the stone to show any reaction but nothing happened .

It was the second stone that was to be tested now . One after one the principal tested all the five stones , but none of them worked . It was time to test the sixth stone . But what was gonna happen ? Was she going to get selected by the sixth stone or was she going to be termed as one of the forbiddens who can never enter Zeldia again ?

Fear overcame her as she was scared of the consequences . She didn't want to leave the academy as it was the only place she could seek refuge and continue her search for the vampire who killed her parents .

Sacrlett took a step towards the sixth stone and noticed up close that it also had inscriptions on it which no one could notice unless they focus . She felt her hand shaking as she was about to take the sixth stone in her hand . She feared it would be her last day in the academy and that she could never return to Zeldia again .

She saw Daisy from the corner of her eyes , looking more stressed than her . She didn't know if Daisy was worried about herself or about Scarlett .

As the sixth stone was placed on her hand , something unexpected happened . Something everyone had anticipated . The stone didn't shine and neither was she zapped by the stone . As soon as this happened , two soldiers came out of the shadows and escorted her out .

It took her some time to process what just happened . She wasn't selected by any of the stones and now she was banished from Zeldia , a place no one has ever returned from . Her nightmares were coming true and she couldn't do anything about it . All she could do was accept the reality and leave the academy .

She was escorted directly to the gate of the academy . All her belongings were soon brought to the gate and she was seen out by the campus guard . Now , she was walking around in dark , not knowing where to go .

" How I wish I had never been to the academy ." Scarlett was very upset with everything going around her . While she was busy cursing the academy in her mind , she hadn't noticed someone following her . Just as she sat down under a tree for rest , she heard someone's footsteps .

Cautiously she got up and started to walk again , but as she was walking she realized she must learn to face her fears . She turned around and tried spotting who was following her . " You do know that there are many dry leaves here and I can hear you following me . Just come out of the shadows and show yourself ."

Scarlett was stunned , never in this lifetime did she expect this to happen . It was the woman from her nightmare , breathing and very much alive . What does this mean for Scarlett ? What did her dream mean ? Is everything somehow connected ?

While all these questions were scattered in her mind , there was answer to none of them. Everything ended with a question mark and didn't go any further .

" I've seen you in my dreams before ." Scarlett couldn't help but mention her dream to the woman . The woman didn't seem surprised and instead gave her a faint smile .

" Aren't you the least bit surprised what happened in my dream and why I dreamt about you ? Someone that I've never met !" Scarlett waited for an answer , but looks like the woman wasn't willing to answer anything yet.

After few minutes of silence , the woman took a few steps towards her and Scarlett didn't budge either . The woman placed her hands on Scarlett's shoulder . " I've waited a long time for you ."

'What does this mean ? I told her about my dream and this is what she answers ! What does she want from me ? ' A huge wave of questions hit Scarlett . She raised an eyebrow at the woman , " So , are you willing to tell me something about yourself ? "

" You just need to know that you are where you belong . Now , follow me " It seemed more like a command or order than a request . Scarlett didn't want to follow the woman , but did she have any other option ?