SECRETS

Elise was going to tell us what the tunnel was for? It sounds too good to be true. She looked so serious as she looked at us.

"You have to promise to never go there. There's a reason why it is supposed to remain hidden." Elise said.

"How do you know about it?" Markus asked.

"I found out the hard way." Elise said taking her jacket off.

She turned around and showed us a large scar left by a bite mark of some ferocious animal. How had I not seen it before? She put the jacket back on and looked at me.

"Curiosity killed the cat Olive. You three are my only friends and I don't want to see anything bad happen to you. I'm begging you to stop trying to unearth things that don't concern you."

The three of us looked at each other then we nodded at Elise. She seemed so sad as she looked at us.

"The tunnel dates back to a century ago, before these buildings were turned into classroom. This place was a torture house and slave establishment run by one of my ancestors, Dorcas Davison. She was a very heartless and merciless woman. The grounds of Ancestors Academy were a township and this maize field was it's heart and a site for.... executions."

Oliver stood up from where he was sitting and he awkwardly smiled.

"Can we go somewhere else? I don't feel so comfortable anymore."

"This is the only place the ghosts can't see or hear us." Elise said and Oliver looked around like he was waiting to see something,"The attacks you've all been facing are because of those ghosts. If we go somewhere else we will be attacked and let me inform you all that not only human ghosts roam here."

She didn't get to finish what she was saying to us because of a loud bell been rang. She got up and Markus and I followed suit as we were the only ones still sitting. My legs felt weak for some reason but I didn't say anything. With or without my words Elise seemed to sense that something was wrong and she took my hand.

"Can I ask you something?" Oliver said sounding serious,"Is the tunnel the reason why Vee is the most affected?"

"Have you guys been seeing ghosts as well?" I asked nervously.

When they nodded their heads my legs gave out and Elise was the one holding me up. Markus came and carried me in his arms and he told me not to worry.

"That's why you are in the girl's dormitorium?" I asked again.

"Yes. Shorty, answer my question." Oliver said.

"No. She has a poltergeist attached to her that is..."

The Bell's loud ringing was heard again and Elise sighed.

"Dupree and I have to go and so do you. There must be an assembly because of Sr Patronelle." Elise said,"We'll come back here after after supper and don't come without me. Olive, do you still have the salt I gave you?"

"I don't know." I answered.

Where is the salt? I never went with it to the clinic so it must still be in my room. She reached her hands into her jacket and pulled out three little vials with liquid in it.

"You should drink this. It'll help keep your physical bodies unharmed even after an attack from any poltergeist." Elise said placing the vials in our hands. We went back and found everyone lined up according to their classes in front of the school hall. Markus and Elise went to stand in front while Oliver and I stood at the back of the que of our class.

"The two of you are supposed stand at the front." said the girl in front of me.

"Why?" Oliver asked in a whisper.

"I don't know. You have to hurry before the angry nun comes back." she answered looking at Oliver.

She stared at him for quite some time until Oliver dragged me to the front of the que with him. He made me stand in front of him and he held my hand. When the teachers started coming he let go of my hand. Markus, Maria and their vices as well as some other prefects made their own line in front of the others. Markus was standing right in front of me and his height provided me with shade from the setting sun. Sr Patronelle and Sr Drevin came there and that is when I noticed that there was a chair for the elderly nun.

"Don't you think we've seen her somewhere?" Oliver whispered to me.

"I thought so too when I saw her earlier. I can't remember where." I whispered back.

Sr Patronelle started talking and giving instructions. She said that Ms Stevenson was away and she would be in charge. She would be changing the would be changing our Saturday chores and she said she might even be choosing potential prefects because she wasn't pleased with the current ones.

"May the head girl and her vice step forward." she said and Maria stepped forward with a blond girl who looked much older than Maria,"Let me see your badges."

Sr Patronelle inspected the badges and after she was done she called the head boy and his vice. Markus moved two steps in front and the boy next to him stepped forward as well. Sr Patronelle started by inspecting the vice head boy's badge then she came to stand Infront of Markus. He handed her the badge but what she did was hardly an inspection. She just felt the smooth surface while staring at Markus like she was infatuated with him.

"What class are you from?" she asked in a low voice.

"10F." he answered dutifully.

"Age?"

"Fifteen."

"Here you are." she said handing him the badge but when he attempted to take it from her hand she stopped him.

Sr Patronelle moved closer and put the badge on for him and even put his collar properly. Does she like my Markus?! She moved to his side and looked at me for a moment and then past me, no doubt she had spotted Oliver. She tugged Markus' jacket and he turned around to follow her as she took tiny steps towards Oliver. I couldn't help but look behind when she stopped beside Oliver.

"Name?" she asked.

"Oliver Rogers." he answered in a questioning tone.

"Age?"

"Twelve." he answered then as I feared he asked,"Why?"

Sr Patronelle chuckled and placed her hand on his shoulder. She stopped chuckling and then looked at me.

"Don't you know how to mind your own business?" she asked me but just then I remembered where I had seen her.

She was in a yellow floral dress near a bar. Oliver and I were writing our exams at the time and had taken the route by the bar as a shortcut.

"Ollie I remember." I said looking at Oliver and ignoring her completely.

I stood on my tiptoes and whispered in his ear. His eyes widened and he looked at Sr Patronelle as if he was finally realizing it as well. He nodded and then smiled at her.

"This is my sister. She was reminding me to put my tie on." Oliver said pulling out his tie from his pocket.

Quick thinking. I didn't even notice that he wasn't wearing it. I smiled at her and turned back to look in front.

"Name?" she asked me.

"Olive Rogers." I answered looking back at her.

"Twins huh. We haven't had twins in years." she said.

She smiled at us and then left. Markus sighed and smiled at us and then he walked back to where he was standing before; right in front of me. The assembly soon ended and we went to change into our clothes and wash our uniforms. Markus looked like a prince in what he was wearing and as I watched him hanging his clothes my heart skipped an unhealthy number of beats. I was wearing a pink body top and a denim overalls. I had removed the pins from my hair and my shirt hair flowed a little in the wind.

"I'm I the only one waiting for supper time?" Oliver asked stretching as he and Markus walked towards me,"Where's Shorty?"

"I'm right here." Elise answered from behind me,"We have enough time later, just wait."

"We know." Oliver answered.

"I have something to tell you two." Elise said taking mine and Ollie's hands then she whispered,"Sr Patronelle is going to organize a surprise search so hide your things."

"You know about.....our things?" Oliver and I asked looking at each other.

"Hurry up. Not in the tunnel. My room. There's a.....forget it. Give them to me and I'll hide them myself."

We went and gave her the phones as well as the chargers and solar power banks. She took them with her and we only saw her at supper time. After supper we went back to the corn field and drank the liquids in our vials.

"Where did I end?" Elise asked once we were all seated.

"Executions." Oliver answered shivering.

"Ah yes. The places where the nuns and brothers live where homes for the slave trainers and the tunnel that is in your room linked them to the slaves and a torture chamber. Since you went in I'm sure you saw that there was another door on the right."

"Yeah. I didn't see it much." I answered.

"So in the boy's dormitorium there must also be a tunnel right?" Markus asked.

"It's been blocked and I hope you won't try finding it." Elise warned us.

"The township was destroyed by a wild fire that took the lives of many people and the survivers who were slaves and few townfolk rebuilt the slave establishment and made it a school. The slave leading them was Gariel Stevenson and one of the townsfolk to survive was Dorcas' grand daughter, Elise... who I'm named after." Elise paused and took in a deep breath,"The forest still has traces of the township. There are several houses that remain standing including the Davison family house west from here."

"Have you ever gone there?" Oliver asked.

"I did. I went to all the places but got unlucky while visiting the family house and I was attacked by some sort of mutated or morphed dog. I survived by blinding it in one eye."