chapter eight

"The game consists of answering every question you're asked with nothing but the truth. Every player will ask you a question. You have to answer, at least, 3 questions. If you decide not to answer you will be given dares to do."

Ben explains. Roselyn nods.

The guy near Ben, who wanted to play the game introduces himself to Rose. He was Dan, Ben's best friend, and he was known by everyone for being a player, just like Ben. They are on the basketball team, they are the classic school's playboys who every girl dreams of. Roselyn probably could imagine that, but she wasn't worried, she knew how to deal with that kind of boys.

"The first question is: do you have a boyfriend?" Ben asks.

"I do." She says without hesitation.

"What a shame." He comments.

"Second question. Are the rumors true? That you had a... Troubled past?" Dan says, showing a light grin, raising his eyebrow.

"Yes" she says, after a brief silence.

"slow down, boys. My turn." the girl takes position, smiling to Rose, "let's talk about important stuff now." she winks "How many boys have you been with?"

Roselyn's thoughts start to run, chasing each other, impeding her to think, her vision was blurry. She hardly could remember the boys she flirted with, she vaguely remembered all the nights she spent in clubs, blind drunk that she couldn't even stand up straight. Nonetheless, what she remembered very well, was the way alcohol and drugs were making her feel later. The dizziness, the sickness, the headache were just a minimal consequence of what it was causing her mentally.

"You mean, slept with or just dated..?" Roselyn whispers.

The boys at the table start to giggle.

"I mean, I didn't date much. Just one boy so I was-"

"It's okay. We're not upset because you have a sexually active life." Ben says.

Roselyn turns her head around to check if Andreas was still looking at her. But he wasn't, he was talking with some girls, probably about school matters.

"The important stuff was asked. Let's play another game now." Ben states.

He takes a paper from his backpack and puts it on the table. He gazes at Rose, then he says:

"Roselyn. Read carefully and quickly. The ink will last as long as the pen touches the paper, so as soon as I finish writing, it will disappear forever." Roselyn leans close to the paper, to read better.

He starts writing down:

Don't read this aloud so that any professor will be able to know what we're going to do.

There is a secret room in the school's basement, we always meet there every Friday to practice our powers and have fun. Be ready, when the bell rings, we're going to pretend we're heading out but, instead, we will go there. Just follow me.

The words fade away, Ben smiles and tears the sheet apart.

The bell rings. Ben nods at Roselyn, heading to the exit door, followed by the rest of the group.

Roselyn's heart starts racing, she was worried, she couldn't even reason as she was concerned about the professors' capabilities of reading minds.

what if she wouldn't succeed in controlling her powers properly?

She starts to shake, she tries to think about possible solutions but her thoughts were floating in perpetual darkness, driving her to be even more worried.

Ben turns around, facing Rose. He looks down, as he notices her legs shaking. He takes her hand, "it's all right, you have to trust me." he whispers.

After two long staircases, they find themselves in front of an old, cracked door, made of moldy wood.

The wood door creaks open, and they all walk in. It was a little room with just two dusty tables. One of them was even made of stone.

The guy who hasn't talked yet faces Roselyn and says "show us what you can do."

Roselyn nods no, she couldn't trust her powers and there was nobody who could help her if something happened.

"slow down Gabriel, we're here to chill," Ben says while he takes a radio from a shelf. The radio was perfectly cleaned, unlike every other object in the basement.

He puts it on the table and turns it on.

A song starts to play.

Roselyn smiles when the girl takes her hands and starts to dance, making Roselyn move, following the rhythm.

"Roselyn, I'm Karen, by the way," she says.

She raises her arms making Rose spin.

Meanwhile, Andreas was busy talking with the lady who welcomed Roselyn the first day, she was the president of the school and a member of the council of magicians.

He needed to talk to someone about Rose's performance and Pagos' appearance. Margaret was the only one who he truly trusted, she was a good soul and had known him since he was just 10 years old, when he entered the school.

"Are you sure, it was Pagos?" The lady asks, she lays her right hand on her forehead and massages it, trying to figure out a solution.

"It can't be possible." She says shaking her head and facing Andreas.

He was walking around the room, tapping his fingers on his leg.

He explains: "When she was using her powers, to fight Pagos, she seemed different, like if she knew what she was doing. She wasn't hesitating nor was she scared to use her powers like she used to be during her previous test, this time she was confident and she controlled her powers perfectly." He says stopping his walk in the center of the room.

His hand went to touch his chin, he inclines his head and thinks for a bunch of seconds.

"But she wasn't lying. We've always watched her during the years. We know everything about her. There must be some sort of explanation."

The lady scoffs, "maybe she gained confidence throughout the examination. Maybe she was willing to survive and she, unconsciously, set off defense mechanisms."

"What if Pagos appears again?" Andreas asks.

"In that case, I hope she's with someone as powerful as you Andreas, who can defend her. Tell her not to fight him, maybe Pagos' intentions are not to attack. However, call me as soon as possible."

Andreas nods.

"One last thing, keep an eye on her. And be positive. Maybe Pagos showed up because he's intrigued by her extraordinary capabilities." She smiles and walks away, leaving him alone with his thoughts.