As Mel and Jeanne packed for their departure and left the capital, the morning sun had already begun filtering through the undersea mist barrier surrounding Chrysanthemum Academy. The pale, glamorous light spilled across the campus streets and through the tall glass windows of the history building, where Rien sat in class, being watched by the strange trio and returning the gaze.
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[Rien's POV]
I held their gaze for a moment longer than I meant to, but then the girl in the middle slowly turned her head and began smiling too. Their white, pearly eyes seemed to drill holes into my skull. New, faint white shapes seemed to swirl round them, twisting in the air.
I blinked.
They were gone.
My stomach dropped.
Bandages?
Ribbons?
Robes? They were black and white, like a nun's garments….
No… tendrils? Like an octopus's tentacles…
"Se nd T o Fr it z."
I jerked upright. It was the faceless girl's voice again, like how she'd spoken to me in the orientation. My head snapped around the room again.
"Se nd T o Fr it z."
The voice was thin like a breezy draft slipping through a cracked window. My fingers tightened around the cold brass of my fountain pen as my temples throbbed.
I'd meant to send the letter during lunch, when I had free time. However, if the faceless girl had warned me about those three, maybe—
"Se nd T o Fr it z."
My pulse pounded in my ears and I squeezed my eyes shut. Yes, I heard you, but I can't do it right now.
"Se nd T o Fr it zSe nd T o Fr it zSe nd T o Fr it zSe nd T o Fr it zSe nd T o Fr it zSe nd T o Fr it zSe nd T o Fr it z "
At the same moment, the three strange students leaned toward me in perfect sync. The faint ribbons of something—magic?—coiled faintly around them once more.
Their wet lips moved in synchrony, mouthing something that I couldn't make out. The one in the middle ran her long tongue over her mouth.
A chill crawled down my spine.
As Proctor Doe was still lecturing, I brought my attention back to the front of the classroom, but I could still feel them behind me. From a glance, no one else reacted. Proctor Doe droned on about steam engines as if nothing was wrong.
The faceless girl's voice whispered again inside my skull.
"Se nd T o Fr it z." My head began to pound as a migraine wracked my skull.
If I stayed here, I wasn't going to hear a single word of the lecture anyway.
And if those three had noticed me noticing them…
Sitting still was the worst thing I could do. I needed to send that letter. I just needed a distraction or a reason to get out of class.
Fuck, my head—just then, a headache speared pain through my skull.
*Crackle, crackle, jijijijijijikkkkkk*
I cringed. Ow, ow, ow…
A sudden screech over the PA caught our attention. "Proctor Doe to meeting room five. Proctor Doe to meeting room five."
Doe sighed. "…Please remain seated. I will return shortly. And when I do, I expect every one of you to still be here." He emphasized this last bit with a glare.
That… was convenient.
My heart jumped high in my chest. Was this the faceless girl's doing? My headache continued to pound.
I waited as the room began to murmur and chairs began to creak.
My vision began to swim, but the moment it got rowdy enough where I wouldn't draw too much attention, I shoved my books into my bag and slipped out the door.
Je suis désolée, maman… désolé, papa.
Skipping part of my very first class at the academy was probably a terrible idea. But if I don't send that letter now and bad things happen, It might be too late.
I hugged the wall as I slid down the hall, gripping my head as my temples throbbed with every step.
"Se nd T o Fr it z."
I know.
"Se nd T o Fr it zSe nd T o Fr it zSe nd T o Fr it zSe nd T o Fr it zSe nd T o Fr it zSe nd T o Fr it zSe nd T o Fr it z "