Chapter 10: Corpse

Ariella introduced me to her friend, Lany, earlier. She is also our classmate, and she is the one who called Ariella earlier. We did not talk that much because I can’t relate to what they are talking about. So, I just looked around while eating my dinner. Ariella and I went back to our room after we finished eating in the cafeteria.

I can’t sleep after what I’ve done this day. I’m not tired at all. I tried to close my eyes, but I only saw their faces, my tia's faces. I felt a pain in my chest. I miss them. I am wondering what they are doing right now. Are they doing fine? I hope they’re okay...

I felt a tear on my cheek. I immediately wipe them. They are okay. I am sure of that. I don’t know how strong they are, but I know that they are a brave and strong woman.

I turned to Ariella, that is sleeping peacefully. Her lips parted, and she almost fell on her bed, but she changed positions, turning her back on me. I looked at the ceiling and think. I remembered the book I borrowed. Where can I find the key? I’m so stupid! Why did I tell the librarian that I can find it? What is wrong with me?

I shook my head and took a deep breath.

What kind of key is that? I got up from bed and took my bag, which is hanging at the top of my bed. I opened it and took the book inside my bag. I got a tissue from my side table and wiped the book.

The book was old, but it doesn’t have any damage. It was a color wine, and it has details of vines in every part of the book. Also, the vines are connected to the flower at the bottom of the book.

It was 1:00 AM when I fell asleep.

I woke up because of Ariella’s rants. She told me to take a bath when I got up from bed. After that, I wore a long blue off-shoulder dress. The dress looks simple, but when you look into the dress closely, you can see the details of the lace.

I look at myself in the mirror. I braid half of my hair like a crown, and I let my long wavy hair down until my waist.

I remembered tia Cecil whenever I look into my eyes. She always said that I looked determined by something because of my eye color. My light brown eyes changed their color because of the sunlight. I blink twice.

“Your eyes are so beautiful, Jasmine,” Ariella whispered while looking at me through the mirror.

I turned to her and gave her a small smile. “T-Thank you, but why did you wake up so early? It’s Saturday. Are we going somewhere?”

She frowns. “You don’t want to go home?” She stood up. “Let’s go!”

What?

How can I go home when there’s no one in our house?

She went out, and I followed her. She looked at me and narrowed her eyes.

“Don't you want to come with me?" She pouted and crossed her arms.

“I-I want to.. b-but--”

“Then, let’s go! We’ll tell the professor that we will be leaving now.” She said excitedly and pulled me.

We went to our room, and we saw our professor sitting at the teacher’s table while reading the book. He looked at us when we went in.

“Good morning, professor!” Ariella greeted.

I smiled at him and whispered my greetings. His eyes went to me.

“We’re leaving, prof, can we?”’

He nodded his head slowly. “But I won’t let you go, Jasmine.”

Ariella immediately looked at me but returned her eyes to the professor.

“W-Why, sir?” I asked.

Professor looked at Ariella, and she immediately understands it because she went out. But confusion is still written on her face. Professor returned his gaze to the book he was holding. He flipped to the other page, sighed, and closed his eyes. I scanned the teacher’s table and saw his name.

Howl Coller

"I don't know why... b-but Headmistress Luna wants to see you, Jasmine."

Both of my eyebrows were crooked, and my lips parted. Headmistress Luna? Why? Is there any news about them? Did she find them?

I calmed myself and didn’t manifest what I feel. He looked at me and closed the book.

"Don't tell Ariella," he reminded, and I nodded.

Ariella turned her gaze at me when I went out. Until now, she’s still confused, and her eyes are telling me that she is sad.

“Why prof didn’t let you?” She asked and went near me.

I gave her a small smile. I’m sorry, Ariella. “Professor Howl said that I should focus on my studies because of the incoming exams next week.”

She nodded slowly. I felt guilty when she believed my reason. Instead of coming with her, I accompanied her to the carriage.

I waved my hand at the carriages when the horses started to walk away. I waited for their carriages to disappear from my sight before I went in. I am the only student who didn’t go home. I sigh.

While walking to the headmistress’s office, I heard someone playing the piano. I stopped walking and looked around.

The music is familiar to me. The piece was so beautiful, and it makes my heart weak. Like I just want to listen to this piece all day.

I listened carefully and followed the music. I closed my eyes as I walk into the hallways. Some of the birds were singing beautifully when the leaves danced as the wind blew. I opened my eyes and looked at the paintings on the walls. The way the person plays the piece, how he or she played it. I felt the pain he/she is carrying.

I found where the music was playing, and I was about to open the door when someone called my name. I turned around. It’s the butler, John.

“Miss Jasmine? The headmistress was waiting for you.”

“I’m sorry,” I whispered and gave him a small smile.

His gaze passed behind me. I heard the door close. I turned around, and I saw the guy walking away. I can’t see his face, but he’s a tall man. I can only see his back, but I can say that he looked elegant and he walked in class. Is he the one who played the piano?

I looked at the butler when he called me again. He started to walk, and I don’t have a choice but to follow him to the headmistress’s office. I looked at the tall man before I followed the butler.

It was quiet while we are walking, but the breeze is enough to make me calm. I smelled the flowers and heard the birds singing.

The headmistress smiled at me when I went into her office, but her smile did not reach her eyes. She let me sit in the chair in front of her desk. She didn’t look away, and there was still a small smile on her lips. There’s something in her eyes that I can’t explain. She parted her lips and bowed her head slightly.

When she returned her gaze at me, the look on her eyes went gone. Suddenly, her mood changed in a short time. She grinned at me; her smile was genuine this time.

"J-Jasmine,” she gulps. “I have something to t-tell you.."

She’s hesitant if she’s going to tell me or not. The headmistress put her hand at the top of mine.

"Some of the guards of the academy went to your house to check.. b-because we heard something that caught our attention, dear."

My eyes went wide. “H-Huh? What a-about..” my hand is trembling.

"Calm down," she whispered and held my hands gently.

I swallowed hard. “W-What happened to them?” I felt a tear fall in my eyes.

“There’s no one, Jasmine. There’s no one in your house, but the guards said, that there’s a lot of damage in every corner of the house. Tell me, Jasmine. What happened before you left?" She whispered calmly.

I cleared my throat. I look up because the tears didn’t stop flowing from my eyes. I slowly wipe my tears and turned my eyes to her.

I closed my eyes and remembered the scene. “Before I left, I heard everything... in every d-drop of the blood, the collusion of their swords, the scream of p-pain, a-and… I heard tia Celestia and tia C-Cecil.”

I opened my eyes when her hold went tight. Until now, she’s still smiling at me, but her smile is different. There’s a tear that fell in her eyes. Even though she is crying, she’s still beautiful.

She bowed a little and let go of my hand. She cried, and her shoulder is trembling, even though she tried to stop. Because of that, I can’t stop myself but cry. I didn’t even realize that there was still someone who cared about them.

I stopped when I saw a picture frame at her table. It’s tia Cecil, tia Celeste, tia Celestia… and headmistress Luna. The picture was taken candidly, and I think they don’t even know that someone took a picture of them. Also, they looked so young in the picture.

I returned my gaze to headmistress Luna, that’s also looking in the picture, she’s smiling right now but sad.

“We didn’t see anything but the damage inside the house and… corpses.”