Grave (Work in Progress)

Chapter 1.3-Bastian-Truth

I couldn’t concentrate on the professor’s lecture, and it wasn’t because Lysandra and Elpis were passing notes and whispering behind their hands the whole time. No, instead, I spent the entire class figuring out how to get my idiot of an ex-friend to drop out of Celeste before the more vocal member of council gave up on petitions and silly rumors and started searching for loopholes in the university’s “no fire magic outside of class” rule.

“Don’t ring, bell,” I willed it. “Please, I’ll stay in history class forever. Just don’t—.” Dammit. If only I had an illegal mind control ability that worked on bells.

The rest of student council pounced on Kyrce before I got a chance. Faustus took the lead as usual. That guy had had it out for me since last year’s elections, wanting to believe that he had more power than me, but I could still shut him up with one word. With a wave, I ordered the council to leave, even though inside, I was begging them to stay so I didn’t have to play nice and break my façade of not giving two shits, but of course they skittered into the hall obediently. Some friends.

“Can we talk?” I asked Kyrce, regretting it right away when he got defensive. Predictable.

“You don’t say a word to me and all of a sudden you want to talk? You’re a great friend, Bastian,” he snapped before storming out into the hallway.

I should’ve just let him leave at that, but I must have been feeling masochistic, so I chased him down. Of course, I was careful not to make a scene. It was bad enough I was talking to the class freak, let alone trying to be nice to the class freak while simultaneously getting verbally abused by the class freak.

“Look, the council is serious this time,” I said once I was sure no one could hear us. “They want you gone this year, and they’ll do anything short of murder to get rid of you.”

“Talk them out of it, Mr. President.”

Oh wow. Pure genius there. It wasn’t like I hadn’t thought of that already. Typical blond, stating the obvious.

Then he ranted like I wasn’t doing anything about it. You’re more competent than that and you’re making excuses and you would help me if you cared and blah dee blah blah blah. Just like old times. Bastian’s always the bad guy.

“Look, just cover your ass and lay low,” I said. At that point, this conversation needed to end as fast as possible. “They’ll take any opening they can get.”

“Like what?”

“I wish I knew.” Really, I didn’t know what kind of stupid crap he was getting into these days.

Well, I guess Kyrce was as done with me as I was with him because he shot me some sarcastic goodbye and ran off into the crowd. Exhibit A as to why you should never help ex-best friends.

This whole situation was a pain in my ass. Was I the only one who was willing to let the petty secondary school drama die? Aion above, I shouldn’t have had to referee college sophomores like a damn Juggetball match.

While I was stewing in the hall, someone brushed my shoulder as they walked by. Even though it hurt about as much as being slapped with a feather, it kind of set me over the edge. Okay, not even kind of.

I whirled around and snapped, “Hey, watch where you’re going!”

The offender’s boot heels clicked into a dead stop a few steps away. Her black braid whipped over her shoulder like a scorpion’s tail as she turned to me. The girl appeared to be about twelve or thirteen, decked out in a full-length cloak and a white carnival mask to hide her eyes. Everyone else didn’t seem to be noticing her as if preteens dressed like hokey street magicians were a daily occurrence. The oddest thing about her though was the pale blue tint to her skin. It made her appear inhuman. Perhaps she was some kind of fey?

“Sorry, mister.” She kneeled into a deep bow. I felt bad for yelling at her already, but the over-the-top method of saying sorry when I was the one in the wrong here was so pathetic that I felt downright disgusted with myself.

Before I could tell her it was all my fault for screaming over nothing, she reached into the pocket of her vest and handed me a card. “Here, take this and I’ll make sure to make it up to you. All you have to do is come and find me. Ok?” As soon as I took hold of the paper, she disappeared into the crowd, unacknowledged by anyone but me.

The front side of the card read, “Iona: where the Ocean Swallows the Sun. any Wish can Be Granted.” On the back, there was a picture of an eye and the inscription, “the Truth shall be Revealed to All.”