The St Vinia Academy || An Academia School of Mysteries

chapter twenty-three [michelle's pov]

(michelle got three chapters since hers were so short)

I was down the stairs back on the first floor, the sounds of rain blend in with distant, inaudible talking a few turns down the hall to my right. As I turn back from viewing the corridor to my right, an intimate visage appears. Blond hair tucked neatly behind her ears, blue eyes lit by the chandelier above. Lingering scrutiny blanketing my thoughts and mind as her eyes cut straight into my glare. Quickly, although I hesitated my body didn't follow my anxiousness, I walk straight up to her. She slows down and gives me a friendly but confused expression. She glances around, behind her an empty hall. Just through a gentle. gleam in her eye, I could tell she was intelligent and clueless all at once. Clueless in her knowledge of this school and what she'd gotten herself into if she even chose to come here. 

"Do I- know you?" She says slightly tilting her head, giving a forced smile consisting obvious worry that she held back. I read her expression and feel a bit rude for just coming up to her without saying anything. 

"Hi- I'm sorry, I must've come off so rude." I tell her, my voice louder at the start of my sentence. The girl loosens up a bit. She remained slightly tense and gripped a notebook in her hand firmly. Her grasp on it slightly unhooks as she brings another hand to her lower chest.

"Oh- it's fine-" She says. She didn't finish her sentence but I accidentally cut her off out of anxiousness. The entire time I was pushing myself to talk and ended up doing it when she barely finished if at all. 

"I'm Michelle, you're Nephelle right?" I say as politely as possible without sounding like a weird stalker. I find people especially with blue eyes have an enchanting glare that I cannot decipher whether is trying to stare me cold or give off sweet energy. I felt this way having her look at me but I'd gotten used to it after living for thirteen years.

"Yeah, how did you know-" She asks me curiously. Her mind must've been at work, I could tell she thought a lot. 

"I'm the one who lives on the eighth floor,"I put lightly. I realize I must've sounded like some kind of strange person who had just involved myself in her life after only seeing her once. Nephelle looks at me, I'm sure she now was given more to ponder about after I just gave her such a specific piece of information.

"Oh- " She begins, at a loss for what to ask or tell me next. 

"Are you new?" I ask her politely. My eyes seem to be tempted to look out the window as the rain hit the glass crisply.

"Oh yes." She replies, she has her hands folded in a proper manner. I felt bad for her even though I didn't know if she had found out about the missing cases and murders here at school that hadn't been properly settled.

"What time is it?" I blare out with a relaxed but intrigued air. 

"It's 5:17-" She answered, meaning we had an hour. I check to see if there's a watch on her wrist but there isn't. I figure I'll take my chances plus her reply wasn't too unrealistic either way.

"Okay thanks- do you want to come with me to get something to eat?" I say after mustering up all the courage I had, not letting myself overthink my way out of it.

"Sure," she replies. Her voice was gentle and kind but wasn't the squeaky, piercingly-high type. It could almost put you in a meditative state.

"There's a lot I want to tell you." I let her know, finishing up the sentence I paused to let her answer to. I had calmed down a bit now as she seemed pretty laid-back and open to anything I said or asked. Nephelle came off this way but I had the perception that she wasn't going to take manipulation and could tell the wrong sort for herself. She didn't seem gullible or foolish.

"Where is the cafeteria?" She asked me, pulling off a friendly smile as she got more comfortable with me.

"Oh come-" I insist as I turn my back to her, my gaze still at her. She began to approach me and followed me down the corridor. I hoped the conversation on our way to the cafeteria wouldn't be boring.

I couldn't bare to deal with an awkward empty silence as we walked there so I decided to just talk as I forced myself to this entire time. It didn't end that badly so I figured I would continue to speak.

"Do you know Cassidy? She has this gray-ish caramel long hair and sort of brown-green eyes." She and I were walking down the corridor, only half way through it when I asked, hoping not to come off as someone with too many questions. I was looking straight forward and occasionally looked around but Nephelle observed all around the corridor although there wasn't much to see. I didn't blame her though, when I first arrived I spent plenty of time looking around even if there wasn't much you could visibly see through most of the halls. 

"I've seen a girl who fits that description but I'm not sure if it's her." She says, quickly looking in my direction but not at me. Her eyes dart back around the room. We had taken the last and only turn we needed to now to get to the cafeteria. It was just down the hall. 

[ After getting something to eat ] 

Nephelle was mesmerized by all the food options and I had only explained the minority of things she needed to know about this school. While we were in the cafeteria I asked the lunch lady what time it was. Me and Nephelle were one of the few people at the cafeteria. It opened at 5:15 but we weren't really supposed to go there, we wouldn't get in trouble though. The people who worked there didn't mind they just wanted us to be there at 6:00 instead. 

Me and Nephelle were seated at the same table as I sat with Draco and Camille. By now me and Nephelle had been talking a lot but I didn't want to seem like I was trying to control how she should think about people.

"Yeah so about Cassidy, you'll definitely  see her and once you do, you won't mistake her. I don't want to force you to believe anything but she's not someone you want to be friends with. You'll find out as soon as you see her in class." I tell her as she happily eats her breakfast, biting off the cake on her fork. She gave me an understanding nod before putting her fork down and talking. 

"I'm sure I'll be able to figure out who she is when I see her- " She begins, then changing the subject. She seemed like she had a lot to talk about, probably a lot of things on her mind. I feel the same." I'm really sorry to be using you so much but can you help me find my classes? " She adds, looking up from her plate.

"Yeah of course- also I'm sorry to bring this up but do you know about-" I begin, still deciding whether I should mention it or not.  I didn't take a long pause before continuing.

"The missing kids and murders-" I conclude, hoping not to scare her away. I wondered if it was selfish that I wanted her to know about it so I wasn't the one who brought bad news to her.

"Yeah," she replies, continuing to eat to try and get it off her head. I felt bad for her and take another bite out of my food. 

"Anyways, what's your first class?" I inquire, hoping to lighten the mood.

"Science with Mrs. Covenett." She says as if it were nothing. I was surprised she already knew her first class without checking her papers.