The St Vinia Academy || An Academia School of Mysteries

chapter 27 [michelle's pov]

i had kept myself awake for the whole night now, with homework, then relaxing, reading, drawing, making outfits and anything i could do in the dorm i had. the forest outside my window was enchanting to look at, but a thousand secrets were kept behind it. it was almost midnight. i approach my window and open it, feeling the damp air of outside these stone castle walls. the forest engulfed me, the wind carries the echo of dancing leaves and murmuring pebbles. almost instantaneously, i hear rustling from below and catch some kind of motion.

 i quickly grab an umbrella in case i'd need it and get out of the school, before i left i shut my curtains. i get out through one of the many back doors, without anyone hearing me. i felt the bitter air biting at my skin as i strip down the woods. i can hear faint noise down the trail. i had an idea of what was happening. why did staff have to be so secretive about everything? why did police even bother to pretend they were on the case? but i can't leave it this way.

St Vinia had been around for almost three hundred years. It's name was carved into history. over the years, it's fallen apart. but not the charm of the castle. it remains the same. those statues in the corridor halls were beautiful, and i wasn't so scared to be away from home after all. i continue down the forest. I clutch my umbrella tighter with each step. i start to hear the sound of pattering rain against the ground, and soon the roof of my umbrella, which was covered in a layer of dark grass. 

i focus on the sound until i hear my name being called. "michelle!" who was it at this hour? i turn over to see cassidy there. right before me. was i dreaming? it couldn't be. and why did she sound like she genuinely cared for me. "cassidy-" i stammer, unable to hold back my expression of confusion. she runs up to me. "what are you doing here, are you insane?" she whisper-shouts at me. "you first" i insist, folding my arms across my chest.

"you can't be here. we need to get out of here." she grabs my wrist, ignoring my question, and starts trying to pull me away, she wasn't using all her force but it wasn't working. "why should i go with you?" i argue, slipping my wrist out of her hand. "i swear. i'll explain it all to you. just please-- we need to leave. i can tell you as soon as we're back inside. we can't be here, especially not at this hour." she utters. "literally why do you care?" i hesitate. 

she stood there in the silence. the purple dress that fell just below her knees blew in the wind, she had her arms wrapped around herself, she looked like she was freezing.  the trees rustled.

"just come with me to the library." this time she grabs my wrist with force and we walk inside through the dim, antique halls of st vinia until we arrived at the library, a familiar place for me but not one i'd ever expect a girl like cassidy to enter. 

"i know you know the importance of that book. and i know why you're after it." i could hardly believe a word that came out her mouth right now. "i knew you were after it." i tell her. "and i know you know that." she argues back, whispering. "i want to know what's so dangerous about the forest." i state clearly, with confidence and little hesitance. "you SO know it's the most dangerous area to all of us. 11 students, michelle." she emphasized. 

"did you hear the noise outside?" i ask her. "what?" she shakes her head, leaning forward. i knew she heard me though. "at night. have you been hearing it?" i repeated. "i'm not sure, but i thought i heard something. usually i'm a heavy sleeper, but this was the night that the 8th student went missing. Cleo Lareau." I felt goosebumps trickle down my spine. 

"what do you think it is?" i questioned her. basically all our conversation was an exchange of asking each other for information. "i don't know. and actually, i don't know if you're someone i can trust."  she responded staring me in the eyes with her blond silky hair falling a couple inches before her shoulders softly. i had to admit. she was really pretty. 

"tomorrow. will you meet me in the dorm halls? we have to be careful to make sure the janitor doesn't see us during the delivery and lock up part." she pauses to say. i nodd and say goodbye. the walk back to my dorm was a stairway of confusion and surprise as to what would await me the following morning. i had to talk to draco and camille. 

a/n:: short chapter sos, this book is slowly coming to an end but what will await next chapter??