The Witch from The Human Realm

28 Going to School

Maddie tried her best to not stumble out of the bushes. But upon stepping out, she stared at the girl in front of her, whilst being wary of the dire wolf that was quietly growling at her.

And when she saw the expression on the girl's face contort into one of confusion upon looking down at what she was wearing, Maddie's eyes went wide when she realized something.

"Oh--" Maddie blurted out, smiling sheepishly. "I forgot that I'm still in my jammies."

"Y-you're… human?" the hooded girl spoke, her tone filled with curiosity.

At that, Maddie gasped as she tried to cover her ears with her hands. "Also that…"

"I've heard the villagers talk about a human in Book End, but I never really believed it," the girl spoke, her tone having a hint of amusement to it. "How did you get here? What are you doing here?"

Maddie raised a finger and opened her mouth to speak, but a ringing bell from nearby interrupted her.

That was when she noticed that the curiosity of the girl before her had contorted into one of disappointment.

"I better get going," the girl said, patting the wolf's head to usher it to run off. "I really don't want to add 'being late' as another thing for the others to be disappointed in me." She then turned to the direction of the school.

"You're going to school, right?" Maddie asked as she put her hand down while  the wolf ran past her and towards the forest.

The girl stopped in mid-turn and looked back at Maddie. "Uh… Yes?"

"My name is Maddie, and I could really use your help."

The hooded girl raised an eyebrow at this. "You need my help with what?"

"You see…" Maddie bit her lip, "a friend of mine is not really feeling well, and she went to school instead of resting. Her mother is worried that she might get hurt, but she forbade me to go after her. But I'm also really worried so I snuck out just to check on her."

The girl furrowed her eyebrows. "So, I'm going to sneak you into school? Is that it?" she asked, her voice had a hint of hesitance.

"Yup!" Maddie responded.

"And how do you know that this friend of yours is going to the same school as I am?" the girl asked once more, gripping onto the strap of her bag.

"You're wearing the exact same uniform as her," Maddie replied, nervously tapping the tips of her index fingers against each other. "Minus the red hood, of course."

The girl nodded in understanding. But she then winced. "I don't really know about this… but I guess I can help."

Maddie beamed at her.

"But first, you have to change," the girl spoke as she eyed Maddie's clothes. She then began to walk ahead.

Maddie nodded and followed her. "Thank you, um…"

"I'm Cerise," Cerise introduced herself.

Maddie nodded as they walked towards the direction of the school.

Upon arriving at the school grounds, Maddie's jaw dropped as she gawked at the building before her.

The huge building was made up of stone and there were four towers, and one of them had a turret. And from the conical roofs of the towers and the dome-shaped roof of the main building, flags with the school's crest stood.

If she wasn't doing what she's currently doing, Maddie would've just called the building a castle at the first glance, not a school.

"Wha…?" Maddie trailed off.