r e d

43. Astoria

ORION

The door was opened a few seconds before Zander walked in our workshop full of technical junk and weapons. He has dark hair sticking out from every direction, dressed in his red hoodie and black jeans, socks that don't match, and sneakers loosely tied.

"Good morning. How's the hangover?" I laughed, remembering how intoxicated he was last night.

The witch looked around the room and frowned. "Where's Astoria?"

"Still sleeping, probably." I shrugged my shoulders. "I thought she was with you?"

He shook his head, running a hand through his hair. "I don't know. I mean, she usually sleeps with me. I fell asleep and she was there, but then I woke up and she's not. And she's not in her room either. I already checked." He sat on Astoria's usual chair and his legs bounced uncontrollably.

I narrowed my eyes at him. "You okay?"

"I just feel weird." He put a hand on his chest. "I don't know how to explain it. But it's probably just the stupid Woozy Water." He grunted. "My head hurts."

"Yep, that's hangover for you."

"Ugh." He stood up again. "Astoria's probably with Xena or those angels or something. I'll see you at breakfast."

I watched as he rushes out of the room, closing the door with magic on his way out. He's so whipped, he can't even last a few hours without Astoria. Shaking my head, I returned to programming the drones. There are two of them that will be flying across Queen's Garden, shooting specialized darts on Aquila. It will shoot anyone that is not wearing the cuffs that Florencia made. With the help of Roman, who knew where the cuffs were kept and provided me with one, I was able to study it and learn that it contains microwaves. Since most people are already wearing the cuffs, I figured it'll be easier for the drones to target those who do not have them. They will search for microwaves and if they find it, they won't shoot. Astoria and I, along with whoever Ivy brings with her, will need to wear the cuffs so we don't become targets. One last thing I need to do is adjust the cuffs that we will be wearing so that it doesn't take away the abilities and powers of the sacred beings. But as of today, we are pretty much finished with our weapons. Astoria and I have been working overtime to make sure we get everything done before Florencia opens up Queen's Den. Whenever that may be, I think we'll be fine, as long as nothing goes wrong.

***

Astoria didn't show up for breakfast.

She always shows up, even if she's been late a couple of times. This time, from the beginning to end, Zander, Roman, and I waited for her but she still hasn't shown up. We searched for her all over the castle but didn't find her anywhere. "She probably just sneaked out of the castle to get some supplies for their science projects or something." The fifteen year old werewolf spy told us once we asked him if he had seen her. "Wait an hour or two, maybe she got distracted."

And so, we waited anxiously. It was difficult to sit still and do nothing but wait. My mind was jumping into conclusions on what could have possibly happened to Astoria. Roman hasn't said much, though he has been sitting stiffly and kept his eyes on this feet, occasionally glancing at the entrance of the dining hall. Zander paces back and forth, unconsciously calling out strong wind with his magic.

An hour passed by, and she still hasn't come out.

By the second hour, Zander decided to go out of the castle. Without even asking the wolf for permission, he shifted to his cat form and used the secret passage to leave. Scooby followed him to make sure he doesn't run into any guards and get caught. He also allowed me and Roman to tag along so we can help look for Astoria. Roman was surprised to see the passage covered by a blackboard, but didn't say anything as he crawled out from it.