By your window

23.

Chapter Soundtrack: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KhZq0vPA3gY

"Marben?".
"Mmmh?".
"Fuck you!".
"Oh, dear lord, here we go again!".
"This is sodding unfair! I had a date, tonight, but I got to call it off to investigate on the alleged illegal activities of Sir Arsegreeves!".
"Yes, and while you're at it lower your voice, Miss Sodding Unfair, or if we get caught I'm gonna blame all this mess on you".
"Ooooh, if only Sir Arsegreeves knew you're planning to bang his precious little daughter...".
"DIANA!".

All of a sudden it wasn't dark anymore, and in the little, pokey room filled with file cabinets four girls found themselves squinting at each other, half blinded by the light.
"Who the heck did you plan to shag, tonight, Lear?" growled Marben, hand still on the switch; Lear looked defiantly at her.
"Your hot student, Vanya".
"Don't you fucking dare to play with her feelings, are we understood? She's a fragile girl and deserves respect. I don't even think she's lost her virginity yet".
"Wa-wa-wait, how have we come to talk about the scary man's daughter's virginity?" Diana asked to Myery, who shook her head and then resumed searching between the documents.
"Yeah, I wasn't going to be a bitch to her regardless, thanks for the credit" snarked Lear at Marben, "Anyway, I would have thought that fucking a pair of siblings would have made you laugh, rather than get you pissed off!".
"It has nothing to do about Five and Vanya being siblings, it's about you thinking of yourself as a sailor, looking for a different girl every fucking place we go! But I won't let you do that to Vanya, this time you'll leave the port without your conquest!".
"I like her for real, who do you take me for? I'm not the slag you...".
"Hey, sorry to interrupt this love fest" said Diana loud enough to overtop the quarrel, with her eyes glued to the papers she'd fished from folder labeled 'IMPORTANT DOCUMENTS', "but I think I just found something suspicious".
With the force of a hurricane, the other three girls dashed immediately at Diana's side, to peek through the papers. Indeed, what appeared to be the Hargreeves' initials made their appearance many and many times through all the documents. On one of them, however, the name appeared in full.
"Wait...show me this document!" exclaimed drily Myery, removing said paper from the folder and turning it over: there was something, on the edge of the page, written in pencil and badly erased. The girl then turned on the nearest table lamp and juxtaposed to it the corner of the document, letting it backlight the hidden words.
"Ha!" she exulted then, turning and marching toward an exact cabinet, inside which she resumed her previous furious rummaging. "Let's see!".
"Wha'...?" blurted Diana, trying to follow her.
"Not you, you already did your part. Those other two, instead, let them come to make themselves useful!" declared Myery, without stopping her search in the meanwhile. Giving each other a stern look, Marben and Lear approached the cabinet just seconds before the red-haired girl fished triumphantly the folder she was looking for. 'EXCHANGES AND SCHOLARSHIPS', the label said, and Myery immediately started browsing through it with intent, while Marben and Lear distractedly looked for anything that could catch their eye and Diana joined them, the first folder still in her hands.
It was then that Myery slammed the open folder on the top of a table, and pointed at its content.
"There. All the evidence we need" she said with an air of finality. The other girls stared down at the paper sheets in astonishment.
"Well" said Diana at some point, in a thin voice, "I guess I'll start the copy machine, then".

.oO°Oo.

"Hey". Marben looked from the well kept sidewalk directly up in Ben's dark, worried stare.
"Oh. Ben, hello" she said a little absently. The lines of concern on the boy's forehead deepened.
"Are you alright, Marben?".
"I...yes, I'm alright. Only a bit anxious...for the benefit concert, that's all" she lied, plastering a smile on her face, but it probably appeared as fake as it felt, because something in Ben's eyes shifted.
"Can I?" he asked, gesturing to the empty side of the bench, and despite her wary mood Marben nodded, even making a bit of space for him. Ben sat and for a while looked ahead, at nothing in particular; then took a deep breath and turned to her.
"Remember when I told you you can be or do anything you'd like?". The girl nodded again. "Just keep thinking and believing it. You won't be needing anything else".
For the third time in a row, Marben nodded with her eyes lowered to the ground. Ben probably got it as a hint of wanting to be left alone, so lightly stood up and wavered a bit about saying his goodbyes or just leaving.
"I never asked' said suddenly Marben, saving him the trouble, "What do you want to become, when you'll be of age? Mind you, not what your father wants you to, but what you really want to become". For a moment, Ben's face went completely blank, and then lit up in the most sincere hope Marben had ever seen.
"A writer" he said lightly, like as if he didn't want to rumple his dream by saying it out too loud. Marben felt warmth spread inside her, then, and a sweet, real smile animated her face.
"I'm sure you will succeed. And I'll be your first and biggest fan. Promised".
With a flattered smile, Ben took his leave waving a hand at her; Marben stayed on the cold bench, waving back and feeling her smile slide away from her face. It wasn't long before she felt Turandot's hand on her shoulder.
"Maybe he could be of some help...from the inside, I mean. Be your eyes inside the Academy". Marben sighed and made to look up at her, but kindly Turandot's hand nested on her nape.
"Don't look up, sweetheart. We don't know who could be watching".
Marben sat still for a few moments more, torn between acting and staying. Then stood up and rapidly crossed the street, calling for Ben.

A/N: Thank you. ALWAYS thank you.