It was a day as any other. Pupils were coming into school, faces painted with boredom and irritation. There were so many things to do besides learning. There was the whole outside world waiting to be explored!
"Henry Daniel Mills, I'm saying it for the last time, stop lying to me and get out of the car. You are NOT sick and you HAVE to go to school, understood?"
"But mooom..!"
"Don't 'mom' me. You know you won't get your way."
"Fine!" Henry got off the car and shut the door angrily.
Regina sighed. Since he turned 8 he became more and more irascible. She had already booked a therapy session for him at doctor Hopper's. But today she couldn't be bothered with this. She had more important things to do. Today, she must visit another realm.
#
"Morning," the headmaster's deputy greeted the other office workers. Without waiting for an answer, she holed up in the headmaster's office. However, it felt more like her own, as the headmaster was barely at work and the other deputy was more of a teacher then an administer.
She sat down at her desk and breathed out with a smile on her face. She loved her job. Being hidden behind these walls—not needing to speak with almost anybody the whole day. It felt like a paradise. Her eyes glanced to a photo of the class she taught last. A mixture of emotions floated through her mind. She herself wasn't sure which of them outweighed the others. She shook her head. Long time ago, she had forbidden herself to bother with this emotional sh*t.
Pytha—that was the nickname her students gave her long time ago—turned on the computer. She always checked her emails the first time in the morning before the bell rang and she could go for her morning tea to the cafeteria, not to be seen. There was an email from her former student Juliet who—she had no idea why—just wouldn't let go of her and every now and then send her a newsletter about her life. This time she was inviting her for a cup of coffee, as she said she'd be in town for a couple of days. Suddenly, as she was reading the email, a light breeze came out of nowhere. She turned around, thinking the window or door was open but all was perfectly fine and her inner world was safely shielded. At least for now.
#
"She did it again," said Juliet with a sight.
"Who did what?" asked Byrie, her best friend.
"Pytha, she wrote me to fu*k off, listen: 'Dear Juliet, unfortunately I'm quite busy these days, so I won't be able to make it for the coffee. Maybe next time. Have a nice day, EK.'"
"Well, what do you expect after all these ignore years?" Byrie shrugged.
"Nothing. I expect nothing."
#
Pytha was peacefully slurping her mint tea while filling up some students' report papers. Except the disturbing email she received from Juliet, everything was just perfect. Nobody talked to her, nobody called…
Knock knock.
"Sorry to interrupt but you have a call," one of the office workers broke her beautiful quiet bubble.
"Should I transfer it here for you?" she added.
Pytha frowned, the bubble just popped...
"Yes, please."
The office worker disappeared as Pytha picked up the phone.
"Hello, headmaster's deputy of the Pythagoras High School speaking," she introduced herself.
"Good morning Mrs. Deputy, this is mother of Henry Daniel Mills speaking," the woman introduced herself on the other side of the phone.
Pytha has never heard of a student named Henry Mills, however, she hadn't heard about most of the students.
"Yes, what can I do for you Mrs. Mills?" Pytha tried to pretend interest.
However, she was never good at it.
"I would like to arrange a meeting with you, let's say 2 pm?"
Pytha was not in mood to deal with an angry parent. That should be the headmaster's work!
"I'm sorry," she quickly came up with a lie, "but I'm meeting my former student this afternoon for a coffee so-"
Suddenly the phone went deaf.
'She hung up on me!' Pytha was shocked.
'People, especially parents, have no idea how to behave these days…' she thought.
However, her strong sense of justice wouldn't leave her in peace if she wouldn't do as she said. With a sigh she picked up her phone.
#
"Yaaay!" Juliet hung up.
"Omg, do you want me to get a heart attack?!" Byrie replied with a palm on his chest.
"She's goin', she's goin'."
"Who's going where?"
"Pytha! After all these years I will finally see her!"
#
Walking down the same hall as she used to walk for 8 years felt… pretty normal. Which was weird, considering she hadn't been there for ages! Juliet took her time, ascending the first floor. She looked around and breathed in the aura of her beloved institute. If it was up to her, she would have never left—right the opposite, she would have stayed forever. Sunken in her thoughts, she spotted a person in a black cloak, heading up the stairs. She shook her head and looked once more—nobody. She laughed inside her head at what is her crazy mind able to come up with. Awesome how this school is, it's no freaking Hogwarts, even though it felt like that sometimes.
#
"Excuse me, Mrs. Headmaster's deputy is busy, you - cannot walk in," the school officer was interrupted in the middle of the sentence.
A weird persona in a black cloak just walked in the headmaster's office without asking for permission. The school officer jumped off her chair and rushed to catch them. However, the door locked from the inside without any noise.
#
The Evil Queen locked the door with one wave of her hand.
"Sorry I'm late," she said.
Pytha looked up from her desk, reading glasses on.
"And you are..?" she moved the glasses down so she could see the woman properly.
"I have called this morning, you said you have no time for me. Let's see if you'll make some time for me now..." a purple cloud of magic started to appear in her palm.
Pytha didn't look amazed at all. She took off her glasses and with her never changing poker face said: "Potassium salt, nice. How come it doesn't burn your palm?"
The fireball dissolved in the air. Regina looked baffled but she was a queen and a bit more refined, so the confused expression lasted only for about a hundredth of a second.
"I've been looking for you for a long time, Soul Keeper. If only had I known you've been hiding your pathetic arse in another realm, I would have come for you much sooner."
"Excuse me, I have no idea what you are talking about," Pytha pushed herself back from the table, "Are you feeling quite all right?"
"Don't play with me, Soul Keeper, you and I both know that a great power dwells within you. And it's gonna be mine. Prepare yourself!" The Evil Queen shouted out and the purple flame appeared again.
Pytha's eyebrows met at the root of her nose, she frowned.
"What?" she was baffled. And that made Regina baffled.
"What games are you playing with me, Soul Keeper?" said she and then the seed of recognition started to grow in her head, "Unless... Unless you really have no idea what is going on!"
"Now you said something that finally make at least some sense," said Pytha, "so why don't you explain yourself?"
Regina was not listening, she was murmuring to herself: "Forgetting potion, she must have taken the forgetting potion!"
Then she turned to Pytha.
"First, you need to remember," said she and with one wave of her hand restored Pytha's long forgotten memories. You could see the major change in her face. First, there was a smile.
/a herbal garden so wide you couldn't see anything else/little girl picking up lavender/a beautiful forest cabin/young girl, surrounded by her younger apprentices, curing sick people/discovering a silver stream of energy formed in her palm/starling evil queen coming in her carriage/
And then, there was a tear fighting its way from Pytha's eye as she already knew, what will come next.
/smouldering burned plants in the herbal garden/downfallen forest cabin/dead bodies of the apprentices littered everywhere on the ground/devastated woman trying to fight the Evil Queen back/lunatic evil laugh/hand of one of the apprentices raising up/tiny silver flame of hope fluttering shortly in Pytha's motionless palm/
The tear slowly dropped out of her eye's corner and its moisture irrigated not only her face but her soul as well. It blossomed out as a rosebud blossoms out into a beautiful, vivid rose. After all these years, Soul Keeper was alive.
#
"Regina.." sizzled Pytha through her teeth with hatred so strong it froze the air in the room.
"I prefer Her Majesty but I'm pleased to see you awaken, Soul Keeper."
"Very well, then the happiness is both sided. I will finally make you pay for what terrible things you've done," Pytha stood up from her chair and pulled her hand with an open palm.
A silver sparkle came out of it but as quickly as it appeared, it disappeared as well. A lunatic evil laugh came up from The Evil Queen's throat.
"I'm gonna crush you, vermin," with that she created a giant fire ball and smiled.
She stretched her hand and tossed the ball. Pytha got nearly hit however in the last second she ducked behind her big office chair. The fire ball hit the computer instead and it went into flames.
Regina shrugged, "I have never fancied these devil devices anyway."
"What do you want? Kill me? You could have done that years ago..."
Regina smacked her lips, "Smart vermin, exactly, if I wanted to kill you, you would be eating dirt by now. No no no, I don't want to kill you, that would be of no use to me. As you see, I left you get away with some magic the last time. I won't do that now."
"And how exactly are you planning on doing that? You know that as long as I have apprentices who look up to me I will never completely lose my powers," said Pytha with an arrogant grin.
Suddenly, there was a knock on the door. The Evil Queen smiled devilishly, "See, Soul Keeper, that's exactly why I chose this day," and with that, she unlocked the door.
#
"Is everything ok?" Juliet peeked through the door, "The school officer told me you locked the door from the inside and that you won't answer her calls."
Regina ducked behind the opened door. She took something out of her cloak and suddenly Pytha heard herself to say: "Everything is just fine, come on in, we can have the coffee here."
Juliet smiled and entered. The door slammed itself by the invisible power and Regina emerged from the shadow with a pounding heart in her hand. Pytha gasped. Juliet frowned.
"Hello," she said to Regina and then turned to Pytha, "If you'd tell me you have a company I could have come later," and then back to Regina, "Are you practising for some theatre show? Your costume looks stunning!"
"Oh Juliet," Pytha turned pale.
"Well thank you, I appreciate at least somebody in this realm has a good taste in fashion. And in fact you are here exactly on time," said Regina to Juliet.
"What? What's happening? I don't follow," Juliet was turning her head once to Pytha once to Regina and didn't have the tiniest idea what's going on.
"Of course you don't, Ladybird," Regina came closer to her, "I like you," she patted her scalp, "too bad I have to kill you."
Juliet twitched, "What?!"
"Do not dare to touch her," sizzled Pytha through her teeth, "Come here, Juliet."
Juliet happily obeyed and as she stepped to stand side by side to her former teacher, Pytha protectively wrapped an arm around her shoulders. Juliet incredulously looked at the arm hugging her. 'What the hell is happening?' she thought. However, out loud she only asked: "Who is she?"
"Just an old acquaintance who I have some unfinished business to do with. But it doesn't concern you at all," she turned to The Evil Queen, "so let her go, Regina."
The queried rolled her eyes, "How many times do I need to tell you it's Your Majesty to you? Plus you are wrong. It does concern her a lot. Haven't you noticed? Your magic is weak because she's the last one. She's the last apprentice who is able to provide you with powers."
Juliet looked at the figure in front of her in disbelief, "Apprentice? Like a student? But Pytha has had tonnes of them!"
"You're a smart one, Ladybird," Regina smiled.
"Yes, she has had taught many students but back in our days apprentices were something more. They were soulmates, family. They were connected. They were as one. And now, because of your lovely personality," she winked at Pytha and then looked back to Juliet, "you are the last one, Ladybird."
Pytha looked crushed, "no," she whispered.
"Enough with that chit-chat!" Regina waved with her hand and sent a shock wave first to the left and then to the right.
Pytha and Juliet flew in opposite directions. They hit the wall hard and then slid down to the floor. Pytha closed her eyes in pain—she hit the fire extinguisher with her back. Juliet just gasped probably more from shock then from pain. The officers from the next room started to knock on the door.
"Is everything ok? What's happening?" their questions were, however, ignored.
Regina muted the sounds with one wave of her hand and promptly created a giant fire ball in other. She was ready to kill.
"Say bye, Ladybird…"
Juliet opened her eyes wide.
"Hey, Gina."
In the exact same time as Regina turned round, Pytha turn on the fire extinguisher.
"Juliet, go," she screamed.
Juliet stood up and ran to the door. It was locked. The foam meanwhile destroyed Regina's fire and, as it appeared, her cloak as well. Regina got furious. She knocked out the fire extinguisher from Pytha's hands with a squawk. She was breathing heavily and stared at Pytha's eyes for a moment.
"You have it coming, vermin. It's gonna be your last day on Earth too," a purple cloud of energy started to flow around Regina.
A light breeze came out of nowhere. Regina lifted her hands up. The magic transferred and started to circle around her hands not unlike a cluster of snakes. It was a terrifying scene. Juliet froze for a second. But as long as she realized what Regina plans to do, she instinctively jumped on and blocked off Pytha's body with hers own. A hundredth of a second later, she got hit by the Queen's magic.
#
After that, everything happened too quickly.
"Juliet," Pytha tried to hold her but she was just too heavy.
Juliet's motionless body fell heavily to the ground. Pytha bent down to her and tried to feel her pulse. Then she straightened herself up. A silver mist started to flow around her.
"You're a monster," she whispered.
"Well, it wasn't meant for her. It's not my fault she took it for you," Regina shrugged, "why on earth would she do that, I have no idea."
The mist transformed into a cloud.
Regina's face froze, "What's that?"
"That, my dear," said Pytha and accumulated the silver energy in her hands, "that's how love tastes like."
With these words, she released the power and sent it in Regina's direction.
#
Regina flew on the other side of the room as a ping-pong ball. Before she could even get up, Pytha came to her, ball of energy in her hand moving like a ball of snakes and said: "My heart, please."
"Never," said Regina.
Pytha sighed, "Regina, it can either go the good way or the bad way, it's your choice."
The Queen didn't move even one centimetre.
"Fine," Pytha froze her and took her heart from the Queen's pocket herself.
"Now go back to where you came from and don't ever come back," with these words she released her.
Regina got up and tidied up her cloak.
"You know that if you let me go now, I will come back eventually," she said.
"I know," Pytha said, "but at least I want to give you the opportunity to make the right choice."
"Very well then. We will meet again," said Regina right before she disappeared in the purple cloud.
#
Pytha jumped to Juliet.
"Hey girl," she sit down to her and took her head in her hands.
She gently put her on her lap, "come on, wake up for me please."
She tried to feel the pulse one more time. There was barely any. Pytha knew what she had to do.
"Sorry," she whispered and took Juliet's heart out.
It was barely pounding, there was not much life left. Pytha took her heart and placed it on Juliet's chest, "You deserve this," she pushed it in.
Juliet suddenly took a deep breathe. Pytha smiled, "Good morning sunshine."
"Mrs. professor?" Juliet was confused, "what happened? Is she gone?"
"You can call me by my first name," she said, "and yes, she's gone."
Juliet startled when she saw the heart in Pytha's hand, she had no idea a few seconds ago it was her own, "Are you ok?!"
"Yes, yes I'm ok now."
"But what's that?" Juliet pointed out to the heart.
"That's my heart," lied Pytha, "she took it from me."
"But how- how-.." Juliet didn't finish.
After all what she had seen she decided not to ask more.
"It looks sick," she only said.
"Yes, yes it does," Pytha smiled sadly.
"But you still need it, right?" asked Juliet.
"Indeed."
Without asking, Juliet took the heart in her hands and it suddenly rose. It started pounding very fast and its red colour brightened. Juliet gave it life.
#
"That's amazing! How did you do that?" Pytha was surprised.
She had no idea that this little girl had magic. Juliet only smiled.
"I have no idea but I guess I simply had the best teacher in the entire world."
#THE END#