Oh my gosh, guys. I had completely abandoned this story, but on the way to the Ansel Adams exhibit in Arlington (BTW, I found it really boring.) I thought about a cool way to continue this! So, here it is, readers! Read on! And review. Pweez? I'll give you an internetz puppy that plays with an internetz lazer pointer and eats internetz cookies!
The professors of Alfea all tried to forget about Palladium's warning from last night, as well as the storm. But that was hard to since part of a tower had been knocked down in the high speeds.
But if the teachers were nervous, the students were terrified.
A girl had gone out in the storm last night as a dare and hadn't come back inside. Her name was Raine. She was a junior, a very nice girl, but somehow got very drunk last night and accepted the dare made by her drunken friend, Lydia, also a junior.
"I didn't think she would take the dare! I really am worried and really sorry! I want my friend back!" Lydia sobbed in Faragonda's office. All teachers were present, and staring at the girl emotionlessly. However, Palladium was not completely emotionless. His eyes get darting around the room, and he seemed to be trying to be smaller, his shoulders scrunched up and head lowered, as if he were trying to hide.
Griselda opened her mouth to reprimand the girl for getting drunk and having alcohol on school premises, but a shrill shriek interrupted her. All heads whipped towards the oak doors of Faragonda's office as the burst open and a young girl by the name of Katie ran in, looking horrified and heartbroken.
Heartbrokenness for this girl was not a surprise at all, she was Raine's younger sister by two years, having just started school the day before as a freshman.
"Ms. Faragonda, we found Raine, but... Well, just come and see!" She sobbed. Faragonda leapt from her seat, as well as Lydia and the rest of the staff. They followed Katie to the main foyer, where, in some sort of red ink, was scrawled,
'BOW TO ME, BROTHER!' Palladium staggered back at this.
However, this was not the worst part... Not in the slightest.
Hanging above the message was Raine, hung with a noose, her stomach ripped wide open. Her long brown hair was matted with blood, and it looked like the noose had been made from intestines. This was when the teachers realized the message was written in blood.
Faragonda looked horrified, but then remembering the message, as well as the message Palladium's brother had given him, she looked to the new Elven teacher. His brown eyes were glazed over in shock, and he was slowly retreating from the scene.
"Palladium?" The headmistress asked. All eyes turned to the shy Elf. Palladium reddened, and fled, sprinting to his private chambers.
"Griselda, please round up the students. Get them outside and talk to them. I need to talk to Palladium," she quickly explained, then ran just as Palladium turned a corner, his long auburn hair fluttering behind him.
The door to Palladium's chambers slammed open as Palladium burst through it, flinging himself onto his bed. He used his magic to close and lock the door, just as Faragonda reached it. She lunged for the door handle-
The door clicked as it locked as her fingertips grazed the metal. She straightened, then quietly knocked on the Elf's door.
"Palladium? Palladium, open up, please, I just want to talk to you," Faragonda explained.
There was no response, and just as Faragonda was starting to leave, the door slowly opened.
In the few minutes that Palladium had been in his quarters, he had turned into a wreck. His chocolate eyes were red and puffy, tear tracks were on his cheeks, his eyes dull, and hair a knotted mess. His bow tie had been untied and hung loose, and his vest and shirt opened. It looked as though Palladium had been trying to claw at his heart; several scratch marks marred his chest. The Elf sniffled.
"Co- Come in, Miss Faragonda," He said, obviously feeling tremendously guilty. Faragonda stepped into her colleague's room and looked around; she had never been in the room before.
The wall was a scene of a meadow somewhere on Athryell, and was enchanted to make the grass sway and the sky reflect the weather outside. His bed was large for him; though the Elf was tall, he was a very slight build, and, as far as Faragonda knew, he did not share that bed with anyone. His shelves had pictures of him and his parents at their little cottage on Athryell. However, nowhere was there a picture of his brother.
"My parents disowned him, that's why there are no pictures of him. We erased everything of him away when he turned to evil. He's the on who gave me the scar on my stomach.
Sure enough, when Faragonda looked down at the exposed belly of the Elf, there was a wide white scar marring the tanned skin.
"He got mad at dinner and stuck a kitchen knife in me. I was about 90 years old, maybe four or five by human standards," Palladium explained.
"Look, I know that you're going to blame yourself for all of this, what with Raine and the message and all. But it's not your fault," Faragonda stated what she had chased the auburn haired Elf halfway across the school for. Palladium's shoulder's slumped.
"It is my fault. You don't know the whole story," He stated softly.
"Then I would like to know that story, Palladium," Faragonda said, very straightforward. Palladium's eyes widened.
"Um, it would be better told by my parents..." He started to avoid this conversation.
"Then we're going to Athryell and meeting your parents. Well, I am. Are you?"
Palladium glanced around, considering his options. He could refuse and let other students, maybe even teachers die, or he could go with Faragonda and let her know his story. He sighed.
"I'll take you to my house. We'll leave tomorrow."
An extra long chapter, just for the people that are reading this story and becoming frustrate with me because it only had one chapter! I hope you like it. BTW, Palladium is my favorite character, and I tend to like torturing my favorite characters, so this might turn into a kill-Palladium-slowly-from-the-inside story. Cause that's how I roll. Like a Tootsie Roll. :P