Chapter 34

Days passed at the school in the blink of an eye. At least, to Viola it did. Her routine was filled to the brim with school, friends, work, and now two jealous suitors. The latter was what made her so tired the hours in the day didn't seem to be enough.

The second Edward and Soma declared a temporary truce (lasting only until they were out of school) Viola knew things would get complicated. They were true to their word when they said they would be with her. Every hour, every minute, every second one or both of them would be near her without fail. Whether it was in class or during break, she could always find them. Edward tried to be around her but was often taken away by his Fag duties. The fact that he did get on his knees, asking her to forgive him for being so rude to Ciel, did nothing to help her since she had to begrudgingly accept his apology. He had even forgiven Ciel as he did what she had said. On the other hand Soma was free to dog her steps as he did not have Fag duties like her. Neither of them had been assigned one yet.

This new company made it difficult for her to go anywhere on her own. She could not even see Patchy in fear they would somehow learn she preferred his company more than theirs. For all she knew they would think she was attracted to him.

Wasn't that a terrifying thought?

Her suitors' behavior did not go unnoticed. In fact her entire dorm were her witnesses.

"You, Kadar, and Midford have become close lately," said Marshall. They had entered the language building for their next Latin lesson. The hallways were filled with students hurrying to class.

Viola shrugged as they entered the classroom. Being ten minutes until class started, half the class were already present.

"I wouldn't say that exactly."

"Whatever do you mean? If I did not know better, you three are practically joined at the hip."

"We're not."

"It seems you are. I have noticed lately how you are never seen without one of them nearby. It is already strange considering Midford is a Green Lion." She said nothing. She sat in her assigned seat, her books set on the wooden desk. He sat in the next next to her, perching his head on his palm. He leaned in close as if to share a secret. "Did you know people are talking about you three? How on Earth did you do it?"

"Do what?"

"Befriend a prince and a marquess' son? You are a Scarlet Fox new to this school. How did you get their attention so easily?" he wondered. His question could have come off as jealousy or as an accusation but, coming from Marshall, it was inquisitive.

"I don't know," Viola sincerely answered. For all that she hated Marshall's leech-like tendencies to make connections he was a good man. Or, at least, he would be once he shed said tendencies. Beneath that, he had been nothing but good to her. HIs curiosity was innocent enough. "I was friendly to both of them, I suppose. Midford is in the same dorm as my brother, so he may be trying to befriend me for Victor's sake. As for Kadar, we are both new to this school. It is only natural we befriend one another when we do not know anyone.

"That does not explain their insistence to be near you." She frowned, and he caught her confusion. His eyebrows rose. "Have you not noticed? They are never that far from you. Even in the dorm room, Kadar hovers as if you were to vanish should he retreat to his own bed. Why is that?"

"Who knows?" Then, Viola returned to taking out her classroom materials. Just in time, too, when Sebastian swept into the room. Marshall leaned back in his chair.

"Everyone, take your seats," Sebastian called to the filled room. In the short ten minutes everyone in the Scarlet Fox sixth year had taken their seats. The teacher made his way to the podium, opening a book. "Take out a piece of paper. WE will be doing a short quiz."

Viola groaned silently to herself. She was getting sick of these quizzes. Sebastian always gave one per week to keep the Latin words they learned fresh on their minds. She had failed nearly every one. She moved to pull out paper like her classmates, dreading what the questions were.

Once everyone had a pencil and paper, Sebastian started to write a Latin sentence on the chalkboard that they had to translate in English. The next sentnece he wrote was the oppositve. It was in English and had to be translated into Latin.

Viola bent over her paper, nibbling on her pencil's eraser. Though it was simple enough, this was too difficult. She couldn't understand what the sentence was saying nor did she know how to convert it. Grammar was the aim for this quiz. Scowling, she wrote what she thought was right. Writing her name at the top, she stood from her desk to head for the podium along with two other boys.

Sebastian took the completed quizzes, then handed back the homework they had turned in two days ago. He did this quickly. Pretty soon, Viola stood before him. She handed him the paper. He took it, glanced at it, then amusement colored his expression. Embarrassment heated her face, forcing her to turn away. She couldn't look at that smug bastard.

He smirked out of the corner of her eye, picking up a packet that clearly had her name on it. She snatched it and took a walk of shame back to her seat.

That stupid, arrogant demon! It wasn't her fault she sucked at a language she had never learned! But, it made her blood boil that he could lord it over her. She despised how he mocked her intelligence like she was stupid. The nerve of that thing! She nearly slammed her papers down on the desk as she slid into her seat.

Shuffling through her homework, she winced at the number of crossed out words were on the assignments. If this were really a class she had in school, her mother would be so disappointed. She flipped the papers upside down when a tiny white paper slip peeked out between the pages. Taking it out, she glanced at it, then put it back. Black letters burned their image in her mind.

Come to my office 11 PM. Do not be late. Bring your brother.

Viola raised her head to stare at Sebastian. The disguised teacher was busy taking quizzes and giving back homework. He smiled at each of the students. It could have been warm if it didn't look half-hearted. Did she really want to be in a room alone with him? If it was late at night, then there were only two reasons why he slipped a note into her homework. One, he was going to give her an assignment from Ciel. Or two, Ciel wanted to meet with her. Either way, it had to do with Guard Dog work.

Finally! Since they got to the school, Ciel hadn't given her any assignments or work he needed her to do. Hell, he hadn't even told them why they were at the school in the first place. It might have had to do with the fact they were all in rival dorms, but she found it strange Ciel had taken this long to contact them. Perhaps they would finally get the answers they needed? He better. I love school as much as the next person, but I'd rather go home.

Viola would get her answers soon enough.

xxx

That night, after lights out and everyone had fallen asleep, Viola decided to break curfew and sneak out.

The hardest thing about staying in a room full of young men was the fact they didn't care about privacy. No matter what century she was in men were more open about taking off their clothes when no woman was around. Granted, they were a bit more modest than what she was used to, but they still showed their torsos without much shame. This posed a problem for Viola.

One, being a woman she couldn't change in front of men without revealing her identity. She sloved this by either getting to their dorm room first and falling asleep before them and rising earlier than them to put on her persona. Second, she was careful to always have patience. While rushing to change would be ideal, she didn't want to mess up her disguise. It had to be a perfect as possible if she wanted to fool these naive men.

These habits helped Viola to learn her roomates' daily routinely habits.

This night it was easy to get to her shared dormitory, feigning sleepiness, and slip into bed with the covers pulled to her chin. With her bed curtains half-closed it was easy to fool all of the boys who wandered inside into believing she was asleep. Eyes closed, she waited through their mumbles, laughter, and remarks before they all got into bed. For half an hour she waited until all breathing in the room became rhythmic.

She opened her eyes to scan the darkened room to double check that, yes, all of them were asleep. Even Marshall and Soma, in their respective beds, were wandering through dreamland. Good. With practiced ease Viola slipped out of bed full clothed and headed to the open window. It was getting close to summertime. The rooms were getting unbearably hot. They had taken to leaving the windows open to air out their room. Tiptoeing barefoot and her shoes in hand, she swung one leg over the threshold, checked the room once again, then swung her other leg over. She was able to touch down on the soft green grass from the second floor with minor pain on her knees and the balls of her feet. Other than the slight way her knees screamed as she stood up, she was able to move from the dorm's side towards the front.

She moved silently through the bushes, still her movements when the Scarlet Fox's dorm security guards made their rounds. She would move again when they turned the corner. When she reached the gate she ran full speed out the gates thanking God video cameras hadn't been invented. She didn't stop running until she was far from the dorm, slowing down to slink off to the Sapphire Owl dorm.

Running through the campus, Viola felt like she was in Metal Gear Solid. The way she had to hide behind walls, crawl through brushes, and sneak through the pathways to avoid the few guards patrolling here and there made it feel like she was in one. She knew she didn't have to try so hard, but it was better to be safe than sorry. She was paranoid about being seen. It wasn't until she saw the Sapphire Owl's white walls did she relax. She was also relieved to see Bastian waiting in a bush. He was crouched next to the gates, glancing around spastically, twitching as if he wanted to stand and bolt.

She slipped into the bush and made enough noise to get his attention.

"Bastian, it's me," she whispered, touching his shoulder.

He whipped his head in her direction, relaxing when he saw her face.

"Thank goodness. I thought you left me alone to deal with Mr. Sebastian on my own," he said in great relief.

"I'm glad you decided to come, too. I know you don't like sneaking around at night either.

"Yes, well, I had no choice. If Mr. Sebastian summoned us to his office, we have no other option than to obey." Neither of them wish to disobey Sebastian knowing he might punish them severely if they did so. It was best to do as he said no matter how they felt about him. "We better get going. We'll be late if we hang around here any longer."

"Indeed. It is almost the time he expects us."

They moved/crawled out of the bushes and through the empty open gates. It was laughably easy to get in with no guards around. Still, they were careful to stick to the shadows as they nuck to the dorm's side where Viola had learned where Sebastian's office was. It wasn't difficult to find it. There was one single window on the second floor with light streaming through.

Viola had no hesitation in climbing up the windows using the metal rain pipes running along the wall. They were her main method of sneaking out of her house to get into midnight mischiefs with her mates. Bastian was nervous about using that method, so she told him to follow her lead and he would be fine. She climbed up the piper, using some footholds to show him where to grab. On the second story she grabbed hold of the window frame to slip across them towards the lit window.

Reaching the window, it opened to let them slip inside the room. Her feet touched the hardwood with a soft thud. Straightening her clothing, she took in the room.

The room she was in was a rather spacious one. It was an office big enough to fit two desks shoved against the wall opposite the window. There was a library table behind the desks where several chairs were pushed in. In the corner of the room was an armchair where Ciel Phantomhive was seated. Sebastian was busying serving him tea when they arrived.

"So you did come. Good," Ciel praised as he shot them a saccharine grin. "I was worried the two of you had forgotten what we came here to do. After all, Vincent and Victory Valentine have become so well recieved here at Weston College."

"Like Ciel Phantomhive hasn't become the hero of the Prefect Four?" Viola leaned against the table, nodding at Ciel's hung jacket. In the breast pocket rested a blue flower. "You've cause quite the stir, young master, outing Maurice Cole for the fraud he is. You're the talk of the school."

Not long after Soma came to the school there was the outrageous scandal where Maurice Cole was outed as a fraud. Redmond had dismissed him as his Fag and took a second year named Joanne Harcourt as a replacement. He was one of the students Viola had helped out with his fag duties. She was glad he got the position since Redmond might help him with his self confidence. Back to Ciel, who was at the center of the scandal, there was the rumor he had also become Clayton's fag thus making him a welcome member in the Swan Gazebo.

"Please do not remind me of that," Ciel scoffed. "I feel like I'm an opera singer with all this attention."

"Have you considered a career in acting then? You manage to fool everyone with that innocent schoolboy face you insist on having," Bastian snickered, taking a seat at the table.

"I should be applauding Viola's talen if we are speaking of acting. She acts as if she were born a man. Although, it is not much of a surprise. She already acts like one raised by wolves."

"Just because I choose to not act lady-like doesn't mean I was raised without manners." Viola folded her arms, turning her cheek at them. So what if she liked acting like a guy sometimes? It was how she was raised. "Enough small talk. Why were we called here? Are you finally going to explain to us why you brought us to this school?"

"I never did explain to you what our mission from the queen was, did I?" They shook their heads. "The Queen's order was to find out the reason why her relative, Derrick Arden, and other students shut themselves up in the school and stopped contacting their families. However…."

"We still have not seen them," Sebastian continued. "Not one of them. This is definitely suspicious."

"I do not think I have heard of Derrick Arden lately. I wondered where he was," Bastian hummed thoughtfully.

"You know of him?"

"There is no one in Scarlet Fox who has not heard of him. He was a talented young man who was a year younger than me. He was reliable and cheerful as well as an excellent student. Before I left school, he was also Redmond's Fag. I did not know he has not been seen recently."

"I've never heard of him," Viola confessed. She knew most of the students in her year. This Derrick Arden was a new name to her.

"It is said he was transferred over to the Violet Wolf dorm," Ciel informed them, eyes unfocused as he remained in deep thought. "How odd. I would have thought to force them to return home, but the Queen only ordered me to investigate she probably-No. She definitely thinks he is not simply being rebellious. Something serious is occurring in this school."

"It seem this school has a reputation for vanishing students," Sebastian commented as he handed teacups to Viola and Bastian. He gave a long stare at the latter. "First, the disappearance of Nathaniel Dunne began this wretched habit. Now the five vanished students."

"There's that name again. Who's Nathaniel Dunne?" she wondered as Bastian choked on his tea.

"A student in Green Lion who had mysteriously gone missing five years ago. The authorities had written off the incident and thought him to be a runaway student, but not before questioning his motive to do so. Students reported he was last seen sneaking out at night. Dunne was well known for bullying one Sebastian Emrys."

"Excuse me?" Viola set down her teacup, astonished. She looked to Bastian. Her incarnation couldn't look any of them in the eyes. "Bastian, you were bullied? Is that why everyone thinks you're responsible for this guy's disapperance?"

"While it is true Dunne did bully me, I do not know fate. He would steal my things with the help of an accomplice in my dorm and would torment me. Wh-Whatever happened to him it was-It is not my fault! He most likely got what he deserved."

His raised, trembling voice startled her. She wasn't unfamiliar with how it got that way when she grew nervous. What got her was the spiteful sentence at the end. For as long as she had known him, he would never say something like that. What was his history with Dunne? She was about to ask, then hesitated. An inkling formed in the back of her mind, questioning whether she wanted to know the truth. Should she know what happened her opinion of Bastian could change drastically.

"What was the plan you came up with to investigate?" she questioned instead.

Ciel leaned back in his chair, steepling his hands. The image he made had Viola thinking he was one of those children that played being an evil villian-over exaggerated and completely stereotypical.

"My plan was to infiltrate the P4 in order to gather more information from the prefects about the missing student," he explained. "Yet, whenever I ask around all I recieve is stony silence. I got nothing but mixed messages from everyone."

"That makes sense. You can't do your normal investigation methods because of this place's strict rules and traditions. Most of those, by the way, are ridiculous."

"It's like being a prisoner."

Sebastian chuckled.

"Isn't that why you're trying to get closer to the ones who make the rules?" he teased. "In a much more peaceful way than usual, I would say."

"Yes, well, I am still just the Fag of a Prefect's Fag. I can't take part in the Midnight Tea Party organized by the principal."

Viola paused in sipping her tea, the makings of a question forming in her head.

"The Midnight Tea Party," said Bastian upon seeing her confusion," is an annual event the Principal holds. Normally, only the P4 and their Fags are invited to invited to attend. It is a mystery as to what happens, but most people wish to attend just once.

"Which means you're not invited." She grinned at his scowl behind his teacup. "Besides that, what did you want us to do?"

"I just want you two to gather information on Derrick," Ciel ordered them.

"I suggest you ask the Prefect of the Dormitory he moved into," Sebastian advised.

"The Violet Wolf dorm, right? The Prefect's, er, Gregory Violet?" Viola hummed. She didn't think Violet was so bad. While hegave off a dour aura, he appeared to be misunderstood. She got along with him well enough based on their love for plays. "I'll see what I can do. Might not be easy, all things considered. If no one's talking, then I doubt Violet will, either."

"We'll see about that." Ciel smirked at the challenge she unknowingly impled. It was eeire to see it on him when she had seen that look on Patchy's so many times before.

"Have fun with that." A sudden yawn erupted out of her mout. She glanced at the clock. "Oh crap! It's that late already?"

"It is rather late," Bastain agreed. He stood from the table, his teacup empty. "We should be getting back to our dorms. Good night, young master, Mr. Sebastian."

They all exchanged farewells. Viola put her teacup on the table. She was about to head to the window when a gloved finger tapped on her shoulder. Twisting her head, she suddenly felt lips trail softly on her temple. Heat settled on her cheeks.

"Wh-What was that for!" she exclaimed, stumbling backward away from Sebastian.

"A good night kiss," Sebastian replied. His smile was saccharine as he attempted to look innocent. "Is that no what humans do with their suitors when they are courting?"

"Since when were you courting me?"

"Did I not sign a contract to try and win your hand in marriage?"

"Since when have you cared about that?" Bastian spluttered. Like her, he was flushed, trembling in held back fury.

"I have always cared. Does this upset you, Lord Sebastian?"

"Sebastian," said Ciel before Bastian could retort," stop teasing them. I don't care about your supposed 'love' all of a sudden, but they are correct. It is late, and we all need to get going before we are caught."

"Yes, my lord."

With the go ahead Viola led towards the window. She scrambled down the ledge, down her previous path, and jumped from the second window. Her feet thudded softly on the grass. The cool night air soothed her frazzled nerves.

Behind her was another thud.

"What on Earth was that about?" Bastian wondered aloud. "Mr. Sebastian has never shown any inclination he was serious about courting you."

"I have no idea." Though she said this lie, she reached up to rub her neck. The hickey had faded a few days ago, but she still felt like it was still there. It didn't help she could clearly remember the feel of soft heat nibbling on her skin as it cooled over her thumping heart-

What the hell! Her traitorous thoughts were pushed aside. Please tell her she wasn't thinking about Sebastian giving her a lovebite. She didn't want to even consider it! I'm tired. I'm slowly losing all reason because of exhaustion.

She didn't want to think she was attracted to Sebastian. Physically, she was, but she could hold back. She wouldn't allow herself to be attracted to him.

Shaking her head, she snuck out of the Blue dormitory and headed back to the Scarlet Fox dorm for some much needed rest.

xxx

Investigating Derrick Arden was harder than Viola thought.

She thought in a tightly knit school like Weston would be a gold mine of information. Gossip had a funny way of always circulating a rumor on a student no matter how absurd. It was how her persona was built. Through word of mouth alone, she became a legend. Information on a missing student like Arden should have been easy.

It wasn't.

Between her study sessions and entertaining her constant companions, Viola asked around on what little she could on Arden. When she brought him up most of the younger students had a blank stares. Those who did have something to say would parrot back what Ciel told her-that he was a talented student and had gone to the Violet Wolf dorm because the principal said so. She asked the older students why the principal said so. They just shrugged and said one thing.

"Because the principal's word is law."

What kind of logic is that! Viola thought, nearly tearing her hair out. It was after lessons in the afternoon. The late spring sun loomed longer in the sky hidden behind one of the towers to shade the courtyard she was in. Collapsed on a lone stone bench, she was alone with nothing but her whirling thoughts for company. She couldn't believe the idiocy these people had. Who believes that nonsense without a single thought?

She thought these herd-like ideas existed only in fiction. No one simply believed what they heard without even questioning it! They had to have asked once before, right? It didn't matter if they were authoritarian figures. That made it more suspicious. People, especially rebellious, hormonal teenagers would rebuke these orders and demand an explanation.

Then, she remembered she was dealing with Victorian era teenagers. They just accepted things as they were.

"I'm done. I swear to God I'm done," she declared to no one. She needed to get back to her time where the glory of the internet could reassure her that there were people who challenged ideas...and flame wars. She sighed loudly, slouching in the bench. "What to do now? What to do…."

All these bland answers created a blockade in her investigation. Viola had no concrete lead to follow up on other than to ask Gregory Violet. She felt this was a last resort. Violet would surely think she was suspicious if she asked him. It was bad enough she had so many people that knew she was asking about Arden. She could ask Patchy, but he would smile and say something about 'spoilers.'

Damn cheeky demon.

What was the use of having a demon from this time period as her friend if he wouldn't tell her anything? He wouldn't even give advice! Patchy was so lucky he was busy avoiding Sebastian in that silly guessing game or else she would have guilted him into helping.

Now that she thought about it she couldn't believe Patchy had managed to stay hidden for this long. She had no idea how he managed to avoid Sebastian when he was obviously pissed about his scent on her. Part of his strategy must have been to stay away from her. Lately she hadn't seen much of her friend. It could be because somewhere Sebastian was keeping a close eye on who she interacted with. If he saw Patchy, he would notice the similarities to Ciel right away.

You play a dangerous game, Patchy. Why on Earth did he feel the need to do this now when they were in the middle of an investigation? Stupid demons and their boredom.

"What's on your mind, Valentine?"

Viola snapped out of her daze as someone took a seat beside her. She wondered whether she was dreaming or not when she saw Redmond seated casually next to her.

"Good day, Redmond," she greeted in her fake city accent. Instinctively, she settled into a proper polite tone-engaged but distant. "What brings you here? I thought you'd be busy with cricket practice."

"I decided to take a break," said Redmon jovially as he smoothed his ponytail over his shoulder. "Everyone on the team has been praticing tirelessly lately. I let them all have a day off to rest. We wouldn't want anyone getting injured or exhaust themselves with the tournament in a fortnight."

She nodded along although she could care less. At the end of the school year the school held an interschool cricket tournament. Each dorm team compted to win bragging rights and be honored by classmates and family. It was all prestigiuos and elaborate. If only she cared about cricket!

Of all the sports in the world she cared about cricket was at the very bottom of the list. She wasn't interested at all. She didn't care for its rules, its point system, any of it. It bored her to tears. Going to a school where the students were obsessed with it didn't raise her interest the slightest.

"That's good. So you decided to take a walk, then?

"Yes, I was walking about when I noticed you all by your lonesome. Whatever were you thinking about? You had the oddest expression on your face."

"I've had a lot on my mind lately," she sighed, leaning back.

"Such as?"

"Nothing in particular."

"Valentine, you know you can confide in me?" said Redmond, abruptly serious. It caught her off guard.

"I-What brought this on?"

"As Prefect of Scarlet Fox, it is my duty to assist all the students in my dorm. However, I have realized that should not be the extent of my abilities." He smiled, a twinge of melancholy on his gorgeous, expressive face to her confusion. "Since the incident with Cole, I saw that I have ignored those younger than me suffering as all their hard work was taken from them. Their hopes, their aspirations, were manipulated in hopes of getting into my good grace. That is not what I wanted to become Prefect for. Everyone should be joyful and comfortable as we study to become better men. So, as Prefect, I am getting to know my dorm and help those in need of it. That includes you, Valentine."

So Redmond did learn something after Cole was exposed, Viola thought. Anyone, after a betrayal like that, would realize their mistakes and attempt to remedy it. She was proud of him for making the attempt despite her opinion he wouldn't do much good. There were too many power hungry students in the school who wanted a decent standing in life. The fact that he was trying to help endeared him to her.

It helped that he was incredibly attractive to boot, if not a bit familiar.

"If you must know, I am having...courting issues," she bit out, grimacing.

"My," Redmond exclaimed, cheekily," I did not know you were an engaged man! Well, it is to be expected. You are a handsome lad. What seems to be your trouble?"

"I happen to have many engagement offers, I suppose, that I must decide on who to court. It is rather difficult as I have had no preferences towards one woman."

"A man after my own heart!"

"There is one my cousin is insisting I try to court. This person, at the beginning of our acquaintance, was apathetic and rather unkindly even going as far as making fun of my woes. Yet, recently they have been showing their affection quite abruptly that it has me questioning their intentions. I do not know what to think or feel."

Redmond frowned, tapping his finger on his knee.

"If this woman is apathetic, she sounds as if she is being rather coy. Then again, they may genuinely like you."

"I don't know what you mean."

"Perhaps this woman had not known of your integrity or whether you were fit to be her husband. If she was not participating in your advances until now, then she is slowly warming to you. She has seen what type of person you are by now, yes?" She nodded. "Then she has fallen for you and would not protest to marrying you."

"I sincerely doubt that," said Viola, holding back a snort.

"You may never know. Women are like that," he replied, shrugging one shoulder. "The way that woman is acting she is most likely waiting for you to make the first gesture."

"First-What?"

"You are a gentleman, Valentine! If you wish to win the heart of a coy woman, you must be the one to prove you love her above all else! Bring her flowers, escort her at balls, and the like."

Viola was stricken speechless. She had to make the first move...That's right! This time period had distorted her perception of love and courtship. Back in her time, if she saw someone she liked (no matter how briefly), she was always the one to make the first move. Either flirting, kissing, holding hands, she was always the one to do it first. She was the one to move the relationship at her own pace.

It was always that way. Why was she letting that demon take the lead? She may not have wanted to be courted by him, but that didn't mean she wanted to be thrown off balance by leeting him set their relationship's pace.

"You're absolutely right, Redmon," she stated to the beaming Prefect. "I need to take this courtship seriously."

Viola saw what Sebastian was trying to do. There was no way she was letting him toy with her feelings like that. She refused to lose this game. She wouldn't let him.

xxx

The one thing that Viola had come to hate while living in a dorm full of boys was how long she would need to go before she needed to bathe. Back at the Phantomhive manor, she had gotten used to bathing at least twice a week during the Spring and Summer seasons while once a week during Winter and Autumn. She and Mey-Rin had a system where they took turns fetching hot water. Unlike the men, Mey-Rin was pleased that there was someone else in the household who liked to stay clean as much as possible and was always willing to fetch hot water knowing that she would get a warm bath as well. With the warm days rapidly approaching she soon realized how much of a hassle bathing was for her.

How in the world was she supposed to take one when there was a high risk she would get caught?

Now, once a week, she had to sneak out of bed at a late hour to clean herself up. She wasn't allowed to enjoy it either.

On a warm Wednesday night Viola waited in her bed, as usual, until everyone in her dorm was fast asleep. Once certain they were all unconscious she shuffled quietly out of bed, hugging a change of clothes and her bath supplies in her arms, an unlit lantern hanging around her wrist. Then, she hurried to the door to head towards the bathrooms where she knew a hot bottle of water was waiting for her. She made sure to sneak one there while the younger years were preparing them for the rest of the dorm. Inside the bathroom she placed her things down, struck a match, then lit her lantern to envelope the room in a warm glow. It made it possible for her to see the claw footed bathtub waiting for her alongside the hot bottle in the corner of the room.

Without hesitation she took the wig off her head along with the wig cap beneath it. Her hair fell down to her shoulders and she scratched her scalp. Removing her uniform blazer, she unbuttoned her white shirt until she was completely topless save for the white bandages wrapped tightly around her breasts.

Viola sighed, slipping off the bindings off her chest. The subtle pressure on her lungs and breasts faded. Thank goodness, she thought as she massaged the sore points. She could hardly breathe. She hoped this mission ended soon. Crossdressing like this everyday was putting a strain on her body-particularly her breasts. It wasn't a good idea to bind the breasts for long periods of time. She had to moderately bind her C-cups to even pass for a man.

It hurt a lot.

She stretched like a languid cat, sighing in content. It was so good to be free of her disguise. All she needed was a bath and she would be right as rain. Wincing, Viola continued to massage her breasts. Each touch prodded her sensetive skin. After that, she stretchedout her legs and arms. She bent down to pick up her discarded shirt to fold and place away from the tub. She dumped the water bottle inside to desposit the water while she moved her lantern in a place where she could see properly.

Just as she picked up her shirt, there was a creaking from the door. In a single horrorified second she realized she had forgotten to lock her door in her haste to get a bath.

"Valentine?" The next second Viola was forced to press her shirt to her chest to cover it. She whirled around, face on fire, as her eyes landed on Marshall peeking his head through the open crack. From what little she could see, he was in his pajamas. He scanned the room until his gaze landed on her. His eyes were blank and confused. Then, the longer he stared at her, the understanding lit them to become wide-eyed. The shirt couldn't hide her curves and hips that were more noticable without all the layers. "What…? Valentine, you're-"

To make matters worse, there was another voice from behind him.

"Marshall, what are you doing up?" Soma's voice drifted.

At his name Marshall jumped. He lost his balance and tripped, landing on the hard tile. In his haste to catch himself he had grabbed the door handle. When he failed the door was thrown wide open to reveal Soma standing at the threshold. He blinked in confusion, then noticed Viola's state of dress. His jaw dropped. This broke her out of her shock.

"Soma, get in here and close the door," she growled. He didn't move. "Now!"

He scrambled to do as he was told, keeping his eyes away from her general direction. Closing the door behind him, he had the forethought to lock it. As he did that, Viola slipped her shirt back on without the bindings. She didn't bother to button it-wrapping the front closed was good enough for now.

Marshall scrambled back to his feet and openly gaped at Viola.

"You're a woman, Valentine!" he accused, dumbfounded.

"Why, yes, I am. Thanks for noticing," she retorted with dry humor.

"And-And you're blonde!"

"I know. Isn't a nice color?"

"And your chest is…!"

"Full? Perky?"

Marshall whimpered pathetically. Viola got some sadistic pleasure from teasing him. It served him right for being a peeping tom! It also helped her calm down after her secret was so rudely discovered.

"Who on Earth are you?" he asked, putting a hand over his eyes so he no longer could see her.

"Viola Dupree, my lord." Although he wasn't looking, she did a mock curtesy. "It's such a pleasure to make your acquaintance. But, oh, we've been acquanited these past few weeks. How oculd I forget?"

"Why is a woman here at Weston College? You're not allowed here."

"Maybe I wanted an education? Ever thought of that?"

"A woman is not allowed to have such a thing!" he exclaimed. "It's scandalous! It's inappropriate! It's-"

"Her right to be here if she wants," Soma finished.

"How can you say that, Kadar? Wait a moment." Marshall removed his eyes to study Soma's face. "Why are you not surprised that Valentine is a woman?"

"That is because I knew her before I enrolled to his school. Both her and her brother."

"You knew she was a woman? Why did you not say anything! This is against the school's rules and its traditions. Women have no place to be here."

"And why not?" Viola was calm when she asked this question. She understood where Marshall was coming from. The male prejudice was strong during this era. They still believed women were going to get overwhelmed by higher learning. That didn't mean she wasn't upset about it as all the men in her life betlittled her.

"Because women should not concern themselves with the men's level of education. Not only that, this is an all-male college! There is a ladies' college for you to attend if you wish to get an education."

"You mean where I'll learn how to be a domesticate housewife?" She shook her head, unimpressed. "Marshall, you've known me for about a few weeks now. You've seen how smart I am. Why does me being a woman change your view of me?"

"I am confused as well," Soma admitted, glancing between them. "Viola is a capable and intelligent woman. I have seen her analyaze the writing of great poets and philosophers and work out mathmatic equations without a problem. Although her Latin is something to be desired, she is able to keep up with the curicculam here. Why are you angry over something so trivial as her gender?"

"Because-Because…!" Marshall held back a frustrated groan that slipped out. The way he struggled to form an excuse meant Soma brought up a good point.

"Look, Marshall, I understand," Viola sighed. She approached him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "You've been taught that women are meant to be protected and sheltered. While it could be true that some women desire this, I don't. I like being here and making new friends." She paused. "I consider you one of those, you know."

"You consider me a friend?"

"Of course I do. Why wouldn't I? You've gone out of your way to spend time with me and guided me around school. After all the time we've spent together, why wouldn't I?"

Marshall finally lifted his eyes to peer at her face. She shone him a bright smile. Whatever insecurities he had faded as he relaxed.

"I...suppose I see you as a dear friend and companion as well," he admitted. "Yet, I still do not think it was wise for you to be here. Should you be discovered as a woman, there is no doubt something terrible shall happen to you."

The way he said that made Viola wonder what he meant. Why did he say that like an imminent warning? Pushing the thought away, she focused on Marshall.

"The school year's almost over. Let me stay until after the cricket tournament is over. After that, I'll leave the school. Until then, can you keep my identity as secret?"

"I-I do not know if that's a good idea."

"Then do it as a favor for me." Soma came over to throw an arm over Marshall's shoulder, grinning amiably. "Viola is my future wife. I want nothing but her happiness. If she wishes to remain at this school dressed as such, then I will do everything in my power to grant it. So, please, as a fabor between classmates, keep her identity a secret, okay?"

Marshall's eyes widened.

"She is the fiance you talk about?"

"You talk about me?" Viola asked Soma. This was the first she was hearing this.

"Of course I do! Why wouldn't I?" he replied as if the very question was absurd.

"I shouldn't be surprised. Why do I even ask?"

"I-I see…" Marshall swept his hair out of his eyes. "Alright. I see how much this means to you, Kadar. I will not say a word. But, if there is the slim possibility you are caught, I am no involved in this. I do not know anything."

"Sure. That's fine." The tension knotting her gut loosened. She was so worried that Marshall would go inform someone like Redmon that she wasn't male. Who knew the power of friendship could be so strong? She wouldn't underestimate it again. "Now, if you guys don't mind, can you please get out so I can finish bathing?"

Both men remembered her indecent state, because they both turned away from her.

"Yes. We will, uh, leave you to that," Soma coughed, a hand covering the side of his face. He grabbed Marshall's shoulder. "Come along! WE must not keep her from cleaning up."

Marshall muttered something, too embarrassed to say anything louder. He made his way to the door and unlocked it. Opening it, the three of them jumped as voices clamored loudly, pounding feet against the carpet. Viola was too far from the door, but she could make out a single word.

"Fire!"

"Are you freaking kidding me?" she groaned. Of all the things to happen that night! She buttoned up her shirt again and grabbed her sweater. "Come along, boys. We have to go play fire brigade."

In the panic neither Soma or Marshall protested. They raced out to join the other boys get to the fire. Viola was no far behind as she slipped on her sweater. Without the bindings she would have to rely on the night to conceal the truth.

It looked like her bath would have to wait.