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Cress
"Is your secret passage close Thorne?" Cinder asked.
"Pretty close, we've just got to make a few more turns." He replied.
"Good. The longer we're out here the greater the chance of running into the teachers or a centaur."
He shot her a grin. "Hey, just put your faith in your captain and we'll be just fine."
"We're all dead." Jacin deadpanned.
"Shut up, Clay. Do you know a secret passage to take us to the Astronomy Tower?"
"I know that you're one of the most unreliable people in existence."
"Hey, I'm reliable! I've been a big help so far!"
"You got yourself punished with blindness for a revenge prank on Professor Mira. How is that reliable?"
"He was being a good friend!" Cress protested.
She was rewarded when Thorne turned his smile to her. "Thanks Cress."
She smiled shyly back, hoping he wouldn't notice the blush steadily building on her cheeks. When he was blind, she hadn't had to worry about him discovering her feelings. She hadn't had to watch him flirt with pretty girls because, well, he couldn't tell whether or not they were pretty. Those weeks had been horrible for him, being forced to live in complete darkness, but Cress had finally gotten to see the real Thorne. Not the suave, flirtatious confident playboy Thorne, but the loyal, kind and heroic Thorne, who would do anything for his friends. She'd gotten to see that, to know him for that, because he'd trusted her enough to show her that side of himself. He'd been dependent upon her to help him through his blindness, to be his eyes and help him with basically everything. Of course, she was happy that he had his sight back, but it created a new question, a question that was gnawing at the corners of her consciousness. Now that he could see, he didn't need her anymore. So, where did that leave her? Would he still want to be around her, now that he had other girls and friends he could see and talk to?
"Hey Cress!" Iko called, "You okay? you're starting to fall behind."
Cress blinked, shaking off her thoughts. One problem at a time Crescent Moon! "Y-yeah, I'm fine, just thinking."
She jogged over to Iko, so she was walking beside the blue-haired beauty. "So, you've seen Levana's real face?"
Iko nodded. "Yep. I got sent to her office twice. Once because I mixed undiluted bubotuber pus with Jael's coffee, and another time because I accidentally let an animated dragon statue rampage in the library. I never said anything because, well, all the other kids who saw her described her as flawlessly beautiful. The very picture of perfection. I also knew she was a lunar, and probably didn't want anyone to know what she really looked like and if I went around spreading the word of what she really looks like, I'd get in some serious trouble."
Cress stared at her with wide eyes. "You actually did those things?"
Iko shrugged. "Eh, Jael was being a massive jerk to the first years, and the second time was just a transfiguration class gone wrong. Still, both times were definitely worth a visit to the principal's office if it means I can help topple her regime."
"Have you already isolated those memories?"
Iko stared at her. "Um, what?"
"You know, isolated them. Separated them from your other memories to achieve perfect clarity and so your mind can focus on them at the level required for making a pensieve." Cress explained.
"I… don't think I've done that." Iko admitted, "Or that I even know how to do that."
Cress smiled. "Don't worry, it's pretty easy. All you have to do is direct all of your focus onto those memories. Let them fill your mind totally, until you can think of nothing else. It will make the memories way clearer when you extract them, and for something like this, the memories will have to be as clear as possible."
"That doesn't sound "pretty easy"."
"Sure it is. I've done it before just for fun."
"Yeah, but I haven't done it before, and I'm not really that good at focusing on one thing and one thing only. Unless it's something like fashion, then I can focus."
Cress frowned. "I suppose it's easier to do if you've had practice. Do you think Wolf knows to do this?"
Iko shook her head.
Cress sighed. "I'd better go talk to him then. In the meantime, can you give it a try?"
"Sure, but I don't think it will do much." Iko muttered.
"It's a start."
Wolf got the concept about as well as Iko did, though he seemed to have a little bit more success. At least, Cress hoped he did. She wasn't entirely sure how the process would work for someone who was part animal, but it was something at least. Cress herself actually found it all too easy to isolate her memories. The fear and trauma seem to demand her attention, to make her envision the blood dripping from Scarlet's hand and Levana's knife, the headmistress's cold smile, and her friends faces, pale with fear, in disturbing clarity. It already felt separate from the rest of her thoughts. She didn't actually have to do anything. And, she suspected, Wolf and Iko wouldn't either.
"And here we are!" Thorne announced, "Prepare to shower me with praise."
Kinney raised an eyebrow. "I hate to be a downer-"
"No, you don't." Iko said.
"but that's just a regular wall."
Cress couldn't help but agree. All they were looking at was a wall, just like all the other walls: same perfect polished stones, down a regular old hallway.
Scarlet frowned. "Well, the secret room Wolf and I found was behind a nondescript wall as well, so I guess I can imagine it, though for the life of me I don't know how Thorne of all people would find a passageway this well-hidden."
Thorne glared at her. "Hey!"
"I'm just saying, you're not exactly the patient type. Or the analytical type. Or the diligent type. Or-"
He waved his hand irritably. "Yeah, yeah, I get it. You all underestimate me." He grinned at her. "That's why it's so much fun to prove to you how awesome I am!"
"I thought you enjoyed that because it inflates your own already gigantic ego." Jacin drawled.
Thorne ignored him and ran his fingers gently along the stones. Suddenly, he punched one of them. And then another. And then another.
Cress ran over to him and gripped his arm as he wound back for another punch, forcing him to stay still. "Thorne, what are you doing? You're going to break your knuckles!"
He smiled at her and gently removed her fingers. "I'm fine. But thanks for worrying."
With that, he punched one last stone.
The wall seemed to ripple, tiny waves of light spreading out from the centre. The stones pulsed and wavered, before finally splitting into a clear, smooth tunnel.
Thorne turned around and smirked at everyone. "See? What did I tell you?"
"This seems really complicated for a shortcut to the Astronomy Tower." Cinder remarked as they walked through the tunnel.
Thorne shrugged. "It probably had some other purpose back when the school was first built, maybe as a sort of storeroom for moonlight before they built the new one? Anyway, it doesn't matter. What matters is that it takes us where we want to go."
"Actually, I think this is a disposal tunnel." Wolf said.
Scarlet groaned. "I have a feeling I'm going to regret this, but what's a disposal tunnel?"
"It's one of the ways Levana discretely disposes of people. Jael told all of the werewolves about them to scare us into obedience. The staff lead the victims down these secret passages called disposal tunnels, which lead to areas where they can easily orchestrate an accident without having to worry about witnesses seeing them on their way."
Iko sighed. "Well isn't that a cheerful thought."
"Wolf might be wrong." Cinder told her, "And when you think about it, we're using the tunnels Levana used to bring about the downfall of her enemies, to bring about her downfall. Poetic justice, right?"
"I just hope we get to deal some actual justice to her." Jacin growled, "She deserves to pay for what she did to Winter, and all of our fellow students."
"Aw, it's so cute how she's the first thing you think of!" Iko gushed.
"Shut up."
Thorne sniggered. "Jacin, this is Iko you're talking to. No way is she going to shut up, now that she's onto her favourite subject."
"Perfect. Does anyone have any earplugs?"
Iko rolled her eyes. "Ugh, what does Winter see in you? Honestly, you're as bad as Kinney."
"So," Cress murmured, jogging up to Thorne. "how does it feel to be able to see again?"
He chuckled. "Well, I can finally understand why you got so hung-up on the little details when you were guiding me. After seeing nothing but darkness for so long, everything seems so… beautiful." He flashed her a grin. "For example, I thought you were pretty before I was blind, but now I find you downright gorgeous."
The words seemed to freeze Cress's muscles and she stumbled over her own feet. A pair of hands gripped her shoulders, keeping her from falling.
"Woah, easy there." Thorne said, "I've been known to sweep girls off their feet, but not usually so literally."
Cress couldn't summon an answer. It felt like a fire was burning underneath her skin. Her heart was drumming a frantic beat in her ears and her breaths came too quick. Did… did Carswell Thorne… the boy who'd barely stopped to glance at her when there were other girls in the room… the boy she'd had a crush on for months and months… just tell her he thought she was gorgeous?
"Um, Iko's going to hate me forever for this, but we've got to keep moving." Cinder's hesitant voice broke through Cress's dream-like state, snapping her back to the present.
Iko pouted at the brunette. "Oh come on! That was adorable!"
"Pretty sure you'll get to witness more moments later Iko. For now, we have to get on with the plan, and stop Levana."
Cress cleared her throat. "Um, r-right. Yeah, let's get going."
Don't look down, don't look down, don't look down.
All Cress could do was repeat those words to herself, over and over again. Why did the Astronomy Tower have to be so high?
Cinder turned to face them. "Okay. Iko, Wolf, Cress, are you ready?"
Cress nodded. "Yep."
"I think so?" Wolf ventured.
"Doubt it." Iko said dryly.
Cinder sighed. "Well, it's the best we've got. Hurry, the sooner we start the better."
Cress took a deep breath to steady herself, before pressing the tip of her wand to her temple. The memory of that dreadful trip to Levana's office filled her mind, each and every terror-filled, horrifying detail. Slowly, carefully, she pulled the wand tip away from her head, extracting what appeared to be a shining silver hair. She pulled the memory fully away from her mind, letting it stay anchored to the wand. It floated there, light and fragile as a feather, glowing with a soft, gentle light. It was hard to believe, that something so lovely held something so traumatic.
She turned to look at Iko and Wolf. They had each successfully pulled the memories from their minds, and were staring at them with a mixture of surprise and fear. With a wave of her wand, Cress scooped up the glowing silver threads. She swirled them together, so they formed a brightly glowing knot. She would them tighter, tighter, giving them more strength, linking them on their one common image. The knot grew bigger, and bigger, and bigger. What was once a gentle glow was now the burning glare of the sun. The knot stayed there, a huge, pulsing orb of memories. And within those memories, an image began to appear.
A/N: I'm pleased to announce that I'm back to my regular update schedule! One chapter a week! And good thing too. Stuff's about to get interesting.
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