Chapter Fourteen: Life Goes Ever On

Breakfast the next morning was a whole lot more silent than it had ever been. Especially at the tables of house Alo and Gente. Both had lost members that night. Other than this, several attacks had been made on families. Hannah had asked if her family had been attacked, and they had not. Thankfully they had sent her a letter that very morning.

The crowd around the tables had dispersed as well. Several people decided to stay in their dorms, or similar things. The Headmaster, Caelyn Coko, stood from his place at the staff table and cleared his throat. All of the scant whispering that had been going on ceased.

"As you all know, our country has recently fallen on hard times. Some in the ministry would think it inappropriate to disclose this information to you, but I've never given a damn what they think," He said, trying to bring a little levity to the situation. It didn't work.

"A witch from back in the Salem Witch Trials has been resurrected by some form of necromantic magic. She was the one behind all these attacks. Though their center of activity remains around Salem, they have agents all up and down the east coast. Do not be frightened. I assure you that you will be well protected. But there are to be no forays into the mushroom forest anymore."

He was interrupted at this point when the doors on the left side of the door slammed open, and a strange person walked in. He seemed to be student age. He had blond hair, which was worn loosely over his shoulder. His clothes were black, with a black cape, and black dragonskin boots and gloves. His face was gaunt, but not pale, and he had an intensely tired look about his face. It took a little while for everyone to realize whom it was. It was Madison.

Madison strode by the staff table on his way to the house Gente table. "Where have you been, Madison?" The headmaster asked. "Reading, old man." There came several gasps at this. Madison had called Coko 'old man' before, but that had always been with a joking tone. Now it was just flat and unemotional.

"Where?" Coko asked, his own tone losing a bit of its good feeling. "The Haunted Library." Coko's brow furrowed. "Who gave you the pass?" He asked. Madison stopped walking, and smirked at the headmaster. "No one did?" Most of the teachers gasped at this. "How did you get past the spirits?" Professor Rhodes asked, him knowing the most about the ghosts.

"I had Hope," He said mysteriously. Coko, Marit, and Chanteau (Who Hope had talked to the other night) were the only ones who understood this. When Madison turned to go sit down, Coko said, "You're breaking a school rule by wearing that outfit." Madison turned, and flourished his wand. "Same outfit," He said. Coko shrugged, surrendering the point.

Several at the staff table sighed as everyone went back to eating, albeit quieter than they had been. Most of them had seen how stubborn Madison could be, and it seemed this would be increasing dramatically.

"Madison?" Someone called softly through the library. It was dark, and most students were in bed, though a few people were still reading by the light of the candles. "Over here," an answering voice said softly, so softly that she barely heard it. Angelique moved tentatively over until she found the owner of the voice.

Madison was reclined on a comfortable looking squishy chair, reading a very old book with a red stain across the front. Angelique didn't notice this in her agitation. Madison hadn't looked up from the book when she had arrived, and was seemingly oblivious to her presence. "Madison," she said tentatively, "Can we talk?"

Madison set the book down on the table just to the side of his chair and nodded. This was so unlike him, she thought, not to have that smile on his face. "Certainly," he said, and Angelique thought she saw a faint glimpse of his old smile playing on his lips. Or so she hoped.

"Madison," Angelique began, "I still love you, and I was hoping that we could still be friends," She said slowly, hoping that Madison would not get mad. He had changed so much lately. Madison registered this information for a moment, chuckled, and reached out and grabbed Angelique's arm, pulling her down to sit on his lap.

"You said you still loved me?" He asked, a smile on his face. "Yes," She said slowly, a bit confused, not wanting to get her hopes up. "Then nothing has changed," He told her, and kissed the top of her head.

Angelique smiled, very pleased with how all of this had turned out. She had known that Seth's death would have a great impact on Madison, but she had never expected it would get between them. Until she saw the way Madison had treated her that day. Not particularly badly, just like everyone else. And he treated everyone indifferently that day, not like he usually did. Maybe she could get the old Madison back.

"Now it's time for this year to come to a close," Headmaster Caelyn Coko told them at the end of the year feast. Instead of being decorated colorfully, like it usually was, the room was draped with dark colors, blacks and grays. Madison had changed back into his normal outfit, minus the hat. Everyone was glad to see a bit of the old Madison return.

He was still in his irritated mood, and looked gaunter than ever. His cheekbones jutted out, and the black circles under his eyes were darker.

"I would like to be able to say that we had a good year this year," Coko continued, "But that would be lying." He paused for a moment. "We've lost many a good student this year. Let's toast to everyone who has died." Everyone raised their glasses, then moved them to their lips. "Now, try and enjoy your feast," Coko said solemnly, sitting down.

Some people did talk, but the noise was much more subdued than it had been just a year ago. Then a loud voice shrieked, "HOW LONG HAS IT BEEN SINCE YOU'VE HAD A FULL MEAL!" Whoever it was who was being yelled at gave a meek reply. "SEVERAL WEEKS! NOW LISTEN TO ME, YOUNG MAN! YOU WILL EAT!"

Everyone went into fits of laughter at this, once they had realized whom it was that was being yelled at. Coko cleared his throat, smirking. "Angelique, your concern for Madison's well-being is commendable, but please keep it down a bit." Coko said, amused.

"You heard him!" Angelique said to Coko. Coko chuckled. "I actually only heard you, but please continue." Angelique did, gladly pouncing at any chance of getting Madison's health back to normal. "And earlier he told me he hadn't slept in five days!" Coko's smile wore off at this.

"First thing I want to do," Coko said, "is to commend you on your performance on your exams even with your lack of sleep." Coko cleared his throat here. "And the second is that you are to do exactly as Miss Angelique say regarding your sleeping and eating habits,"

Madison seemed to have regained some of his composure. In a dry voice, he said, "Why do I feel as if I'm being ganged up on?" Angelique saved the headmaster the need to answer. "Because we're right this time." Madison shrugged the point off, and began to eat.

Everyone was rolling around in laughter, and it was amazing how well Madison was ignoring this, eating as if everything was normal.

Perhaps, for the first time in a long time, everything was.

Chanteau sighed and looked out the window of her parents' mansion. It was raining today, reflecting her mood. Her parents knew nothing of this, however. She hadn't told them of her love of Seth, or that he had died. For all they knew, life went on as normal.

Chanteau had finally gotten over Seth's death that night at the feast, when Madison had started eating again. She had realized that there was no point to grieving overly much. Hope seemed to have left, however. She shook her head, a forlorn smile on her face. She would be fine.

What she was thinking right now was how lucky Angelique was. It didn't seem fair to Chanteau. But there was nothing she could do about this. "Life goes ever on…" She whispered.

She sighed, and moved to her trunk to unpack. When she opened it, she saw something she did not expect. There was a note.

There's always Hope.

Chanteau smiled. Madison's letter had already made her feel better. She finished packing, then picked up her phone and called Madison.

"Thanks," She told him, her gratitude clearly evident in her voice. "For what?" Madison asked, sounding confused. "The note." Madison sounded even more confused, but honesty rang clear in his tone. "Note? I didn't give you any note?"

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A little note from me. This is not the end. I plan to do quite a bit more with this.