Welp, until last chapter I manage to stick to the alternating 1 POV per chapter thing. I'll try to keep that with this story, but it might not always work. Besides, I feel that I ended last chapter with the right amount of suspense. ;)

TheFallenHer0: I think Luca's past, in those terms, was, in fact, kind of glossed over and only very briefly mentioned. But I latched onto the idea and expanded it in a way that made sense to me. Schuyler had to keep the prince safe, but couldn't be in contact. He did his best to make sure his prince was as comfortable as he could be in the circumstances. It was better that way (and I'll paraphrase something from The Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood—better doesn't always mean better for everyone). Originally, I was going to have Luca with a character a little more like Selene and Katalina combined, but that was before I figured out I could actually write various kinds of characters I hadn't previously worked with. I'm so glad I created Marelda, because you're right, I think she fits with Luca much better than my original pairing for him. Luca is carefree and a bit of a dreamer. He fits well with someone who is serious and grounded. I'm glad you think so, too. And yup. She'll try her best to get him to go to class, eventually.

Updated: I originally posted the Elemental chapter for this week, something which TheFallenHer0 was awesome enough to point out—within a day of it being posted, I might add. Thanks!

Chapter 7

Marelda's POV

I woke up the next morning, early, as per usual. My roommate, who I never really talked to at all, wouldn't be up for a while yet. Heck, I was always long gone by the time she woke up. Her name was Meagan, I believe. She was younger, about fifteen, and in a different class. The same one Luca was in, I believe. She seemed nice enough, but between my being gone in the morning for training, and studying all afternoon—usually—I wasn't in a position for socializing all that much. Not to mention that my weekends were almost always spent training or studying. I didn't think I was missing out on much, because, honestly, I came here to study and train, not to socialize and goof off. I wasn't Luca. Rather, I was the exact opposite.

Although, I suppose that, in light of my new knowledge concerning him, that statement wasn't entirely fair. Oh, well, moving on. It was merely inside my head and no one would judge me for my thoughts. No mind readers at the academy, as far as I was aware.

I got up around four, and was out the door by four thirty to go grab my food for the day. Normally, students weren't allowed to leave their dorms until six, but I had special permission because of training. I also learned early on to use a cleansing spell that was pretty much like a shower. It took about two minutes to be completed, and I'd use it after my training was done for the day. While I'd rather take a shower, I never had such time between my first and second classes, which were only about ten minutes apart. If I counted the time for when I actually started morning training, my first "class" was closer to four hours instead of one and a half.

I fought a yawn as I made my way down to the dorm kitchens. The dormmother was kind enough to make me a special breakfast and a packed lunch every day. I had to closely watch how much I ate. While I did use up a lot of calories, I had to make sure I didn't eat too much. My fighting styles depend on speed and agility, and those are that much harder with extra weight. I didn't have a trace of unwanted fat on my body, and most of my weight came from muscle buildup. And I planned to keep it that way, despite how much my mother liked to tell me that I'd be a downright beauty if I put on a little weight.

The dormmother was alone, like she had been for a couple days now. Since Monday, actually. There was usually another girl in the kitchens this early, baking or cooking. I had never talked to the shorter, blonde girl—who honestly didn't seem much younger than I was—but she always smiled at me when our eyes met or something. Again, another person who seemed nice enough that I had never interacted with. She hadn't been here all week. And, out of sheer curiosity, I asked the dormmother where she was.

"Oh, her? She had to go home suddenly last weekend. She seemed pretty distraught, poor girl." The dormmother shook her head.

That made me a bit suspicious of something, so I asked another question. "I feel kind of bad, but I never learned her name."

The dormmother seemed surprised at how chatty I was this morning. I was normally in and out with nothing but a "thank you" and a small smile. "Selene, Selene Fonix. Sweet girl, she is. Can't sleep very well, and always up before the crack of dawn. She comes and makes sweets for her friends most mornings. Said it was better than staring at the ceiling until it was time to get up."

"Hmm. Well, thank you again for making me the meals." I bowed my head respectfully.

"Oh, you're very welcome, dear. It's no problem. I had a friend back when I was around your age who was also training to be a warrior. He took his food consumption very seriously. In fact, I believe he's your teacher. Ludwig Vargas, right?"

I paused at this new knowledged. It's funny how it sometimes never dawns on you that adults were once kids, too. "I can't even imagine him as a younger man, much less a teen."

"Funny how time flies, isn't it?" the dormmother said wistfully, "Be careful not to let to much of it slip by without living it, okay, dear? Now, on with you, before your breakfast goes cold."

I smiled and thanked her again before grabbing the tray that contained my breakfast. My lunch was already in my pocket dimension. Copperus was in it's own pocket, but I had another pocket attached to a little drawstring bag about two inches deep and with a mouth about six inches at it's widest. It rolled up and fit in a little slot in my belt quite nicely. I stored extra weapons, as well as other small things, like my lunches, in that particular pocket dimension.

Sitting down, I began eating. As always, it made me slightly nostalgic for my mother. No matter how tired she had been, she always had breakfast waiting for me. Even back when I went hunting with...

I inhaled a shaky breath, mentally pulling in calmness. I exhaled, mentally expelling everything but a controlled, composed calm.

"From what my sister told me, it's not good." Marelda heard a girl, a bit older than her and in the next year, say. Isabella...Ravenswood? Something like that.

"Wait, isn't your older sister one of Selene's sister-in-laws? Have you heard something of Selene? Is she okay?" I believe that was Amelia Nile, a girl in my class. She was never up this early.

"Yup. Sarah told me not to tell anyone, but I think you deserve to know, seeing as you're a really good friend of hers and used to be her roommate. But don't tell anyone. If it spreads around the academy, it could be really, really bad. Even cause mass panic." Ravenswood replied. I don't think she knew I was there. I was out of the way, in a corner, not really making any noise. Well, I guess I'll just pull a Luca and listen in. "To start from the beginning, Selene went home so suddenly because her oldest brother, Johnny, died in a vehicle accident. Now, they're not so sure it was an accident."

Just like when Luca told me, my heart palpitated slightly before returning to normal. I could understand what that felt like. I'd never really met the girl, but I can sympathize with her.

"Huh? Why?" Nile sounded even more worried now.

"Because a few days later, Sunday evening to be exact, Selene was taken."

"T-taken? You mean she was kidnapped? How? By who?" Nile gasped.

I paused in my eating. This is something Luca would want to know. Normally, I wouldn't spread information, particularly information meant to be kept secret, but in light of recent events...I think it's something Luca should know.

"Yes. They don't know who." Ravenswood continued, "The only ones who know everything, according to Sarah, are Merlin, Inan, Eric, and Eric's girlfriend. Them, and Prefect Klaus."

"So he did go after Selene, then?" Nile sounded as if she expected this.

"Yeah. He was there when she was taken, apparently, and went after her."

"Alone?" The level of panic in Nile's voice rose a tad.

"Yes. Alone. Inan's a seer, and apparently said that the Emperor had to do it himself."

"You're kidding."

"I wish I was." Ravenswood sighed, "I really hope Selene's okay."

"I feel so bad for her. First she loses her brother, and then this. She doesn't deserve it."

"The people who have these things happen rarely do."

Their voices fade as they leave the room, done with their breakfasts. I've been done for a couple of minutes. I get up and quietly put my empty plate and dirty silverware in the return window. Off to training. I'll tell Luca when he pops up, which is highly likely given his track record.

…. …. ….

He didn't show up. At all. Not in the morning, not through practice. I couldn't find him during lunch break either. I asked Goldstein and the other boy, the one that seemed oddly familiar, if they knew where he was after classes had gotten out, but I again didn't find and hints as to where he might be. Apparently the last time anyone had seen him was his practical magic class. It was incredibly frustrating.

And to make matter worse, I found that my school emblem was missing as well. While looking for Luca, I'd searched for it as well, but to no avail on either account. A student's emblem was important, and we were instructed upon first arrival to take very good care of it, and that we would not get a second one. It was said they each had magical properties, ones that grew as our magical abilities grew. We got to keep them when we graduated. And while I didn't put much trust in rumors, it was hard to ignore all the stories of the things that had happened to students who'd lost their emblem. Long story short, they involved long periods of very bad luck.

Great. I, a girl who kept meticulous track of things, lost two items of importance in less than a day. I hadn't seen Luca since I'd left him last night to make curfew, and the last time I remember seeing my emblem was shortly...before that.

Could it have fallen off while we were laying down? And could I even manage to find the place where we were? I had about an hour until the doors of the dorm were locked. If I hurried, it's possible I could find it. Might as well give it a shot.

Marelda has a comb, given to her by her mother, that has a removeable piece. When the combing part itself is removed, you're left with a knife coming out from the handle.