Chapter 23: (January 10)

Headmaster Matheson looked out at the empty courtyard ahead. The snow lay undisturbed in its bed on the cobblestone, and the fountain remained dry and stony as it waited for springtime. It had been several days since the students had left for their homes, and many of the teachers had left as soon as the semester grades had been calculated and placed on transcripts.

A light knock sounded at the door to Matheson's office, and he frowned, unsure if he should open it.

"Come in," he finally said, and arranged the lapel of his suit as he sat down.

His brother walked in, smiling coldly. He stood next to the bookshelf, and admired the office once again.

Matheson felt sick as he always did around his brother, but promised himself that he would act professional this time.

"Well?" he started, upbeat and cheerful. "I didn't know you were coming to visit. Is your protégé waiting patiently back at the laboratory?"

His brother looked at him sharply, his dark suit contrasting with his whitening hair. "I let my own students go on vacation, too. And anyways, he should be back at this miserable institution you call a school within the next month or so. His training is complete."

"And are you giving him a position, Milton?"

"You say my name as if it's almost accusatory. William. Still upset about the teacher?"

"Always. Why are you back? I see you don't have a visitor's I.D." Matheson edged slowly in his chair to the button under his desk that would alarm the security guards in the administration building.

"Oh, those little stickers the wonderful woman at the front desk gives out? Really nice girl, by the way, it's a shame she has to stay locked up in that building the year round." He slowly moved forward, and then grabbed Matheson from his chair, pinning him against the window. "Now, you listen to me. Move."

"What?"

"Move! There, get away from the desk. I don't want you alerting this entire island with that silly little button."

Matheson backed away into a corner of the room, between two shelves filled with the numerous scholarly books he'd obtained over the years.

"Please, Milton, what are you doing? Just think about what you're doing. Please."

Milton shook his head and folded his arms casually, looking down at his brother in disgust.

"Did you know," he started, sitting on the edge of the desk, "that Set and Osiris, the Egyptian gods, were twins? They were the sons of Nut and Geb, and Set wanted so badly to be born first that he tore his way out of his mother's womb. He hated his brother very much, and-well, I think you know how the myth ends…"

Matheson started shaking uncontrollably, and crumpled to the ground. He held his hand out in front of him as protection, and flinched when Milton stood. The sound of his heart pounding in his chest seemed so loud he almost didn't hear his brother's next words:

"You're the only one that knows."

"Please, please don't do this. The boy, Rajan, he knows!"

Milton shook his head, adamant about his decision. He slowly removed a sleek, steel-gray gun from inside his jacket pocket, and pointed it at his brother.

"Oh, he knows that I have a brother who looks exactly like me. And why should you be considered dead, if you never go missing? I can't say that I'm sorry about this. Goodbye."

/

The cold hit Will as soon as he stepped out of the cab, his travel bags in hand and his backpack slung across one shoulder. The crunch of snow reminded him of the Chicago weather he'd left behind. At least there, however, there had been tall buildings to comfort him and protect him from the glacial winds.

"Kroners?" the man in the cab asked, holding out his hand impatiently.

"Oh, right." Will dug through his pocket and leaned in the cab again, dropping the money into the man's outstretched pam.

"Have fun."

"I'll try my best," Will muttered as the cab drove out of sight, and he faced the long, snow-covered path to the school.

As he walked down the path, he thought back to his winter vacation. It hadn't been very fun, and he'd only visited the others a few times. Riley had been busy going to her father's concerts, and everyone else had their own problems to deal with.

Small boot prints in the snow told Will that someone else had arrived and was heading to the school as well. Hurrying his pace, Will turned past the trees and saw a tall figure waiting at the gate while a security guard opened it. Looking back, the girl seemed to recognize him, and he felt that it was Sun. Jogging to the gate as it swung open, he waved his hand in greeting.

"Hey… did you just get back from Torshavn?"

"Yes. I was staying at a hotel there. How are you?" She folded her arms over her black coat to stay warm, and walked in after a hello from the guard.

Will shrugged and adjusted the strap of his backpack. He didn't know exactly how he felt. It seemed that the year was going by so quickly he hadn't had enough time to comprehend anything at all.

"I guess I'm okay. I think I'm going to head to my house and pass out from the jet lag, though," he added, opening the Administration building's door for her.

As they signed in, Will noticed a man leave a room from a door down the hall. After he'd nodded to them politely and walked up the stairs, Will turned to the secretary.

"Who's that? Is he a new teacher?"

The secretary widened her eyes and leaned forward, as if she were about to spill some very important gossip.

"Oh, not at all! He's the new Headmaster at the Board. He's American, apparently. Used to run one of the Ivies."

Both teenagers looked at each other, and then looked back at the secretary.

"What do you mean 'new Headmaster'? What happened to Matheson?" Sun asked.

The secretary shrugged and sat back, clearly having no more information to tell. "He retired just a couple of weeks ago, out of the blue. Anyways, have a fun second semester, and welcome back!"

Sun thought more about the sudden leave their Headmaster had taken of the school. Trudging up the stairs of her House, she waved to Will and opened the door, welcomed by an excited Prefect.

Walking past the fountain, Will noticed a familiar figure in a green parka, and smiled. Slowly creeping up on her, he grabbed her in a tight hug from behind, and she screamed for several seconds, only to realize who was holding her.

"Will!" she yelled, turning to punch him in the arm. "You scared me."

"How was your vacation?" he asked, feeling as though returning to the Board was worth it to see her in person.

"It was wonderful. Here, come in, we can talk." She grabbed his hand, heading towards her House.

"It's good to be back," he murmured, and followed her up the stairs.

/

Finally settled in her House, Kala opened the curtains and looked outside. It was a very happy-albeit very cold- scene, and students were all laughing and hugging one another. Bags were tossed on beds, and girls ran to each other's dorms, while boys grabbed their coats and went to hike in the small woods nearby.

Lacing up her boots, Kala opened to the door and stepped out on the porch. His dorm was right across from hers, and she wondered how many nights he'd stared out of his own window.

Walking to the House, she was quickly intercepted by Myra.

"Hey!" she called while running towards her, her red hair made even redder by the contrast of the snow around them.

"Hello Myra. It's good to see you," Kala yelled over the bustle of noise in the courtyard, and hugged the girl.

Myra seemed relieved that Kala had been kind enough to acknowledge her, and pointed to the dorm.

"I should go put my stuff up there. See you tonight."

Kala moved towards House 2 as soon as the girl had left, hoping no one else would require her immediate attention. There was only one person right now she wanted to talk to.

Knocking on the door, she saw Felix open it. At the sight of her, a sleazy look crossed his face, and he leaned against the doorway, raising an eyebrow.

"Hallo. Do you want to come in, and, uh, talk?"

Kala rolled her eyes and pushed past him, walking into the living room and looking around. Not seeing him, she walked to the back door.

Wolfgang was there, in the snowy backyard, looking at the roll of the hills in the distance. No communication had occurred between them since she'd kissed him, and she'd long anticipated this moment, wondering what each one of them would say. She opened the back door, and walked down the stairs.

The sound of the door sliding open alerted him, and his eyes seemed to widen, but the expression turned to one of bleakness, and he composed himself from whatever he'd been thinking about before.

"Wolfgang!" She ran to him and he caught her in his arms, her familiar perfume and the feeling of her so close to him nearly overwhelming. "We never talked after…" She paused for a second. "I thought something had happened to you."

Wolfgang detached himself from her, and held her at arms length. Kala frowned at this, and she realized what was off about him. Something about him seemed hollow and empty. "What's wrong?" she asked, nervous about the answer.

His voice was monotonous and flat as he spoke:

"Going back to Germany made me realize some things. You were right, at the beginning of the year. This is wrong, and I don't want to be…" He seemed at a loss for words, and then continued, "I don't want to be around you."

Kala shuddered at this and stepped away from him. Wolfgang tried not to wince as he felt devastating emotions run through her mind. Not knowing how to distract himself, he took off his leather gloves and stuffed them in his pocket.

She stepped away again, and laughed shakily, pressing her hand against the base of her throat. It was as if she wanted to say something but could not, and finally she turned and left. Wolfgang saw Felix through the glass of the back door, and looked away. It wasn't just that he couldn't be around her. He couldn't be around anyone.

A/N: Hey guys! I know I usually post at a certain time, but this week is homecoming week where I live, so it's been super busy for everyone in town. Please note, if you are confused about any part of this fic, just PM me! It can be hard sometimes to remember all the details from one or two weeks ago. Again, this chapter is where you would probably get confused if you didn't read the 20th chapter. I know it's long, but it's definitely helpful in understanding what's happening behind the scenes at the Board. Hmm, I feel like there's something I'm forgetting to mention. Oh well, I'll update this author's note if there is. Anyways, next chapter coming, as usual, on Saturday. Hearts and flowers, hearts and flowers. Have an awesome weekend!

~C.o.D.