Chapter 10

After Shuichi had left, I moved myself to my bed thinking ways to escaped back home. Homesick wasn't really the word for it since most people had already decided I was an arsonist, but I didn't want to be where I was either. I rolled over to see if my family was even attempting to contact me. Not a single missed call, not even a message. I sighed shutting what was becoming a hollow box once again. "I'll see Youko soon." I smiled to myself finally realizing that here, right here, I was making friends.

And what would happen once they found out I had a criminal record? I imagined Shuichi scrutinizing my form over with a look of disgust he wouldn't even treat three week old garbage with. My mind switched to Youko, he would reach for me with a swift pat on the head, "Like-minded people" He would likely laugh it off, offer me something he shouldn't, and take me somewhere where I would forget everything until the sun rose again. I pulled my stuffed animal closer. It likely wasn't alright to keep acting like this. I needed to start making connections. I found myself staring out my window towards the balcony. Memories flashing of when I first met Shuichi flashing through my head. His atmosphere seemed so gentle, warm even happy, but his presence was empty. As if no one was really standing there. As though he was hollow.

Closing my eyes I smiled at the soft luxury of the pillow. Images flowing into my brain: They were soft and sweet, kind even as if they were my own memories.

I glanced around looking down towards the bottom of the castle I was standing in. Whatever village this was, it was old. Through the windows I could hear cattle roaming their fields. I whispered to myself glancing down into the town wondering morbidly despite the scenery about everyone's conditions.

"Get the guards! The princess has awoken!" Someone's voice shouted, someone shaking me rapidly.

"Get up, Isabell it's time for school!" Elizabeth's voice pierced through my dream causing my heart to lurch as if her voice had just broken into something important and was now breaking it into tiny pieces.

"Elizabeth..." I whispered annoyed as my eyes opened towards the light slowly making it's way into the room.

"It's time for school." Elizabeth sighed as I glanced towards her. Would it be alright if I just stayed in the warm comfort of the bed just a little longer? The dream had barely started, it felt uncannily familiar, I wanted to dream it out until the very end. "We're going to be late...that doesn't look good at all!" Elizabeth shouted as I pounced out of bed reaching towards my uniform, Elizabeth wondering downstairs.

The one good use I had found for her. Whenever you sleep in she always knew what exactly was the easiest to cook for being late while also traveling to the forbidden place we call school. "Good morning!" I heard the squeals of Elizabeth immediately upon arrival of the school. She was already squealing towards a certain person who she would kill me for if she knew I had spent almost the whole night with.

I glanced towards the way he was treating the other girls, carefully brushing each of them off, he wasn't snide or ignoring them. Actually, the ways he was brushing them off it was as though he was asking for their attention more. He was classy about it. Causing the masses to continue to storm him, even double the crowd. I wondered if I would be able to rescue him or if the cliche that was surrounding him would lose interest any time soon. I glanced away there was no way I could come to his rescue. "I could destroy you" Elizabeth's threats were already mutating inside of my head, I knew she would be the end of my social life if I did anything to interrupt them. But what social life did I have here? What else could she ruin? There was no way she would want to destroy her own reputation by revealing the reason my family had gone into debt.

When I left to go to return to my house everything here would disappear. I walked away wondering down the hallways until I had no recollection where I was, I wanted to talk to someone. But with one thought of Elizabeth everyone seemed as though they were freshly decorated with nails and fangs. There was no way I could talk to anyone and truly know who was on my side or just spying for Elizabeth. I glanced around where I was, searching for a map. This side of the school couldn't have been used that often.

It seemed as though this part of the school had halted construction. I must've walked past the barriers without noticing. One of the broken down rooms was turning into a greenhouse.

I smiled remembering overhearing the rumors in class yesterday that one of the rooms were said to be absolutely lovely, blooming with forget-me-nots and roses.

People found that amazing, although it's said that forget-me-nots could bloom almost anywhere while roses needed enriched soil.I guessed it could be okay for both flowers to grow together. I heard the unnatural clicking of heels on my feet once again, I still hadn't figured out how to walk in the contraptions. I shook my head pulling the notebook from the side of my purse and scavenging for a pencil. I was going to be the first one to get there since classes hadn't started. Elizabeth had made it so we would be there before the door were supposed to be unlocked. I walked faster wanting to research the garden before anyone discovered that I was within the building. I placed a napkin over my mouth hoping that it would be enough to block out the situation that I was likely about to get myself involved in.

The rumor was also topped that flowers Passiflora otherwise known as the passion flowers, an Iris versicolor, and Datura should be within the room which had evolved into the greenhouse.

The passion flowers were supposed to grow in warm climates such as Spain but could also grow in the western united states. But the Iris was supposed to grow in cold climates, while the Iris Versicolor one of its subspecies was supposed to grow meadows and marshes. With the occasional along the seashore. The last one, the Datura, also called the moonflower also grew in a warm climate. I looked down towards my notes. Other than the temperature they would all grow in relatively the similar climate.

I glanced towards where I believed I had come from, Shuichi wouldn't be free from any of those girl's for a while. My mind buzzed, it was trying to stop me I knew that, my mind was attempting to trying to come to my rescue. "...Princess don't go there..." I glanced over my shoulder. No Youko. Well, the voice didn't sound like him either. I continued walking wondering if I was still asleep, my hands felt numb, "almost there." I smiled to myself pushing open the door towards the classroom.

I scrutinized the first flower. The Passiflora, otherwise known as the passion flower. It was a marvelous blue maybe a purple with another layer upon it's leaves of a fluffy-like seeming darker blue leaves, on top of that was the center of the flower with tips of yellow. Pulling out my information as I tried to figure out exactly what I planned to do with these beautiful yet deadly flowers. I sighed letting go of the petals, so far what I knew the passiflora was the least of the dangerous flower. I used my heel to turn and walk a crossed the room. I glanced down towards the Iris Versicolor hiding amongst the shade.

I glanced down towards this flower, also a dark blue, they all seemed relatively harmless unless eaten so far. Quickly I walked over towards the Datura, I removed the napkin that was covering my mouth. Ready to believe that none of these flowers contained poison pollen. I walked over towards the flower letting out a sigh as I smiled at it. Each of these flowers were reported on only being poisonous if ingested. "Oh she came herself." A voice laughed as I looked over my shoulder. "

Who? I'm sorry I'm new here...Can you introduce yourself please?" I struggled to put the proper sentence together for whoever was standing behind me in the shade.

"It doesn't really matter...since you'll be dead soon." The voice laughed as I glanced back towards the direction of the voice only shadows seeming present.

"um, what?" My voice was skeptical over whoever was talking to me.

"Those plants aren't any normal plants...they've been changed, enhanced, you could say...see you later...or not!" The person laughed. I felt someone slam me forwards hearing a metal clinking towards the ground.

I swung around ready to take a good swing at whoever was behind me only to meet air. I turned back to the last plant, everything began to move. The plant uprooted itself spinning a crossed the ground, "No" I stood up, instantly meeting the ground again as pain ran throughout my chest, heat running a crossed my face. I looked towards the notebook littered in the conclusion that these flowers were only poisonous if eaten. Whoever found me would probably add suicidal right next to arsonist on my reputation.

"Isabell? Isabell?" I was being shaken harder then Elizabeth was this morning. The eyelids were heavy as I attempted to pry them open. I glanced up towards the blur my hand curling around whatever was in my hand, whoever they were they would just have to deal with it for now. I needed something solid to hold onto as the sea swayed through the air.

"The plants...have, are, dangerous...they're enhanced" My slurred language came out to the blurry figure.

"Who should I get?" The student panicked going over if they should get the teacher, the nurse, the smartest kid in the class, or remove me from the room in general. "I'll be right back!" The student stood up charging out of the room.

"What's wrong?" Shuichi's voice right outside the room asked as I watched my vision change as if someone was trying to flip a T.V. channel.

"I don't know...one of the students...s-s-she collapsed, I don't know!" The student shrieked their voice fading into the distance. I found the feeling of a vine encircling my waist as I reached towards the square the other student had dropped. Feeling it around I soon discovered it was a lighter. I grinded my teeth. Images of my old school flashing in my mind as the vine creeped its way up towards the burn scar on my back. Feeling myself slowly lifted up off the ground as if the vine had a mind of it's own encircling me as if it was trying to figure out a way to kill me. "Stay in your own food chain." I muttered struggling to flick the litter on hoping that I wouldn't accidentally burn myself. I saw the colors change in front of me as I suddenly slammed towards the ground. If it wasn't for the searing pain from being dropped right on top of my burn scar I think I might've smiled at burning the evil plant. I heard the door slam open again wondering if it was a teacher as I let go of the lighter hoping they wouldn't press charges for possible smoking and having a weapon in the school.

"Isabell? Isabell? Wake up...come on." The voice wasn't obviously showing it's panic as a soft yet strong hand touched my arm rocking me back and forth so fast I felt dizzy.

"Shuichi, stop that...I'm going to be sick...stop.." I whispered my free arm reaching up towards wherever I thought his sleeve was unsure if I got lucky or if he gave me his sleeve as I tightened my grip on it. I felt him let go and heard his feet grind through the dirt, it sounded as if he spun his back towards me and was glaring at something.

"A mutated-Passiflora?" His voice sounded like a mixture of shock and amusement, "Isabell, don't think about too much a side effect of poisoning is it affects the state of mind." Shuichi's voice shouted as I heard some crashing leaving me wondering how hard it was to fight off a plant.

"Shuichi?" I whispered the colors still flickering on and off as I could feel someone pick me up along with a few metal pieces afterwards.

"I'm taking you to the nurse...it's hard to make an antidote while holding someone. Also, I need someone to seal off this entire room and its ventilation systems." He sounded as if he was trying to have a conversation with me during a massive concert.

Everything was quiet as Shuichi carried me towards the nurse's office. I half-expected that he was getting envious looks and teasing-squeals from the teens.

"Princess! Be Careful! The thief he came back!" A voice shouted in the outstretching darkness.

"What thief." Relief washing over a voice that sounded much like my own.

"It doesn't matter you're just a girl, go back to your room." Another voice said it sounded stern, the king of the land was talking to me. The apparent father of the voice.

"Absolutely not! I'm not weak!" Cool metal piece burned with sweat in my hands. Was I holding a sword?

"Restrain her, as many as you need! Just lock her back into the room!" The king shouted it felt as if five minutes had passed when someone finally had managed to cut me and two dragged me back to my room.

"What an insolent princess!" The king's voice shouted. I heard the door slam right in front of me, I was defiantly alone now. Hearing my own feet trail back to what I presumed would be my bed.

"You're just going to let them treat you like that?" A luxurious voice laughed somehow I knew this person would be sitting upon the bed near me.

"Of course not, I will escape. What do you want thief?" My voice said it sounded as if it was trying to rebel against this person's presence yet tease them at the same time. I glanced towards the forming image of silver haired man who beckoned me closer. "To steal the princess' heart."

I felt my eyes shift open. "Not funny Youko.." I muttered.

"What's the matter?" Shuichi asked he was sitting there peeling fruit concentration not leaving the fruit. His composure revealing that he was used to the atmosphere where we were.

"Where am we?" I whispered.

"The hospital. The poisons that were running through your blood were too much for a school to handle." Shuichi replied, I nodded unsure what would cause the poison. "I have a question." Shuichi began to dig around in his pocket. A feeling of quesiness ran through me as an unusual emotion colored his face. He looked like a mixture of anger, disbelief and disappointment as he pulled a lighter out of his pocket.

"Are you smoking?"