Chapter 4
The boy walks ahead of me, leading me out of the room and round into a corridor. At the bottom is a door, which leads onto more corridors. Sometimes we pass open doors which I peek inside of. Students, dressed in brown or red, sit at desks, or stand in pairs flashing sparks at one another. I gape as we pass one such room. Magic.
The boy turns his head back and grins at me at we reach a stairway. "I'm Edward, by the way."
"I'm Mel," I reply.
"Don't let the Headmaster scare you." Edward tells me, taking the stairs two at a time. "He's all bark and no bite."
Didn't stop him from attacking me with a sword.
"Here we are." Edward says as we open enter a door. At last. This place is huge!
We are faced with another corridor, which leads into a small waiting room. There is one other door inside, which Edward stops in front of.
"Professor Gray's office is just ahead. You mustn't speak of anything you see or hear there, okay?"
"Yeah, sure."
"Good luck."
"Thanks.'
"Hey," Edward stops me. "A bunch of students are meeting at the Boar's Head Tavern after class. You should come over and have dinner with us."
I raise an eyebrow at him. "I'll think about it."
"Okay. Well, bye."
I leave him, walking through the door into one last short corridor and into an office. A desk sat in the middle of the room, covered in a mountain of paper. A fancy blue hat wearing a man peers over the paper mountain at me.
"I'm sorry, are you lost? This area is restricted."
"Are you Professor Gray? The Headmaster sent me to see you. He said you might have a spot open for me."
"Ah, I see. Let's take a look at you...skinny little thing, aren't you? A thief, perhaps?"
"A thief? Of course not!" I deny. "I'm a...er...a seamstress."
"Hmm, bad liar; we'll have to work on that. Can you read?"
Although nettled with his comment on my lying ability, I answered. "Not very well. It isn't something an urchin learns on the street."
"You can't read but you appear to have some common sense. I'll agree to teach you if you can prove that you are worth training."
"What exactly do you teach, anyways?"
"Tsk, tsk. If you choose to train, I shall tell you. In the meantime, I have a task for you."
Intrigue. I lean in closer. "Just north of here is a fabulous manor that belongs to man named Ely Harpsbren," Professor Gray continues at my obvious interest. "Enter this house, go upstairs, and retrieve a small crystal statuette from the study. If you bring it back to me, I shall allow you to become one of my students."
"That's it?" I smirk. "Piece of cake. I thought you were going to give me something difficult to do."
~O~O~O~
A few wrong turns later, I find myself back outside the school.
Looks like if I want Professor Gray to train me, I must pass his test. I need to find the house that belongs to a man named Ely Harpsbren, find a crystal statuette inside and bring it to Professor Gray.
Ely Harpsbren – sounds fancy. The house must be in Noble District.
But right now, it is not a good time of the day to break into a house and steal a statuette. There are too many witnesses wandering the streets. My mission must be accomplished at night.
With a yawn, I crawl into the trees for a nap. It has been a very long 24 hours.
~O~O~O~
When dusk arrives, I awake. For the briefest of moments, I look up through a canopy of trees and wonder just how I got there. Then, the last day or so flashes across my mind. An orb, vampires, escape, a school. And now, I need to find the manor of this Ely Harpsbren.
The path heading back into the darkening city is empty, all the students now in their dorms, I suppose.
Back in the city I head North towards the Noble District. The path to the North of the city takes me along the forest edge. It passes a tavern where I hear laughter and the clinking of glasses. That must be where Edward is. I hesitate outside the door, but continue on. Nearby are a large set of steps. At the top, I find myself in what must inevitably be the Noble District. Large, fancy houses surround me, each with it's own postbox, garden and hedgerow to keep any unwanted guests out – not that many unwanted guests come this way, I'm guessing. This city seems far too quaint for the likes of me.
Then again, I've just been asked to steal a crystal statuette as a test to enroll in school.
Speaking of which, it would have been helpful if Professor Gray had given me an address or something. A little more to go with than a name. However, I resign myself to skulking through the shadows, eyeballing each postbox for Ely Harpsbren.
Ah ha! Found it!
Checking all the windows were empty, I scuttled up the path and attempted the front door.
Locked.
Well, what did I exp-
"You're not going to get in through the front door."
In alarm, I spin around. Edward is walking up the street. "What are you doing here?"
"I though I might be of assistance." He grins as he walks up the path, then disappears around the side of the house. Where is he going? "Are you looking for a way in?"
Well obviously! I run after him.
"That window is open." He says, stopping in front of said window. "Why not climb through it?"
"I knew that!" I glare at him, then push him aside so I can reach the window.
"Want some help? The puzzle on the second floor is a real pain to do so by yourself. I could help."
"How do you know so much about this house?" I ask suspiciously.
"Hmm, I've lived around Thais for a very long time."
Yeah, like I'm buying that.
"Thanks for the tip, but I can do this myself."
Edward shrugged. "Suit yourself." He steps back, his face deadly serious, but his eyes where smiling at me. Laughing.
I jump through the window and land in a small study. I'll show Edward! I do not need his help at all.
This room is mostly empty – I search the drawers and the desk, carefully putting everything back as it should be, but find no crystal statuette. In fact, the whole of the first floor is void of any statuette, crystal or otherwise.
Upstairs looks more helpful. There were only two rooms – one was crystal statuette free (and Ely Harpsbren free, interestingly enough), the other was locked behind...not so much a door. More a metal barrier, with no key hole. But by the stairway was a switch. If this does what I think it does...
I pull the switch down, hear something moving, and walk back down the corridor to the barrier. Just as it comes into my vision, it slams down in my face. Frowning, I try again. This time I run down towards the barrier, but again I just turn the corner to see it hit the floor.
I turn back, ready to try again and run even faster, but somebody is blocking the corridor.
"You!" I glare down the passage at Edward.
"I told you the puzzle was tough." He smiles at me. "It needs two people to solve it. I'll pull the switch when you've gone over the trick tile."
Damn that's a good idea.
"Fine!" I snap at him.
Edward pulls the lever. I walk towards the barrier carefully. When it shuts, I take one more step so that I'm off the trick tile. "You can pull the lever now."
The barrier opens and I enter another study. I see the statuette at once, sitting on a table next to the entrance. I carefully pick up the small figure, and instantly hear a faint ticking.
"Come on," I say, treading on the trick switch. I hear the barrier shut behind me. "We'd better get out of here. There was a ticker under the statuette. The whole place is going to lock down when the ticker runs out!"
"You know what a ticker is?!" Edward looks surprised. Idiot, he's wasting time. And blocking the stairs!
"Of course I do! Do you think I'm a fool? C'mon!"
"I'll meet you outside. Good luck getting out on time." And he vanishes, leaving nothing but the sound of his footsteps pounding down the creaking steps.
"Hey, wait!"
~O~O~O~
Just as I snatch my foot out from under the window, it shuts with a loud bang. Metal bars now cover all windows and even the front door, which we see when we leave.
"That was close!" Edward says.
"We better get out of here before the owner returns."
"I wouldn't worry about that." This boy certainly knows more than he should about this house.
"Look, I've got to get this back to Professor Gray." Edward looks at me expectantly. "Thanks for the help, I guess."
"See you tomorrow?"
"Sure." I shrug. "Hey, how did you know about the house? Are you one of Gray's students?"
"No, I'm training to become a Sword Master, but my family knows Gray." Edward looks at his watch. "I'd better get home...it was fun."
Without a goodbye (rude), he leaves.
~O~O~O~
"Not bad," Professor Gray says, looking over the statuette. "Class starts tomorrow at sunrise. Don't be late."
This looks like my cue to leave, but I still don't know what I'm studying. I ask.
"Welcome," Professor Gray answers, "to Red Wing Intelligence Academy."
With a grin, I say "I'm going to train to become a spy?"
"Smart girl." There is the smallest of smiles on his lips.
Barely anyone gets to train to be a spy, and those who do aren't just anyone. "I don't know what to say... I'm honored!"
Professor Gray bats my excitement away. "You need to find a place to live in the city. Many of the students live in the Lamplight District. You might find something to rent over there. We'll begin your training tomorrow." And with that I'm dismissed again.
The school is nearly pitch black. All the students are asleep in their dorms. I pause just outside the dormitory doors (or what I assume are the doors – but from the amount of snoring they must be), thinking about all the wonderful pranks I could pull – but having only just got in to the school, I better keep my pranks to myself for the time being.
Back in the city, I walk through the Lamplight District. There must be a landlord somewhere, probably near the edge of the district. That's where I head, towards the South-West corner of the city. There's an inn here, and a small shop. The last building I enter.
"I'm the landlord of the Whispering Pines housing complex," says a man as soon as I enter. "Would you like to rent an apartment for 20 gold coins?"
"Yes."
The man rummages around in a drawer in his desk, then writes something on a piece of paper. "You're in apartment 2B. If you have any problems with it, you know where to find me."
We exchange money and key. I head back into the Lamplight District, now looking for Apartment 2B on the postbox's.
It doesn't take too long. I find it in a small, tidy courtyard in the South of the area. It's quite big, fully equipped with kitchen, cooking implements, table and chairs, bed, vanity table and even a dress stand (which is going to get no use at all).
I toss my bag under the table then collapse onto the bed.
~O~O~O~
I studied under Gray for six months. Those were the best days of my life.
Edward pestered me for several weeks before I agreed to befriend him.
How could I refuse? He was a natural trouble-maker.
