During chemistry class, Crystal was working with some ingredients to find out which would make the best alternative fuel. She had with her some ale and skooma, which were the fuel sources she was experimenting with. There was also a bowl of snowberries.
"Very good, Crystal..." Professor Krex said as he observed. "But why the snowberries?"
"Because the ethanol from the skooma produces aldehyde when burned." Crystal replied. "And snowberries are abundant in the aldehyde-cancelling oxidase needed to make a sustainable and earth-friendly fuel..."
"Hehehe..." Professor Krex chuckled. "Genius...!"
Betrid was spying on Crystal. She desperately wanted the young girl out of the school. She went to the Dean and told him what she claimed to see. He then sent a prefect to the classroom. It was Ondolemar, who had no idea what the letter entailed.
"Crystal..." Ondolemar said. "I have a letter from the Dean... I know not of the contents..."
Crystal opened the letter and was horrified and bewildered. The letter was a letter of expulsion, on the charges of drug possession.
"What?" Professor Krex said, becoming angry. "This is preposterous!"
Ondolemar read the letter, a disgusted expression overcame his face.
"Indeed..." Ondolemar agreed. "This is absurd..."
The news brought Crystal to tears, with Betrid hiding, grinning as she watched the pain unfold. Nothing sated her more than watching Crystal squirm, feasting upon the banquet of pain and slaking her thirst on the poor woman's tears.
Professor Krex went to call Crystal's grandmother after being given the number. Farkas rushed to Crystal's aid upon hearing her cry. He held her close, nuzzling her with his stubbly face.
"What happened, baby...?" Farkas asked, very concerned.
Ondolemar handed Farkas the letter that was sent to Crystal. Farkas reacted with a sad expression, whimpering. He clutched onto her, with tears in his eyes. This infuriated Betrid nearly to the point of giving up her position. However, her rather tacky and acrid perfume managed to tip Farkas off.
"I smell Betrid nearby..." Farkas commented.
"Betrid?" Ondolemar raised an eyebrow. "Well, now that you mentioned her... I saw her storming towards the Dean shortly before I was called here..."
"So she's behind this?" Professor Krex questioned.
"Perhaps we might ask her..." Ondolemar said.
"Found this bitch hangin' around the classroom..." Njada said as she dragged Betrid in.
A dagger of betray had struck Crystal in her heart. Tears threatened to flow down her face as she stared up at Betrid's bitter countenance.
"W-why...?" Crystal said, choking up.
"Because you're nothing..." Betrid replied. "No one cares about you, Crystal... You're just a lowly rat..."
Aeris stormed in angrily.
"Grandma!" Crystal cried out.
"Who has hurt you...?" Aeris said, seething.
"Betrid..." Farkas said.
Crystal hands Aeris the letter of expulsion.
"Crystal was merely doing an experiments for an alternative fuel in my class..." Professor Krex explained. "Betrid apparently told the dean that Crystal was using skooma just because she saw it on Crystal's desk."
"Hmm..." She said, glaring at Betrid. "Come with me to the dean..."
Aeris went with Professor Krex, Farkas, Njada and Betrid to the dean's office.
"I demand to know what you were thinking expelling my grandchild..." Aeris demanded.
"Possession of recreational drugs is an offense that warrants expulsion." The dean told them.
"I gave her that to use for her experiment..." Professor Krex said. "She wanted to find out what would make the least ecologically harmful fuel from a sustainable source... Crystal, explain to him how you found out Skooma was ideal for the process..."
Crystal took a deep breath.
"The distillation process of the moon sugar converts the sucrose to ethanol..." Crystal said. "Skooma is partially distilled, but when fully distilled, it becomes ethanol. Ethanol by itself s bad for the environment, so I used snowberries because of the oxidase in the enzymes. The oxidase cancels out the aldehyde emissions from the burning ethanol, so upon blending the ethanol with the oxidase, you have a sustainable alternative fuel..."
"She lies!" Betrid shouted. "There's no such thing!"
"Yes there is..." Crystal responded calmly. "The only reason we don't know is because we're too afraid to learn about it, and too complacent in our own ignorance..."
Betrid was sweating bullets.
"Damn..." Njada commented upon hearing the lecture.
"Still, she has to leave school grounds..." The dean said.
"What the fuck, man?" Njada exclaimed.
"What excuse do you have for this?" Aeris questioned. "Are you in this woman's pockets? Or her fiance? I won't hesitate to out you for corruption..."
"Well, I..." The Dean stuttered as he was caught. "They have a lot of influence in the school..."
"Well I have more..." Aeris responded. "I am the High Queen... And if I feel that you aren't adhering to the regulations, I can have you out of office..."
"All right...!" The Dean said, finally giving in. "I'll retract the expulsion..."
The Dean hastily signed some papers reinstating Crystal.
"Good..." Aeris said. "Betrid did all this because she was desparate to have the competition taken out of the college."
"Did not!" Betrid retorted. "There's no way that an ugly rat like her could ever measure up to me!"
"More like measure down..." Njada remarked.
Farkas nuzzled Crystal to calm her down a bit.
"Everything's all right now, love..." Farkas said, reassuring her.
"I see..." The Dean said. "Bullying shouldn't be tolerated then..."
"Bullying shouldn't be tolerated ever..." Aeris reminded him, giving him an icy glare. "As for you, Betrid... If you bully my granddaughter again, you'll have me to deal with... Am I clear?"
"Very..." Betrid responded begrudgingly.
Aeris then hugged Crystal before leaving. She sighed, knowing that her granddaughter will have some difficult hurdles to go through. She then left the campus.