Chapter Two
It was another typical day at the monastery filled with my usual duties of making sure everything was going according to schedule. The morning was filled with taking care of a sick child, finding another a home and paying the bills. Now I was sitting in my father's office, reading through some papers and updating the children's profiles.
Just then, a knock came to my door. "Miss Crosswire? A letter came in the mail for you and its labeled urgent." One of the caretakers, Julie, came into the room then with a thick manila envelope, elegant writing printed on the front.
"Put it on my desk for now. I'll read it when I finish these papers." She did as she was told and left the room.
It seems strange to most people that I'm only 16 and already operating the monastery. Many have complained over the years, calling it illegal. But the bills were under my father's dear friends name, someone with the last name Pheles. And the contracts had his signature so it wasn't as if I was doing anything bad. More like the business was under someone else's name and I was just managing it and occasionally taking care of some of the finances.
A few minutes later I finished my paperwork for the day and glanced at the envelope. The writing was in cursive and hard to read, but it was clearly meant for me. I ripped it open and many papers came tumbling out. It included a brochure for True Cross Academy, registration papers, a hand written letter and a booklet on the dress code, rules and classes the Academy provided.
This wasn't the first time I had gotten letters from the Academy. It was the best school in the country and it produced some of the most famous people in the world. They only accepted the best of the best, with only the occasional bigot sneaking through the system. Though home-schooled, I was already at a masters degree level of schooling. I still hadn't completed some college courses that would allow me to graduate but with my abilities it wouldn't take me very long to do so. My father taught me that the only way to get ahead in life was to work hard everyday and not take a single thing for granted. I never attended regular school since the day my father told me about who I am. I studied and trained at home 24/7.
Another thing about True Cross Academy: they trained exorcists in their cram schools and the High Council that sentenced my father to death resided there. Going to receive an education there would basically be saying that there was free range to kill me if they wanted to.
I shook my head, about to recycle these papers once more when the hand written letter caught my eye again. The envelope did say it was urgent. Maybe the High Council was about to make its next move?
I grabbed the paper and began reading, my heart pounding.
Dear Miss Yuki Crosswire,
You do not know me, as your father never had the opportunity to introduce us before his untimely death. But I'm sure you've heard my name before. After all, I am the co-signer on your monastery's contracts and the person who has his name written on the bills.
Anyways, I felt as though now was the correct time to contact you. You are now old enough and smart enough to truly understand the vicious world we live in today. Especially under our similar circumstances.
I've decided to extend an invitation to join True Cross Academy to not only further your education, but because I would like to help you.
I can assure you that any doubts you may have about attending the Academy can be wiped away. I've made sure the High Council can't do anything and reminded them on what people like you are capable of.
Once you complete your registration form and send it to my personal address which is on the envelope I've mailed this to you on, we can talk more on the matter.
I wish you and the children and the staff well.
~ Headmaster of True Cross Academy Mephisto Pheles~
I shook my head and re-read the letter three times. Pheles? So the headmaster of an exorcist training school has not only helped me keep the monastery, but was close friend with my father whom the exorcists considered a traitor? And he wanted me to attend the same school as those that killed my kind and killed my father?
I should've just torn up the papers and threw them away like I always did. But there was something about the words he spoke that wanted me to hear what he had to say. Maybe he knew something that could help me get revenge for my father or even at least clear his name for good.
Doesn't matter my excuse for doing so, but after reading that letter a few times and thinking about it for ten minutes, I found myself filling out and completing the registration papers for True Cross Academy.