II. Drawing Cycles
While they had be walking with their arms linked out of the school at night, Guiche felt real lucky, and when they settled down in the courtyard to have a picnic, and she beamed up at him where she was sitting in a way that made his heart beat faster, he knew he was lucky. Montmorency was beautiful, but Katie was special, too cute for words and she loved him deeply. That, more that anything, was what made him get close to her. He had an interest in Montmorency for white a while, and she was indeed beautiful, but she didn´t have any interest in him unless she was in control and always looked down on him. Katie sought his approval and love, not the other way around. Guiche sat down alongside her, and gave her his best smile. She blushed.
They laughed, shared the food and kissed under the light of the moons. She was hesitant, at first, but it didn´t take long for her to return the kiss with even greater passion. They were on the ground, him on the top of her, arms around her waist, already past beyond the point of caring just how far things would get, when he heard it. Footsteps. He broke out the kiss, and sat up on the ground, looking around the still darkness, thinking that it was Montmorency. It was not. There was a shape, close to them, but it was a tall shape and Montmorency was fairly petite.
"Who is that trip-trapping over my bridge?" Something croaked, that thing in the darkness. It was such a deep, malicious voice that he wanted to just get up and run, run as far as he could, even back to his house if that was what it took to get away from than thing, but is feet seemed stuck in the ground. He couldn´t move.
"Who are you?" Guiche almost screamed, trying to hold down on his panic. Whatever it was, he was a man and, most importantly, a Gramont. He would protect Katie, at any cost. So he stood up, and put himself in front of her.
Another step, and the figure stepped out of the shadows. It was that crazy jester, the one the Zero had summoned, not a girl who could tell Montmorency about this or some kind of beast. Just a jester. Guiche deflated, and only then he realized that his heart had speed up dangerously. He breathed in, and scowled at the commoner-shaky, but a scowl all the same.
"Go away, commoner. You are interrupting our date." He said, sneering at the jester, trying to imitate his father. The jester didn´t pause, didn´t even twitch. Guiche watched him approach with a vague sense of unease, watched that red painted smile that seemed to mock him. He was a commoner; he was supposed to obey. "Are you deaf, commoner?"
Nothing, again. Nothing. Guiche opened his mouth to say something else, but then the jester stepped into the light of the moons, and he saw that he didn´t cast no shadow. None at all. He gulped, and took a step back, but forced himself to think straight. It was an illusion, a mirage or maybe a particularly vivid hallucination because of the heat or maybe all of them. Had to be. Those kind of things didn´t exist. Even kids knew that!
And, suddenly, the jester was face to face with him, so close they could kiss. No way. There was just no way the jester could have come so far in ten seconds, at the most. He took a step back, despite himself.
"Do you want a balloon?" The jester asked, his smile somehow widening. "They float. They all float! Try one and see."
"Look, just go away, okay? And maybe, maybe, I will forget about this."
The jester extended his hand, and caressed his left cheek. Guiche froze in fear and outrage, and when he was about to scream at the commoner, there was a stab of pain in that cheek. He opened his mouth, but all that came out was a feeble gasp, not a scream. It took him a moment to catch the blood between the jester´s nails, which were as long and sharp as knifes, spilling down them and into the floor. He stared. Just stared. Wake up. Wake up. This is the moment where everybody wakes up, when the monster gets them and everything can be left behind as just a terrible nightmare, so wake up. Why couldn´t he wake up?
"They float." That thing, It, croaked. "Everything down here floats. And soon, you will float, too. How, of will you float!"
Its face changed. He saw something horrible, something that shouldn´t be possible and it made his worst fears look like sweet dreams. He turned away for that vision, his voice raising into a clean sky. His face was turned by the hands of It towards Itself and Guiche de Gramont, son of General Gramont, disappeared into the deathligths. He had the time for one last, confused and unfinished thought-I am...-before he was assimilated.
It turned towards Katie, who, frozen, had be watching everything. Her whole body trembled, and she was pale, far too pale. Katie watched as It approached her, tears in her eyes and opened her mouth to beg, to say that she could do anything as long as that thing didn´t kill her. It lifted her chin with one hand, forcing her to look at Its eyes and she felt silent. For a moment, she stared at two depth pools of pure malice and fire, hideous fire, somewhere inside them. Then, she swam in the deathligths, not even having the time to scream. It let go her and she fell down against the grass, now nothing more that an empty husk. Its mouth opened, sharp teeth shining and It began to feed for the first time in this world.
It was a large, confusing and dark mess. She didn´t know where she was or how she had got there, but she at least knew that. There was something in that darkness, crouched, something wicked from the fervent imaginings of a mad man. But that didn´t matter. That didn´t matter because they were five and it was not a mystical number but a good number, still. They were in a circle around her, and she could hear the sound of their voices. She tried to understand, but couldn´t do it. Their voices faded, moment by moment and...
A face. A pale face with a big, painted smile as red as blood. She squeaked, sat up and crawled away on her hands, until her back meet the walk. That person just looked at her, like nothing had happened.
"Who... Who are you?"
"I am Mr Bob Gray, Louise. You summoned me yesterday." Ah, that´s right, wasn´t it? Some part of her had hoped that yesterday would banish like that strange dream, but it was all true. Sigh.
"Ah, yes, sorry, I am not good in the mornings." She said, and then blushed. God, why did she say that? He was just a lowly commoner, and a familiar at that! He should be glad she even remembered his name now. She hesitated, for a moment, remembering what happened yesterday. How casual he had been when she had asked him to dress her, and her embarrassment at everything. "I have spare uniforms in the close; grab them and dress me."
"Okay." He said, twirled around and went towards the closet. Louise got out of bed, and sluggishly took off her nightgown. The jester soon came back with one off her spare school uniforms, and dressed her. She was still uncomfortable, but she managed to kept still, like nothing special was happening. Just like she was supposed to. When he draped the cloak over her shoulders, his fingers lightly touched her neck. She shivered despite herself but shook that feeling off rather quickly. It was just nerves, and nothing more. There was nothing to fear for a jester of all things. She got out of the room, and he followed her. Everything was on his rightful place, once again. Even the insults and mocking looks she got through the hallways were oddly confronting.
Soon, they came into the Alvis Dinning Hall. Louise puffed out her chest, and poorly tried to look like her mother, when she was teaching her a lesson.
"Almost all mages are nobles. The saying nobles achieve nobility through the use of magic is the foundation of our education. Thus, the Alvis Dinning Hall is befitting of a noble´s status."
"Alvis?" Pennywise asked. Even so, there was no curiosity in his voice. That unnerved her, a little bit. He was just so expressionless...
"Those statues, all around. They come alive during the night and dance." She said. For some reason, she had felt the need to add that. Pennywise didn´t seem particularly impressed, though. He put a finger to his lips.
"Uh, maybe I join them tonight." He said, as serious as always. Louise opened her mouth, immediately closed it, pretend that she hadn´t heard that and sat down in the nearest empty chair. Before she could tell Pennywise about where his plate was, he settled down on the ground without a word. He didn´t seem to care at all, either. Ah, whatever. Better start the morning prayer. Louise clasped her hands, and closed her eyes.
"Students, attention, please." It was Osmond´s voice. Louise opened her eyes, and looked towards the desk of the teaching staff. Osmond was in the middle of the hall, using his staff like a cane, with Professor Colbert at his side. "We have bad news. Yesterday, Guiche De Gramont and Katie Underwood disappeared."
Frantic whispering erupted at the tables, but she didn´t even heard it. Disappeared? How could that be possible? This was the Tristain Academy of Magic, the finest academy in all of Halkegenia. Several of the teachers were Triangle Mages, and the Headmaster was a very experienced Square Class mage, respected even by her mother. They were supposed to be safe!
"But don´t worry. They have not be kidnapped. They left a letter, saying that they were going to run off together. "Osmond continued. Is voice was strong, the very incarnation of a kindly grandfather. Louise didn´t feel reassured, at all. She didn´t know why, but she didn´t think it was that simple. Maybe it was just that her general mood, but... but. "Still, that´s rather dangerous for their age so a search part will soon be organized. We promise you that your classmates will be back, sooner rather that later. You can go back to your breakfast."
And, after that, he sat down. Louise forced herself to look away from the staff table, and, quietly, the students recited the prayer. Then, she ate in silence. The students chatted around her, and even thought it was lower that before, they were acting almost normal. The words of Headmaster Osmond were enough to convince them, not without reason. But...
But.
When breakfast finished, and Osmond was heading back to his office, Colbert cached up with him. He gave him a brief look, nodded and turned to Miss Longeville, who was carrying several stacks of papers.
"Go ahead." Osmond said.
"Of course, headmaster." She said, nodded curtly and banished around the next corner.
Osmond approached him and he allowed Osmond to lead him through the mostly empty hallways, in silence except for the occasional greetings to a member of the staff or a student. They came to an unused classroom, and got inside. Osmond locked the door behind them, and turned to look at him with what most would call an uncharacteristically serious expression on his face, but not him.
"What it is, Colbert?"
"Headmaster... the thing about the letter, was it really necessary?" Colbert said. He still remember the initial panic at seeing them gone, and when they had found Guiche´s diary, neatly folded on his desk. The illogical young love and seer desperation in the last entries, ending in that he couldn´t wait anymore, that they had to go. He had be as soldier before, and, even if he had the occasional nightmare, such times seemed so far away to him that something like this made him uncomfortable."This would damage the reputation of the Gramonts, and the Underwood´s."
"Colbert, be serious. Guiche is a know womanizer, and such things would have be speculated, anyway. Is not something that would permanently damage their families. Besides, what should I have done? I had no other choice. Simply letting the students know that they had disappeared would most certainly cause a panic. Now, at least they can file the whole thing away as an unusual happening at nothing more."
"Is... Is that all?"
"Oh." Osmonds smile widened. "You are so sharp, Jean. Like always. No, is not all. Maybe I am just getting old and paranoid, but... but I think this is something more."
"Something...? Wait, you don´t mean...?"
"Yes, that they were kidnapped for real, and the diary was just a forgery. Or, maybe, even... even killed."
Colbert froze. He didn´t want to hear it, but his words made sense. Far too much sense. He licked his lips.
"Surely... Surely they wouldn´t do something like that?" Colbert muttered. It sound false even to his ears. Some people didn´t think in terms of benefit or not, but in terms of pleasure. Some were simply too far gone. Osmond sighed.
"Jean..."
"I know; I know. I just... I just wish I didn´t. Did somebody react to it suspiciously?"
"No, unfortunately. I want to think than that's good news, that it means that there is nothing to worry about. That there is no killer among us. But maybe I am getting far too old, Jean. Maybe."
Colbert laughed, bitterly.
"Yeah, me too." He said, and sighed. "So, when will you close the school?"
"I won´t close it, Jean. No matter what I suspect, the letter seemed real enougth. We can´t close this school just because two students in love run away together."
"But Osmond, even if there is little chance that they were killed..."
"Fine. I be straight with you: when I said that we can´t close it, I mean it." Osmond told him, and he gripped his staff tighter. This... this was too much. "Think about it. That´s basically announcing that we think Guiche and Katie were killed. The writing matches, his motives are believable and that Kaite let herself be dragged into Guiche´s running away plan out of love is far for implausible. They will already drag our name down enough because we let them get away, but something like that will destroy our reputation."
"To hell with the reputation! These are students life´s we are talking about!"
"I know. I not saying we will not do anything. In fact, I want you to watch that clown closely."
"Uh?" Colbert said, befuddled. "Miss Valliere´s familiar? Why? You think..."
"Yes, I think so. This clown gets summoned, and in the same night two students disappear. Is suspicious."
He looked down. It made sense, in a way, but he didn´t want it to be true. Miss Valliere was belittled by her classmates and her own family; she already had enough suffering. Her familiar turning up to be a killer may break her. But... he was here because he wanted to redeem himself from so eagerly burning down D´Anglanterre, so is first priority were the students, no matter if he had grow more fond of her that of the other students.
"Understood, Headmaster."
"Jean..." Osmond muttered, then cut himself off. Colbert walked out of the room, and slammed the door shut behind him.
Everything was in order, so easily, like it should be. It realized with annoyance that some part of It hadn´t expect that. The Turtle had died, choked on a galaxy or two, yet those children that now were adults had crossed It and destroyed Its physical form. Two of them were dead, they had lost the mystical quality of seven and the power of their imaginations, yet they had done it. But now, everything was back in Its proper place. This was no Derry, not that place It had molded into Its own image, but it was enough. Enough. The Headmaster had be malleable. The secrets of his past had provided It the trigger to change him. He had sent for when he was younger on a journey, and even thought he had amassed what he called treasuries, even thought he had reached Square level and was respect all over the world, he had not achieved what he sought. So it had be easy to convince him to not close the school, that there was no serious danger, no as long as everybody watched the students closely, and that he could find glory when he cached that depraved kidnapper and brought back the two students safely. Or just by bringing a murder to justice.
It had even planted in his mind suspicious towards It. That had be nothing but a whim, for It was sure that he would reach that conclusion in time and that wouldn´t change anything, but It had done it all the same. Because It enjoyed driving those helpless toys down a path of Its chossing, seeing them thinking themselves prepared for It and then the despair as they were killed, crushed under Its grip. It was just utterly delicious.
But It had his purpose, once again, and It was going to do it. It had not opened the circle like it was proper, but that would wait. There was one more target, in this academy. That girl who cried out for the boy that had died in the deathligths just yesterday, whose greatest fear was being pushed away. That girl would make excellent food, and send Its plans into motion.
It turned his gaze away from the little girl who called herself Its master, and regarded the blonde girl with hunger from the deathligths which were Its eyes. She soon would die, she would swim in Its eye, Its mind, in the deathligths.
Soon.