"Wake up, Tess!" Ruby nudged me. I opened my eyes sleepily. "Wake up!" she repeated. "We're going to be late!"
I sat up. "Since when did it happen to you that you overslept?" I mumbled, "I thought that was my job."
"Oh, come on, Tess, this is not the right time for jokes." Ruby's accusatory tone could not be ignored. I shrugged my shoulders. "I just tried to be funny."
"History of fighting course is going to start in twenty minutes! I hope you get up now, or I'm sure we both get in trouble." Ruby seems to be uneasy. Normally, she is never late, leaves the house earlier without me.

At some point, I stopped trying to be thorough at school. I had realised that I couldn't catch up. The older Ruby and I have got, the worse I got compared to other students my age.

Ruby is seventeen years old now. As soon as she turns eighteen, she will continue her education at one of the best Eratrix boarding schools. Only when she reaches twenty-one, she will be completely an Eratrix and earns her warrior title.

"Fortunately, we made it in time", Ruby said relieved. We had arrived at school. One of Ruby's friends, Cecelyn, waited in front of the gate.
"Ruby, finally there you are!" she exclaimed reproachfully. "Where have you been?!"
"I took on Tess's role today and overslept", Ruby explained grinning. Cecelyn rolled her eyes. "So now come on, let's get us in Miss Elwanda's class."
I followed the two girls, recognising this will be just another tiresome day. How much wrong I was...

"Who of you can tell me which name the legendary sword of the royal family got and why?" Miss Elwanda asked. Her glance wandered around the room and stopped at me. "Antessa, would you please tell us?"
I just need a few seconds of thinking, then said: "The sword is named after the first battle in which King Rondul took down the head of Hydra, the world's most dreaded organisation, and so he devastated it. This campaign is known in history as the Battle 'Evacatio', the word for 'deliverance' in primal language, so the sword got the name 'Evaca'."

Miss Elwanda seemed content. "Excellent, Antessa. Could you also tell us what happened to the sword during the coup?"
I shook my head. "No one knows what exactly happened in this terrible night."
"Even if we do not have facts and proofs, some servants who survived told something that nobody deemed possible..."
A student raised her hand. "Miss Elwanda, all servants suffered mental disorders. They weren't able to make a clear assertion." The teacher shot a glance at her. "That's correct, Milèn. But rumour has it that the assassinators brutally have carved out their way through the hallways of the palace, only eyeing their objectives King Rondul and Queen Leopia. Their terrible sight has distraught the servants, that's why they couldn't describe who or what infiltrated the castle this night. I think we all know only one sort of people could have done this. We shouldn't deny... they are back."

The students hushed and had listened horror-stricken. After a short uneasy silence, Ruby came to ask: "Who... who's back?"
Miss Elwanda looked straight into her eyes and answered whisper-like: "Hydra".

The bell had rung. Ruby, Cecelyn and I were standing in front of a classroom door in the corridor, waiting for our class to get in.

"Do you believe this?" Cecelyn asked. I shrugged my shoulders. "I don't know, but anyway something or better somebody mean has burgled into the palace and killed the royal couple. Whoever this was, he's merciless and we should be wary."

"If you ask me, we should pose the question not who has assassinated the royals but why.", Ruby reckoned.
Cecelyn looked incredulity at her: "No, Ruby, don't tell me that you believe this woman! She's nutty as a fruitcake!"
"But it makes sense! Hydra's founder wanted to dethrone those with magic gen, in their opinion it's not equitable that magic is the key to rule over Méliyon. They fancy not only magicians should pretend to the throne." Ruby explained soberly.
"NO! King Rondul had killed the leader and Hydra fell apart!" Cecelyn countered.
The girls couldn't carry on the dialogue because the teacher came and opened the door.

"Good morning students, welcome to alchemic class. Please take out your laboratory smocks, we're going to experiment with plant toxin of the Pyrofella!"

A few hours later, at lunch break, Ruby, Cecelyn and I were sitting in the cafeteria, having lunch.

"Alchemic class was impressive, wasn't it?", Cecelyn said.
"I was so frightened mixing Pyrofella toxin with sulphur! Thought that Mister Alaster was trying to kill us." Ruby remarked.
"Why are we even allowed to experiment with such explosives?" I asked. Ruby shrugged her shoulders.
"Maybe because we're old enough now, teachers trust us" she guessed.
"And of course, we must learn dealing with it, one way or another. Someday it will be beneficial for us when we'll face real enemies." Cecelyn added.
"If ever..." I soughed quietly.

"Excuse me, girls, I'm just going to the toilet." Cecelyn stood up and left the cafeteria.

"Fire! Fire at the third floor!" a student screamed. Ruby and I were just a few minutes alone, then hell broke loose. A teacher shouted that we shouldn't panic and leave the building immediately. I was about to but then Ruby stopped me.
"Tessa, wait! Girl's toilettes are on the third floor, Cecelyn is up there, we have to call her!" She gazed at me in panic and run off.
"Ruby no! You're going to fall into your death!" I screeched and run after her. She was way too fast for me, so I didn't catch her up.

I felt the heat on my skin as I reached the third floor. The fire has spread over the floor zigzagways, the flames flicked minatory a high and the wooden classroom doors were going to consumed by the blazes. Ruby was standing between it too far away from me, panickily peering around: "Cecelyn! Where are you?!"
"She isn't here, now come and get yourself into safety!" I exclaimed. Luckily, Ruby seemed to hear me despite the distance and loud crackle of the fire and was about to follow my instructions.

But then an ear-deafening bang carried us off our feet. Dust blocked my view, but then I noticed that the wall of the alchemic classroom had burst open.
"Oh, CRAP! Ruby, get out of there! The fire is blowing up our explosive experiments from early morning!" I cried in panic.
"I can't... I'm stuck here..." Ruby answered numbly. I could identify her under a pile of stones, tried to get there and help her. But then I perceived a crack right over her, a big piece of plaster slowly broke out of the ceiling and was about to crash down on Ruby's head.

Realising that the ceiling would break and bury Ruby beneath it, tears of despair ran down my face. I ran off desperately, trying to reach and somehow save her from certain death. But I was not quick enough...

Then all concurred. I stretched out my hand, a tiny lightning strike dashed forward from it and struck the piece of plaster and stone came rushing down which pulverized instantly.

Before I could even realize what occurred, I lost my consciousness.

What do you think? Have you seen this coming?
I'm glad for every vote and comment. ♡︎