Magali had been on her way down the stairs to refill her empty heating pad when a flash of white blew past her like a veil, followed by sudden turmoil erupting in the common room downstairs.

"Rebecca, wait!" Charles shouted, pushing past the girls that stood in his way. Sudden panic erupted amongst them, seeing as a boy had broken into the dormitories way past the suitable hours.

"Rebecca, please wait!" Charles shouted after her, seeing as she took to the stairs.

"Mr Leclerc!" Miss Bradil, the house mother, appeared before he had a chance to reach the first step. "No male visitors past 6 p.m.!"

Miss Bradil was a plump woman, with a nightgown the size of a parashoot. The sudden cluster in the common room had come in between her nightly routine of putting on hair rollers, leaving her with half a head as she stood between Charles and his pathway upstairs.

Magali was surprised to find herself in the fovea of Charles' piercing gaze where she had paused at the top of the staircase. The dash of blue in his green eyes had expanded at the sight of her.

"Mr Leclerc?" Miss Bradil put a hand to his shoulder. "I'm going to have to ask you to leave."

Charles appeared forgetful of himself, not really aware of his surroundings. Magali appeared forgetful too, holding Charles' gaze to her own, ignoring the violent drumming that went on in her chest.

"Mr Leclerc?"

Charles turned his head to the woman, a blank stare in his eyes.

"I'll be forced to call on the headmaster."

"Yes...I mean no." He mumbled. "I'll go."

Every girl in the common room observed as Charles showed himself out. Magali only let herself exhale once the door closed behind him.

****

"Are you sure he was calling for Rebecca?" Mia asked. The girls met up at lunch time the next day. They picked just the right table that allowed them to keep a close eye on what was going on at The Brother's Table.

Magali lowered her voice as she filled in the gaps on last night's events. "Positive. He even shouted her name, Rebecca!"

A calculating expression roamed Mia's face. "Did you hear something else, like did he say something to her, anything that can tell us what the fight was about?"

Magali shook her head. "No. But as I left for class this morning Rebecca was still laying in bed, hidden underneath the covers. I don't think she has attended any of her classes today."

"Trouble in paradise eh." Mia said, drawing a sharp breath. "That's what you get for dating a Crimson cadet."

Magali recented her own curiosity and the temptations that it brought, however, there was something about Charles that made many heads at this school turn his way, including her own.

"Do you remember a couple of weeks ago when I first took you to town and we went to visit the cathedral?" She said,

"With the creepy pastor, sure."

"Well, do you remember what he told that old man?"

Mia shook her head. "No, not really."

"They were talking about a ceremony, I think."

"You think?"

Magali nodded. "A ceremony gone wrong."

"Okay, and?"

"They were talking about a ceremony between Charles and a girl and if you remember, I told you that Rebecca didn't come home that night, that the girls in our room were covering for her?"

"Right."

"What if Charles and Rebecca were that boy and girl that the priest and the old man were talking about?"

Mia wrinkled her nose. "Seems a bit far-fetched, don't you think? What's to say that the boy and girl were students of this school. They could have been a couple in their forties looking for a memorable way to renew their wedding vows?"

"But the pastor said that the boy, "none other than Charles Leclerc", was sent to rest at the school after losing a lot of blood during the ceremony. I mean how do you explain that?"

Mia chose silence.

"The school's history book talks about these guys that call themselves The Gentlemen. I believe them to be the founders of The Crimson Cadets, but for reasons that are unknown. It is strange enough to found an all boys club in an all boys school. It wasn't until the late fifties that SDC allowed for girls to enroll. These so-called gentlemen mention things like ceremonies and pureblood, all sorts of things patriotic and prejudice to the human race. Why include this in the school history books if it doesn't have to do anything with what the school stands for today?"

"Or maybe it does." Mia nodded. They were finally seeing eye to eye. " In all my years as a SDC student I've asked myself numerous times why The Crimson Cadets are ranked so highly amongst both students and faculty? Like what is it even that the club contributes to, they don't win medals and don't participate in anything that boosts the learning environment. What do they actually do, if not order a group of young boys around to do god knows what?"

"Who is calling the shots then?" Magali asked, her gaze traveled to the entrance of the dinding hall. Enzo and his brother Lorenzo had just walked in and caused the usual sea of murmurs amongst the students.

"Speaking of the devils." Mia said.

"You think Enzo and Lorenzo call the shots?"

"Who else? It would explain why Rebecca's role in this, I don't think you can get another student to perform a cult-like ritual unless it's your close relative."

"What do you think they do as leaders of The Crimson Cadets?" Magali watched the twin brother's join their fellow student's at The Brother's Table, at the far ends of the table though, not really engaging in conversations with the other cadets.

"I don't know?" Mia said, turning her head back to Magali. "But perhaps you can ask someone who does?"

The common room was empty when Magali returned to her dorm. It was still lunch hour and Miss Bradil would be busy with the girls' laundry. Magali didn't know what to expect as she made her way upstairs to the bedrooms.

"Rebecca?" She knocked on the door twice before entering, Rebecca's figure was still hidden underneath her bed covers. "It's Magali. I thought I'd bring you something to eat." Magali searched her bag for the two bags of chips she had selected from the vending machine. This would be a very generous act of her. Except for the occasional Hello and Good morning Magali and Rebecca hardly spoke. They shared the room with four other girls, naturally making Magali the odd man out, the other girls had known each other from their first days at school.

"It's good to eat something if you're feeling unwell." She said, crinkling the bags of chips. However Rebecca didn't budge.

"No? Perhaps some water then, I brought you a bot..." Magali approached the bed but froze as Rebecca's body stirred. A pale hand came out of hiding and peeled off the layer of duvet. Magali felt a sharp jab in her stomach seeing Rebecca reveal herself. Her face was gray and her expression feverish. There was sweat dampening her forehead, making her white hair sticky against her temple.

"R...Rebecca?" Magali stuttered. "Are you okay?"

A low hiss left her mouth. Weakly her arm stretched towards Magali, towards the water bottle in her grip. Magali let Rebecca have it, handing her the water bottle with a trembling hand. She kept her distance though, frightened to catch whatever disease she had.

"I think you better go to the medical center."

Rebecca struggled to put the cap to her chapped lips, a real concern to Magali. "Yeah, you really have to get to the medical center and have someone check you out. Perhaps there is a flu outbreak? I haven't heard about anyone else catching it, but if you..."

"Get Enzo."

"Huh?" Magali frowned. Rebecca's voice had been inaudible, impossible for Magali to comprehend. "Get who?" She asked, having caught a couple of syllables between the hissing sounds.

"My brother." Rebecca struggled to bring herself to a sit, her arms trembling as she did. "Please get my brother."

Magali remained glued to the floor, not sure if she could get her feet to move ever again. Her eyes had widened at the sight of Rebecca's right arm. A liquid, blue, purple and red, oozed out of a large cut wound, staining the white bed covers. Magali was sure that the sharp smell that had passed under her nostrils just then had come from the nasty looking wound. Rebecca noticed where Magali's gaze had landed and pulled the covers to shield her arm.

"I..." She tried to explain herself. But Magali shook her head in response, putting down the bags of chips.

"Medical center, now!"

Getting Rebecca out of bed and down the stairs had been the easy part. Making their way towards the medical center would be the real challenge. With Rebecca supporting most of her weight onto Magali, the two made their way across campus. Some students paused to observe them, the same look of concern roaming all of their faces. There were dark clouds roaming the sky and a sharp wind blew against them. Rebecca was sure to be freezing in the nightgown she wore so Magali tore off her blazer and placed it on her shoulders.

Arriving at the medical center, a small barrack between the pool house and the gym, Magali swung the door open with her free hand.

"Help!"

The girls stumble over the threshold.

The lady behind the counter rose to her feet at the sight of them. "What's happened?"

"I dunno, I thought she might have the flu but look..." Magali pointed to Rebecca's arm, the filthy wound having left a stain on her nightgown. "I think it might be infected."

The lady behind the counter called for assistance, a nurse appeared and together they helped unload Rebecca off of Magali's shoulders.

"Get me a thermometer!" Said the nurse, ushering a wobbling Rebecca into one of the rooms. Magali felt inclined to follow but a curtain was drawn preventing her from taking another step. The lady from the front desk appeared by her side. "Your friend is getting the help she needs now"

"Olga!" The nurse shouted from behind the curtain. "Where is that thermometer?"

The lady looked to Magali, "Why don't you take a seat in the waiting room."

Magali did as instructed, taking a seat in the empty waiting room. The sudden shot of adrenaline had left her feeling lightheaded. Her hand went to rub on the sore spot on her shoulder. The image of Rebecca's wound still flooded her mind, as well as the stench of it. The cut wound, she thought. The man from the cathedral had mentioned someone getting cut, a boy. Charles was the first person to come to mind. Last night, he and Rebecca parted in unsettled terms. Had he known about the state of her wound? If so, why hadn't he taken her to the medical center right away?

Magali's thoughts were interrupted by the front doors swinging open. A boy entered the waiting room in a very dramatic fashion.

"Where is she?" He said, adding to the suspense.

Magali batted her eyelashes, unsure if the boy was talking to her. Surely he had been since they were the only two people in the waiting room.

"Rebecca?" She asked, slowly rising to her feet.

"Yes, yes." The boy rushed, "Rebecca, my sister, where is she?"

"In there." Magali pointed to the room where the nurse had drawn the curtains. She was stunned to be in the presence of Enzo himself. Whenever she had spotted him in the dining hall he had appeared so different, so grand. There had always been a deep frown cutting across his face, now, as he stood before her, he looked nothing of such. A brother in distress, scared for his little sister.

"The lady told me to wait here," She said, altering his steps towards the room.

The deep frown returned to his face as he observed Magali. "And who are you?"

Pardon. She wanted to say, quite frank. Instead Magali had cleared her throat, praying that her tight grammer wouldn't fail her. "I'm your sister's roommate, the one who brought her here." A part of her had expected a notion of gratitude, instead Enzo had waved with his hand, a gesture for her to leave.

"Thank you for bringing her here, leave us now."

Magali backed away, appalled by being ushered out like some sort of servant. Enzo raised his brow at the fact that she hadn't respected his orders immediately.

"What's your name?" He asked, his voice not as sharp as it had been a second ago.

Magali held her tongue, determined to keep a safe distance between the two.

"I apologize for being rude just then, I was really meant to thank you for bringing my sister here." He stretched a hand her way, a charming smile now roaming his lips. "Enzo, but you already knew that."

Although hesitant, Magali stepped forward to put her hand in his. "Magali." She said, like him, not bothering with her last name. His hands were cold and so she withdrew her own within milliseconds.

"Thank you Magali. You have been a good friend to my sister. You'll be the first person she'd want to thank once she's feeling better. I'll be sure to tell her so." He bowed his head.

Magali said nothing, she just nodded her head slightly in response.

"I have to..." She pointed to the door.

"Get to class?" Enzo's piercing gaze burned through her scalp. She wondered how he had managed to collect himself so fast after appearing so in distress minutes ago.

"Yes." She said.

"You do that." He smiled, with his whole face he smiled. Although the crinkles in his eyes appeared far from genuine.

Magali rushed out of the medical center with an unsettling feeling in her stomach.