Chapter 12

VALERIA My heart beats so fast that I have to pant and gasp just to get some air. I feel like I’m in a movie. Hell, I wish this is just a movie, because the smell of blood is nauseating and the sight of someone swimming in it is making me want to throw up. Somehow, I manage to get to my feet, but I genuinely have no idea what to do. For a long while I just stand there looking at Mr. Murdock’s dead body. I should tell someone. The principal would be the best choice. But how on earth do I bring myself to move? Closing my eyes, I take one deep breath and turn around. I start walking even with my eyes closed, trying to get rid of the image in my head long enough to gather my wits and tell somebody. When I’m sure I won’t see anything gruesome, I open my eyes. Only to come face to face with Celeste. Her face is contorted in distaste. “What the hell are you doing here?” “I just….” I trail off, swallowing hard. “I was going to see Mr. Murdock but I found that he’s hurt.” “What?” she splutters, pushing past me and running to the end of the hallway where I found the body. My lungs almost collapse with nerves, but I get rendered completely motionless when I hear Celeste screaming. “What did you do?” My throat closes up. “I didn’t do anything, I just found him like that!” She marches right back to me, her face completely pale. “We have to tell someone about this!” When I don’t move, she slaps my arm. “Come on!” I just nod, not really knowing what to say. I’m scared to death that she or the others we tell might accuse me of doing the deed, and the mere thought of that makes me want to cry. However, I keep my face stoic and steady but inside I want to scream. Meanwhile, Celeste is as angry as ever. Her footsteps are so heavy that they echo in the walls. She’s dragging me along with her, her long acrylic nails digging into my skin. I want to tell her to at least go easy, but we already reached the entrance of the principal’s office. The two mosaic warriors don’t demand our business, which is strange, but I don’t get the time to ask because Celeste is already barging in. Professor Blossom sits behind his desk, barely even looking up from his papers. “Yes, Miss Andrich and Miss Marcus?” Celeste wastes no time. “Mr. Murdock is dead in the amphitheater.” “Or not,” I stammer. “He doesn’t look±” “I checked his pulse, you dumbass,” she spits out at me. “Language,” Professor Blossom mutters, getting to his feet with his eyes burning with an unreadable expression. He presses a button on his desk and a beep erupts in the office. “Notice, all the guards, please barricade the amphitheater and call the Healers. Thank you.” Silence rings inside the room. He sits down and looks at us, his face still devoid of any distinguishable emotion. Celeste and I remain standing. “Who found him first?” Professor Blossom asks in a strangely calm tone. “Me,” I mumble, swallowing hard. “I thought about practicing swordfight since I lost badly this morning. I saw the blood on the sword crate and followed the trail. And there was Mr. Murdock.” I can’t say anything more. I might end up crying and I don’t know why. The fact that he’s just staring at me doesn’t help matters at all. It almost feels like he suspects me. “I found him like that,” I say, my voice breaking at the last word. “I swear, I didn’t do anything.” “Calm down, Miss Marcus, you’re free to go.” He turns to Celeste. “You, on the other hand, have to stay here for a while. Your father wishes to meet you here.” He faces me again with an expectant expression, and I can tell that he’s not-so-subtly telling me to go ahead. But I can’t move. “What’s going to happen? Will this be investigated? Is there anyone who wants to hurt him like that? Does this sort of thing happen a lot?” “No, Miss Marcus, this does not happen often. It does not happen at all, until today.” He fixes his gaze on me while getting to his feet once more. “As for your other questions, I’m afraid I can’t give answers for them. You can leave.” He and Celeste both stare at me, so I nod and leave. The mosaic men immediately block my way as I get past them, so I just go, trying to navigate my way around to find the dorms. But of course, I have no way to know the places, so I find myself just wandering around the hallways like some sort of a ghost. I’m about to try to ask someone where the dorms are when I hear Celeste’s voice from behind me. “Where do you think you’re going?” I turn around slowly. “To my dorm.” She doesn’t reply. She just gets closer to me and blocks my way. “I don’t know what you’re trying to do in this school, but I have to warn you now that you can’t just get away with causing trouble without consequences.” “What do you mean?” I ask. “I didn’t do anything. I just found him.” “Right.” Celeste gives me a dry smile. “You have all the motive to hurt him. He put you under the spotlight your first day here, assigned you an opponent you will never defeat, and embarrassed you.” Her words are so absurd that it takes me a moment to process it all. When her words finally land, a wave of strong anger attacks my chest, making it hard to breathe for a moment. “I never did anything to him.” I meet her gaze, squaring up to her. “I found him like that. I don’t understand why you’re so intent on pinning this on me, why you dislike me so much.” She just smirks. “Why are you so pressed? I’m just stating the fact, which is that you’re a possible suspect in this crime. Why so defensive?” I clench my hands. A strong instinct to hurt her is beating in my mind like a little vile heart, but I use all my willpower to ignore it. “Why are you being such a bitch?” Celeste’s eyes widen in shock, but she quickly recovers and laughs. “Oh, let that anger out, Valeria. We all know what you’re capable of.” I inhale slowly. “I never used violence on anyone.” “Except for a human named Jeremy Watts.” My skin goes cold. I lower my gaze to look into her eyes, and I see that she’s smiling knowingly, happy that she got me. “That’s right,” she whispers, taking a step closer and putting a hand on my shoulder. Even though I’m taller than her, she manages to push me a couple of steps back. She closes the distance between us again. “I know a lot more about you. I know what you are and who’s tied to you. I assure you, Valeria, you are nobody here. I would be careful if I were you.” With that, she walks away, leaving me standing in my spot for god knows how long. The only time I manage to snap back to reality is when Eden appears out of nowhere and pulls me to the side, looking bothered as all hell. “Did you kill Mr. Murdock?”