¤ Gossip and the Many Uses of a Timetable

‘Plans? What sort of plans?’ Aurora said, interested.

‘No idea.’ Salmer hunched his skinny shoulders, one hand clutching a book closer to his chest and the other hand hooked loosely at the pocket in his tunic. ‘I only heard them argue about their plans, and about some woman in the school. The Headmaster said something like he was going to make things difficult for the woman.’

Aurora brooded over this, smoothing down the front of her dress. ‘Verchiel’s the nephew of King Kranz, and everyone knows he has no great love for us mortals. I always wondered why he was even Academy Headmaster. Here was I thinking that Kranz forced him to take up the Headmaster position, but you-’

She stopped abruptly, as a gaggle of gossiping girls on their way to dinner flocked up the corridor towards them. Salmer and Aurora looked away from each other, pretending to examine the cracks on the walls on either side of the corridor. When the girls finally disappeared around the corner, Aurora turned back and continued in a disbelieving whisper, ‘You said he volunteered for it?’

‘Lady Hedwig said that.’ Salmer shrugged again, and walked ahead now. ‘Funny business, don’t you think?’

‘Yes.’ Aurora sped up after Salmer. ‘Do you think he’s pursuing some grudge he had back at the fairy Court in Orbis?’

Salmer froze in his steps, recognising the tone of Aurora’s voice. ‘You are not going to try and find out, are you?’

‘Who said anything about that.’ Aurora said, putting on her most innocent face.

‘You are. You sound exactly like how you did before that incident when you just had to investigate if Ice Sentinels could be frozen.’

There was a rebellious look in Aurora’s eyes. ‘Well, I guessed that they could, and I was right, wasn’t it?’

‘Yeah, but who was the one who had to treat the frostbite you got from their ice attacks?’ Salmer argued back in a low voice and left Aurora behind again in a huff, turning a corner without waiting for her.

‘I-’ Aurora hurried after him, and crashed into his back. Salmer had suddenly stopped in his path. ‘What in Ossyria?!’

I bade her to keep silent and peered back around the corner. What we saw there made us blink in disbelief-

‘That’s it.’ Silver stopped and gestured at the scorched paper. The pages had been getting progressively harder to read, and she feared that she would bring the page away every time she turned a brittle leaf. Those last few words that she had just read out were barely visible above a dark splotch that swallowed up the rest of the page.

‘Gee, what a spoilsport that Hedwig is. Just when it was getting interesting too.’ Jaysen complained, thumping the arm of his chair in mild pique. ‘Funny, you’d think that Her Frigidness would have completely scorched off the last few parts, seeing how incriminating they were.’

‘Thank heavens she has such bad aiming then.’ Silver said dryly. ‘Pity she didn’t miss the entire book altogether, yes? Then we could have just gone on reading.’

‘Whatever it is, once you get back to Ellinia and repair the book, you can find out more, right?’ Ida said encouragingly over the top of the pillow she was hugging.

‘Yeah.’ Silver shut the journal, and looked pensively out into space, running a thumbnail along the edge of the book. ‘I can’t wait.’ Back to Ellinia. I didn’t expect to go back so soon. I wonder…

‘Which ship will we be catching?’ Jaysen stood up from his chair, and pulled out a glossy piece of paper from his pocket. He grinned, fanning himself with it. ‘I have this handy little timetable the Ticketing Usher at the Orbis Station kindly lent to me.’

‘The earliest one possible.’ Silver answered firmly, breaking out of her revelry. ‘Grendel said that he got the head of Archives to meet him in the office in the early afternoon. We have to try and get there earlier.’ She eyed the timetable in Jaysen’s hands and added, ‘And I bet the Usher didn’t know you “borrowed” it.’

Jaysen checked the timetable, and did a quick estimate in his head. ‘The earliest ship sets off like, eight hours from now. But how could you suspect such a dishonourable thing of me, most suspicious lady!’

‘Tell me if it isn’t true, and I’ll give you my apologies.’ Silver retorted.

‘Alas, misfortune is me. Lying is equally dishonourable, so I’ll have to leave my reputation in tatters.’ Jaysen mourned. He covered his face with the glossy timetable in a show of embarrassment, making himself look like some strange creature with a squarish, multi-coloured head.

‘You two really should go to sleep then, if the ship is leaving so soon.’ Ida said tentatively.

‘I don’t feel like sleeping.’ Silver said, looking down at the mutilated book in her lap. Although she had been awake for many hours now, her body gave her no sign of being tired at all. There was a strange buzzing in her head, as her mind raced to try and make sense of the pieces of the puzzle Salmer had given her. How I wish I could continue reading!

‘Ah, ah, I wouldn’t let you stay up, dear damsel.’ Jaysen strode over to Silver, brandishing the timetable like a stern teacher does a wooden ruler. ‘I don’t want to have to carry you off the ship unconscious when you suddenly keel over in exhaustion.’

‘Psh. Knowing you, you’d probably leave me on the ship.’ Silver sniffed, but started to tuck the journal carefully away in her backpack. She shoved the backpack up the length of her bed, right next to her pillow. ‘I shall sleep with this next to me tonight, just in case Hedwig decides to pull another of her tricks again.’

Jaysen opened his mouth, thinking to ask if Silver wanted a more delightful replacement for the book, but thought better of it. Seeing the crooked grin on his face, though, Silver suspected as much. ‘And now, you shall go to your room, and leave us to sleep,’ she said pointedly.

‘If lady Silver so commands.’ Jaysen bowed, sweeping the timetable before him in a flourish. ‘Miss me not, my fair ray of moonlight, and leave me to mourn this sad fate of mine on my own.’ His voice faded as he waltzed out of the room, the versatile timetable now held like a rose against his heart.

Tch. I’ll give him sad fate alright. Smiling up at the ceiling despite herself, Silver laid back on her pillow now. She replied to Ida’s soft goodnight, and somehow, despite her claim that she was not tired, dropped off to sleep almost instantly.

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Bear with the lack of action for a while. >< It is hard to keep writing with the teachers’ brandishing extra homework and revision lessons at every turn, like how Jaysen keeps waving that silly timetable about. We have a long break up ahead because of Singapore’s National Day celebrations, and what do they tell us to do? Catch up on your revision, thank you very much! :/ Oh well, how students fall to the inevitable doom of exams.

Blueberry cream cookies! ^^