Secret Academy - Deuteronomy

IV: Imprisonment

Alice slowly opened her eyes and adjusted them to the grayness in the room. She felt warm, and her forehead was beaded with sweat. She blinked her eyes a few times, and noticed the dark cherry wood flooring and two people talking by the window. Looking down she saw the familiar wide four-poster bed with immaculate white sheets. She wanted to sit up completely, but was suddenly aware of the awful pain on the side of her ribcage. She winced as she touched it.

“Stop that, Alice! You’re not fully healed” Mikael was immediately beside her, followed by Ilse.

“You should’ve let someone else do it for you…” Ilse walked to the other side of the bed and gently caressed her hair.

She sighed as Mikael bent to pull up her nightgown and inspect the bandages.

“Thank Heavens you stopped bleeding, we were worried sick!” he stood up and walked towards a round table at the far end of the bedroom.

“It’s normal” Alice replied nonchalantly.

They heard Mikael’s smirk across the room as he poured something out of a glass bottle.

Ilse moved closer to her and gave her a peck on the cheek.

“Stop lying to us. You forget, I can read your mind”

Alice simply gave her a weak smile.

“But you’re not supposed to, remember…?” she said warmly.

Ilse gave her what she thought was a cute pout, while Alice slowly inched her way gradually across the bed.

“Really, I’m fine. I’ll be healthy in twenty-four hours, like always”

There was a loud thud as Mikael slammed the glass bottle on the wooden table.

“Zaebi!”

Clear liquid splashed around him, but he didn’t turn around. He was evidently mad – since he hardly speaks in his own dialect unless he’s really offended or upset.

Both girls remained silent as they looked at him, his back rigid. Ilse sat quietly by the edge of the bed, absentmindedly fiddling with her fingers. Alice stared fearlessly at Mikael’s stiff figure.

The room was spacious but dim, even with the one big open window. It didn’t have much: just a bed at the center, a study table at one corner, and a wardrobe. For accents, it had a painting or two, and a carpet. Alice knew this room her whole life.

She drew in her breath before uttering a word.

“Mikael…molya…” she said his name so tenderly that his shoulders relaxed.

“No matter what you say, you’re not going to class today. And I won’t let them take you either. You’ll stay with Ilse until tomorrow” he commanded.

Alice knew better than to argue with an old friend. In her mind, she resolved to speak to him again later tonight, but for now, he might be right in assuming she needed rest.

*

It wasn’t as big as his room back in SilverValley, but it was adequate. There was a single bed with a study table next to it, and a particularly large wardrobe occupying half of the wall. The rug was soft, and the furniture looked splendidly clean.

It surprised him. He was expecting dust and cobwebs everywhere, since the dormitory looked ancient. But everything appeared spotless and gleaming. After that informal tour of the MainBuilding, the two brawny men had walked with him to a structure situated much further inside the campus. He was exceedingly impressed at seeing a Châteauesque building towering before them. This one was made of red stone with a Gothic influence; ornamented by two towers on either side and a long balcony. It seemed ridiculously huge for a dormitory.