The Afterlife Academy Saga

Chapter 16

16

The talking and chattering in the cafeteria stopped the moment I set foot in there. Hundreds of eyes followed me as I walked in, glaring with accusation and wonder.

Why, oh, why did I have to be the centre of attention? Again.

This was not how I envisioned my time at the Academy.

Even the other courses had heard about the missing wolves and my involvement in this particular event. Part of me wished I'd gone back to bed and let the teachers stumble upon the empty Barn in the morning, none the wiser about what happened.

But I couldn't. The wolves were gone and they needed finding as soon as possible. I had no other choice but to report it in the middle of the night and admit what I'd done.

At least I managed to convince Ryoko to go back to the dorm and pretend she didn't know a thing. She protested, but even she understood why she couldn't be involved.

Her golden eyes followed me with pity as I walked into the cafeteria. I wished I could've stayed hidden for longer, but I had to face the music. I did this.

A group of second-years sneered at me as I passed them, their wolves growling lowly in unison. They flapped their wings dismissively, the disappointment and contempt clear as day.

I royally screwed up and I couldn't even deny it.

"Ylva."

Not that voice again...

"Flavia," I replied, reluctantly turning to face the blonde.

"I heard about last night. Is it true?"

I swallowed a hard lump. "Yes."

"You let the wolves escape?"

"Not on purpose..."

Oda popped up from behind her leader. "So what were you doing in the Barn at night?"

"Well, I wanted to—

"Ylva Helgudóttir." A voice boomed through the cafeteria, drawing all the attention to the front. A thin figure somehow dominated the whole room, commanding silence and respect. Brynhild.

My stomach dropped. This was not going to go well for me.

Oh gods, would I get expelled? Would they send a letter of shame home? Would they try out some of the punishment of old?

With my tail between my legs, I obeyed her call and shuffled through the tables and chairs towards the entrance. I held my head up high, trying to keep some of my dignity. Not that I felt that way inside. I was mortified and I'd rather sink through the floor than face the consequences and shame.

"Follow me, daughter of Helga," Brynhil said. No, sneered.

"Yes, Professor." As soon as I turned my back, the noise in the dining hall turned full volume. Even walking away, I distinguished my name between all the whispers and mockery.

I would never come back from this...

In absolute silence, I followed Brynhild through the halls of the school. With a sadness, I admired the stained glass and beautiful paintings. I might never see them again.

Her footsteps echoed loudly in the empty hall as she guided me up the stairs. First floor. Second floor. Third floor. Wow, I was in serious trouble... I was going to get expelled, for sure. So much for not being a disgrace.

Stupid, Ylva. Stupid.

"In here." Brynhild opened a door to a small room and waited for me to enter. "Sit and wait. We'll be right with you."

"We?" I asked, my voice shaky.

My teacher didn't reply. Instead, she slammed the door shut and I heard her footsteps echo away.

We? Who was ‘we’? The punisher? A torturer? Oh gods, what was going to happen to me?

Time passed excruciatingly slow as I sat at the small desk. I twiddled my thumbs and picked at my lip, the nerves just too much to handle. I was going to be crucified here. Memorised for letting the precious, rare dusk wolves escape.

I was such a loser...

After an eternity of waiting, the door shrieked open again. Brynhild entered, closely followed by an elderly woman that I'd never seen before.

On first glance, she didn't seem that intimidating, until she glared at me. Her eyes flashed green and her stature changed. She straightened her back, the crow’s feet around her eyes disappearing.

Who was this woman? Could this be the infamous Banshee that ran the academy?

"Ylva, daughter of Helga," Brynhild said, her voice strong and powerful like a storm that would leave nothing unscathed. "This is Headmistress MacKinnon."

I swallowed another lump. So it was the Banshee from the legends after all.

"As you may or may not be aware, the headmistress took the Banshee oath of silence. She'll be communicating through me."

I took a deep breath. "Okay?"

I watched an exchange of hand movements and signals between the two professors, unable to get any clue as to what they were talking about. I wasn't sure why the headmistress wasn't speaking. Oath of silence? I didn't know the first thing about Banshees. And I probably wouldn't learn anything about them either, because I was getting expelled.

"Ylva. Let's go over your story again. You said you were outside..." she checked her notepad. "To have a dusk imprint on you?"

I nodded.

"You entered the Barn, bonded with the pup, and then left?"

I nodded again, relieved that neither seemed to suspect that Ryoko was there too.

"So why did you return to the Barn?"

My eyes widened. s**t. I couldn't tell them about the sweater, because the Dragon was never there. However... "I left my sweater and went back for it."

Brynhild nodded and turned back to the headmistress. With more complicated gestures and signals, they forced silence in the conversation. The two women sighed, their expressions changing.

My wolf teacher faced me, her eyes lined with a stern glare. "Ylva. Did you leave the door open when you left the Barn?"

"No. I mean, I don't think so."

"Did you see anyone else on the premises while you were out there?"

I shook my head, my stomach churning. "No..."

"Did you steal the wolves?"

My chest tightened. They had to believe me. My voice came out as a little squeak. "No."

"Understood. We'll take it from here."

Without saying anything else, the two women left me in the small, suffocating room. Alone with my thoughts, worries grating me down. What would happen now? Did they think I stole the wolves? Would I get expelled? Did Mamma already know?

The wait was almost even more punishing than the actual sanction. I peeled more skin from my lips than they had, reddening my hands with blood.

Damn it. I couldn't take it anymore. I needed to know what was going on.

I stormed to the door, ready to confront the teachers in the hallway.

Muffled voices stopped me from breaking out and instead, I pressed my ear against the wall to listen. Another voice, a man had joined the conversation.

"Alert the other academies. This can't be a coincidence," he said.

"That's twenty-one missing wolves, including my own Grey. This is getting out of hand," Brynhild replied.

Silence, which I assumed was the headmistress signing.

"Agreed. Young Ylva was just in the wrong place at the wrong time. It's unfortunate she didn't see anything," the man said.

"What are we supposed to do now? Has anyone a description of the thief?"

"Negative."

More shuffling and rustling. "Is it time to involve the students?"

"Maybe. We can't continue like this."

"The school year has only just started."

Silence. Even on this side of the wall, the tension was palpable. They were making important decisions, which they probably shouldn't be having in the middle of the hallway. But then, the third floor was mostly abandoned and considered off limits.

After the longest time, Brynhild spoke again. "We're the teachers. It's our responsibility to prepare our students for the real world. We can't sit around and waste time. We need every able-bodied man and woman out there."

"Agreed. We just have no other choice."

Clothes ritsled and rustled, footsteps echoed, and the doorknob rattled.

Shit, they were coming back.

Quick as the wind, I rushed back to my seat and catapulted myself into the chair. Just in time.

"Ylva." The man attached to the voice appeared in the room. His black hair a stark contrast to the white skin underneath. "You're free to go."

My eyes widened. "Really?"

"Yes. We've decided that you're not responsible for the disappearance of the dusk wolves."

My chest unclenched and I released the breath I didn't know I was holding. "Really? Thank the gods."

"However, you were out during the night and broke into the Barn. For that, you'll receive detention."

I swallowed. That was fair. "Understood."

"However—“

He already said that.

"There are extenuating circumstances in play and we can't waste any time with detention. Your Valkyrie teachers will choose a befitting punishment."

"Okay?"

"You're dismissed."

I shot him a hesitant look. "Oookay?"

His eyes followed me until I exited the room and walked down the hall. Neither Brynhild or the headmistress were still around, but that made sense. Whatever they were talking about, it seemed urgent and worrisome.

At least they didn't blame me for the missing wolves. That was certainly something... I hoped the other students would believe it too.

A sudden sound crackled and a male voice thundered through the school. Were there speakers in here?

"Attention, attention. All students are called to the main hall immediately. I repeat, all students are called to the main hall immediately."

It must be important then... Maybe this was an explanation why so many classes had been cancelled and why the teachers were absent all the time?

I thundered down three flights of stairs, joining in with the masses of students moving towards the main building. They were all speculating and talking so much, they didn't even look at me twice.

Thank the gods. I was sick of being the centre of attention for all the wrong reasons.

Hidden by the mass, I followed the stream that lead me to the main hall. Five teachers were assembled on a small platform, including Brynhild and headmistress MacKinnon.

I didn't recognise the other three, but they looked serious. Whatever they had to say, it wasn't going to be good news.

Across the rows of students, I spotted a familiar pink-haired head. Aellyn. The only person that might understand why I did what I did.

I hurried through the sea of various students, dodging elbows and avoiding toes. "Hey!"

The pink elf smiled. "Hi."

"What's going on?"

"Beats me." She shrugged, gesturing to the raised platform. "It looks serious."

"That's what I thought."

The same voice boomed again. This time I recognised it as the man that had spoken to me. "Silence!"

The excitable chatter died out as curiosity won. All ears turned towards the teachers at the front, the attention absolute.

"As part of a new initiative, all courses will be accelerated. The Afterlife Academy will take a practical approach to teaching you the necessary care of human souls. First -and second-years will no longer attend general courses. Instead, they'll double up on course-specific lectures. From today, third-years will no longer have any theoretical lectures. Instead, teachers will implement a practical approach."

A murmur swept through the crowd of students. Cheers of excitement, whispers of confusion, exclamations of doubt.

"What's going on?!"

"Does that mean we have less exams?"

"I didn't sign up for this!"

The teacher silenced everyone again, his slender stature somehow commanding a lot of respect. I didn't know who he was or what he taught, but he wasn't to be messed with.

"Exams will be adjusted and cancelled according to the new timetable. That's all."

The sea of students roared even louder, but it didn't look like the teachers were going to elaborate.

How confusing... This had nothing to do with the missing wolves, and yet, they linked the two events when they were talking in the hall.

Only I knew about this, but it didn't make sense to me. Yet. What were they up to? Cancelling classes? No more mixed lectures?

Something was seriously wrong, far beyond what they were telling us. Whatever it was, I was going to find out.