The Afterlife Academy Saga

Chapter 19

19

“Help!” I half-cradled, half-dragged Astrid’s body along. It was a little pathetic to need assistance carrying her, but this was not the time to be ruled by pride. She needed to go to Doctor Wagner as soon as possible. “Help!”

Why did this part of the building have to be empty? It was usually swarming with students or teachers.

“Hello?” I called, hoping someone would hear me. It didn’t matter which student, just someone with arms that was willing to give a hand.

“Ylva? Is that you?” A head popped from around the corner and some of my panic ebbed away.

“Aellyn! You’re exactly who I needed.”

It was a relief to see her familiar face and her pink hair.

The Wood Elf’s face lit up. “Really?”

“Yes. Oh, you couldn’t have come at a better time.” Finally, some good luck. My only friend that wasn’t trapped in the bunker had shown up and she’d surely help me.

“Here, let me help with that.” She rushed to my side and relieved me from some of Astrid’s weight. “Is she alright?”

I nodded as we set back in motion. “We’re headed to the infirmary wing.”

“Okay.”

With my friend’s help, moving my unconscious classmate was a lot easier. The empty halls were now helping instead of hindering the rescue mission.

“Say…” Aellyn voiced as we carried Astrid down the stairs. “I’m a little confused. I heard you and some other students were sick. You don’t look sick.”

“I can explain later,” I replied, hoping I wouldn’t have to. I didn’t want more people to know about the collapsed bunker or my little secret. Already too many were aware of my nature.

She nodded, silent for only a moment. “Is Astrid okay?”

“She needs medical attention right away.”

“What’s wrong with her?”

I hesitated. I didn’t want to lie to Aellyn, but I also couldn’t explain what happened without adding more questions to her mind.

“I don’t really know,” I settled on, deciding that was only half a lie. I didn’t really understand, it was Flavia who seemed to know a thing or two about medicine.

“Hmm…” My friend nodded, seeming a little dissatisfied with her answer, but she didn’t press the issue. Instead, she brought up another point. “I thought you didn’t like Astrid.”

“I don’t.” I redistributed the weight of the body, giving temporary relief to my muscles. I was going to be sore for quite a while after this, I just knew it. “But I don’t have to like her to help her, right?”

“Right.”

Before she could ask more questions, I fired off some of my own. “How come you’re not in class?”

“Oh, umm… I was just returning from the bathroom. I must’ve eaten something funny because my stomach isn’t sitting well,” she quickly explained, her cheeks colouring red.

Looked like I wasn’t the only one lying then. But then, everyone had their own secrets. Maybe she had a secret boyfriend or girlfriend. Maybe she was dealing illegal ingredients or going to secret meetings. Who knew. If she wasn’t going to ask questions, I wasn’t going to either.

Caught in an uncomfortable silence, we turned another corner and bumped into a third person.

“Aellyn? What are you doing out of class?” Professor Brynhild questioned, steadying herself from the impact. It took her a second look to realise I was there too. “Ylva? What— Is that Astrid? What’s going on?”

The Wood Elf held up her hands. “I don’t know, I ran into them too.”

A concerned look replaced Brynhild’s stern expression. “I’ll deal with this. Aellyn, go back to class.”

“But—” she protested, but the Professor’s glare quickly shut her up. “Yes, Professor.”

Brynhild waited till the Wood Elf was gone to address me again. “You have a lot of explaining to do, Ylva Helgudóttir.”

“Can I do it on the way? The ceiling collapsed on Astrid and she’s been unconscious ever since.”

“Of course.” The Professor swung Astrid’s arm over her shoulder and heaved her up. “The infirmary isn’t too far away.”

“Luckily.” My muscles were crying out for a break, but I couldn’t let my friends down. I would rest when my classmate was safe with Doctor Wagner.

As we rushed as fast as the situation allowed, Professor Brynhild spoke again. “I didn’t realise Astrid got caught under the collapsed entrance.”

“Well, she didn’t. Originally.” I couldn’t stop myself from glaring at my teacher. “She feared we’d be stuck underground for weeks and tried to dig her way out of there.”

“Oh…” Brynhild turned to me, a strange twang to her voice. “Listen, Ylva. You need to know I’ve been working as hard as I can to find the resources and people to get you all out.”

“I know,” I lied, not completely convinced. What school just let students be stuck in a collapsed, unstable bunker? That just didn’t sound right.

“The school is just severely understaffed at the moment,” my professor explained, a pondering look on her face. “And there’s plenty of food and water stocked in the storage room.”

“What about reaching out to our families? Flavia is the Heir of the East, her family is powerful!”

Brynhild paused to look at me. The deep marks in her face betrayed her exhaustion. “Ylva… When you’re young, the world is so simple. Being a Valkyrie is a true honour, but it also comes with a lifetime of servitude.”

“I know that.”

“No, you don’t. After you take the oath, you’re no longer just an individual. You pledge your allegiance to Valhalla and when you do… Your life is never just your own.” A sombre look pulled across her stern features, revealing a deep regret. “I’m a servant of the dead and my first priority is always Valhalla. As much as I want to be a teacher, a wife, an aunt, I have to put those needs aside to do what has to be done. I can’t tell you more than that, but you have to trust me. I want to save you all, but I can’t. One day you’ll understand...”

I balled my hands into tight fists. “So you have more important things to do than rescuing students from a bunker?”

The professor looked at me with a deep sadness in her eyes. “Unfortunately, yes. That is the meaning of duty.”

I closed my eyes, trying to hold back the anger. She was a teacher, a Wind Child. How could she talk about duty when her own kin was trapped in an old bunker?

She placed a hand on my shoulder. “I understand this is hard for you, but I’m doing as much as I can.”

Enraged, I slapped her hand away. “Well, clearly, that’s not good enough!”

Hurt flashed through her eyes, but I didn’t care. She wasn’t the victim here, we were.

“How can you call yourself a teacher, a Valkyrie, if you don’t care about your students?”

“I do care.”

“Then why is nobody helping us? Why are you letting us rot!?”

“I’m trying to explain—”

“Then explain!” I screamed, no longer in control of my emotions. I was sick and tired of being pushed aside by the Academy, by the teachers. What was the point of going to school if they didn’t want to teach us?

Professor Brynhild’s marks lit up, the intricate designs glowing bright blue. “There are bigger things at work, Ylva! Things you’re too young to understand!”

Her sudden outburst made me stumble back.

She ran a hand over her face, her voice cracking. “If you knew what was going on… You’d be grateful to be in a bunker.”

“How can you say such a thing.” Aghast, I turned away from my teacher. “Fine. If you won’t help me, I will find someone else who will.”

“Ylva…”

“Don’t Ylva me.” My voice reflected my disappointment. “My friends might not be your priority, but they are to me. Getting them out safely is my duty.”

Without waiting for a reply, I stormed away. If she wasn’t going to help me, I would figure out something else. I wasn’t giving up on them, just like they hadn’t given up on me.