Betrayed (The Secret World Of Atlantis 3)

Chapter 10 - A Surprise Visit

A few mornings after the trial, father sends for me, and I find myself strolling towards his office before breakfast. I don’t know why he wants to see me this early, but I’m hoping it might have something to do with Eros.

I knock, the Guardians soon letting me in. But as I take my first step in, I immediately stop in my tracks. Never in a million years would I expect to see the person, that is sitting in front of the desk with their back turned towards me. Father peeks at me from behind them, offering me a tried smile. “Good morning,” he greets me, making me pull the corners of my mouth upwards.

Then, my gaze meets with none other, than the Headmistress’s. “Princess,” she declares politely, bowing her head at me, making me even more stunned. We weren’t exactly on good terms since the last time we spoke. And I feel even more strange, knowing that her twin sister is alive somewhere in the North.

“Headmistress, there’s no need to be so formal,” I respond, trying to keep my expression neutral. I then turn towards my father with a questioning gaze, and he duplicates his guest’s seat, gesturing for me to take it.

I sit down with hesitation, feeling a bit uncomfortable about being so close to Mrs Adrastea. I’m not sure why she’s here, but I have a feeling it might not be anything good. However, as soon as father opens his mouth, I realize I was wrong. “The Headmistress was on a business trip to Dairelis, running the last few errands before the school year begins again. And since she heard about what happened, she decided to pay me a visit, to make sure I was alright.”

I raise my eyebrows in surprise. I didn’t know Mrs Adrastea felt so strong about the well-being of the Kingdom. As I notice my father’s expecting gaze, I force myself to speak up. “That is a truly lovely gesture.” I turn towards the woman, trying not to give away how many questions are running around my head. “Thank you, Headmistress.”

She offers me a polite smile, that seems slightly forced. And I don’t blame her. I wasn’t exactly on my nicest behaviour the last time we spoke. I blackmailed her into not expulsing Eros … But I don’t regret it. I would do it again. I would do anything for him. That’s why I’m so frustrated with not being able to do anything about his safety now.

“Your Majesty, if there’s anything you need, know that you can always turn on me. The Academy always has its arms wide open for the leader of the Kingdom.” Her gaze then lands on me once again, and she studies me closely for a moment. “Including his descendant,” she then adds, making it seem like she forgave me for my behaviour.

“Thank you, Doris. And I’ve told you many times, that you may call me by my first name. We’ve known each other for years now,” father declares in a slightly strict tone. If I didn’t have so much self-control, I would probably be scrunching my face in disgust right now, or at least raising my eyebrows at him.

“I’m sorry, I can’t bring myself to do that. It doesn’t seem right,” she responds to his request, turning him down politely. I feel so awkward during that exchange, that I would gladly bury myself three feet under.

After a few more minutes of polite exchanges, the Headmistress suddenly looks at the clock and gasps. “My, look at the time! I should really get going soon,” she observes. Father tries to persuade her into staying a little longer, but she shakes her head determinedly. “No can do, I have work to do. There are many preparations for the new school year waiting for me.” That’s when she stands up, my father mimicking her movements and they shake their hands in farewell.

“Arya, would you be so kind to escort the Headmistress towards the main entrance?” he requests, and I have no other choice, but to jump on my feet, nodding in agreement. It’s not like I don’t want to accompany her out of the Palace. This is going to be the perfect opportunity for me to talk to Mrs Adrastea about her twin sister.

I hope I don’t give her a heart attack. I wasn’t supposed to know about that part of her life. But it’s not like I’ll get Mrs Praxidike into trouble, because she told me about her. I don’t have to mention that, since I actually met the twin in the North.

I wait until we’re all alone in the hallway, before speaking up. “I know I wasn’t exactly the most obedient student in the past year, and I hope you can forgive me for that.” I take her by surprise, but she still manages to compose herself rather quickly.

Her face is unreadable, as she responds to my apology. “You’ve also been through a lot more, than most students. And even under that kind of circumstances, you weren’t the worst of what I experienced in my years as a teacher and Headmistress.” Her bluntness takes me by surprise, and I find myself staring at her for a moment. This is not how I expected this conversation to go.

I bite my lip nervously. Is it worth mentioning her twin sister, now that we sort of made amends? I keep quiet for a while, but in the end, I can’t contain myself any longer. I must find out the truth behind this whole story. “Faye said she didn’t forget about you. Even if you might have forgotten about her.”

The woman is so shocked, that she stops in her tracks, gaping at me, while her face grows pale. Her eyes look like they are going to jump out of her sockets, and she speaks up so quietly, that I’m barely able to hear her. “Where did you learn that name?” In the next moment, she is towering over me, her eyes glistening in fury. “Who put you up to this?” she hisses. I take a cautious step back, raising my hands up in defence.

“No one put me up to this. I met your twin sister,” I try explaining in a calm tone, but all I seem to do is make her even more mad. She takes a menacing step forward, making it seem like she’s going to force me into a corner, if I keep moving backwards. So, I decide to stand my ground and raise my chin as I stare into her eyes. “I don’t know if you heard, but I spent the past couple of months in the North. I joined Eros Callisto for a mission, that he received as a Guardian. When we were crossing the Typhon’s Desert, we got caught up in a horrifying sandstorm and your sister was the one, who found us and offered us shelter.”

“That’s impossible. My sister was killed by a neighbour’s boy, who lost control one full moon,” she growls in response, refusing to acknowledge what I’m telling her.

“No, she wasn’t. They were bonded and he accidentally bit her, when he was trying to prevent her from hurting you,” I drop the next bomb, taking her aback one more time. This time, her face turns dark red with embarrassment, and she looks away, her face holding a tortured expression.

“I …” When she looks up again, she seems a bit more composed, but her shaking voice is telling me, that she hasn’t calmed down at all. “I didn’t mean to screw her life up. I … I was just a jealous kid … Jealous that she shared something stronger with someone, who wasn’t me …” she admits, almost making me feel sorry for her.

I let out a heavy sigh, as I gaze into her haunted eyes reassuringly. “I didn’t want to open up old wounds by telling you this … I just wanted you to know, that your sister is alive and well. Even if she lives all by herself,” I explain, making her lips squeeze into a thin line. She gives me a short nod, before glancing to the end of the hallway.

“I must take my leave now. It was nice chatting with you,” she declares, making it seem like she doesn’t want to acknowledge this conversation ever happened. I already take a breath, trying to keep my promise and escort her towards the main entrance, but she paces away as fast as she can. “I’ll find my own way out, goodbye!” she tells me over her shoulder, making me stop in my tracks.

“Goodbye, Headmistress!” I respond with a heavy heart. And I’m sorry for making you hurt.

As I’m sitting in the library later, once again combing through book after book, with Elena by my side, I can’t help but tell her about what happened. She seems shocked at my words, as I still haven’t shared many details about my trip to the North. And she simply can’t believe that the Headmistress has a twin sister, who was forced to lead a much different life from hers.

We’re waiting for my father to join us, because he promised he would help with finding Eros, now that the trial was over. He was with us yesterday and the day before, but we still didn’t have any more luck.

“I can’t believe the Headmistress has a twin sister, who was an Undefined one! It’s no wonder, that she was trying so hard to get Eros kicked out of the Academy! She must despise them after everything she experienced in her childhood!” my best friend exclaims after a few moments of silence, like she’s just processed what I told her.

I let out a heavy sigh, closing the book I just finished with a soft thump. As I look at Elena, her face looks shocked, worried and scared all at once. She has as much trouble on her mind as I do. “It explains a lot of her decision in the past school year … But it isn’t getting us any closer to the answer we’re seeking, so stop thinking about her too much. We need to keep looking,” I urge her.

Her icy blue eyes flash at me for a second before jumping towards the table in front of us, that is filled with books. She grabs one with a slightly pouted lip, muttering to herself: “These blasted things need to start doing their jobs. Being useful.”