baby swappers (working title lol)

Chapter Seven

Salem slipped through the West wing silently, hurrying to the end of the second floor corridor where his bedroom was and closing the door behind him, pausing for a moment and then locking it -just to be safe.

On his bed, he finally slot the key into the lock and opened up the box. Newspaper clippings, photographs, pendants, diaries... Salem's dark eyes scanned quickly over the contents. He leafed through a handful of photos - a teenage girl with her arm around two identical small boys, a young woman with a fierce expression next to a be-speckled man, together holding what looked like a contract. They were more, all depicting the same solemn young woman.

There was no doubt in Salem's mind - the family resemblance was strong in theirs, and this woman with her thick eyebrows knitted together sternly and heavy waves of hair must have been Agnes Black - older sister of his father, and therefore his aunt.

Salem sat back with a frown, picking up a scrap of a newspaper article; OUT OF SEASON STORM PROMPTS SPECULATION OVER DANGEROUS MAGIC GIRL. And another - DR ALLENCE STRUCK DOWN BY FURIOUS WEATHER RAGE WITCH.

Surely this wasn't what it looked like? It couldn't be that Benjamin had never told Salem about this. He continued to read, discomfort settling in his heart as he recognized the same language written here from twenty years ago as he heard the last day about Phi. But if this had happened before, then there was a chance they could help her, make Phi feel less isolated, understand her condition a little more. She had said she did bot believe that the storm was her actions, but Salem had watched it happen, and knew that was not true.

He flexed his fingers anxiously, wondering where Agnes Black was now, why he had never known about her. This couldn't wait until the morning. Salem slammed the lid shut and got up, running towards the East wing. He left through the side door out onto the back of the grounds rather than the courtyard, not wanting to be seen by anyone.

His mind was racing - just since the evening before he had heard whispers from the other students, overheard some snatches of conversation with the Agency man as well... people seemed to be worried about the Phi incident, or perhaps even scared of her. 

Salem's mind was so overwhelmed he didn't notice Ash in the shadows, and walked right into him. 

"Shit - sorry - oh! Hi." Salem snapped out of his self and focused on Ash.

"Where are you running to? You look upset." Ash steadied him, holding the top of his arms. Salem hadn't spoken to him since the night before, and wasn't sure what the feeling would be - but Ash's eyes looked kind and cool, and he relaxed into his touch. Still, he decided not to mention Phi yet.

"Have you heard of Agnes Black?" He said instead.

"I don't think I have. Is that your mother?" A simple question, but it made Salem's head spin. He swallowed, feeling suddenly sick, and focused his gaze on the floor. He shook his head, and could feel Ash about to press for more questions - when there was sudden bang and a flash from the conservatory. Both boys looked over, distracted, and Salem shuffled out of Ash's grip.

"I'll talk to you later," he said gruffly, and hurried off again towards the East wing before Ash could complain. Salem didn't give the conservatory another though, reaching Benjamin's office breathlessly in record him. He didn't bother to knock - barging in and holding the box up to a startled Benedict, who stared at him open-mouthed.

"Tell me about Agnes." He demanded.

Would now be a good time to talk to Salem about this? Benjamin considered. Perhaps it would push him towards helping Phi, or closer to his father – or maybe it would make him hate him, cause a rift between the two of them that could never heal. But honesty was an important trait for Benjamin, so he looked his son in the eye and took a breath, letting slide for a minute the obvious stolen property and entering so rudely.