Complicated Love

11. "It's just me, Saul!"

Farahs pov

„ I searched Callum's room and his desk."
I held up a sealed glass with some strange elixir in it.
„Found this in one of the drawers."
Saul appeared right next to me and took the glass out of my hands. Our fingers touched and while Saul seemed to be inspecting it, an immediate small, gentle energy wave shot through my body like lightning and it tingled in my stomach with excitement. What was happening to me? For two days, we have been locking ourselves up in my office, with Ben, for almost the whole day, trying to find out who had tried going into the secret tunnel and where the hell Callum was.
And in those two days I had been careful to keep my distance from Saul, because my body reactions were extremely different then before and above all uncontrolled. I wanted to be close to him, talk to him, touch his hand or brush his side with mine "unintentionally." I suddenly wanted a lot from him anyway, since he healed.
And the thing that got me most out of my concept was that these thoughts didn't surprise me. They were nothing new.
I just had always pushed them down very hard. But now Saul behaved very differently towards me as well and it was almost impossible to concentrate. It made me go crazy!
„What is it?"
I broke out of my thoughts and fell right back into another world as soon as our eyes locked. We were standing close to each other... too close.
„Nettle Amalgam."
I sigh. Everything was just too exhausting. My mind didn't shut up for a second.
„It's -"
„A fascinating substance."
Ben interrupted me and took the glass from Saul. He seemed to be the only one who was actually enjoying this and he apparently didn't feel the changed energy between me and Saul. Well, some things do never change. He has two kids and is still the most pure and innocent of us three.
„Now mercury can stand in both solid or-„
„Ben"
Saul and I said unisono, interrupting the upcoming lecture from our plant loving friend. I felt Sauls eyes shifting to me but I kept my gaze forward, trying to focus on Ben.
„If someone discovered your trap on the undercroft entrance, they would automatically assume, albeit incorrectly that it would help them defeat it."
„And you're certain Callum tried to access the door?"
Forcing me to look at him I responded.
„I'm certain someone did, and Callum hasn't been seen in days. Makes him the prime suspect."
I walked to the hidden tunnel that was now open and closed it with a brief hand gesture. I turned around to the two men, finally completely concentrated into the matter.
„But Nettle Amalgam is archaic fairy knowledge. It's uncommon. And Callum was no fairy..."
„He had help."
Saul completed my sentence. We looked at each other and I nodded briefly, luckily still a little too deep in my thoughts and this mystery to care too much. Lost in thought, I stood next to him again.
„Well, this will pick up trace elements of the kind of magic used. You can think of it like a sort of magical finger... print process."
A wobbling dust floated through the air, it seemed as if it was looking for something. And in fact, it suddenly began to fix itself on a certain place near the hidden door and we could slowly but clearly see a figure.
„Is that..."
„Callum."
My voice dropped a few tones lower. A slight clinging fear made me tremble inside.
„Yes. He was killed by magic..."
I sigh, this was getting worse then I had expected!
„Well, at least now we know where he went."
Ben and I looked to Saul who's gaze was till fixed on Callum's shadow.
„And that there's a murderer in our school."
His whole body was tensed and I could see a deep sadness in his eyes. He turned his head towards me, he looked exactly like I felt.

Saul's pov
I was walking behind Farah towards her office. After we made our discovery about Callum we had contacted Queen Luna, this was becoming a matter for whole Solaria. Today the Queen arrived and she requested to speak immediately to Headmistress, alone. I had insisted that I would attend the meeting as I knew how Farah's feelings were, towards our most stubborn and kind of rude regent. Of course I didn't say that but I had explained that I was also the headmaster of Alfea and I wanted to know what she had to say. Luna had been fortunately indifferent about that, honestly I didn't know why she was here and for whatever personal reasons she had come all this way. She never did that, only if there was something that interested her personally. We entered and Aisha, one of Farah's students rushed towards us. She was the new assistant.
„If there's anything you nee during-„
„Oh, you're sweet, Aisha, but I'm far low-maintenance than you imagine."
Queen Luna interrupted her.