Pendulum || TAENNIE FF

⚔Chapter 52: Struggle to make a sound

A U T H O R

"It's all here again..." Maya said the moment they entered the school that morning. The Break of Dawn articles are all scatted again after a whole week but still, no one saw the creature who did it. "If Jadis finds out who's behind this, that student will be expelled for sure."

Heather picked up one from the floor and scanned it with her eyes. "No wonder Flake was so mad." Maya looked at the article in Heather's hand. "Everything that's written in the back talks about him being the prince. They even got proofs!"

"The same proofs everyone in the school's talking about. Now even those who don't believe this might be convinced." Maya said and noticed Flake walking towards them. Before she could warn her friend, the guy grabbed Heather's arm and dragged her away.

He took her to the school garden and stopped beside the fountain. "I warned you, didn't I?"

"Yes! You threatened me for assuming I'm behind something I clearly didn't do. Why are you accusing me of writing this? It could be anyone else, Flake! I'm not the only one who doesn't like you. There are tons of us!"

"Do you think I don't know that? Let's not play games. Not everyone in this school has the same writing style like yours. This..." He took out the new article he got and showed it to her. "This is exactly the way you make your sentences. I can't be wrong about it. I've seen your work in Ink Fictions, Heather. I'm not assuming that it's you. I know too well that you're behind this."

"You're seriously unbelievable! I won't take the risk of getting expelled just to shoot fires at you. Whoever made that must've hated you so much to the point where he or she doesn't care about the consequences anymore. Does that sound like what I would do to you?"

"You're really good at lying, aren't you?" He said with a serious glare and walked a step closer. "Let's make a deal," Heather crossed her arms and raised a brow. "Keep my secret and I'll keep yours."

"What are you talking about? Are you telling me that this article about you is true? Are you that threatened with someone's assumptions?"

"If I tell Jadis Lavender that you're the one who wrote this and that you're human, what do you think will happen to you?" Flake said without flinching. He sounded so serious, causing Heather to gulp in secret. 

"I'm not any of those things--"

"I can prove myself right if I want to. I can hypnotize you right now so you can reveal the truth yourself if I want to. But that would be too easy and unfair for you, don't you think?" Heather looked away and walked a step back. "Make sure that this is the last time you're gonna spread this. I can put you in trouble without any hesitation." He crumpled the article with one hand, threw it on the ground, and left her speechless.

Heather sighed in disappointment and combed her hair back. She knelt and picked up the article Flake crumpled. "How did he know everything? Why did he have to know everything? Why did it have to be him of all creatures? Now he's cornered me. How am I supposed to keep writing this like what Master Woora advised me to?"

She shook her head and decided to make a better plan next time when she's not in a panic. There's still plenty of time before class starts, so to calm her thoughts for a while, she went to the library to finish reading the book Snow wrote. She sat on her usual couch and turned to the page where she left last time. 

'No one is willing to look into it deeper. No eye is willing to see the truth. What seems to be significant to most, is actually too insignificant if reflected. The forest is called a 'forest' though trees never grew on its grounds. The forest is seen as a 'forest' though the mist is the only thing visible all around. If the empty forest were to speak, no creature will listen and believe. What's there to say when words only come and go unremembered? What's there to tell when your stories only remain as their tales of old?'  

"I was looking for that." Heather stopped reading and looked up to see him. "You read Snow's book too?" Firo asked and sat beside her.

"It's mysterious in a good way. I see you're quite a bookworm, Firo Kang. How many books have you read already?"

"I've been reading books since I was young so I can't really tell." Heather nodded and continued reading. "Can I take it now?" She quickly moved the book away and shook her head.

"I got it first." Firo chuckled and stood up. 

"Whatever you say, Heather Kim. By the way, Jadis asked everyone to gather in the main hall for a quick meeting. She will use our first period so don't be late or you'll miss out." Heather replied with a nod and turned to the next page. "Tss. He's gonna find it ridiculous if he finds out you're liking his book too much." Firo said before leaving.

Heather heard him and furrowed her brows. "He?" She asked but shook the thought off eventually.

"My beloved, dear students," Jadis enthusiastically started in front of Stone Academia's students in the main hall. "I am pleased to announce the first-ever one-week stay in the Unlighted Forest with the guidance of Parailla's magfiers starting next week!"

The students started mumbling different opinions. "Is she crazy? The Unlighted Forest is the most dangerous realm in Parailla. We could end up getting killed by wild creatures lurking in the dark. The sun never shines on that side." Maya worriedly said.

"Isn't it thrilling though?" Chase, on the other hand, has a different opinion. "We get to see the origin of Parailla. We get to see extraordinary creatures we haven't seen in the common streets. I also heard they built a dormitory in the middle of the forest so we'll be safe."

"And she expects us to perform in the middle of that place?" Maya wide-eyed asked. "Is this mandatory?" 

"This is mandatory so you will have no choice but to go. It is one of your requirements in Life and Nature. You will study new species of plants and creatures while we're there. It's basically a little school-related vacation I'm offering you." Jadis explained.

Heather was in deep thought. Unexpected things usually happen during trips like this. If I'm lucky, I might find out something useful and I could use it to corner Flake.

--

The mystery behind The Break of Dawn ended so quickly🙈 Technically, it's just a little mystery so I had to end it for less confusion when the next chapters are published. There are still a lot of things I need to reveal so I'm worried I might leave one of them out. I hope you guys understand why I'm taking this quite slowly🙏😅

Thanks for coming by and I hope you liked it!!💕 

Btw, vote for BTS and BLACKPINK in iHeart!! Today's the last day so please, let's help each other give them their deserved wins💖