What happened at Beldmount Boarding School?

Interview 1

The Beldmount Boarding School had its glorious days 150 years ago. Founded by the very rich and eccentric Sir Fratello, the school had in its foundation the "innovative education system", created by him to fight the stagnant teaching that occurred at that time. An ambitious plan formed in Sir Fratello's head and, using the land he had inherited in Lovegood, he built the school of his dreams.

He and his renowned teachers promoted free-thinking, a love for arts and the exact sciences. Engineering was a common topic of discussion between the students and so were their long nights of dissertation on new arts. The school also accepted female students having them do classes with the male pupils, unheard of for that time. It caused more of a frenzy than any of the other revolutionary ideas. Yet Sir Fratello pushed forward his ideals and no female ever got refused because of her genre.

These students prospered under the tutelage of Sir Fratello and grew to become rich and powerful. And a cycle formed, their kids would go to that school, and then the kids of those would also do their studies there. It became a tradition of really powerful families to have their children sent to the Beldmount Boarding school.

While the school grew, so did the small village of Lovegood, which turned itself into a bustling city. Many shared the prosperity, students, professors, deans, Lovegood residents. Until it all went wrong.

And for many years, the school was known only for one thing: tragedy.

A happening so unexpected that people still wonder about it to this day.

"Unexpected?" an old man asked, baffled. " People knew something was wrong. Some at least. They just wish they could forget it." his grey hair glinted from the afternoon rays of sun that passed through the big window behind him. His eyes darted from one corner of the room to the other.

"Are you one of those people, Mr Knowles?" Jen asked, surprising the man with his name.

"I know some things..."He gulped, his focus on her. "I know the reason why the school faced problems, though I am unsure when it all started." his rough hand touched his neck, passing then through his velvet sweater. "You see, child... the problems started decades before I entered that hell. Hard to know the exact dates that way."

Jen sat straight from her wooden stool, notebook in her hands and a recording device hidden in her pocket. She nodded at the man in front, giving him a reassuring look, though even that didn't help him moving forward.

"What happened?"

"Demons." he answered.

A silence fell on the room. Jen didn't know how to react, as the old man turned pale and tired, nothing on him telling her he was lying or joking with her.  Instead, he looked pained, as if those words brought back wounds that he had buried long ago.

Jen waited for a beat, scribbling on her notebook. Only when she finished did she gave him a glance, catching him laughing. A laugh that made her shiver. "... back then we called them familiars..."

"Familiars? Like pets?" Jen became confused with this exchange. More so when he stopped laughing, an immediate reaction to her question. His hands fidgeting on his sweater.

"Oh... I wished. No... Unfortunately not." his eyes glued on the dark floor. She heard a whisper weeping before he straightened himself back. "I just know we will pay for what we did. More than we already have. I am sure that heaven doesn't have a place for people like us."

The coldness of his voice and the way the words hang in the room made her flinch. Jen had to stop herself from following her instinct and leave the room running. She couldn't, not when the answers were there. So close.