The Rokkoh Adventures

Rokkoh and the Final Year, Chapter 9

The crowd parts. Conversations hush and hang broken. Curious yet fearful eyes follow as Cy leads me through the atrium. Is this what it's like whenever the Baroness enters a room? The ability to draw such attention, their terror sending the air cold, the wordless respect given... I could get used to this. It won't be for long, of course. Only two more months until the carriage comes to deliver me unto my future.

Out from the throng break two figures. One tall, one less so, both dark skinned and black haired, both concealing their excitement. Max and Kym pull me into a three-way hug and welcome me back with happy smiles. Does he know she visited most nights for the last three weeks? Would she have told him? Did he perhaps act as her scout to make sure she had safe passage? I won't ask; better to preserve the secret if it exists between the twins.

Returning to the daily regimen comes with relative and surprising ease, save for the new silent attention whenever I enter a room. The quiet gawking fades after the first few minutes each time, that time growing shorter with every passing day. However, in the back of every group who does their best to avoid my gaze, there always seems to be one of Wassim's crew watching me. Jibara and Janco, wingless gargoyles, pantomime their intentions. This often includes crushing, stomping, breaking, or a mix of all three. Telarria simply stares with squinting hateful eyes and a murderous look on her fox-like face. Pinnow, on the other hand, sends a pleasant little grin my way whenever we see each other. Does he even remember what happened? Or does he blot it out entirely, a memory locked away deep in a dark old strongbox never to be seen or mentioned again? I would prefer the latter if I were him, but even my month in the Frozen Chamber keeps it in the back of my mind.

In the following weeks, the others let loose their fear and avoidance. The gaps they place between themselves and me close inch by inch. Some even go so far as to offer me a passing hello in the halls. Normalcy, or at least something resembling it, returns. By the end of the month, it's almost as if nothing ever happened.

"They're staring again," Kym warns in a whisper.

The dining hall around us buzzes with conversations. Huddled at a table near the exit is Wassim's crew, all but Pinnow shooting daggers at the three of us. Their leader remains absent, but they leave an open seat for him. I haven't seen hide nor hair of Wassim since my return. Not that I'm complaining, of course. But I do wonder from time to time where he's hiding. Does he hide away in his dormitory all day, too afraid of crossing Kym's or my path again? Does he remain in the infirmary, still recovering from his injuries? Surely he hasn't died. There's no way the Baroness would allow me to wander free if that were the case.

"Let them," I shrug, focusing back on my meat sandwich. "That's all they do nowadays. They don't even go after the littler kids anymore. Not since..."

Kym's eyes cut to mine. They plead, beg me to not bring up the subject. How can she, or we, move on from the incident if it gets brought back up again?

"Not since the evil king was deposed of his wicked throne?" Max suggests a beat later.

"Where has he even been?" I ask before I can stop my curious tongue.

"Don't know," Max shrugs, taking a bite of his own sandwich.

"Don't care," Kym adds. Her food sits on her plate, suddenly unwanted. Her fingers roll a red grape around the plate, the end of her digits gently kicking it around as if the little fruit was a ball. "Wherever he is, he deserves to be somewhere worse."

Dropping the subject, the three of us fall into silence. Max and I avoid the awkwardness by enjoying our lunch. Kym continues her little game until it bores her and she rises from the table. She holds her hand out to me as I finish my last bite.