Legends of Mirandis Academy

Chapter 59: The Underground Academic Decathlon

It was the weekend. The mercurial weather had finally given way to a sunny spring. Fresh grass rendered the lawns around Mirandis Academy a bright, almost startling green; the surrounding forest was alight with birdsong. Even in the most urban parts of Far'runa, in the districts covered over with concrete, wily dandelions sprouted from the cracks.

It was the weekend, but of course Brielle Prescott was at the school. She had arrived early—as always—and, upon parking, she straightened her uniform and collected her notes. Math, chemistry, history. Brielle hummed to herself with satisfaction. Perhaps she didn't know every fact on every page, but she certainly knew most of them. She was about to find out exactly how many she did know.

For on this particular Sunday, Mirandis Academy and Fenn Technical High School were facing off in the culmination of the city-wide Academic Decathlon.

As she crossed the parking lot, another car pulled in. Brielle recognized the vehicle. She paused long enough to deliver a nod to Kelam Quincy. He nodded back, respectful. In preparation for the event, he had polished his shoes and slightly trimmed his long hair—Brielle could see, even from far away, the extra aspect of order in an already orderly person. The snap of his footsteps joined the click of hers, but Kelam kept his distance. Internally, Brielle shrugged it off. Today, they were teammates. Whatever other complicated and largely unspoken mess their relationship had become... it was irrelevant to the competition that awaited them.

However, they were the first two to arrive in the history classroom, where the event was being held. The clock above the door rattled briefly as it ticked past the 45 minute mark. They were both 15 minutes early.

Kelam cleared his throat. "How's Iridia?" Immediately, he winced. "Ah. I ask because she was rather inebriated on..." he trailed off. "And because—I expect—you were the—you were taking care of—"

"Yes, she's all right." Brielle's voice echoed around the empty room. "She did not have fun yesterday, but she managed to get home."

"Indeed." Kelam tucked his hands behind his back and regarded the floor. "She did say some things, and I wanted to—"

"Perhaps we should study?" Brielle asked. She grabbed the topmost notebook and flipped through it.

He swallowed. Brielle felt a flash of regret; she had spoken with more aggression than she truly possessed. But he didn't give up. "I am just saying, at the..." he paused, gathering the words. "The last time you and I talked, there were some other things happening as well. Things that might be—"

"Are you talking about Iridia getting drunk?"

There came a scuffing sound from the doorway. A couple of suited men had arrived, and they frowned as they heard Brielle's rather loud words. Kelam shot her a look of consternation, and turned to the men. "Please, come in. We are just discussing some things."

Brielle gave them a nervous smile as they filed in, holding coffees and clipboards. A tech manager came in behind them and began to set up at the front of the classroom. Kelam's mouth opened, but before he could speak, Brielle caught his eye. She jerked her head towards the classroom door.

"Could you not speak so loudly?" Kelam asked, as they entered the hallway. Brielle didn't reply. She led him a safe distance away from the classroom. It was only then that she gave him an expectant nod.

"Perhaps a clandestine... yes," Kelam muttered. "This is a better... we can discuss it better—"

"Discuss what better?"

He crossed his arms tensely. "Can you please be quieter?" He turned and paced between her and a nearby stairwell. "It's just that I did something, during that same... when..." he waved his hand in front of him. "Before we were drinking, but on the same..." He stopped again, with a frustrated grunt. "Something happened, which—"