The elements of school

Chapter 13 the finding

The next morning Alice was fast asleep, soundly breathing, not a care in the world. Everyone had left her get well soon cards even though they were the same people who'd been preparing a grave just under the oak tree.

Lia had been feeding her phoenix it had been crying which made the painful silence she had to sit in for the past two late evening nights less quite but somehow worse. Harry, Hugo and occasionally Billy would pay her a visit in the evenings Harry has even stayed over one night in Alice's room, but most evenings were horribly silent. Lia felt terrible not only had Aya disappeared from all human knowledge but Alice and her felt like they'd been through so much is this past month it was as if they'd know each other for years and years.

The headmaster Mr Elli had called the group to his office the following morning after the incident. Their punishment was a weeks detention and to do all of Alice's homework in turn as well as cleaning out the school pond on Fridays. They'd also lost all privileges of outings on the weekends.

Everyone was annoyed - Hugo especially - but Harry and Lia both agreed it was fair. They knew sneaking out could've had them dead but Alice may have been dead by the morning.

Alice was awake again by that evening, Harry and Iggy paid her a visit while helping her to pack her things from her stay.

"That lake was freezing" Iggy giggled

"Why did we strip into our underwear?"Harry smirked

"Sorry? What!" Alice said sitting up

"Yeah, it was bloody freezing"

"Lia didn't jump in, she was as dry as the dessert when we climbed out" Iggy paused "Bit of crappy thing to do" Iggy remarked

"Maybe she was just distracted" Alice's said knowing Lia wasn't that awful

Iggy finished putting Alice's slippers and cards into her little bag. "Distracted!" she continued "That girls been distracted all week! Always in the library never trying to help us solve Aya's disappearance"

"I'm sure she was researching" Harry tried

"Researching my ass" Iggy scoffed

The trio went silent, Iggy was trying to make Alice realise how little Lia cared or at least how little she thought she did. Harry was torn as was Alice. The pair left Alice to her thoughts not knowing what to say not able to offer a crumb of comfort. Alice didn't get much of any sleep that night but instead felt torn once again.

The next morning Alice was awoken early by the matron, she was sent off back to her dorm. Alice tip toed back into the dorm finding Lia asleep in the corner with her face on a large book.
"Greta" she muttered still asleep "Greta come to me, help me Greta, tell me what happened"

This caught Alice off guard, who was this Greta girl? Why should she matter? This hurt a little as Alice longed for it to be her name. But it wasn't so Alice left Lia to her slumber feeling able to wake her and going back to her own bedroom she sniffled a little but decided to just sit in her bed until Lia awoke.

Lia's new little routine while Alice was gone was to feed her phoenix it's dead mice every morning. She walked in with the mice and called to the bird "oh Loki" she cooed to the bird

"So when do you think Alice will be back hu?" She began "soon? What do you reckon I should surprise her with flowers?" Daisy's yeah?" She giggled to herself

Alice sat there in her bed questioning whether to move or just let Lia pick her the flowers. Unfortunately she didn't get to decide as she was so happy that a small firework of excitement burst out of her hand.

"Ah! F-fudge" Lia cried. Alice fell out from behind the curtain
"Shit. Hi" Alice said falling into the floorboards "can I still have flowers?" Alice asked awkwardly

"Um that was a joke, n-no" Lia said leaving the mice and leaving to go to the library yet again. Alice was fed up by this point but headed to the potion rooms anyway.

She carried her satchel and found Harry and Emily sat at a bench beckoning to her. Lia just seemed to ignore her, so she walked over to Harry and Em. However she didn't see Lia look back in disappointment when she had finally noticed Alice enter the room. She wished to cry out, Al come her to her friend but it was too late.

"Welcome, welcome to potion class" said a new teacher appearing in the room.
"Who's that" Alice muttered under her breath
"That girl, is Mr Shroom potion teacher, goodness this room is changed a lot since my day"
"Your day sir?" Lia said sir having caught her attention
"Yes I went to school here, with your head of year Miss Woolton in fact"
Lia felt a great spark of interest at these words and theories and conspiracy's began bubbling in her head. They fizzed so loudly that she could hardly focus on the firework spell.

Harry, Emily and Alice however where doing extreme well they'd added the une milk and the gobb stones while the cauldron was just starting to boil. The potion turned the perfect shade of purple just the same as the seen in the book on their desks.

By the end of this the lesson perfect little fireworks we're going bang on the groups desk. The all sat in wonder as they watched the colourful stars expand and die in the air before them.

Lia however had made the dullest fireworks every they didn't go bang they floated up made a crispy sort of sorrowful cracking noise. They weren't at all vibrant but they were a dingy shade of brown.

"Better focus next time" Mr Shroom warned
"Yes sir, sorry sir" Lia sighed "Alice usually helps me with these things you see"
"We'll maybe your should sit together next time?" Sir prompted
"Okay" Lia said

Break time came as a joyful relief, Alice thought Lia didn't care for her friendship, she thought she'd moved onto whoever this Greta girl was. Lia went back to library thinking to herself 'isn't it suspicious that Mr shroom went to school here when the first disappearance happened then just happens to turn up at the second'
She researched and gathered evidence, and was ready to call a meeting.

Alice however was sat all alone next to the pond, all her friends were forbidden to go outside the school grounds. She could've stayed in the school however she felt as if she'd been cooped up there for too long. When she was outside, it was peaceful however while she sat there she couldn't help but feel the anger towards Lia build and build and build like ticking time bomb waiting to blow. She couldn't help but feel angry and not matter how much she tried to push it away or even down it just kept resurfacing.

Alice went back to the dorm looking back out onto the grounds and saw Lia sat in the courtyard sitting through papers. She couldn't help but feel anger and pain when she looked upon her. The anger continued to fester and grow until she saw Lia leave to come and find her...