The school of Bermuda - Volume 2 - The Sea Monster

-1-

"Lili, come over here." 

The twelve-year-old girl got up from the ground where she had been lying down to play a game with her friend, Ree, and walked towards Ree's father, and unofficially, her adoptive father. Donatello was holding an album in his hands.

"Look what I just found," he said, addressing Lili. 

With a mysterious smile, he flipped through the book to open it to a particular page. There were photos displayed on it. The adult picked one of them to hand it to the young girl.

Lili recognized her teacher, wearing the red uniform of the seventh year. His blond hair was longer before, but he was recognizable by his sparkling eyes and his pair of glasses, always the same. The young mixed-race girl next to him was Professor Sara Harisson, who now taught them white magic. Lili recognized with contempt Professor Butter. He was handsome when he was young, that was undeniable, but she couldn't help but hate him after what happened.

The previous year, when she entered the Bermuda School, that traitor hunter had tried to kill her and confessed to horrible things he was responsible for.

Donatello then pointed his finger at the fourth person. It was a beautiful girl with fiery red hair, freckles on her face, and the look of an angel. 

"Eloïsa Poussin," Donatello simply said. "Your mother, Lili." 

The girl took the photo to get a closer look at her mother.

"You can keep the photo," the professor whispered with a smile. 

"At home, there wasn't a single photo of her," Lili explained, not taking her eyes off the image. "Dad told me she abandoned both of us when I was born." 

"To prepare you to be a good hunter later, I suppose. He would have revealed to you that she was a witch and assured you that all witches abandon their families." 

"I would have surely been merciless with you." 

"I imagine... that's why we don't want any harm to come to the hunters. They are just guided by false ideas that the elders put in their heads as early as possible. But let's talk about a happier note. You're leaving tomorrow, have you packed your things, girls?" 

The two children nodded hastily, eager to return to the Bermuda School and reunite with their friends, as well as their teachers.

During the holidays, Donatello had taken them several times to an isolated place for them to train in Pall elus and racing, and had also helped them with their homework.

Unfortunately, they hadn't been able to see Izãdo and Lulis for the entire vacation because the prince's father wanted them to spend the summer studying. However, they had spent a lot of time at the beach together with Ree's family. Around the middle of the vacation, Charity, Sissy, and Victoria came to visit them for a week. Sissy was Professor Harisson's little sister.

Seven days ago, they had finally received their letters from the Bermuda School, but they didn't have anything else to buy for this new school year, except for the new uniforms, which were purple this time.

The boat was scheduled to depart at three o'clock in the morning. Ree and Lili spent the afternoon taking a nap in preparation for their short night, although beds were provided on the ship. Donatello had accompanied the girls to the dock to set sail with them, leaving his wife and son to sleep peacefully.

As they waited calmly, the three of them surrounded by other students and a few parents, Ree pointed in a direction with a smile before waving her hand. 

"Izãdo! " she shouted to get the prince's attention. 

But the young boy only gave her a discreet wave of his hand. The two girls approached, only to notice the man next to him. He was almost the same height as Donatello, with long black hair, he looked a lot like Izãdo, but older and dressed in rich attire. He was holding the hand of a ten-year-old girl who looked just like him.

"I hope this ship won't be late," the man grumbled. "I have more important things to do than wait to see your teachers! If they had kept a better eye on you, you would have had much better grades!" 

Lili and Ree listened, perplexed, to what this man was saying. Izãdo may not have had top grades, but he was still the top student in the class.

"They won't be long, father," the young prince simply replied. 

"They better not be!" the man exclaimed. 

"...father?"

"What's the matter?" 

"Last year... some friends invited me to spend Christmas vacation with them. Can I go this year?" 

"Are you kidding me? You're at school all year to study, not to have fun!" 

"I can study well while being with my friends..." 

"No! You're the future king, you have to set an example and study without interruption!" 

"But..." 

"Did you say 'but'?" 

"...no, father..." 

"I don't want you under my feet! If you hadn't been constantly glued to your mother, she wouldn't have had to protect you, and she would still be here today!"

Izãdo simply bowed his head, no longer contradicting his father, but Lili didn't see it that way. Izãdo had told them about his mother, and her death had greatly affected him. How could this man blame him for it? King or not, she approached, furious, and delivered a powerful kick to his shins. Many turned around, surprised by the sorcerer's cry of pain, as Lili took her friend's hand and led him further along the dock.

"You're crazy!" Izãdo exclaimed. "That's the king!" 

"So what?" Ree replied as she joined them. "He should behave more like a father than a king towards you! What he just said to you was mean. Whether he likes it or not, you will come with us for Christmas vacation!" 

"Lili... he could have you locked up for that." 

"Well, let him lock me up! Answered Lili. The blame for your mother's death shouldn't be put on you. If he wants to blame someone, he can blame me. It was my father who killed her." 

The prince looked at his two friends, unable to believe what Lili had just done, as the ship's horn resounded in the night.