The school of Bermuda - Volume 2 - The Sea Monster

-11-

Lili grimaced. She was lying on a sticky floor, it was dark, and no light was visible. Yet, her fairy genes allowed her to see as if it were broad daylight.

She painfully sat up, realizing that her head must have hit something. When the half-fairy finally looked around, she was horrified to see where she was: inside the monster's belly. There were carcasses of fish, some fresh and some rotting, scattered around her. Strangely, the belly resembled a huge, smelly, and slimy cave rather than the inside of a stomach.

"A magical creation by hunters cannot be stable," Lili muttered to herself. Startled, she turned around quickly. The albino was there again, right in front of her.

They remained silent for a moment before her mysterious ally finally decided to speak. 

"This creature doesn't need to eat," he said. "So it doesn't have a digestive system, not even a single organ. It's like an empty barrel, there's absolutely nothing inside except for this labyrinth of flesh."

"But it shouldn't be able to live," Lili murmured.

"It's a creature born of dark magic. It exists outside the laws of this world," he explained.

Lili looked around and stood up. Strangely, the place seemed motionless. 

"It's asleep," the albino said. "It has settled at the bottom of the sea. It would be unreasonable to try to escape now."

"Aren't you capable of teleporting?" Lili asked.

"It's made of dark magic, I can't just leave like that. But I can inform the others that you're alive."

"How?"

"Through a double. I can create a double of myself anywhere, no matter where I am. However, it is unable to speak."

"But you couldn't speak at first either," Lili said, perplexed. Wasn't he able to speak when she first met him?

"I couldn't," he replied.

The young witch looked at him, perplexed. Was he really unable to speak the first time she met him?

"I don't want to stay locked up here," Lili murmured.

"We won't stay here forever, if your friends understand what my failed double was trying to tell them, I'm sure they'll find a way."

"But how long will it take? I'll starve to death by then."

"You're a witch, right? Try to conjure something to eat."

Lili took out her wand. It was true, she must be able to do something. She focused for a moment, in silence, trying to find the right incantation.

"I won't die of hunger, just wait and see,
Send me a Margarita, that's the key."

A small table immediately appeared in front of her with a plate filled with a delicious mozzarella and tomato pizza. At least, she wouldn't die of hunger. She asked for two glasses of water.

"You should eat too, since you're stuck with me," the girl said to her companion.

"I don't really need to eat, but it looks very good," he replied.

As they started the meager meal together, the witch observed the albino with curiosity.

What kind of creature didn't need to eat? He had said he was a shadow, so was he a ghost or something like that? She didn't realize that she had been staring at him for several minutes.

"Do I have something on my face?" he asked.

"No... I was just wondering," Lili replied, blushing at having been caught staring. But it seemed to amuse her companion, who leaned towards her and wiped a crumb off her cheek.

"Be careful when you eat," he said.

Finally, he stretched and sat cross-legged on the sticky floor, patting his leg. "Come here. It must be night outside, you need to sleep, and I won't let you lie on the ground."

"I can conjure a bed," Lili said.

"Don't exhaust yourself for nothing, I'm here," he reassured her.

Lili hesitated for a moment, took a sip of water, and then nestled into the comforting arms of the mysterious albino. At that moment, she realized how tired she was, as her eyes closed on their own and she fell asleep almost immediately.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Some of the professors were in the headmistress's office, along with Kareth, Izãdo, Ree, Lulis, and of course, Edward.

"You should expel him!" the prince shouted.

"But I didn't want Lili to be swallowed by the monster!" Edward replied, visibly disturbed.

"You still tried to throw Izãdo into the sea," Ree interjected. "Even though he can't swim, you tried to kill him!"

"But how was I supposed to know?"

"Silence!" The students turned to the headmistress. She had a stern expression, quite different from her usual motherly face.

"Edward has done something absolutely dreadful," the old woman announced. "But even though what he originally intended was unpleasant, what happened was an accident. Of course, Edward will be severely punished, and his parents will be notified. However, considering the current agitation of the monster, we cannot afford to use the boat."

"Forgive me," Kareth interrupted. "But what kind of punishment would be sufficient for such a thing?"

"To start with, he will replace Lili on the farm, even though it's not really a punishment in itself. Mr. Einerson will have detention every evening until the end of the school year and will have extra assignments."

As the headmistress spoke, Edward seemed to shrink and turn pale.

"Furthermore," the headmistress continued, "he will be responsible for cleaning the equipment in the weapons training room, without using magic, of course. And finally... he will spend his weekends in the penitence room."

The surprised and worried expressions of the other professors did not reassure Edward.

"Madam Headmistress," Azuriea Green, the divination teacher, spoke up, "it seems to me that the penitence room is... too harsh."

"Too harsh?" Donatello growled. "He should consider himself lucky not to be sent directly to the royal prison!"

"Donatello, I know you have adopted Lili, but remember that if this room is unused, it's not for nothing."

"What is it?" Alice asked.

"The penitence room is the worst punishment in this school," Sara Harisson replied simply. "It's a tiny room where the confined student can only stand, it cancels out magic, and the walls are covered in spikes."

Alice shuddered at the mention, wondering why such a thing existed. She looked at Edward with a little more compassion.

"Wasn't it banned?" Perenelle asked.

"No," the headmistress replied. "We just decided to use it only for really serious cases."

"Alonzo?" Lulis suddenly interrupted.

The adults and his classmates turned to the young werewolf, who pointed at the albino next to the window. The albino just smiled, put a finger to his lips, turned his head towards the window, and pointed at something outside before disappearing just as Izãdo approached the opening.

The prince approached and tried to figure out what he was showing.

"Doesn't he only appear when Lili is present, usually?" Pierre Oz asked.

"Yes," Ree replied. "But last year, he appeared to us when Lili was in the forest, and he kept showing us... the... forest... Izãdo, what did he show this time?"

Everyone turned to the prince, who stepped away from the window.

"He just showed us the sea... Lili is alive, I'm sure of it now... I will find a way to destroy this monster!"