The Originals

Chapter Thirty-Four: Saira Levine

As Saira urged Fareeda to hurry, she saw Orchid walk out of the office, tucking a printed piece of paper under her blazer. They exchanged brief glances and while Saira wasn't on happy terms with Orchid, she mouthed, The cops are here, be careful. Orchid nodded swiftly as Saira and Fareeda exited the building.

"Oof, it's chilly," Saira said although her anxiety of the cops was melting away. Fresh air was just what she needed. Fareeda laughed and Saira pouted. "What? Ugh, you are such a tease."

"Am not!" Fareeda gasped, stunned. "Oh, there's the greenhouse." The glass greenhouse was tucked behind a couple of trees, if Silverleaf students passed by, they wouldn't even notice it. From the outside, Saira saw exotic flowers and stale veggies being grown.

Fareeda unlocked the glass door, holding the door for Saira to enter. It was like Saira was transported to somewhere else, the vegetation was beautiful and majestic, bursting with bright colours. "Our cleaners are kind of lazy, so Headmaster Roux appointed me and some cooks to look after the place," Fareeda explained, smiling widely.

Saira giggled at the idea of Stoll gardening, it was so silly to imagine. "You've done an outstanding job of growing these plants," she said, making Fareeda blush. They wandered around and Fareeda pointed out some special flowers.

"The plants suffered some damage after the flood, but the flood wasn't too harsh in Silverleaf, so we're good." Fareeda kept blabbing on and on about the flowers until Saira saw a pot of orchids in a dark corner. Orchid. She sighed, not wanting to dwell further on the topic.

She shouldn't have argued with Orchid and even threatened her, but she got so angry. If the Originals came forward to the police with their suspects, ideas, and proof, the cops would surely look into everything and discover their secrets.

"Saira?" Fareeda asked and Saira snapped back into reality.

"Sorry, just tired."

"It's about Orchid, isn't it?" Fareeda frowned, biting her lip. She always seemed quite needy and annoyed at the mention of Orchid Gray. Why? "You were so upset last night and lately, you have been spending more and more time with that girl."

"Yeah, so?"

Fareeda's jaw tensed as she straightened her stiff posture. "Nothing." She coldly brushed past Saira and something dropped out of her blazer. Saira picked up, realizing it was her diary.

Saira bent down. "Wait, Fareeda, you dropped something—" Something fell out of the diary's pages and they were pieces of paper. "W-What is this?" She read what they said.

I KNOW ALL YOUR SECRETS. I KNOW WHAT YOU DID. STAY THE HELL AWAY FROM HER. YOU KNOW WHO, O. G.

Her breath hitched as Fareeda turned around. "Saira—" Fareeda realized what Saira was reading. She ran forward, wide-eyed. "No, wait, don't!" She tried to snatch the papers back, but Saira backed away.

"These are threats addressed to Orchid?" Saira gasped, standing back up. She backed away as Fareeda stared at her then the notes.

SHE'S MINE, NOT EVER YOURS.

Saira glanced back at Fareeda, who was full of shame and averted her gaze to the greenhouse's floor. Suddenly, it hit her. Stanley Crawford wasn't writing the threat that Orchid got to stay away from Madeleine Xing as they had thought—it was Fareeda who told Orchid to stay away from Saira.

This is obsessive. Saira read the last threat, her jaw dropping wide open.

I will tell everyone what you did, I know what happened to your "best friend." What kind of friend are you, Orchid? A rotten flower in a gleaming flowerbed. Stop making trouble for Saira and I.