Knight | Celeste Academy Series BK #1

13th Chapter ♣ Back Home

"Thank you for enrolling in Celeste Academy."

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CHAPTER THIRTEEN ♣ BACK HOME

The morning rolled in and Lily did not realize she fell asleep on the sofa, waiting for Valeriana to come back. She didn't come home last night and the woman was worried sick. She had spent the whole night moping around the living room, fiddling with her fingers while anxiously waiting for her daughter to open the door. She was gone the next morning after she found her lying asleep on her bed without her pajamas and she hadn't come back ever since.

Once or twice she tried calling the police, but they told her that she should wait for twenty-four hours before reporting a missing person. She remembered throwing the phone down and deciding to go out and look for Valeriana herself, but did not know where to start.

Jareth came trudging downstairs while rubbing off the sleepiness in his eyes. "I'm hungry. Mom? Aren't you going to work?" He sauntered to the sofa his mother was sleeping on and shook her awake. "Mom . . . mom! You'll be late!"

The woman jumped out of her seat in fright and looked at Jareth with a questioning look on her face. A dried trail of her drool marked the edges of her mouth.

She held the remote control in her hands and glanced towards the direction of their plasma television pinned against the wall. The screen blared with the morning news report. The television must've been running since last night.

"Did Valeriana come home last night? What time is it already?" she asked, brushing back the locks of her brown hair that resembled a bird's nest.

"Seven-thirty and I don't think so," Jareth muttered sleepily. "I checked her room to ask her to cook something for me. She's not home yet."

The evident worry for her daughter could be seen through the lines that creased her face. "I think I'll take a day off today, Jareth. I can't go to work worrying for Valery the entire day. I need to find her."

Jareth sank on the sofa and trained his eyes to the television. "She'll come back."

"How can you say that so easily? Don't you care for your sister?"

"No, it's just that Val is really too stubborn to let herself be abducted that easily without fighting. I mean, if ever they try, I'm sure they'll get a bruise or two."

"Still! I'm going to call the police and drop by the station after that. I'm really worried for Valeriana. What if those who kidnapped her were in a syndicate of some sort? Oh, good lords," she said and fumbled with the receiver resting on the drawer against the wall. Not a split second afterwards, while the dial tone was ringing, she glared at Jareth pointedly and spoke. "Get the newspaper. Check if we also have mail."

Jareth obeyed her mother and walked out of their front door. He saw the newspaper on their front porch and bent down to pick it up. His eyes shot to the mailbox by their gate and he noticed that the flag was raised. He approached it, the newspaper clipped between his fingers. Jareth pulled on the small knob he personally hammered into it during his antics as a child and saw a letter inside. He carefully took it out and stared at the golden seal stamped on it.

A winged sword with a shower of feathers on the background.

"Weird."

It wasn't addressed to anyone in particular—which was strange. He entered his house, examining the letter on both sides.

As he closed the door behind him, his mother was already in front of their clothing rack throwing in her coat. Lily approached him while buttoning up. "What's that?" She nodded towards the letter in Jareth's hands.