The Hollows Of Hiraeth (✔️) | 'Hollows' Book I

Chapter Ninety-Five

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T h e H o l l o w s O f
H I R A E T H
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They led me to a room, and I was quarantined off with a load of special ones I've never spoken to before-because I was in the room with the elder special ones. Yes, there are elders; we aren't all fresh, young and youthful. The youngest here-apart from me-was a twenty-five year old man, working as an accountant for the academy. He'd already explained to me how easily the academy could slip into debt by adding up huge numbers and taking the result away from an even bigger number. I was baffled to say the least.

Still, he's the only who I could have a semi-decent conversation with. The rest tended to scowl or stare at me, depending on who they were. Women who looked old enough to be mothers would give me sympathetic glances, with a tinge of helplessness, and perhaps anger, whilst the older women would mother the hell out of me. One asked me seven times in a row if I was sure I didn't want a drink.

I huffed, annoyed with my current circumstance. Where's Jameson?

"So I tried to make money using some failed business the academy got rid of," I tuned back into the accountants babble.

"Didn't work in the end, but it was fine because the academy had built an alliance with the-"

"Do you know any other inside secrets of the academy?" I interrupted him. The accountant stared at me for a while before laughing.

"You want me to give you confidential information?" He continued to laugh and I glowered at him, unnerved at the fact that I was being laughed at.

"You're a child, why would I give information to a ten year old?" The accountant snickered once more. I gave him a menacing glare. I was not a child.

"I'm fifteen, just nearly sixteen, I'd watch your mouth if I were you, I can legally have sex in six days." Sky. What the fuck. I was, of course, joking; what better way to respond to a mocking comment than with another mocking comment?

The man just simply laughed, and I gave a rather reluctant half-smile, half-grimace in response. "You're funny, you know," The man told me, picking up his plastic cup, containing a small supply of water, "You're a headstrong kind of funny, like you run the world but you could still tell me a joke whilst getting me to back off." The man took a sip of his drink as I watched him curiously.

"It's not a bad thing, Sky." The man knew my name, and within the last hour, I had not slipped such a detail out.

My eyes pierced his, "How do you know my name?" I asked him as he finished his drink.

"Everyone here knows your name," He offered as a response, "They all know who you are," He continued, beckoning me to follow him to the water machine. I followed, watching as he swiftly prepared two drinks.

"You've noticed all the angered looks? Maybe some of fear? Curiosity? Maybe even pity?" The guy raised his eyebrow as he passed me my drink.

"I guess.." I trailed off, watching as the man downed his cup in one, whilst I held onto mine gingerly.

"They all know you, some are angry that they'd place such a dangerous girl in the same room as us, some are scared of the result of the above, some are curious about you," He refilled his cup.

"So they hate me?" I asked pathetically. Sky, you're not supposed to be a child.

The guy snickered, "I guess." My heart sank. "Most are just wondering what you're all about; you know, word gets about-there are whispers of an endangered, possibly invincible, fifteen year old girl. You know, what with all the attacks thrown on you, I'm surprised you're still alive." The guy continued to babble, but this time I was listening. He spoke in an odd manner, and it was slightly difficult to follow his trail of thoughts as he spoke them one after another.