Academy of Legends

Chapter 6: Belle (Evidence)

Unfortunately for us, allying ourselves with our criminal law professor proved useless in trying to find the killer. When I returned to my dorm that night, we were no closer to finding Beast's killer than we had been the night he died. It was beyond frustrating, and as I lay in bed, staring at the ceiling, all I can think about are the times we shared together.

Even my memories of our happy times are tainted by our final moments together. Every time I close my eyes, I see him die, hear his final breath speak my name. How could something so wonderful end so horribly?

Even in my mind, I can smell the strange, metallic taste of blood in the air. It is choking, nauseating, and I sit up in bed, swallowing past a lump in my throat. The other girls in my dormitory make no sound, still fast asleep. My stomach churns and tears slide down my cheeks.

Unable to handle the awful feeling inside of me, I slip out of bed and hurry out of the dorm. There is a bathroom next to the dorm, but it is not private enough for me and I keep going. There is a bathroom just on the next floor and I hurry up the stairs. This is the professors' floor and I make my way towards the bathroom.

Unfortunately, I don't make it to my destination. With my hand on the knob, I prepare to go in, when ...

Bam.

The sound reminds me of one from my nightmares, echoing above the music at Hansel and Gretel's. My hand drops from the knob and I turn, almost in a daze. From nearby, doors opened and closed around me, professors calling out. Someone grabs my shoulders. "Belle!" Robin's voice rings urgently in my ear. "Belle, did you hear that?"

I nod, sobbing, the memory of Harold's death too much. Robin takes my hand and pulls me along. Somehow, we find the room and Robin breaks down the door. "Hermes!" he shouts. "Hermes, are you alright? Dear God, please let him be alright!"

"R-Robin?" a timid, weak voice responds to him. "Is that you?"

Together, we fall beside the man sitting on the floor, his hand pressing at his shoulder. I grimace and wince to see the blood staining his fingers. His umber eyes blink up owlishly at Robin, his face pale from pain. "He shot me," he says in disbelief. "The killer shot me."

I pick up on his use of a pronoun. "He?" I say.

"He spoke to me," Hermes answers, raising his eyes to me. "He told me the Academy is flawed and that he would fix it. Then he shot."

"Did you see his face?" Robin asks urgently.

Hermes shakes his head. "Not his face. I just knew that his voice was a man's."

"This is evidence," Robin says, standing up and helping Hermes to his feet. "It means our killer is a man. That is good, Belle. Now let's get this man to the doctor."