The Secret Service: The Wings of Titania

Chapter 4: An Unpleasant Surprise

  Our days fell into a steady rhythm, soon it became almost regular practice. James was patient, quick to understand, and asked when he had any questions. But most of the time he was quiet, his eyes far away as his mind buried itself in deep thought or soared somewhere I could not follow. The melancholy hung about him like a shroud, a signature so different from his sister Sophie.

 Perhaps it was the peculiarity of his behavior or his silence, whichever reason it was, someway or somehow, James Underwood stood out from the mob I'd met during my life in high school. He liked books, but he wasn't nerdy. He liked sports too, but he wasn't obsessed with it. He was always the first to arrive at the library, and the last one to leave it before school was over. 

 Then there was his music.

 He once went to the cafeteria, but the sudden surge of 'friends' ended this practice no more than two minutes after his entrance. James ended up spending all his break time at the music room, where his music rose and fell in hauntingly beautiful melodies. Sometimes there were familiar ones, like Fur Elise, or the Phantom of the Opera. But mostly they were unknown, dark and melancholic tunes that made chills run up and down your spine in the air-conditioned room or the types you'd typically imagine playing from a ghost organ in a dilapidated castle.

 'Attention to staff and students,' The loudspeaker blared overhead. 'Please be informed that there will be an important assembly in the hall an hour before the end of school. All students are advised to pack their bags and assemble in an orderly fashion. Please be informed that all classes are canceled during that time. Thank you.' The voice went dead.

 'You heard?' Jake whispered to me urgently. 'The headmaster's found a new patron for the school.'

 'I don't think its' that simple.' James said coolly, his eyes unfocused and dreamy. 'Something's up.'

 'Yeah, something's up.' Warren groused, slamming his locker shut and hoisting his rucksack over his shoulder. 'No idiot would be stupid enough to pour their resources into this godforsaken crack hole.'

 'Agreed.' Warren high-fived James and vanished into the mob. James turned around and noticed Jake was looking at him as if he'd sprouted a shark head. 'What?' He demanded and dragged me along the corridor to our next class without looking back. 

                                                                                               ***

 'And as such, it is of utmost importance of the understanding...' My eyelids drooped, Warren nudged me awake. The sponsor's balloon of a body still occupied the stage, his words senseless, an endless stream of chatter bored its way into my brain. I glanced towards the clock, the hands read 3:20.

 'I'm going to take a break.' I said.

 'Go ahead.' James said. 'I don't mind.'

 I scooted off, walked past the prefects, and out the door. The door slammed shut behind me. The lights went out, leaving me in total darkness. 

 'You sure he is the one?' A voice came out of the darkness, raspy and hoarse.

 'Sure he is, just like the mistress said.' Another voice replied, this one smooth and a low baritone. 

 'Who's there?' I called out. A pain struck me behind my head, stars exploded before my eyes, and I blacked out.

                                                                                             ***

 'James.' Warren tapped his friend urgently on the shoulder. He turned, his face sleepy and tired from the senseless speech. 'Something's wrong.'

 'What?' James yawned, stretching sideways. 

 'It's been twenty minutes, and Kyle isn't back yet.' The boy's tired eyes lifted in mild surprise. 'Really?' James asked, straightening in his seat. 'Then let's go see.'

 The corridor was deserted the moment they stepped out, but the abandoned smartphone was pretty obvious to spot. James bent down, picking up the gadget. He closed his eyes, concentrated. 'Fair Folk.' He hissed, holding it at arms' length like it was a pair of undergarments he found on the lavatory seat. 

 'You think they're still here?' Warren asked, looking around them warily.

 'Nah, too much iron.' James said, gesturing to the metal surface of the lockers. 'Any hunch on any local clans desperate enough to kidnap a royal heir?'

 Warren smiled, his fingertips glowing with a soft heather light. 'Did you ever doubt me?'