The Mirror Key

Chapter 5: Nurses Don't Panic!

Chapter 5: Nurses Don’t Panic!

[Recap: Xanthe finds herself in a school called Deliorn High, and she’s preoccupied with trying to convince a somewhat loony Headmistress to let her go home.]

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“Can’t you just erase my memory about me even knowing about this place?” Xanthe begged for the fifth time. “I mean, you guys can do that, right?”

If someone told Xanthe that she’d be kidnapped by a toilet into another school when she was still attending school, she’d call them crazy and probably avoid them for the rest of her life. But as she sat there, trying to convince the Headmistress to let her return home, she realized that the blonde lady in front of her was adamant on letting her attend this Deliorn High.

Why do bad things happen to people who just want to live their lives without monster toilets and haughty deer butlers? Xanthe asked herself bitterly, noting the fact that Ronald, Headmistress Stella’s deer butler, had resumed shooting nasty glances at her every now and then.

“Well, erasing memories is not that easy. But… suppressing memories, on the other hand- that I can do.” The Headmistress responded.

“Then will you suppress my memories?” Xanthe asked, a bit hopeful.

“Yet again… suppressing memories are a tricky business- block the wrong one and poof, you might turn into an insane person,” The Headmistress said, waving her arms around for emphasis.

Xanthe silently wondered which memories the Headmistress lost. She pursed her lips together into a thin line as another thought crossed her mind.

“So if I can’t leave, what about my life? My family will probably wonder where I am,” Xanthe said, her head filling with images of her mother and father, classmates she managed to befriend, and the unfinished schoolwork she’d be leaving behind.

Well, the last one didn’t really bother her that much.

Headmistress Stella shrugged. “We’ll have to sort out your death, then.”

The brunette’s eyes almost bugged out of her sockets. “What?!” What happened to letting her enroll?

The blonde woman nodded to herself, as well as to Xanthe. “We’ve never had a transferee a few months into the year before, so we won’t be able to notify your family properly. And your disappearance would raise a few questions- so the quickest way to do it is to fake your death.”

The contradictions and underlying irony in the Headmistress’ voice was astounding. Just how insane was this lady?

“Just how would you fake my death?!”

“Well,” The Headmistress smiled once more. “We could always go for the kidnapped scenario. An accident. Or pieces of a body lying on the doorstep with your DNA in it. I suppose I’ll leave the decision up to you.”

Xanthe’s mouth opened and closed like a fish, and she turned her wide eyed gaze to Azlin, silently asking something.

The snow-haired girl nodded solemnly. The Headmistress was being serious.

“With all due respect, Headmistress,” Xanthe said carefully. “Do all of your plans have to end up with me dying? Can’t you just put a spell on me or something?”

For some reason, Azlin flinched and the Headmistress’ eyes showed a bit of shock as soon as she said the word spell. Ronald, on the other hand, was taking the dramatic expressions to a whole new level. He let out a loud gasp and staggered back. His eyes were now the size of plates, and his mouth was open in astonishment.