The Elucaen Curse

Ch. 11

As the breeze lightly brushed against our skin upon impact with the brisk evening air, I felt a sense of utmost tranquility; something I haven't felt in quite a while. The horizon seemed to be stitched with a line of copper, acknowledging the transition from day to night. It was truly a wonderful sight.

"So...you ready for our tour?" Veralyn asked after a moment of silence.

I eagerly nodded. "Sure, let's go. Where are we heading to first?"

"You'll see...but trust me when I say this, by the time we concluded this tour, you're going to know the school inside out," she replied with a wink, "Come on, follow me."

As our steps thumped its way against the firm stone pavement, I started to notice how vacant the school grounds really was during that time; Veralyn and I were literally the only ones outside the dorms. Must be because of the new curfew.

"We're here!" Veralyn exclaimed, snapping me back into reality.

I quickly glanced up and we were face to face...with the gate. "Veralyn, why are we at the gate?"

"Well, that's because I want to show you everything, starting exactly from where you came in; that way, you'll know your ways if you ever get lost."

My nose scrunched in confusion. "Alright...so you're saying we have to walk all that way back into the school too?"

She nodded eagerly. "Exactly, so let's just pretend this is the first time you're entering the school. Now turn around, we're going to start walking throughout the school."

I decided to play along. "Oh my! What a beautifully-structured gate! Never in my life have I seen such an amazing piece of architecture befo-"

"Erin I think that's a tad too much," she snickered.

"Hey, too much is never enough...though my parents kept telling me that I'm way too dramatic and sarcastic for my own good," I sighed heavily.

"Good to know. Anyways, this area," she said as she gestured to the grassy zone around us," is the courtyard. This is where a lot of us hang out at when we have free time, or just to relax in general; its very refreshing, trust me."

I then closed my eyes and allowed the wind to carress my cheeks, listening to its soft whispers. "You're right, it's relaxing, especially with the crickets. So, where to next?"

"Well, as far as the outside goes, this is it. I'll show you the back of the school another time, since I want to show you the inside as well. Come on, let's jog it up a bit."

A few minutes later, we came to a halt in front of a massive building. Like the others, it had the same ivory coloring and navy blue roofs, except this time, it was illuminated with a myriad of candles.

"Wow...it's beautiful at night. Is this the main school?"

"Yeah, but now that I think about it, we should come back here after I show you the dorms on the other side, since we can just go straight to dinner afterwards at seven," she whispered.

"Sure, you're the 'boss'. Why are you whispering, anyways?" I asked, amused.

"Shh...It's just, I've been really paranoid lately after all those rumors about the haunted forest."

I slapped her arm. "Great, now I'm scared. Can we just hurry up with the outside tour so we can go inside?"

"Good idea. Anyways, you know our dorm, right? The one literally fifteen feet away on your right?" she asked as we walked on the path leading to the student dormitories.