The Spirits' Guide

Chapter 27

Iris nearly dropped the woman she was carrying when she finally saw Lockin. The school's tallest tower was like a fire on a winter day to Iris.

Seeing a large field, Iris collapsed onto the ground. She was too exhausted and drained to morph back. She looked down at the woman and was relieved to see that she was still breathing. They had been traveling for two days without rest. It was a painful journey for both of them.

"What in burning Hell is going on here?" Iris heard Josephine's shout. Iris groaned in return. Josephine stopped in front of her large head, glaring.

"What did you do?" She snarled at Iris. Iris moved her heavy head to look at Luka's mother. Josephine didn't even blink.

"So after four years, you decide to capture the boy's mother?" Josephine growled.

Iris sighed through her nose. She was too tired to bother. With Josephine yelling at her, Iris fell asleep where she was.

When she opened her eyes, she saw a young boy petting her head. He shouted as he fell back.

Iris leaned her head down to get a closer look at the boy. She knew him. He was the scared little page that gave her Josephine's message before she was thrown out a window.

Iris huffed, her breath ruffling the boy's hair and clothes. She lifted her head once more, she looked around and huffed again. She was in the same field she was in when she arrived.

She closed her eyes and braced herself as she felt her bones shrink and morph back into the bones of a human. When she was finished, the boy was nothing more than a speck in her vision. She watched him run into the large school.

Iris had to wonder who the boy was and why he was always so afraid of her. He never seemed to do any work either.

Iris got off the ground, dusted herself, noticing how her clothes were burned, bloodied, and ripped. She stumbled as she walked slowly to the side doors of Lockin. Her legs felt numb and like jello all at once.

She barely slipped into the school without making noise as she tripped over a doorstopper.

"You are completely insane." Iris heard a male voice. She grunted in return, "Help me up, moron."

"And you're not even going to apologize or give a reason for why you vanished suddenly?" Luka spat at her as he helped her up. Leaning on him, Iris muttered, "Up to Josephine's office."

Luka did not budge as Iris attempted to move forward. Turning back to glare at him, Iris noticed he was staring at her with a strange look on his face.

"What? We need to get to Josephine's office before she realizes I'm awake." Iris grunted as she tried to move once more. She was once again denied.

"Do you not realize how worried everyone was?" Luka asked suddenly. Iris stopped struggling to move.

"No, tell me. Out of everyone in this school, in this country, I would assume you would be the only one worried. Especially since I gave you a place to sleep and food to eat." Iris snapped. Luka looked like Iris had slapped him.

"You really think that no one cares about you?" Luka asked, hurt in his voice. Iris could have gagged at the emotion.

"I do not need a therapy session right now. Now, hurry up and help me climb those stairs." Iris demanded. Luka relented and helped her to the base of the stairs that led into the tower.

As they slowly made their way up, Luka said, "I wasn't the only one."

"What are you talking about now?" Iris sighed lowly. Luka stayed silent for another heartbeat before saying, "Josephine, Julia, even that little page boy seem worried about you. More people care than you think, or care about."