The Cat Left Behind

Chapter One

   Five hundred years have passed, and Wisdom Spring has not changed at all, except for the fact that a school, Casybil Institute, have risen in the middle of the town. Chihiro Akimoto, a student in the school, is currently sleeping peacefully in her dormitory. Little did she know, a lot will happen later. More, perhaps, than what has happened in her life, which was already filled with mystery and...magic.

The distant clang of the school bell which signalled morning call sounded in the distance, waking Chihiro with a start. Pushing her black-and-blond hair out of her face, she slid out of bed and opened the curtains, letting in bright beams of sunlight. She stretched, yawned, and began to dress. The school uniform was a crisp white shirt with a black tie, tucked into a black skirt that fell to a place slightly above her knees, covered with a pink sweater, with two styles, one with full length sleeves and the other a knitted vest, rimmed with black stripes around the neckline and sleeves of the full-length version, a grey blazer they could decide for themselves whether to wear it or not, white knee socks rimmed with black and pink at the top, and black ankle boots with a small, supportive heel. Combing her hair straight, washing her face, brushing her teeth and swinging her bag onto her shoulder, she stuck the comb back in its box on the shelf and departed for breakfast, giving one last pat to her cat, Inku, who was yowling.

When Chihiro entered the dining hall, she found her best friend, Desdemona Chang, a girl with midnight black hair and chocolate eyes already seated at their table. When Chihiro sat down beside her, she grinned and said, very coolly, "The Cursed Ghost has appeared."

Chihiro, who was thinking about the dull lessons they have, immediately fixed her stare on Desdemona. "Did it really? Who is it? Is it someone we know?"

"Woah, woah! Calm down, Chihiro! It's Tom! Tom Fackrell!"

"What! I don't believe you! Tom? How can he possibly be the Cursed Ghost?"

"You'd know if you spend a bit more time on your classmates, instead of on books. Tom has been behaving very strangely lately, and didn't you know that yesterday he went crazy in Japanese? Oh yeah...you don't need to take Junior Japanese. I forgot that you take the senior class..." Desdemona blushed at her own carelessness.

"How did he go crazy?"

"Oh. He started yelling odd words, stuff that sound like complicated spells that I doubt even Riddle can do. "Maledicat Spiritus", it was."

At her last words, a boy with black hair and green eyes stuck his head between them, "accidentally" dropping his grey blazer on top of Desdemona's head and said, "What did you say? Did I just hear Maledicat Spiritus?"

"Yeah, yeah, yeah, you did, Riddle." sighed Desdemona, chucking Riddle's blazer onto the floor with an almost casual flick, "Don't tell me you know what it means, or worse- that you know how to do it!" she added.

"Listen, you two. This is important. Meet me and Steve at the clocktower as soon as you finish. I repeat, This is important. More important than anything. Hurry."

He grabbed his blazer and departed.

"What on earth," Desdemona said, slowly, watching the figure of Riddle hurry out of sight, "was that about?"

"No idea. Hurry up, we've got to meet them before History."

"Right..."

They found Riddle along with another boy with sleek blond hair and grey eyes--- Steve Evans beside the clocktower. They were conversing in low, serious voices."

"Riddle, what's up?"

"Chihiro, you know that spell Desdemona told us? Maledicat Spiritus? That was the spell that conjured The Cursed Ghost."

"The...the Cursed Ghost?"

"Never you mind now," Steve popped up, "History starts in three minutes and you three had better hurry. I've got Senior Coding to go to!"

And he hurried off.

"Well," Desdemona said, slowly, "should we...just go?"

"Yeah, yeah. Let's go." Chihiro said, pulling Riddle along by the arm.

When they had taken seats in the History classroom, which, as usual, was filled with the smell of ancient parchment and dust. Desdemona sank onto the desk in a doze, but Chihiro and Riddle sat straight, listening with rapt attention to the teacher, Professor Quinton, who was explaining about the first World War, and what had caused it. Setting down her pen, Yuki-Onna looked up from her note-taking, at Professor Quinton, who seemed to be wiping something behind his desk.

Suddenly, a voice erupted from the public address system, "Will all students please assemble in the Meeting Hall at once. All teachers, report to the Staff Room. Will all of you please move, once you hear this announcement, at once!"

Professor Quinton looked up. "I believe that the class monitor of this class is Chiara Lobosca?" he asked, in his old, quavering voice.

"Yes." a girl with long, strawberry-blonde hair tied back in a high, messy ponytail, who was sitting near the back, answered, her hazel eyes lifting from her book.

"Well then, Miss Lobosca, please bring the class down to the Meeting Hall."

"Yes, Professor, sir."

The class filed out in a long, straggly line behind Chiara. Chihiro looked at Riddle, and she could tell that he was just as equally confused as her.

They entered the great oaken doors of the Meeting Hall, and took their places in their house squad. Chihiro's stare moved from Chiha Ishikawa on her left to Chiyoko Kaneko on her right, and she could see that neither of them seemed to know what was happening. Meanwhile, Riddle was talking in a rapid, serious voice to Desdemona, and Steve wasn't doing anything at all. Suddenly, the voice of the Student Council President, Kate Clearbell echoed through the hall, causing many students to jump, and look around wildly before they spotted her walking onto the raised platform near the other end of the hall.

Chihiro was suddenly aware that the faint whispers buzzing from amidst the students have died out. Every eye was fixed on Kate, everyone was eager to hear what she was about to say- and Chihiro realised.

Hi, if you see this, I thank you very very much for reading this.