Fowler School of Magic's

I killed her

She woke up in her bed. Francine and Nathan talked quietly at the end of the bed. She sat up, feeling her arm explode in pain as she clenched her teeth.

She had been taking a walk and now she woke up in her dorm. Francine handed her a piece of paper and opened envelope.

Dear Calliope,
Sorry we couldn't stay and make sure you were alright. We found you asleep in the woods and deemed it much safer for you to be asleep in your dorm. Please be more careful.
-FSM

She ran her finger over the wax seal on the envelope, the official seal of the school. She'd seen it a few times. It sounded like something she would do. Waking up somewhere where she didn't fall asleep was scary though.

"Sorry if I worried you guys I-"
"What? I came back from class to find you here. You've been missing since yesterday."

She passed her the note despite knowing she probably already read it. It was probably some invasion of privacy but she was too tired to care.

"This is a big lie, but it also helps us."
"What's the last thing you remember, Calla?"

Francine glared at him for interrupting but when Calla struggled to answer she quickly dropped it. "I was walking in the woods and-"

Rhiannon and Hugo appeared on the bed, standing worriedly at the end.
"Don't have much time." Hugo started, "No energy from you." Rhiannon finished. Calla stared at them, waiting for them to finish as she reached for Nathan's hand. He stared at her out stretched palm and she withdrew it. She had to make the most of what little energy she'd be able to give them.

"I'm missing something aren't I?" She asked, earning a scoff from Francine. She ignored it, watching Rhiannon take Hugo's hand as he tried to describe what occurred. She stopped him.

"Hugo's filling me in," she said, looking back at the only other living people in the room. "Care to listen in?" Francine practically jumped on the bed, taking her hand as Nathan sat one the edge. Rhiannon sat behind her, leaned against the wall.

"You start," Hugo said, chewing on his unchanging nails. Calla worried he'd slip into old English soon.

"I was leading Rin and her to the gate. To make a long story short, when they touch it, they passed out. Except Rin was the first and Calla was the one to get taken."
"By who?"
"I don't know!"
"Anyway, I couldn't follow her down. Not enough energy output. Hugo though..."

She looked to him, paralyzed and staring out the window. The others followed.

He described in detail a dimly lit room, a girl pushed through a door and a choice. Do what was asked of her or death. After a failed attempt of faking erasing her memory, ending with the pain on her arm now, of faking it, she actually erased her memory.

"Who was it? The girl?" Francine asked eagerly, nearly falling off the bed. Hugo stared straight through them all before his eyes fell to the floor. "Emily," It was quiet. Much quieter and Francine's scoff.

"I'm going to have a few words with-"
"She's dead."

Calla felt her hand squeeze Rhiannon's. When she'd let go of Francine she didn't know. She needed to feel something familiar. Something she could squeeze without worrying of any pain. Flashes of a knife and blood and fabric rushed back to her and disappeared as quickly as they came.

"Who suggested we fake it?"
"Calla...."
"So it was me then?"

The words were on the tip of her tongue. I killed her. I'm the reason a girl is dead. I killed her. She dead because of me. I killed her.