CORRUPTED FILE [Lumina Chronicles Past Drafts]

Level Eleven

[ELLE'S PoV]

Getting back to campus was a relief. Not that I didn't like being home with the fam, it was just... a lot to deal with. For one, there was the Marc thing. My dad was dad-ish about him, which I totally expected. Thankfully he let up a bit after I made it clear that Marc was super for sure only a friend. But Mama didn't let up. The entire week.

Any chance she got, she would comment on how cute Marc was, or how well we seemed to get along, etc etc etc. Obviously she meant well. My parents were the coolest—well, maybe not cool, but definitely the best— I just got tired of smiling and laughing along with her while Marc made those stupid faces at me.

The other reason I was happy to go back to school was, surprise surprise, Mags. I didn't expect being home to hit me as hard as it did, but when we went out for dinner one night I saw the posters plastered all over town. Mags' face was everywhere.

And then, because fate truly enjoys kicking my butt any chance it gets, we ran into the Senator Jacqueline Darrow. I've known her since Mags and I met in kindergarten. I've had dinners and sleepovers in her house. There was that one awkward time where she saw me in a towel because I forgot to lock the bathroom door. But we've never been "close," and I could probably count on one hand the total number of conversations we've had. She'd definitely never hugged me before.

"It's good to see you Elle," she murmured. Her arms shook slightly as they loosely wrapped around me, but she kept a professional expression. "Have you heard... anything?"

I returned the awkward hug to the best of my ability, but I wasn't as good at keeping calm. My eyes burned as I shook my head. I hated that I couldn't explain that no one was going to hear anything, because Mags wasn't in this dimension anymore.

Mama and Dad talked to Mrs. Darrow for a bit, and I was able to pick up bits and pieces of their conversation—Jackie was sure that Maggie's disappearance was her fault. I shuffled awkwardly at Marc's side. I wished I could tell her the truth, but straight-jackets were so not my style.

After that encounter, I was a wreck for the remainder of break. When the week ended, I hugged my parents and said goodbye. Marc hugged them as well, which Mama of course loved. Dad handled it like a trooper.

Marc and I climbed back into Petunia and spent the entire drive back to campus in almost total silence. I wasn't particularly in the mood to talk, and luckily Marc had Pokemon to keep him occupied.

Once we were back in the dorm, Marc nudged me. "I'm bored. Let's play one of those 'fighting games' you told me about."

I rolled my eyes as I settled back into my nest. "Nah. Don't you have another gym badge to collect?"

Marc pouted and leaned against the wall with his arms crossed. "I have completed my collection, and obtained the Legendary Beast. ...Why 'nah?'"

"Several reasons. One," I held up a finger while logging into my computer with the other hand. "I would thrash you easily. Two, you'd hate it. Three, I have more data to go through, I don't have time for games when Mags is in danger."

"How do you know she's in danger? She could be having the time of her life," Marc muttered.

"She's all alone in a different world, she's in danger." I shook my head and opened all the files I had for Dark Reckonings. On my other screen, I pulled up a document with all the notes I'd taken so far.

"Why are you so obsessed with Magdalyn?" Marc's tone was so matter-of-fact it barely sounded like a question.

I bristled. "I am not obsessed. She's family, I'm sure she would be just as worried if our positions were reversed." A rude little voice in the back of my mind questioned that statement, suggesting that if I had vanished instead, she'd probably be off on a date with Adrian Heart-Emoji right now. I bit my cheek hard and stomped the voice down.