The Spirit Academy

Chapter 22 - The Others

Lana

Makani was here. Lana couldn't believe it. Makani was here! Makani who had disappeared without a trace, without a word. 

"But... But you're? You what! How?" Lana sputtered.

Makani gave a sheepish smile. "I just came here before you. I was the first to get my memories back."

"So you didn't disappear? You just came here!" 

Makani nodded. "You know how it's like. I couldn't tell anyone."

"So, you're telling me, my Grandma saved you?" Dahlia asked.

Makani nodded.

Dahlia spoke up, "My Grandma saved you eight, so you could save others, and yet you've only saved Lana and Sefarina."

Roxy fixed her with a hard glare. "And you. Though I am beginning to regret it. And if you continue to have an attitude about everything, I will deliver you straight to Azalea."

Lana watched as Dahlia's cheeks turned red.

"That's not... I was just saying we have to get the others out as soon as possible. "

Marina nodded trying to ease the tension. 

"It's not that easy. You see, there's guards positioned around the academy. And we have to make sure they remember before we take them. Because there are spies in the academy. If we pick up one of them... then we're done for. For good."

Lana piped up, "We can get Mishal out. I showed her."

Dahlia hesitated, "Didn't... the prophecy. The five most powerful. I think we should get Guthrie out. She blew the stables away. And she could be in danger, we have to-"

"We can't," Roxy interrupted in a cold voice. "Too dangerous. If she's shown the kind of power the council would have noticed. She would have been flagged. She might lead them right to us."

Lana shook her head in disgust. "So you've just been hiding here for one whole year? Doing nothing about the spirits experimented on?"

This was all going so wrong. They weren't meant to hide.

One of the blonde twins stepped forward. "It's not that simple. We can't risk everything. We've had no contact from anyone else so we have to assume we are the only ones left."

Fawn nodded. "Adara is right. We would have had a lot more time but they've moved up the graduation."

"And graduation means they start experimenting," Roxy said in a hard voice.

"Experimenting? But I thought only the five?" Sefarina asked.

Raven spoke up. Her voice was hard.

"No. They experiment on everyone. Those who don't die because of the experiments are left to rot in jail. Can't risk them talking. Can't risk an uprising. The five most powerful or according to them, the top student of each element are experimented on first. They draw blood, inject needles, do whatever they want. But that of course won't work. The prophecy is bull. So they go through all the spirits. From the highest ranking to the least."

Lana's mouth went dry. "Graduation is next week," She whispered.

"That's when they start experimenting." Sefarina said.

"We need to get them out," Dahlia said. "We need to hurry. If we make contact. The highest ranking first right? Who is it?"

"Anala for fire," Sefarina said, "Jade for earth."

"Though we can skip her," Lana muttered.

"Anahita for water. And Auretta for air."

Aithne spoke up. The first thing she said since they met. "I don't know."

"Oh not this again," Roxy said rolling her eyes.

Aithne spoke in a small voice. "I just have a bad feeling."

"Well, we have to do something, right?" Lana asked. What Lana didn't say was that she had a bad feeling too.

"Right," Makani said.

"But we can't just go in and take them," Rekka protested.

"How about this?" Lana said, "I go in, and see what's up. Stay there for a day or so. Figure out what's happening. Who we can trust."

There was a long silence.

"I don't think," Dahlia began. "I don't think you should go alone, I'll go with you."

"Nu-uh." Roxy spoke up, "I'm not your biggest fan Dahlia, but even I think you shouldn't go. Azalea would have had red flags all around you. Your grandmothers involvement wasn't secret. It's too dangerous."

Dahlia sighed but didn't argue further.

Makani spoke up, "Maybe not Dahlia, but one of us."

Fawn shook her head. "Lana's the only one they don't have concrete evidence on. The least suspicious out of all of us. If Lana randomly shows up at the academy, with one of us... they'll lock both of you up before you can say God help me."

Raven pursed her lips. "What about you? Miss Celebrity?"

Makani shook her head but didn't say anything.

Adara turned towards Lana.

"You can handle this right?"

Lana nodded. Because if she had opened her mouth she would have backed out.