ODD THINGS

The strangest sounds keep me awake at night, and the beating of my heart gives me nightmares.

***

"You didn't put out that fire all by yourself, did you?"

My breath hitched at what Matt said and I suddenly find it hard to meet his gaze. With a heart hammering inside my chest, I heaved, "W-What are you talking about?" But all he answered me was an amused smirk. Shit.

"Figures.. You suck at water control, anyway."

What in the bloody bloodhounds?!

A burst of anger flared through me. I shot Matt Clintwood a nasty look and barked out, "Are you freakin' underestimating my ability, Clintwood?! If you're so damn good at water control, then you should've extinguished that fire yourself!"

But it seems like none of my words reached his senses. He was still studying my expression as if I'm some kind of rare species.

"Who did it?"

I bit my tongue and roamed the room for an escape. Screw this situation!

"Sterlings, I'll tell the whole school your little secret, if you don't tell me who the fuck put out that fire!"

"I-I..."

"Try picking on someone your own size, Clintwood. Are you that bored that you'll even resort in bullying an innocent witch?"

We turned to the door and saw Hue Parker, leaning against it's frame. Matt clenched his fists and struggled to remain calm. "Got lost in the corridors again, Parker?"

Hue Parker, who was a fairly attractive wizard---I'd give him that, stepped towards us. "I was just curious why our celebrity isn't at Herbology yet. Should I tell Professor Mully you were the cause of delay?"

But before Matt could even counter, Hue pulled me by the hand and dragged me out of the room. We ran until we reached the greenhouse where the sun seems to be glaring at us from above. I turned to Hue and smiled gratefully, "Thanks." He nodded, "What was that about? Matt seemed serious."

Gulping, I shrugged and led the way in, only to be greeted by Carol, the giant man-eating plant, and several other students who gave me a friendly smile..

When dismissal came, the first thing that crossed my mind was the ever-so stunning Lincoln Walter. I blushed crimson upon recalling the memory he left me with this morning. Nat gave me a confused look. "You seriously have a crush on our prefect.."

"Y-Yeah. Hey, I gotta go.. See you later?"

Natalina sighed and nodded. "I'll just go feed Silver. The little guy might be hungry." And after that, she walked up the entrance to the castle. I, on the other hand, started walking towards the garden. Flashes of Lincoln's boyish smiles erupted in my head.

Let me court you. Well, fuck these feelings.

When I reached the garden, I saw no one around. "Lincoln?" The flowers looked exotic even under the rays of the setting sun. It was almost nighttime but the twin moons hung closely above the sky. An eerie breeze swept my bangs and a voice cradled my ears.

"Leviosa."

I spun around and saw a giant red rose, the size of a basketball, floating towards me. Lincoln stood a few feet away, and he was staring at me with gleeful eyes.

"Take it, it's free."

I nodded in hesitation and held the flower between my palms. He walked closer and placed a hand against my cheek.

"I like you."

My heart pounded ten time faster and sweat dripped down my forehead. His gaze fell on mine. The warmth of his hand sending shivers throughout my body. What should I do? Is this the part where the girl confesses her feelings, too? I tore my eyes away from him and stared at my feet. I can't believe my luck. But even so, it feels like something's holding me back.

*

Lincoln escorted me back to our dormitory after a good few hours of just lying on the ground and talking about random things in life. We just finished eating and to be frank, I couldn't concentrate on the food when he's staring at me like I'm the prettiest thing he saw in MidWorld. He's a fun guy. I can almost imagine myself sharing a deep relationship with him. Almost.

"I'll see you in the morning. Sleep well." He said and walked away. Lincoln's really up to his duty. He said he'll be patroling around the castle along with the other prefects. I sighed.

"So, how's your date?"

I shrugged. Nat and Sashe exchanged excited looks and pulled me down on the bed, forcing me to tell them more.

"Come on, Az! We wanna know how Lincoln charms a girl!"

"Yeah, Nat's right, Aza."

I fidgeted under their gazes. "W-Well, we just..talked. I guess that's not worth babbling about?" But my blonde friend immediately snatched the rose I was holding.

"Hey! These aren't native here.."

My eyebrows knitted. "Really?" Sashed frowned, studying the rose herself. "Yes, but I can't remember where they originate."

"Am I interrupting something, my dear?"

The three of use shot our head at the direction of our study table. Auntie sat gracefully on the chair. She had a tired glint in her eyes.

"H-How did you---?"

She beamed at me. "It's magic, dear. Anyway, I'll get straight to the point. But first.. Natalina, Sasha, can you two please leave me and my niece alone for a while?"

My roommates nodded, though confused, they left the room without a word. The moment the door shut, Aunt Ruella swished her wand at the door. "Don't mind it. It's just a soundproof charm. Anyway, there's something I want to talk with you about, Aza." I don't know why but I suddenly felt nervous.

"W-What is it, auntie?"

Her face turned serious. "Were you really the one who put out the fire in the Files Room?"

Shoot. My hands shook and tension rose in the air. Should I tell her the truth? I sighed. I have no choice but to do so.. This is Aunt Ruella. I owe her everything I have up until this day. If it weren't for her, I wouldn't be in this room right now. I wouldn't be in Liondalle.

"A-Auntie.. The truth is, I-I tried to do the water charm myself! B-But I was too weak.. I failed to do it. Then, s-someone, a man, popped out of nowhere and did the spell that extinguished the fire." I bowed my head in humiliation. "I'm sorry for lying.. Please don't get mad."

"Hoot! Hoot!" Silver joyfully landed on my aunt's lap. Aunt Ruella frowned. "Clearly, I don't know it I should be upset or relieved, child."

I lifted my head up to meet her gaze. "Why?"

She took in a deep breath and stood up as Silver perched on the window. "I should be disappointed with that lie of yours..  But then again, I'm more than relieved to know that you weren't the one who extinguished the fire. Turns out, our professors found the bottom drawers empty. The Files Room was robbed of important school documents and they found Traces that matched with the spell used to put out the fire."

My eyes widened. "S-So.."

She nodded. "We though you were the one who stole them."

Traces.. Yes, Beau told me about them once. He said something about Magical Traces. They're like fingerprints. When a wizard touches something, his fingerprint, a trace, will be left, and in return, that particular Magical Trace will exactly match the traces left by the spells you use. That way, any higher wizard can determine who conjoured up magic tricks by matching the Magical Traces.

Aunt Ruella spoke, "A man, you say? Well, as we all know, there were only two students present during the incident. You and.."

A lump formed in my throat. Shit! B-But, Matt didn't do it! Or was he lying earlier? Damn.. "Maybe it was a teacher?"

"That's impossible, dear. The headmaster keeps track of all the professors in Liondalle. He should know. Anyway, it's getting late. I'll report this with the faculty. Good night." And with just a snap of her fingers, Aunt Ruella vanished in a cloud of smoke.

"Hoot! Hoot!"

I weakly walked towards the window were Silver hooted loudly. He was staring at something in the night sky. "What is it?" He flapped his little wings and then, I saw it. There, soaring through the midnight hues, an owl was flying at a distance.

Again? I thought, and somehow, my curiosity peeked. I remember my first night here at Liondalle. I saw the same owl flying through the night that time.. And it seems to be coming from the same tower.

There's really something weird going on here...

***