"This is almost as crazy as Lillae's plan itself," I declared, crossing my arms and assuming a firm stance. I ignored the dirty looks I got from other passers by in the crowded IAYN hallway, who all seemed very eager to get to whichever overpriced campus restaurant they planned to eat at on this bleak autumn afternoon. "Not to mention the fact that getting caught would probably result in more prison time than I've been alive." 

"Based on the information in your CT log, I calculate the odds of our being caught at less than three percent," Nemesis stated with suave confidence. "And that's assuming the crown princess exaggerated nothing, which is highly unlikely given her personality. Think about it logically, Swan- we may never get another opportunity to uncover what could be one of the biggest secrets in Imperial history. Piggybacking on the heiress to the throne is about as convenient as exploration gets." 

"It's so risky, and for what? We know a lot about its defenses and layout, but we don't have any solid reason to believe that the Gateway tunnel's got anything important in it at all. For all we know, it's for the monarchs' personal stock of fresh bananas," I stated at a volume which, back at Icicle Hall, would bring a very angry mother up to my room with a copy of the basic rules of royal etiquette. Here at the IAYN in the middle of free hour, however, one could belt out an assassination plot to the tune of the Imperial anthem and it be lost in the endless noise. 

"If King Airel hadn't put himself, his wife, and his infant children on a primitive spaceship headed into uncharted territory a thousand years ago, we never would've discovered Rhena," Nemesis replied matter-of-factly. "Without risk, there is no reward. Whatever is in the tunnel, the government does not even trust guards to guard it, hence the location's noticeable lack of live security forces. Pertinent sections of every document that even mentions the name of it are accessible only to those with the highest security clearance, also known as the Council and adult members of the royal family, the ones who encrypted them in the first place. Our conniving little Queen must really love her bananas."

"She's not conniving!" I spat crossly, quick to defend my caring aunt. As intelligent and concerned as Nemesis was, there was something about the way she talked that suggested Aunt Tara and the Council were hiding something, and I didn't like it one bit. I respected her ability to stand up to Lillae and her courage in accepting someone like me as a friend, and she had the right to her beliefs, as wrong as they were, but she could keep her controversial political opinions to herself. 

"She's not a liar. She's a lot like you, actually," I continued, feeling a sudden need to defend my position. "She's not afraid to be different, and to embrace the unusual. She fought for Rhenans' rights when no one else would, always insisting that it wasn't that nobody cared, but that most ordinary people were too afraid to say anything. She's been through horrors worse than we could ever imagine and struggles with scarring memories of the Iceheart torture chambers every day of her life, but you'd never guess it with how absolutely fearless she is; in fact, she hates being pitied, and never uses her experiences as an excuse for anything. If there's a hero on this planet, it's Tara Adrialle Arystenn."

Nemesis paused for a moment, expressionless, as she leaned against the deep brown wall behind her and stretched her arms about her head. Although she maintained her composure phenomenally, it was clear that she hadn't been expecting me to so strongly defend the Queen. Still, she would only take her a moment to come up with an effective counterargument- after all, she had already defeated the reigning province-wide champion in a mock debate. 

Yet, for once, Nemesis did something highly illogical. 

She began to laugh. 

She shook her head as she guffawed, as if unable to believe what she had heard. Then, she looked me straight in the eye, her piercing, blue irises conveying an urgent message I could not comprehend. Her response was simple, but bitingly effective. "Is it not true that every villain is the hero of his own story?" she mused before pursing her lips with a condescending tut-tut. "The winners write the history books, but that's not the problem. The problem is, if something is in a big book by an old guy with a doctorate, people will believe it."

"Listen," I lowered my voice. "I don't know what my aunt did to you, but I'm pretty sure it was completely unintentional. She's the Queen, you know. It's logistically impossible for her to know what specific impact her decisions have on every single person in the Empire. No one is perfect, and sometimes, little mistakes have unforeseeable consequences. One thing I've learned from being a literal bully magnet is that if you're going to get through life, you have to learn to forgive. So many people will hurt you in so many ways, half of whom won't even mean to do it, and if you go around hating them all, you'll just grow up to be a big, miserable glob of hate."

"If you want to explore the Gateway tunnel, I might actually be open to that idea, but we should do it to learn more about what's going on with our Empire, not to feed whatever weird vendetta you've got going."

"Fair enough," Nemesis nodded, though it was clear her agreement was superficial. "The opportunity was, after all, begotten by you. This operation will be conducted on your terms." 

"Thank you," I sighed in relief. "Now, can we-" 

I was interrupted by the diamond-encrusted tip of some senior's high heel coming down directly on the soft flesh between my toes. I yelped at the pain, hopping backwards on one leg as I cradled my throbbing foot in my arms. Shoves and prods began to come at me from all directions as the crowd shifted, beginning to move backwards. 

This is definitely not normal. 

I looked to Nemesis for an explanation, but she appeared as confused as I was, pressing her back to the wall to avoid being pushed along with the mob as her eyes darted around in search of the source of the commotion. 

It didn't stay hidden for long. 

"All students, clear the main entrance and keep to the sides of the hallways! I want a two-foot corridor clear in every passageway! This is for your own safety!" Dr. Atwater walked through our midst with a hefty Aural megaphone that looked like it belonged to a giant in her petite hands. Sure enough, everyone began to clump toward the walls as instructed, clearing a path for the principal. 

"You are free for the remainder of the school day. I do not want anyone accessing the front wing of our primary building," Atwater announced, yet her grave face contradicted her benevolent words. Something's off. 

"There is no point in hiding the truth anymore- it is out already." The once impossibly loud hallway felt silent in anticipation of the principal's revelation. "The last one was a quiet affair, but this time, that is far from the case. The body of Martina Raenette was discovered this morning hanging from our flagpole in the place of Imperial flag- if you've read the news stories, you know of the cryptic message that was etched into the surface of the unfortunate young lady's outstretched tongue. Two deaths within a month of the beginning of the school year...this has brought ignominy to our noble school. Hard times are upon us, my privileged students, and it is my sincerest hope that together, we will pull through." 

Another life lost...

Perhaps Nemesis had influenced me more than I realized, because although my insides were tied up in impossible knots, my first instinct was to analyze. The killings made no sense- from what I knew of them, Rhoda Faye and Martina Raenette had absolutely nothing to do with each other. Martina was the graduating valedictorian and senior class secretary, yet another IAYN prodigy on the path to millions of duvats, while no one even knew Rhoda's name while she was alive. There was absolutely nothing that could connect them, nothing that could lead to a possible motive behind their subsequent deaths.

"Hey," I whispered to Nemesis. "Is that one of the articles?" I gestured to her thumb, which discreetly manipulated a portable Aurascreen. The girl nodded. 

"What's the 'cryptic message'?" I inquired, hoping that it would provide a clue. 

"All shall fall victim to the Lights," Nemesis whispered with purpose, almost as if the words constituted the first phrase of some eerie chant, before chuckling lightly. "What else would it be?" 

"If this does not convince you that we must enter Gateway's tunnel together and with a clear goal in mind, I don't know what will. Whatever they are, these Lights are taking innocent lives, and we're the only ones other than the fluff-headed Princess Lillae and her little minion, Lady Zaliana, who know of the tunnel's possible connection to them. The fate of our school may very well rest in our hands."