Chapter 22: Chapter TWENTY TWO

Ethan was waiting for Mia, leaning against the bricks of the wall next to the door to the infirmary. His entire face bore witness to the boredom he was beset with. When he saw the young human, he stood up to approach her and greet her out loud.

Mia sighed and waved back, not feeling like talking to him immediately. The young Vila raised a questioning eyebrow.

"Always in such a good mood, I see," Ethan began teasingly.

Another sigh from the young woman.

"Let's go," she ordered, leading the way, ignoring his remark.

Ethan moved behind her, letting her direct the trajectory. They walked through the corridors and the hall in silence, neither of them willing to start a civil conversation. Either way, Ethan was too busy scanning his surroundings and glaring at students crossing his path.

Mia's stoicism about the situation amazed him. She moved with her head held high as if the space belonged to her and she had nothing to fear. He had to admit, he had expected her to be at least uncomfortable, at worst terrified. Did she truly realize the mess they had gotten themselves? Humans were particularly weak against creatures like the ones that inhabited the Arena. How could she ignore that fact and not act on it?

Arriving at the arena tunnel, annoyance began to creep in. They had not exchanged a word during the whole trip from the infirmary to the arena. Even though he was trying to convince himself that he'd rather they just ignore each other by pretending that this whole situation didn't exist, his inner Vila wasn't thrilled with the situation.

He broke down when they passed a few groups of students talking near the bleachers to sit a few meters further.

"Is that really how it's going to be? Act like I'm not there, like everything's normal?" he blurted, taking his place next to the young woman.

She looked down at the Vila and winced, visibly annoyed by his questions. Her gaze was impenetrable, letting none of her thoughts show, totally closed. It was a reaction he hadn't seen before in the young human. He didn't like it. Scathing remarks, insults, fury, he could handle it all. But nothing? It was almost hurtful.

"How did you think it would turn out? You thought we were going to be buddy-buddy?" she replied in a venomous tone.

To say he was surprised was an understatement. He had certainly not expected so much contempt. His inner Vila roared, unhappy with the young woman's reaction. He told him to fix things as if it was his fault as if he had done anything to incur his wrath.

Had he done something to make that happen?

No, we parted civilly yesterday. I have nothing to blame myself for.

"Did something happen last night or this morning?" he tried calmly, now was not the time to make the situation worse.

Mia's tense posture shattered. Her shoulders slumped as a long sigh crossed her lips. He hadn't noticed how nervous she was before those signs. Ethan's brain raced as he waited for the blonde's answer, already imagining something bad had happened when he couldn't watch her. The contempt had disappeared from her eyes, replaced by hesitation, when she finally spoke.

"No, it's... nothing..." she began weakly before recovering herself, now showing a determined air. "Listen, I'm still having a hard time getting used to this whole situation. I don't know on which foot to dance with you."

"Why? You seemed pretty sure how to handle the situation yesterday. What changed?"

Ethan wasn't exactly someone that liked other people's company. He did not have many friends if you could even say he had a few. He was not the type to trust the first comer, and even less to stick his nose in stories that did not concern him. He was already struggling to understand his male counterparts, but then a woman... He was swimming in uncharted waters. Frankly, he wasn't used to dealing with such rapid changes in behavior.

"It's just that..."

Her words were cut off by the distinct sound of car horns, demanding the students' attention. Absorbed in thought, Ethan hadn't noticed that the bleachers had filled up considerably and the Headmaster had appeared, preparing to begin his speech. Mia immediately turned her attention away from the Vila, resting it on the dais overlooking the bleachers that hosted the faculty and management.

"Good morning, students!" greeted the Headmaster as he stepped forward. "Let's not waste time beating around the bush, I know that you are all very impatient to know the sequence of events and the result of the investigation."

A few laughs and exclamations arose, confirming the Director's words.

"First of all, classes will resume tomorrow..."

A hubbub of conversation covered the rest of his speech. Many seemed disappointed and hoped that classes would be canceled for a few more days. Ethan rolled his eyes, not the least surprised by the behavior of his comrades. The blessed who only had in mind the resumption of classes as their only concern seemed to him very ridiculous.

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"Please, silence," he asked, raising his voice. "As for the tournament..."

The voices of the students died instantly, covering the square with an awkward silence. Ethan's gaze drifted to the huge pack of werewolves sitting opposite the row of bleachers. He had never seen them so tightly knit, which did not reassure him in the least. From a distance, he could see some individuals whispering, others clenching their fists, but all of them had a stern expression.

“I won't go into the details of the investigation for now, but know that we found nothing that would indicate deliberate acts. Every element suggests that the events are the result of an unfortunate chain of accidental events."

The Headmaster paused, looking gloomy. He knew that what he had just announced would not delight the werewolves who did not fail to protest. Cries arose, asking that the investigation be renewed more meticulously, or demanding the name of a culprit.

"Let it be clear, we do not know who is behind these acts. No witness was able to clearly distinguish who participated in this battle once the miasma spread. Nevertheless, we will not tolerate any retaliation."

The Headmaster's gaze was firmly on the werewolves who didn't seem willing to regain their composure. The volume of their protests decreased, but the sound of their whispers still filled the place.

"Did they interrogate you?" Mia asked suddenly.

"No, what about you?"

"No," she answered simply.

It was a simple, innocent question, but Ethan couldn't help but think it was still odd. They had been directly hurt by the events of the tournament, and no one had deemed it necessary to take their testimony. Should he find that suspicious?

They must have judged that we couldn't see anything from up there anyway, he finally told himself, deciding to put these thoughts in the back of his mind.

The werewolf problem was a more pressing matter, though there was absolutely nothing he could do about it. The tension reigned in the school, it was even clearly palpable. He strongly doubted that it would calm down in a few days. One of their own had died, it was no small teenager quarrel in the bend of a hallway.

"To end on a happier note, we decided to organize a masked ball next weekend to calm things down. The whole castle will be requisitioned for the occasion. Details will be posted soon on the notice board," concluded the Director. "Have a nice day!"

He disappeared with the rest of the administration and teachers, leaving the students to chat and leave the arena at their own pace. As expected, some were delighted with the news, while others looked offended.

“Not a bad move, but I don't think it's going to ease the tension,” advised a voice he barely recognized behind them.

Mia turned around and got up, a smile on her face when she saw her friend Arry with another magician. They glared at Ethan for a moment, then decided to pretend he wasn't there. Which suited him fine.

"What are you planning to do today?" inquired the young man, addressing Mia.

The blonde glanced hesitantly at Ethan before replying:

"I don't know... Maybe borrow a book and read it in the infirmary..."

"Oh," exclaimed Arry, a little disappointed. "We planned to go for a walk towards the lake and have a picnic around noon. We thought we'd invite you and Lily too."

"I don't know..."

"If you change your mind, meet us at eleven-thirty in front of the gardens!"

The two magicians left the bleachers, leaving them alone again.

It was pretty obvious that Mia wanted to join her friends, but she was hesitant about the presence of the Vila. Unfortunately, he did not intend to go back on his words. If she wanted to go, he would go too. Whether she liked it or not.

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