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“And you sent her to the Blank because you don’t want to feel bad about using her?! How is that any better?!” He raised his voice and started flailing his arms. “How is that not pure evil?!”
“What the fuck are you talking about?” Everyone was looking at us. I grabbed him by his uniform jacket and pulled him out of the line. “What is the Blank?”
He looked at me with wide eyes. Disbelief was written all over his face.
“You don’t know what the Blank is? How long has she been there?”
“I don’t know, since the second or third day of Christmas. What the fuck is the Blank?”
“Oh my God, Mila…” He ran his hand through his platinum blond hair. “Oh my God, you’re so clueless sometimes… And I know you’re not one of us, and there are many things you don’t know about our world, but this just can’t be your excuse all the goddamn time. Is it so hard to do some fucking research?”
“Research on what?”
“On pixies!”
I crossed my arms over my chest. I was starting to feel annoyed, and a bit scared.
“Just tell me what’s wrong. I don’t need all this drama. If I did something bad, I’ll fix it and do better next time.”
He huffed. “Yeah, and while you’re at it, maybe get Corri a therapist, too. If you really want to fix it, that is.”
“Klaus!”
He sighed and tried to calm down. “The Blank is where pixies are held after they’re trained and put on the market. They stay there until someone buys them, then they go there every time their master sends them away.”
“And what’s this place like?”
“What do you think it’s like? It’s called the Blank.”
“So… empty?” I didn’t like where this was going. I reached into the pocket of my uniform blazer, but the bell wasn’t there. I’d left it in my room.
“Empty, dark, floating in an endless space of sensory deprivation. I’ve never been there, obviously, but that’s how books describe it. And if you think this is fun, then hear this: not only are pixies sent to the Blank, but they each have their own cage. And they stay there, locked up, until their master calls on them again. There are horror stories about masters who got bored of their pixies and left them in the Blank to rot. Pixies are not immortal, but they do have awfully long lives.”
“Oh my God!” I covered my mouth with my hands. “Why didn’t you tell me sooner?”
“I thought you knew!”
“Corri never told me.”
“She probably didn’t want to upset you. That would get her a penalty from the Council. But I thought you’d done your research.”
“Well, apparently, I’m not as smart as you think I am!” I yelled at him and ran out of the dining hall.
I couldn’t get to the north tower fast enough, and then the stairs literally killed me. I was a mess by the time I reached my floor. Panting, sweating, and cursing under my shallow breath, I burst through the door, rummaged through my bedside drawer, and pulled out the bell. I rang it desperately.
“Mistress, you’re back! I’m back! How may I serve you?”
“Oh my God, Corri!” I grabbed her by the waist and pulled her to my chest. She yelped, then let out a pained screech, and I realized I was squeezing her too hard. I held her more gently but didn’t let go. “I’m so sorry! I had no idea. You never told me, and I was so stupid, so clueless, so busy with my own damn drama, that I didn’t think… I should have asked you, should have asked someone…”
“I don’t understand what’s happening.”
I held her at arm’s length and looked into her big, almond eyes. “The Blank. I had no idea that every time I sent you away, you were locked
up in a cage, in complete darkness.” An odd mix of fear, sadness, and gratitude flashed across her tiny face. “I’m sorry. I promise I will never do that to you again. You’re staying here, with me. I’m never sending you away.”
“Thank you,” she said in a small voice. “You don’t have to, you know? I’m used to it. It’s… natural.”
“Corri, there’s nothing natural about it! There’s nothing natural about pixie slavery. Was your kind ever free?”
