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Claire nodded and Holly looked at Headmaster Dorian. “Is it possible to know which room was her mother’s when she attended here?”
Headmaster Dorian nodded. “Let me look at the files.” Andy and Helene stood with the Headmaster and moved over to one of his bookshelves, accepting the stacks of files he handed them and flipping through them quickly.
That was actually a brilliant idea, Claire thought. Maybe the room referenced in her mother’s journals wasn’t a hidden room but Winona’s old room.
“You could probably just walk the halls of this place and find it,” Cody said.
Claire wasn’t the only one who furrowed their eyebrows in confusion at him. He rolled his eyes. “I’m just saying that you have a special connection to the Academy. We all know that. Why don't you just walk the halls and ask it? I bet it would lead you to wherever or whatever you are looking for.”
“That’s actually…” Bethany started.
“Brilliant,” Holly finished before another argument could break out with Bethany’s quick tongue.
“I was going to say that,” Bethany muttered and Holly rolled her eyes at her.
“It is a really good idea,” Desmond praised. “One of us can go with you.”
Claire shook her head. “No, I think if what Cody says is true, and from what else we know, I think I’ll have to be alone to find it.”
“I don’t like the idea of you wandering the halls alone,” Malcolm growled.
Claire smiled. “I know, but if I can refer you to the shaking mountain the other day I can tell you that I am perfectly fine to wander around by myself.” Although she wasn’t about to use that much magic again anytime soon, if she was alone and facing a threat by herself, she could let it out without endangering anyone.
“Shaking mountains?” Holly whispered to Desmond. “You left a lot out in your message, Cousin.”
“You can fill them all in about the last week or so and I’ll be back soon.”
“At least take Puck with you,” Everett said but Claire shook her head again.
“No, cause who knows who else I’ll run into out there. He’s a dead giveaway I’m an Elf.”
“She’s right,” Desmond said. “We’re lucky that Gwen protects the Academy’s neutrality fiercer than even the Headmaster does.”
“See, it’s all agreed on. I’ll check in.” She tapped her temple to indicate through the bonds. “But I need to go find it. Now.” The restless, urgent itch under her skin had only gotten worse the longer she had been in the Headmaster’s office.
“Be safe,” Everett caught her with a kiss that had her breath catching. He still owed her for rescuing them in the mountains and his darkened eyes told her he remembered the same thing.
Malcolm let out a low growl as she approached him and she rolled her eyes. “I will quite literally be back soon. The campus isn’t that big.”
“Big enough,” Malcolm grumbled but kissed her forehead and released her to Desmond.
“Go kick some ass,” Desmond smiled. He gave her a kiss and a quick tap on her bottom as she moved towards the door, ignoring the eye roll she shot him over her shoulder.
Helene handed her a piece of paper and a key. “Here. This was your mother’s room.”
“Thank you,” Claire said, taking both and memorizing the room number on the paper before folding it and slipping it into one of her pockets. “I’ll be back.”
The restless itch eased as she stepped out of the office and bypassed Gwen with a quick wave. She headed out of the administrative building and towards the dorms. The girl’s dorms actually used to be in a different building so instead of heading to Dormitory Building 2, she turned past it and walked towards Dormitory Building 1.
Her footsteps echoed against the empty walls as she entered the building. There was a stale smell to the air, as if it had sat undisturbed for too long. She guessed that was true. The Academy probably wasn’t used to not having students around going in and out of its walls. She ignored the musty smells as her footsteps echoed in the empty hallway. Her mother’s old room was on the first floor down the east hallway.
She pressed the key into the latch, the quiet click echoing in the hallway as the lock gave way. She slipped in and pressed the door closed. For good measure, she flipped the lock on the door. The Academy seemed empty but it was best to not take any chances. She could probably handle most questions about her appearance here as retrieving items from their suite but that only worked if she wasn’t caught in a completely different dormitory building.
She glanced around the room. The tidy bed and bare dresser spoke to its lack of an occupant. It looked as if the room had been cleaned out like the participant didn’t have an intention of returning. It made Claire wonder why but also glad she wasn’t going to have to disturb anyone’s stuff as she tried to find this hidden room. The emptiness of the room also made her frown. If there was truly a clue here, it wasn’t visible. Claire rolled her eyes at herself. Of course it wouldn’t be visible. Like the code for her mother’s journals, the clue here was probably invisible to the eyes.
She closed her eyes and started at the door, running her hands over each of the stones as she made her way down the wall towards the dresser. She ran her hands over every stone in the room before opening her eyes and admitting defeat. None of them had felt any different than the others. Their rough surfaces held no abnormal etchings or anything else of the like.
She frowned and sat down on the bed, wrapping her arms around her as she thought. If it wasn’t hidden like that was it even hidden in this room? Maybe her mother hid a clue somewhere else? Or maybe the room didn’t mean Winona’s room or a room at all? Surely the professors or Headmaster would know if there were secret rooms in the Academy?
