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“You’re right,” Eva smiled a little nervously.
“I’ll be seeing ya around!” the gardener waved, fixing her hat, then continuing with her work.
Eva walked up the path which Bella had told her about and reached the building quickly. By the time she was there, everyone else seemed to be gone, probably reaching that place everyone was supposed to go to, following that horn. Curiosity was eating her up alive. Where were they all going?
The main building was majestic and huge in a way that didn’t exist in the cities anymore. It was an ancient looking building, and Eva knew that it probably didn’t change from the moment it was built, up until now. It was preserved, as it was, as it had always been, for future generations. It was made from yellow brick, which stood gaping, naked in places where the paint had washed off but those places were rare. She only noticed it in the corner, where the rose bushes had eaten at the walls, providing too much moisture and too little sunshine.
She walked into the building and immediately felt a chill, which went through, to her very bones. She wished she had worn something with long sleeves but it was too late for that now. She expected a porter or someone, welcoming people, but there was no one there. There was also no board explaining where the offices were, as if they just expected any visitor to know exactly where they were going, without needing instructions.
The whole place was dark, illuminated only by the light of a thousand candles, scattered everywhere. Eva wondered if that was just for show or maybe, someone had forgotten to pay their electricity bill. Whatever the reason was, it was definitely out of the ordinary and left quite an impression.
Eva looked up. There was a frighteningly winding staircase, and just looking at it, made her feel dizzy. She grabbed ahold of the railings and, after a few seconds, started walking up. It seemed to go into an endless loop and, for a moment, she doubted whether it would lead anywhere but, eventually, it did. There was only one floor, but it had more than ten doors. They all looked the same, without any names, or tags, or anything helpful, regarding who or what one might find in there. She felt a little like Bluebeard’s wife, at that moment when he gave her the keys to all the rooms but one, which she was never allowed to enter, until her own curiosity got the best of her. She wondered whether she would be punished for opening the wrong door here.
Not knowing what else to do, she just decided to knock on the first door. She was scared. All the time, she was on the lookout for a phone, but she didn’t see anything. She could only hope that this whole thing had a reasonable explanation, and that she would be allowed to at least talk to her grandparents, after she had explained to the principal that a mistake must have happened, as she never planned to attend Ridgeview Academy.
She mustered as much courage as she had left, and knocked on the heavy, oak door, several times. At first, there was no reply. She waited a second, before knocking again.
“Enter!”
She suddenly heard a roaring voice from inside, inviting her in. She swallowed heavily, feeling her hands getting clammy. Her fingers were shaking. A part of her told her to just run away, and keep running, until she found a way out. There had to be a gate leading outside, she just needed to find it. But, another voice kept telling her to be reasonable. Running away never solves anything. Staying and facing the problem does. That was what she needed to do now.
It was obvious that the kidnapping was just a bad dream she’d had. No one had kidnapped her, otherwise she would probably be locked in a room, and not allowed to roam the premises unsupervised, as she was doing now. Also, the fact that she ended up at this school… well, she couldn’t explain that even to herself, but she was hoping it was just a mistake. The principal would turn out to be a reasonable man, who would explain to her exactly what had happened. She would be given a phone to call her grandparents, who would then come immediately to pick her up, and take her back home with them. These were the thoughts Eva was lulling herself with, trying to promise a sense of security, before she entered the office of the principal.
She pressed on the door knob quickly and forcefully, opening the door, and letting herself in.
“Ah, Eva, come in!”
She heard the voice addressing her before she even walked through the door and, at that same moment, her legs froze. She couldn’t move. She couldn’t take one step backward or forward, as her mind stormed with a thousand scenarios, trying to explain the one unraveling before her.
“I know this must be quite a shock to you,” the man got up from his desk, walked around it, then started walking towards her.
Fight or flee - her mind was screaming, but she couldn’t do anything. She felt paralyzed with fear, unable to move a muscle. It was that same man from her nightmare. Even his voice was the same, kind of melodic and soothing, making her almost trust him with his every word.
He approached her, then took her by the hand. His were icy cold, with long bony fingers and manicured nails, which clasped against hers and wouldn’t let go. He took her back to his desk, and she followed obediently, as if she were under a spell. His shoes made the slightest noise on each step, as if every time he pressed his foot against the floor, a single floorboard broke in two. He helped her sit down on the chair facing him, across from his desk. Then, he went back to sit in his own seat.
Before he said anything, he got his cup, which was resting on his right side, and stirred it a little. The spoon made clinking noises as it hit the edges of the cup, but it didn’t seem to bother him. He was calm. His face was the same as she remembered it: pale, with dark eyes, and still clean shaven. He was dressed all in black, just like before, his shoulders wide and bony, so that his suit rested on them like on a hanger.
“Would you like anything to drink?” he asked, lifting the spoon, and placing it on the plate.
Eva didn’t reply. All she could think about was being unable to wake up her grandparents. Now, she knew it had all really happened, it wasn’t just a dream. She was panicking, barely able to catch her breath. She wanted to run away, but she had no idea where she was, so there was no point in running.
“You must have a lot of questions for me,” he continued, equally calmly. “I’m here to answer them all.”
He was right. She had so many questions, that she didn’t know where to start. But, was he really the right person to ask?
“Maybe some water?” he asked again, seeing she was lost in thought, but her eyes still oozed fear.
“I don’t want anything from you,” she snapped back, finally regaining her power of speech. “I just want to know my grandparents are alright.”
“Why wouldn’t they be?” he asked, genuinely surprised at her question.
“I couldn’t wake them up, and now I’m here,” she answered, gesturing at the room around her.
“I think I explained it once already, but I’ll be happy to do so again,” he told her, gently. “When we arrived, your grandparents were asleep. And, by asleep, I mean so fast asleep that the atom bomb wouldn’t even make them stir. No one harmed them, I assure you of that. They were given a potent dose of something we call ‘the sleeper.’ It’s a plant which does exactly what its name suggests.”
“So, they’re okay?” she asked again, just to make sure.
“Of course. They woke up later than they usually would, but in perfectly good condition. Not even a headache.”
