"Who?" Yesu asked.
Sothing uncomfortable, and yet warm, had settled in her chest.
Ava stopped rampaging through the wardrobe.
"Hmm…" She tilted her head to one side, thinking.
It seed to take forever.
Then Ava shook her head rapidly.
"I don't think she said who. If she had, I would have rembered."
Yesu sighed.
"Of course." She muttered.
Ava resud her search.
Yesu went over to her bedside table where the phone lay.
She picked up the receiver, and dialed the previous caller.
"Hello?" Ca Greta's voice from the other end.
"Hi Greta."
"Oh. Yesu."
Yesu gripped the phone tightly.
"Soone called the house for ?" She asked.
"...Yes."
"Who was it?"
Greta's hesitation could be sensed on the other end.
"I'll give you the number." She said eventually. "You have a pen ready?"
Yesu looked around. "Uh…"
In the next second, Ava stood before her holding up a pen wrapped in colourful stings.
Yesu took it.
"Thanks."
Greta called out the number.
"When did the call co through?" Yesu asked.
Greta hesitated again.
"Monday."
"That's long."
"Yes… I had to get permission from Mr Arrow."
Yesu blinked.
Permission? For her knowledge of being asked about?
"I'm still making dinner. Take care." Greta said.
"Okay."
Greta hung up.
Yesu stared at the number now written on her palm.
Ava was still standing by her side, swaying side to side impatiently.
Yesu glanced at her. The girl couldn't just seem to stay still.
"Are you calling or what?" Ava asked.
Yesu said nothing, eyes back on her hand.
This wasn't Aunt i's number.
She sat on her bed.
Ava got bored and went back to the wardrobe.
Yesu remained still for a few minutes.
So it wasn't Aunt i.
After what had happened at the train station, she hadn't heard anything of her whereabouts.
Her line was disconnected.
Yesu frowned.
Sothing wasn't right.
She shifted toward the table and picked up the receiver again.
Then dialed the number.
It rang.
And the call was answered.
"Hello?" Yesu spoke first.
No response.
"Hello?" She said again.
Silence.
Yesu could feel her heart pounding all of a sudden.
She placed a hand to it absentmindedly.
"Aunt i?" She asked, almost in a whisper.
A voice finally ca.
"Yesu. It's … Millie."
Yesu blinked. Her serious expression faded.
And was replaced with surprise.
"Millie?"
A laugh.
"Yeah. You haven't forgotten about , have you?"
Yesu flopped onto the bed.
"You never know." She said. "I've gotten pretty busy these days."
Another laugh.
"Well lucky . I'm in Central City and I heard you were sowhere nearby so…"
Yesu paused.
"You're in Central City?"
"Yeah. Keith and I ca to visit our uncle. I'm hoping to see you before we leave. Will you be free tomorrow or Saturday?"
Yesu felt sothing tugging at her thoughts, a strong pull she couldn't understand.
This had happened before.
"Tomorrow is the Light Festival. At my new school. And no one's allowed to leave this weekend."
Millie sighed. "Bumr."
A brief pause.
"How about next weekend?" She asked.
Yesu was blinking in quick succession. She shook hear head as if trying to clear her vision.
"Maybe. If trials are over by then."
The ceiling before her was getting blurry.
There was a faint ringing in her ears.
"Alright. I'll tell my uncle I'm staying longer. Let get you the address."
Millie's was talking fast, like the call might drop any mont.
Yesu listened as Millie went on to call out the address.
She didn't reach for her pen to write it down. The words seed to latch unto her mind on their own.
Number 29, Ellsworth, Central City.
"It's cheaper if you take a bus." Millie's voice was now a tone deeper than normal.
Bus.
Yesu blinked again.
The blur was fading.
Millie said sothing else but her voice was cracking up like a radio.
The ceiling was becoming clear. Yesu shook her head.
"Bye…"
Millie's voice sounded like a machine powering down.
And then the call ended.
Yesu's blurry eyes cleared instantly. She could now see the ceiling.
"Yesu!"
"Yes?" Yesu jerked up.
Ava was staring at her, holding a dress. She seed a bit horrified.
"Who are you talking to?"
Yesu frowned.
"What do you an?"
"You…" Ava gaped. "I've been calling you for the past five minutes. Were you ditating or what?"
"Oh."
Yesu looked down.
Her hands were empty.
She snapped her head toward the bedside table.
And sure enough, the telephone rested idly.
Like it had never been touched.
***
Ackerman walked up the stone path leading to the small villa.
It was modest compared to so of the larger residences allocated to children of senior officials, but it was beautiful nonetheless. Neatly maintained flowerbeds bordered the pathway, and ivy climbed partway up the walls.
He rang the bell.
A second later, frost spread across the lock.
Ice crystals raced through the tal chanism.
Click.
The door swung open by itself.
Ackerman stepped inside.
Behind him, the thin trail of ice stretching from the living room to the entrance slowly receded across the floor until nothing remained.
A smirk tugged at his lips.
"Showing off now, are we?"
Olwen sat on a couch surrounded by books. Several lay open on the table before him while others were stacked neatly nearby.
He was halfway through one when Ackerman entered.
Olwen closed the book gracefully and finally looked at him.
Ackerman nodded as though sothing had just occurred to him.
"Oh, I'm sorry." His eyes drifted over Olwen briefly. "Forgot you're wounded."
"I'll survive."
"How reassuring."
Ackerman wandered over and sat in the chair opposite him.
"How are you fairing?"
"Doing fine so far."
"Good."
A brief silence settled.
Then Ackerman folded one leg over the other.
"So. The library."
Olwen said nothing.
"I paid a visit to Professor Wakefield earlier."
Ackerman shook his head with mock disappointnt.
"Imagine my surprise when I was inford the matter was already being handled."
He sighed dramatically.
"That was said to the Student President."
Still nothing from Olwen.
Ackerman smiled.
"Makes wonder who could possibly be important enough to make redundant."
Olwen simply watched him.
Ackerman leaned forward.
"How far has Apollo gotten?"
A pause.
"I assu the Air User summons was his idea."
Olwen neither confird nor denied it.
Ackerman continued.
"Does he actually believe a student could wield that level of power and remain hidden?"
Olwen tilted his head slightly.
"Why are you asking these questions instead of the person you're actually interested in?"
Ackerman leaned back with a sly smile, taking his ti to reply.
"You know, I'm not the only one interested in Apollo. Everyone keeps talking about him."
Olwen remained silent.
"Doesn't it annoy you?" Ackerman asked.
"Should it?" Olwen replied calmly.
Ackerman's smile widened.
"Maybe."
He rose to his feet.
"Well, my free ti is over." He adjusted his jacket. "Festival preparations won't handle themselves."
Then he glanced toward Olwen.
"Too bad you won't be well enough to attend."
That sa smile remained on his face. The kind that sohow said:
'Not that anyone would notice.'
He started toward the door.
Then stopped suddenly.
"The Head Librarian told sothing interesting."
Olwen looked up.
"The intruder seed interested in the restricted section of the library."
A pause.
"And yet, as far as I can tell, no state officials have been involved in the investigation."
Olwen held his gaze. Silent.
Ackerman smirked.
"Getting any ideas?"
Neither of them moved.
Then Ackerman chuckled softly and walked out.
The door closed behind him.
The villa beca quiet once more.
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