“Obviously they knew about Brakket Academy. They may have just been watching for our buses to move out and collect someone.”
“Possibly,” Anderson allowed with a nod of his head. He placed his hands on the shoulders of one of the demons. “Srey believes that they had been watching them for weeks now at their apartment.”
The demon narrowed his eyes at the touch, but otherwise didn’t protest the contact.
“Now then,” Anderson said, addressing the gathered demons. “This is Catherine. She will be in charge of finding you suitable rooms. If you require any accommodations outside what is offered by default, simply ask her and she will get you what you need. I’ll be back to meet with you all later this evening.”
With that said, Anderson walked off towards the direction of the main school building.
“I have so many better things to do with my time,” Catherine mumbled to herself. “Why did I agree to this?”
Eva shifted, somewhat uncomfortable with the stares that she was receiving. Now that Anderson was gone and everyone else was closer, it was plain to see just how much they were staring at her and not at anyone else.
Catherine, in an act that unintentionally saved her from further scrutiny, led off the majority of the group towards the Rickenbacker dormitory building.
One stayed behind.
A shorter demon with eyes just a bit too large for his head. He walked right up to Eva despite Arachne posturing for defense.
As he approached, Eva watched him and felt him out with her sense for demons.
All she got was a blank spot. She could sense him, feel a demon in front of her, but there wasn’t anything to that feel. No sultriness or slime. No feeling of power. Just a demon.
“I am here to help,” he said, voice toneless and face lacking any emotion.
Before Eva could say a word, he turned and followed the rest of the group towards the Rickenbacker.
“Well, that happened,” Irene said, sounding much more confident than she had during lunch. “I thought we might talk with them a bit more. They didn’t even glance at me. If that is how they act around school, I’ll be fine with it.”
Juliana stepped up beside Eva. “What did he mean by that?”
“Not sure,” Eva said. Glancing over Juliana’s shoulder, she met Arachne’s eyes for just a moment before focusing back on her friend. “I’ll have to ask when I see him next.”
Vektul
“When he said help, he was talking about Void, right?”
Arachne shrugged. “What else would it be?”
“Well, I don’t know. He was obviously talking to me and not you. You’re the one who has been given the mission, not me.”
“Is there something you need help with?” Arachne paused in her weaving, looking straight at Eva. “You know you only need to ask me.”
Flopping down on the women’s ward couch, Eva shook her head. “I don’t think I need help with anything. Not right now. But he might have been talking about something else. Helping with the tournament?”
“You’re overthinking this.”
Eva stood up, paced back and forth a few times, and stopped. “You’re right. I should just go and ask him.”
Arachne took a breath. She finished the row of the square sheet of cloth she was working on before setting it to the side. “Not without me. There are a dozen demons of unknown temperaments and allegiances. Any one of them could have been convinced through power or prestige—or even the promise of more summonings—to tear you apart.”
“You really think that is likely? It would probably go against whatever contracts Anderson has them bound to.”
“We can’t know unless they told us their exact wording. Even then, they could be lying.”
Eva shook her head. “I can’t hide out here forever. Might as well find out sooner rather than later.”
“It could still be later. They might be waiting for an opportune moment.”
“Well aren’t you paranoid.”
“I would prefer to see you safely through the remainder of your treatments. After that, well, I still would see you safe. However, at least I can rest assured knowing that you won’t be gone permanently.”
“Thanks, I think. Shall we get going?”
Arachne let out a small sigh as her carapace cracked and morphed, shrinking down to her smallest form. She skittered across the floor before leaping up and perching herself right on Eva’s shoulder.
Everything ready, Eva built up a bit of magic and teleported straight into the Rickenbacker dormitory building.
The demons had been lodged down on the first floor. Normally, the first years took over the floor left behind by the graduating class. As a large number of students had chosen not to return and the largest class had graduated at the end of the last year, there had been a bit of reshuffling with the students. As of now, demons lived on the first floor alone while first years lived on the second floor alongside the few students who would be graduating in the spring.
