Enchanted High Book I
Chapter Thirty-Eight: Unveiled

The men rushed around the place while the figure stood and stared out of the window.

June was wide awake; with her sight and energy half-way restored, she was eager to see the cloaked figure’s face, replace out who he was. And next to her, Nicole and Dominic were awake too; eyes darting to see everything they could replace.

A man skittered past June, she lay her head limp against the metal back of her cage, pretending to be unconscious. It was the only way to remain alive and gather more information. But soon, she knew they had to start figuring out a way to escape.

The men that had been shuffling around the room, disappeared behind a door, leaving the cloaked figure in the silent room. It was the perfect opportunity to seize him – but with those clutches binding her down ...

She looked beside her, into the eyes of Nicole and Dominic. They seemed to be thinking the same thing. But how? Nicole had tried to manipulate the metal, but it was protected by the same block the watches had.

The door rapped open, slamming the wall behind it with a loud bang. Two people walked in, two men, one in the being held back by the other.

‘Sire,’ said a man, ‘we’ve found him.’

June tilted her head to see the victim; the chains around her neck were clamped tight, pulling her back down.

‘You told me he was dead,’ said the cloaked man, without turning his face towards the victim, who was struggling in the arms of the other man.

‘Who are you?’ said a wheezed voice. James.

June’s heart skipped several beats at the sound of the familiar voice. But she didn’t dare move.

‘Tie him up,’ said the figure.

‘No!’ James reiterated. ‘Tell me who are instead of hiding your face like a coward –’ he was cut off as he crashed to the ground at June’s feet. She heard him groan and she flinched, fighting the urge to wake.

‘Now be a nice little boy,’ said a man, not the cloaked figure, ‘and do what we say if you don’t want to get hurt again.’

James was silent as the man seized his arm and dragged him on the other side of June. Her eyes closed, she could only hear the sounds of the metal grasps clamping together around his wrists, his legs and his neck. She waited moments before she knew she could open at least one eye.

He was in a terrible condition; his face had several bruises and a thick stream of blood rained down the side; the spot where the man had beaten him.

‘James,’ she whispered.

His eyes shot open. ‘June, you – you’re alive. I thought – I thought –’

‘Shh,’ she told him. She glanced towards the cloaked figure, his back faced them, ‘they’re preparing for something, this man. He’s got the wishing tree.’

James’s jaws clenched. ‘Of course he does,’ he said. ‘Salvatore. Have you seen him?’

‘The Headmaster?’ said June. ‘What –?’

’He’s working with Xavier, he – he shot me with red lightning.′

June could only stare at him in disbelief. Headmaster Salvatore. At the heart of it all. She could see those deep lifeless pits he called eyes, back at the office, devouring her. Why would he work with Xavier, if he had nothing to gain? Unless ... unless there was something that he was gaining ...

He mind brought her back to her hunch. She looked at the cloaked figure. Underneath the cloth, it could be Charlie. She didn’t know what to expect. Tell James, a voice inside her head said, he can prove you wrong.

‘Sire,’ said a trembling voice, ‘it’s ready.’

The cloaked figure turned, laughing as if victory was already his. June adjusted her position the little she could, but still could glimpse no part of his face.

‘My beautiful June,’ said the figure.

He knew they were awake. A searing pain shot through June’s head, like a dozen nails piercing themselves through her skull. She screamed out, fighting against the restraints – she could see red, but it wasn’t her blood ... it was light, the red light of her hair ...

‘You,’ said the cloaked figure, ‘were wrong June.’

She could barely hear his words over the agonizing yelling of her own soul. She could barely hear James shouting, Nicole and Dominic spitting retorts at the man.

′Please,′ Nicole was tearing, ‘please stop it, stop whatever you are doing!’

‘I’m not doing anything,’ said the man, ‘she was blessed with my Linasia’s hair ... my Linasia can sense my presence ...’

The height of the pain seized. But June’s insides were tumbling in an out of control Ferris wheel. Her eyes were covered with the red light; she felt blind.

‘June,’ James was thrashing beside her, ‘June, wake up, wake up.’

She couldn’t replace the words to respond. But she did hear the cloaked man’s laugh, which only added to the intensity of the red light in her eyes.

‘June, June, June,’ the man chanted again. ‘You are wrong. You do know me ...’

Suddenly his voice sounded familiar.

The red light vanished into white light – her vision was clearing as a hand swept over the side of her face, wiping away her sweat-damped hair behind her ear. She saw the shadow of a face, hidden underneath the cloak ... she wanted to see more.

But the moment he lifted the hood of his face, she wished he hadn’t.

June’s heart tightened. The face staring back at her was the last person she would’ve suspected. Her mind, already dizzy from enough pain, couldn’t even curl around this new information. June had got it all wrong after all. Her suspicion about Charlie being the one behind everything was completely wrong. Wrong, wrong, wrong.

The cloaked figure was Hubert.

If my boss sees these horrible author notes, I’m surely gonna get fired.

--THUG.