GUARDIANS OF MAGIC: THE INVISIBLE CODED BOOK
CHAPTER TWELVE

DEATH FIRST CALL

Fina froze as she heard the scream. She pressed the lower lift button and rushed out of the lift.

She ran out of the castle but Bryce Parker wasn’t there anymore.

The glass walls began to lit as people began to wake so she ran out of the castle, straight to the Recording Hall.

It was a very narrow escape though she doesn’t know who it might be.

Fina knew in her heart she could be framed for what she didn’t do.

She opened the Recording Hall and shut it close.

It was extremely busy, writing everything down.

She walked to the golden quill and took it.

Something appeared in her mind.

Then, she wrote -

Fina Clark.

The golden ink vanished and Fina awaited with bated breath to its answer.

Then, something appeared in red fury ink.

“Time of death - NINETY SIX hours”

A cold wind breezed into her bones and she shivered.

Her death have already been recorded.

The banshee was a white one.

The scream wasn’t for just anyone.

The scream was for her.

The red ink disappeared in a trail of smoke.

Ninety six hours. Ninety six hours to live. She doesn’t even have her wand. Ninety six. No. Ninety five hours fifty nine minutes”

She couldn’t even pick the quill to write Jessica’s name again.

Fina was devastated and crushed.

She was going to die after all.

Roslyn face flashed in front of her and she fell to her knees.

She hadn’t been that scared when Zo had the dream. But seeing it recorded brings everything into sharpened focus.

She swallowed painfully.

Death is better for her. Choose wisely. Does a person choose death?

Her parents. Her brothers. Zo. Talon. Shelly. Her.

Fina didn’t know how much time she used in the Recording Hall while trying to accept her own death.

Do you even accept your own death?

Her mind was gone. Far away gone.

She shouldn’t have come to Elfina.

She shouldn’t have been curious about anything.

She shouldn’t have had that dream.

She sat on the floor, her cheeks on her knees, until the sun rose.

She was certain Zo was already panicking right now.

Recordings went on around her while she looked on, defeated.

Having a choice. Having no choice.

Both.

If she was going to die, at least she would like to end her curiosity on this game.

She sneaked out of the hall and out of the castle to the sound of students shouting.

“What’s going on?” Fina asked

Lois and Lulu turned to her.

“Shelly Jefferson and Jessica Young are fighting” They answered in unison.

Fina’s eyes widened and she pushed past the students to see.

Shelly and Jessica’s was covered in their own blood.

Jessica made a move to hit Shelly but Shelly was quick. She hit Jessica straight on the face.

The sound of something crushed was heard.

Students rushed out of the castle to see, not stop the fight.

As Jessica made a move again, Fina stop them both with her hands.

“Are you crazy? This isn’t a school for kids” Fina shouted at them both.

“What? You are going to be the hero now? You are the hero” Jessica said and clapped her hands together mockingly.

Fina turned to her.

“One of us have to pretend to be smart when everyone can only watch as if this is a game!”

All the teachers were out of the castle.

Fina glared at Jessica and stepped away to meet a shaking Zo.

“What is the meaning of this?!” Mr Wright shouted.

“A junior and an intermediate. Splendid” Zedler said as she stroked her cat, extremely amused.

“To the punishment room. Now!” Mr Sanders shouted angrily.

Shelly glanced at Fina as if gauging her reaction to everything.

Fina gave a little nod and Shelly smiled, then looked away.

The crowds dispersed except Nancy and her friends, and the Aces.

Ozias ran his fingers through his hair in frustration.

“So, one of you finally got into trouble. How cool is that?” Nancy said, leaning forward.

Zo hit her square on the nose it took a second for Nancy to even realize.

“How dare you? I am definitely going to report!” Nancy screamed and stomped off with her friends.

“What? I don’t care! She definitely deserves it!” Zo shouted, turning to Fina.

Fina knew something was wrong. Zo doesn’t shout at all.

Tyrell stepped forward and she shook her head.

“Zo. Let’s go in” Fina said calmly.

Zo glared so hard at where Nancy Miller had just left then turned her glare at Fina.

“Where were you?” She said and stomped off.

Fina sighed and ran after her, not even bothering to look back.

“Zo! Wait!”

She didn’t wait until they got to their room, even shutting the elevator’s door.

“I couldn’t replace you! I was worried! I thought you were gone! I couldn’t sleep either so I went to Potion class. I just wanted to do something. Anything. To make this stop! You know what I found? The pills Anne gave Tyrell was made from Ivy! Someone is using the flower to kill. Someone want Talon and Xavier gone and you left without telling me! Where were you?!”

“I was at the Recording Hall”

“I was worried when I heard the banshee cry. I thought it was you!”

“I know”

Fina embraced her.

“It’s going to be okay, Zo”

“Shelly and Jessica fought because Jessica insulted her. I knew they’ll still beat each other up. The tension was always thick when they were together”

“There’s something you’d to know”

“What?” Zo said, looking up to her.

Fina explained what Ozias told her and her meeting with Bryce.

“So, who should we trust?” Zo asked “If Xiana was dating Tyrell before they entered Elfina, who’s telling the truth?”

“That’s the difficult part. The time intervals”

“Are we doubting Tyrell for nothing? And what does Bryce meant by… I’m hungry”

Fina went to the bathroom to wash up and get dressed.

She was dressed in a white shirt tucked in a white short with a white belt and pink. Her hair in a ponytail.

Fina went to her magic box, opened it and rummaged through it, searching for her locket.

She had taken it off five months ago.

The locket never opened and Emma had said she was born with it.

She put on the locket, took the ring fron the pocket of the dress she has taken off and kept it inside the pocket of the clothe she was wearing.

Then, she made her way out of the room.

Zo was eating red noodles with chopsticks when she walked into the living room.

Fina watched her from afar as she read through Carly’s diary.

A lot have changed. They have changed.

Funny how chasing danger can change things.

“Where did you get that?” Fina asked “Smells yummy”

Zo grinned at her.

“A new tricky spell. I’m certain it’s been recorded” She said

Fina went to sit beside her on the couch, her elbows resting on the armrest.

She watched Zo as she ate, paste surrounding her mouth.

Fina laughed at her and wiped it off with a towel.

“Do you think they will punish her?” Zo asked

“She’ll be fine.” Fina answered.

“I have a question” Zo said

Fina looked at the diary she was reading.

“The Invisible coded book. Why can’t it be destroyed? Why bother to keep it safe if you can just destroy? The Queen can easily destroy the book”

Fina swallowed.

“If the Queen can destroy it, she would have all these years. I don’t think she can. She may be powerful, but even powerful beings doesn’t know everything.”

“I guess so. But still-

“If it’s founded this time, I’m certain no one can ever touch it again”

Zo nodded and sighed as she chewed on her noodles.

“What did you replace at the Recording Hall?”

Fina shrugged.

“I didn’t get to search for Jessica” She said “I’m curious about something. Where did Xiana stayed when she was alive?”

Zo stopped chewing, her eyes widening in shock.

“That’s it. Where did she stayed? Where did she sleep?” Zo asked

More questions. No answers.

Fina stood up.

“Where are you going?” Zo asked

“Isn’t it chilly in here?”

“Yes, it is. Do you know how to turn it on? Take my wand”

Zo tossed her wand to Fina.

“You know, it’s really weird. Why do they want the book so much?”

“It might contain some evil things. Spells or anything.”

Fina said as she bend to light the fire.

She opened the glass case covering the woods and arranged the woods.

Her eyes flitted to a glass door inside the fireplace.

“Zo?”

Zo was beside her in a flash.

They both removed the woods until they could see the door clearly.

It was a double glass door and when Fina pushed on it, it gave way.

Fina and Zo glanced at each other.

Zo nodded and they squeezed into the door.

When they entered with both hands and feets on the floor, they slid.

Zo screamed as they slid lower and lower until they fell to the ground.

They both struggled to their feet at once.

The place was big, dark and deserted.

“What this place?” Fina asked as her eyes roamed through the place.

Cobwebs filled every corner and spiders roamed about.

Something glittering attracted their eyes and they studied it.

Isn’t that ants?” Zo asked

Golden ants trailed after one another and entered under a large door.

The girls followed.

Fina pushed open the door and they entered.

Floating colourful doors circulated the big room.

“Wow” Zo said

Their eyes landed on the ants again which stopped at a door and stayed there.

Fina and Zo glanced at each other. Then, they enteted the door.

It was like the ants had led them somewhere on purpose.

Golden ants of path.

They landed in a big wardrobe

Both struggled to get up and opened the closet door.

No one was there.

They stepped out of the wardrobe quietly.

“Whose room is this?” Zo asked

“Aries” Fina said as she took in the dark purple paint.

They looked round the room. It was just like any other room in the castle.

“Why are we here?” Zo asked

They searched through the room and came up with nothing.

Something clicked inside Fina and she felt for Xiana’s ring on her.

She brought out Xiana’s ring and raised it slowly to the door.

Something unbolt and the door unlocked.

Silence.

Fina swallowed before turning to look at Zo.

They were in Xiana’s Kang old room but they had no idea who was residing in the room.

Zora’s gaze landed on the books beside the window.

“Fin” She called.

Fina walked to the window and together, they searched through the books until they landed at a coded one.

“What do you think is written there?” Zo asked

Fina shrugged.

“Hold on.” Zo said “I think since it’s beside the window, the sun might be the key in decoding it”

She raised the book to the sun and the ink appeared.

“It’s about the Ivy plant. Ivy studies.” Fina read from her shouder.

Zo skimmed through the book.

The book have different pictures of the ivy flower and how to use them.

Zo put down the book.

“Ivy. This is her room. Her room is Xiana’s old room” Fina said

The door unlocked and the girls ran back into the wardrobe.

They heard footsteps coming closer and closer to the wardrobe.

Zo swallowed twice.

The wardrobe door opened but they were protected by the clothes.

A hand reached over and Fina ducked. The hand touched a flower and Fina peeked at it.

Serene Berry’s bracelet was on the person’s wrist.

Jessica Young?

Fina glanced at the flower before it could leave her view.

“Milda” Zo mouthed.

They heard the footstep leaving and the door being shut.

Fina and Zo took a deep breath.

They stepped out of the closet and Zo did the telepathy spell which landed them back to their room.

“Why is Jessica in Xiana’s old room?” Zo asked

“Connected, I would say.” Fina said “I guess her ring finally came to use. But Jessica can’t be her roommate. She is in Capricorn except she was in Aries before. It’s definitely soneone else”

“You want to go check up on Tay?” Zo asked

“I have something else I want to do. I’ll go check on Xavier and try to talk to Walker about Shelly” Fina said “Maybe we should tell Walker everything. This is dangerous territory”

Zo nodded sternly.

“Be careful. Even if he’s not the one, be careful”

“Sure”

They parted ways and after an hour, Fina found herself walking to the spell class.

On her way to the class, someone bumped into her.

“Fina Clark, right?”

Fina looked up to see a very handsome intermediate student in front of her. He has two dimples which made him really cute.

“Yes. How do you know?”

The boy grinned and held out his hand for a shake.

“Ian. I’m a Gemini student. The only one who doesn’t have a weird twin”

Fina held out her hand and shook his.

“I and my twin are behind the fun games in Elfina. Looking at you now, you are really pretty. You have captivating rare green eyes” Ian said.

“Oh. Thanks. Is Mr Walker in class?”

“Yes” Ian replied as he pushed aside his blue side bangs. “But he’s conducting a test for the intermediates. Secret test. Maybe you should come back?”

“Yes, I’ll. Thanks”

“Walk with me? I’m heading out of the castle myself”

“There was a time I did something stupid. I broke my wand” Ian said when they turned a corridor.

“What happened?”

“It was during Zedler’s test. The animal broke my wooden wand. Tyrell saved me. He actually shared his points with me. It affected him because he was really close to Bryce Parker. Bryce aces everything. Always. He’s going to becone a great Guardian one day.”

“He never had a girlfriend?” Fina found herself asking.

“Once. Bridget. They dated for a year. I didn’t know what happened between them but I do know no one will ever replace out. Bryce Parker never tell anyone anything. Speaking of the devil”

Fina looked up to see Bryce at a distance in front of them.

His eyes glanced at them both.

“Ian.” Bryce said in greetings.

“Parker” Ian replied

Bryce walked to them.

“Don’t you have somewhere else to be now?” Bryce asked

“Oh. I forgot. Sorry Clark. See you soon” Ian said and practically flew away.

“You have something to ask me. You are curious about my group. You want to know what happened in our first level.”

“Since you brought up the subject yourself. I can do with some questions.”

“I never said I’ll answer” Bryce said, amused.

“Then dont initiate such things then.” Fina said and walked past him.

“My friends. They aren’t perfect but we are okay with each other. Whatever is going on between you and Tyrell. Whatever is going on between you and Xavier-”

Fina turned to look at him.

“For someone so smart, you do seem to miss the important things around you” Fina said

“What?” Bryce asked “Pray tell, what am I missing that you see so well?”

“Enjoy the taste of curiosity. It’s bittersweet” Fina said and walked away leaving Bryce completely shocked.

Bryce was in front of her in a flash.

“Here” He said “I got this for you”

He held out a wooden wand to her.

Fina looked up at him, feeling extremely awkward.

“Thanks” She said as she took the wand from him.

“It was mine. I kept it safe. So, it’s like a precious gem. I loved the wand. It’s special”

Fina resisted the urge to roll her eyes.

“I’ll keep it safe. Thanks”

Bryce nodded and walked away.

“You never stop, do you? First, Tyrell. Xavier and now Bryce?”

Fina turned to see Bridget behind her.

“Male seniors are less scary” Fina said

Bridget smiled.

“I see.”

Kathleen Osborne approached with Jessica, Coco and Camilla.

“How scary are we?” Jessica asked

Fina looked at them all, trying to decipher who Xiana’s roommate might be.

“Sorry to be rude, but I don’t have much time to be doing this” Fina said and hurried away.

She really have to start talking to Mr Walker.

But will Mr Walker believe her? They are his best students. He didn’t even believe Tyrell could hurt her although she was in the same predicament.

She doesn’t have much time.

And if Jessica was released, where exactly is Shelly Jefferson?

She met Kit on the way.

“Hi. Have you see Shelly?” Fina asked

“She was given room arrest for three days. The teachers not me”

“Oh” Fina couldn’t think of anything else to say.

What exactly is going on?

Why wasn’t Jessica punished?

She really have to talk to Mr Walker.

Funny how it was Walker who always wanted to talk to her and now it was her turn to seek him out.

She should have known they wouldn’t be able to do this without his help even if he wouldn’t believe them.

Fina was on her way to the secret room when she met Tyrell on the way.

Her heart races so fast.

Funny how it was Tyrell she found herself close to when she got to Elfina and now he’s the one she’s scared of and running away from.

“Hey” Tyrell said

“Hi”

No one was around. Not even a single soul.

“You seem off, Fina.”

“My friend is being kept prisoner in her own room” Fina said, taking an unintended step back which Tyrell didn’t miss.

“I can talk to Walker to set her free.”

“Thanks”

“You didn’t come to the library” Tyrell said

“I was busy”

“Are you scared of me?” Tyrell asked as he walked closer to her.

“I’m not scared of you” Fina said firmly.

“You are. What happened between us? I will never hurt you.” Tyrell said, hurt flickered in his eyes.

Fina swallowed hard.

“I just don’t trust myself around you” Fina whispered

Tyrell pulled her gently to him and embraced her.

Then, he tilted her chin up until green eyes met amber ones.

“I care about you” He said and lowered his head until they were breathing the same air.

Fina inhaled him in.

Her lungs constricted and she couldn’t let in air anymore.

She felt dizzy and her eyes became blurry.

Milda.

She just inhaled Milda from Tyrell Swift.

Her leg buckled but Tyrell held her up.

Fina struggled to be free.

No one was around which was extremely strange.

Fina glared at him.

“I’ll never hurt you. I like you” He said as he removed her ponytail band, setting her hair free.

Her hair cascaded down her back and he ran his fingers through it.

“You are the only one I like out of them all. You are the only one I’ve hesitated a million times to kill”

Fina tried to move away from him but it was like he had locked her body up.

“Let me go” She slurred.

“Now, wouldn’t that be an easy thing to do? You are the strongest of them all. You are the most powerful of them all. You are the smartest of them all. Even you couldn’t teleport without seeing a thing or two. You are special. And the things I want to do to you” Tyrell said, whispering into her ears.

“But mostly, you are a distraction. Do you want to know what happened three months ago? Should I tell you all that you want to know?”

Fina glared hard at him.

Tyrell chuckled.

“Such a pity. You’re a beauty. It’s so bad Frida forced you to this school. Pity. She is really a weak Queen. Couldn’t even destroy the book”

“You are a pig” Fina said weakly.

“You like me. No. You liked me” Tyrell said, pulling her more to him.

His hands roamed down her back and Fina struggled to push him away.

Then, she felt something at her back.

“It’s a long story” Tyrell said and stabbed from the back with his wand knocking the breath out of her.

He forced the wand all the way into her body and removed it from her tummy.

Blood spilled out of her mouth and everything became hazy.

Tyrell held her so she wouldn’t fall. He held the bloodied wand in his right hand and kept her upright with his left.

Blood soaked through her clothes and Fina wobbled.

The last thing she saw was Coco Bell walking calmly towards them, Serene’s bracelet on her hand before everything went black.