22

“Oh, my gosh, Syl, are you alright?”

Delphi is the first to jump to her feet to greet me when I showed up for lunch. I’m bombarded with a spine-crushing hug, being pulled down to a level she can reach. For the shortest and smallest of the four of us, she’s surprisingly strong, her grip on me firm while she rubs soothing circles on my back.

“Elsa told us what happened,” Eisley says sincerely, although I detect a hint of bitterness in her tone. “I’m sorry.”

Carefully unwinding Delphi’s arms from my neck, I give her hands an appreciative squeeze. “Thanks for the support, girls. I’m fine, though.”

“Is that code for ‘Truthfully, I’m not fine and want to sacrifice Dinah to the revenge gods and keep her head as a table lamp’ perhaps?” Elsa quirks a brow, her hair simmering. “Because that’s totally what I would’ve done if I was in your shoes. That little entitled bitch gets away with literally everything just because her father basically owns the school.”

Delphi continues holding my hands in sympathy as we sit down. Today’s dining experience is on the second level of the dining hall. Our table is situated right beside the rampart, giving us a panoramic view of the level below. It’s from that angle that I spot Dinah with her group, laughing obnoxiously as if she didn’t receive a warning from Kaz earlier.

I wonder how many students she landed in trouble before and got away with it. How severe should her actions be before they charge her with more than just a warning?

It’s enough to make my blood boil.

“No, really, I’m fine,” I tell them. “But this is the first and last time Dinah will ever pull a stunt like that on me again.”

“You’re going to kill her?” Elsa asks almost too excitedly.

“Uh, no?” I frown, pulling a face. “But I am going to get even, if that’s what you’re asking. I just need to learn what she values most and find a way to sabotage that.”

All this time, Eisley has been uncharacteristically quiet. Instead of joining Delphi and Elsa on the sympathy-revenge train, she stares at her hands in silence, clearly stuck in a trance. I doubt I’ve ever seen her this disconnected from the world.

Slipping my hand out of Delphi’s, I give my cousin a light nudge. “Hey, you okay?”

Eisley blinks, sniffles, and nods her head. “Yeah. It’s just…” She sighs deeply, still avoiding eye contact. “…be careful, okay? There’s a reason Dinah Delvaux is untouchable. Every Acolyte who has gone after her in the past, has been expelled. She owns this school just as much as her father does, and I don’t want what happened to Felix happen to you.”

“Felix?” That’s a name I haven’t heard before. “Who is Felix and what happened to him?”

The moment Eisley realized what she said, her eyes widened, and she rose to her feet in a blink of an eye. “N-no one. I…I should go. See you at dinner.”

She’s gone before I can ask more questions. That was so un-Eisley-like of her to just run off without an explanation. That’s not how I know my cousin at all.

Turning back in my seat, I’m open my mouth to resume my plotting against Dinah, only to witness my remaining two roommates’ grave expressions. Whatever caused Eisley to up and leave, they know all about it. A twinge of remorse pulls at my heart. Since when does my cousin not confide in me anymore? She would rather share her troubles with her roommates than her own flesh and blood?

However, that’s besides the point. If Eisley’s not going to spill the beans, then I know who can.

“Who’s Felix?” I ask again, this time addressing the other two girls.

Elsa looks hesitant to answer. It seems she’s quick to talk when she has an opinion to share, but when it comes to secrets, she stays quiet. It’s good to know that I can trust her if the need ever arises.

After a moment, it’s Delphi who finally sheds some light on the mysterious Felix. “Felix Porter used to be an Acolyte here at Alcove until a year ago, when Dinah got him expelled for trying to settle a score with her.”

“Okay…” I shake my head. “But clearly there’s more to the story considering Eisley’s reaction to me asking about him. What are you not telling me?”

Elsa sighs and straightens up in her chair. “Just tell her, Del. It’s not like the whole school wasn’t there to witness it.”

The lilac-eyed girl swallows and nods. Turning to face me, she continues, “Felix and Eisley were…dating.”

“*Dating*?” I echo. Since when did my cousin start dating and didn’t tell me about it? What’s next, does she have a tattoo or piercing I don’t know about?

Delphi hums, confirming it. “Felix was extremely good looking, almost as good looking as Gilbert. And when Gilbert first denied Dinah last year, she went after Felix. Only, he was madly in love with Eisley and didn’t want anything to do with her. So, Dinah started targeting Eisley and threatened her to break it off with Felix, or she’ll make her life a living hell.”

“Dinah Delvaux, everybody,” Elsa seethes through her teeth, gripping her glass until her knuckles turned white.

“Eisley endured the silent attacks for a while,” Delphi continues. “She was so good at it; we didn’t even realize how emotionally hurt she was. Until one day when Dinah took it too far.” She lowers her voice to a whisper. “It happened right here in the dining hall. I don’t know how she did it, but Dinah somehow got her hands on Eisley’s diary and read it out loud for the whole student body to hear.”

“Secrets came to light,” Elsa added to the story, “like how Eis is still a virgin, the dreams she had about Felix, and how she was so in love with him, she was planning on breaking her ‘no sex before marriage’ rule for him at their next date.”

“Eisley was torn, and Felix was fuming.” Delphi swallows softly, her eyes glazed over as if she’s reliving the memory. “None of us knew what happened, but the next day, Felix was expelled and banned from Alcove. His parents blamed Eisley for everything and forbade him from having any contact with her. She was in a state for months.”

“All because Dinah can’t stand the idea of not getting what she wants. If she couldn’t have Felix, then no one can.” Elsa’s anger is evident in her hair, the glass in her hand slowly melting as it expands throughout her body. “I guess this is history repeating itself. She won’t stop coming at you until you break all ties with Gilbert.”

This whole time, I was listening intently. But I’d lie if I say my distaste for Dinah didn’t multiply tenfold while Delphi spilled the tea how she made my cousin’s life a living hell. First the emotional bullying and then having her boyfriend expelled – and still, Dinah Delvaux walks free and unscathed.

Ever the victim of society, but a demon in disguise.

But no more. I may have come to Alcove to save Zari’s life, but I’m not about to turn a blind eye to what Dinah did to Eisley. She’ll get what’s coming to her, I’ll make sure of it.

My thoughts of revenge are interrupted when a loud voice suddenly echoes through the dining hall, seemingly coming from a magical intercom, “Attention all Acolytes. This is a reminder that today is your final opportunity to enter for the Acolympics. Try outs will be held at the end of the week at the Annex. Best of luck to all who entered.”

“Acolympics?” I frown, recalling reading the word on one of the trophies while I was waiting in the office the other day.

“It’s like the Olympic but for Magians,” Elsa explains, exchanging her disformed glass for Eisley’s abandoned one. “It’s a series of trails that test your magic and skills and explores every aspect of your aptitude to the extreme.”

“I always enjoyed going to watch but lately found it too predictable.” Delphi sighs. “Considering Dinah’s team always wins.”

A lightbulb flickers on inside my head. “Wait, Dinah entered?”

“She does every year.” Elsa rolls her eyes. “And every year she wins.”

My eyes subtly travel to the girl in question on the first level. So, she doesn’t know what losing feels like? Perhaps it’s time someone changes that.

“I think it’s time Dinah learns what second place feels like.” I look from Delphi to Elsa and smirks. “Say, were does one sign up for the Acolympics?”