The Fifth

She heard a loud beep. Bubbles. Rhythmic beeping of machines when she opened her eyes she was in a seating position. Selis was in a perfectly normal looking room but the eerie noises she had been hearing seemed to come from behind her. As much as she commanded it to turn and look at the source of the noise, her body was stiff and wouldn't listen to her.

I can't.

Selis eventually gave up and looked at a large glass panel before her. Her vision was quite distorted. She could barely see someone…something being carried on a hospital stretcher.

Cyress?

She tried to focus, she tried to stare at the person who was being carried.

Is that?

It was Cyress indeed.

Why??...

The strange scene before her started to slip away from her vision before everything turned into darkness and silence again.

She woke up. Blinking the sleep out of her eyes she saw a brown haired girl tapping her shoulder gently to wake her up.

Who?

That's right, Sora.

“You coming with us? You can go back to sleep if you want.” Sora suggested. Here was the first kind and empathetic person that Selis had seen in the Institution. Selis was very much glad.

Behind Sora on each side, Skald and Skadi were standing and looking down at her.

“No, I'll come.” Selis attempted to wipe the drowsiness out of her face. There was a dull throbbing at the back of her head but she didn't want to go back to sleep, fearing she'd have that oppressive dream again. Perhaps fresh air would be able to clear her head and make her forget about the dream.

It did work. Now they were in the Fields and the Fields were nothing but those farms from where the food of the Institution came. It was a pleasant place and a pleasant day. The Fields were located in the leeward side of the Institute protected from the worst winds by the building itself. It was a serene evening which didn't give justice to the matter at hand. Yet, one couldn't help but relax a little. Perhaps it was much needed.

There were various insects flitting around the farm which Selis guessed were pollinators of the field and she preferred to stay away from them.

Selis looked around to see the same curiosity on the other’s expression that she had.

“Does anyone see anybody?”

There was no reply as there wasn't a single soul in sight except the critters moving about over and among the plants.

There was only one other structure in sight where a person could be.

“Let's go to the Plant Nursery.” Skadi decided and the others followed.

The only thing like a shelter about the Nursery was its roof under which rows of containers of saplings were stacked on top of each other in the shelves. The rest were all wide arches. As much as Selis wanted to check out the place, being the curious being she was, she didn't know what was appropriate in this situation. However when Sora turned to look closely at the plants, encouraged, Selis joined her. She did know a few of them and that fact comforted her. She sometimes feared she was losing the information she seemed to have gained before from where her memories began.

The place wasn't as dark as she'd expected. Selis looked up. There was a dome above which seemed to be made of green coloured glass from which sunlight filtered through.

“How long are you going to watch us?” Skald said, looking with narrowed eyes at what seemed to be a shelf of plants. The shelf of plants replied, “I thought all of you would leave if I didn't come out.”

That was so straight to the face.

A brown haired boy about their age walked out from behind the shelf and blinked at the others.

“Why are you here?”, the boy asked.

Skald, who looked annoyed at the other’s tone, was stopped from speaking by Skadi.

“We need your help.” Sora said, taking over the wheel of the conversation.

“We're looking for a herb that can cure colds. Cyress, one of the Neophytes from the last generation, is extremely sick.”

He stared at the empty space behind Sora for a while before answering flatly, “We only grow food in the Fields.”

“Yes, but we were hoping you would know about it.” Sora continued with a smile on her face as natural as she could muster.

“I would consider myself lucky if I ever came across it. So should you.” He said and then looked at them for a bit before blinking and walking away and out to the fields.

What?

The four had nothing else to do other than to watch him disappear and then go back to the main building of the Institution, with uncertain steps. As they walked through the passageway, all the lamps were out as the Institution was asleep. Sora retreated to Dormitory 3 on the way.

“Bye bye. See you tomorrow. Don't worry we will figure something out together.” That was what she had said when she had disappeared behind the door with a smile. She dropped to her bed with only little sleeping girls in the dormitory. Her brows were tense and the smile was gone.

Eventually Selis parted ways with Skald and Skadi too.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

“Later.” Skald said and Skadi waved at her.

She made her way past the second floor passageway. She had to pass by it to go to the closest flight of stairs that led to the Newcomer’s dorm which was on the third floor. Selis was surprised to find a lone lit entrance, the light flickering on the floor.

Who could be awake at this hour?

Except me of course.

She looked into the arch as she passed by and as she couldn't see anyone, she didn't inquire further. Furthermore it was a room that she hadn't been to before.

Strange.

The next day Selis woke up to find a letter on the cabinet next to her bed. It was an old styled envelope complete with yellowing paper and a wax seal that had a symbol of deer with wings on. She knew who it was from even before she opened the letter. It was from Peryton and the entire content of the letter was just one line written in elegant writing that looked like calligraphy.

‘You have been assigned to Dorm 3.’

Selis wondered if there was anything else written as the letter, checking the other side as it seemed important with how elegantly it was written and delivered. But there was nothing else written on it.

As flamboyant as ever.

In the evening the four visited Cyress. He was still the same as the day before, covered in sheets, his coughing rendering him unable to do anything. Selis next to Sora on the empty bed on one side whereas Skadi and Skald were standing on the other side because the other side’s bed had been occupied by the Quil and Riime who lay soundly asleep.

There was a sudden screech and Selis looked around for the source tracing it to the wall. A second later a speaker on that wall came to life. Selis hadn't even known about its existence until it had shrieked to life. It announced,"Neophytes Sera, Skald, Skadi, Selis and Sunne are requested to come to the Grounds."

Selis looked at the others on how to react. Was it good news or was it bad for them?

She saw a reflection of her own cluelessness on the other’s faces and there were two questions asked.

“Who's Sunne?” Skald wondered.

“There’s a Speaker?” Skadi reflected.

The three reached the Grounds and it was exactly what it was named. It was a plain grassy ground. The Institution snaked around two tracts of land, one was the Nursery and the other where they were standing now from where the main building rose. Sora seemed to be itching her arm as she stood waiting.

“You're here already?” Skald exclaimed looking surprised. Sora’s Dorm was quite far from the Grounds.

“Yes, I walk really fast.” Sora said, looking away and then looked back at Skald who looked confused. She laughed and then dismissed any theories of her having her having speed walking superpowers,”I was outside the Institution today. They gave me the job of hanging clothes for drying.”

“Oh that's right you guys have to work.” Selis remembered what she'd learned about tasks.

Why would they call daily chores something as dramatic as tasks? Perhaps for the same reason Peryton sent out letters just to announce the dorm. Selis had come to know later that it was actually a little girl from her dormitory who had gotten the task to deliver the letter to her.

Oh that's right.

“I got assigned a dormitory.” She said looking at the others.

“Really? Which one?” Skald asked.

“Oh so you're the Newcomer!” Sora looked excited, ‘I bet she's with me.” She declared looking at Skald competitively.

“No, I bet she's with us. You guys have gotten too many Newcomers recently.” It was Skadi who had accepted her competitive bet.

All of their enthusiasm made Selis excited to announce too as she watched them with an amused smile appearing on her face.

“What dorm are you in? If you're in mine, I would totally make you pretty accessories.” Sora winked.

“You make accessories? Alright alright. I'm sold. I'm in your dorm.” Selis conceded.

“Is it a joke?” Skadi asked and Selis shook her head showing them the letter she had been carrying in her pocket. She didn't have a place to keep it and neither did she want to stash it irresponsibly, still unsure about its significance.. Sora punched the air excitedly in victory.

“Too bad.” Skald mourned accepting Dormitory 1’s defeat.

She wondered why they were so excited about the dorm she was assigned to

“Do you not get many Newcomers?” She asked.

“Nope, you are the first one in years.” Sora explained.

“Oh.” So it was a little celebratory thing of theirs.

Sora turned to Skadi. "Did you find out anything else about the herb?"

Skadi shook her head and a silence followed.

"Who's the fifth person?" Selis asked, breaking the silence as it made her uncomfortable and she also sensed the discomfort of the others. It stood between everyone like an invisible wall.

“I think it was someone named Sunne,” Skadi recalled.

Selis wasn't sure though if she didn't know this fifth person or if she had simply forgotten that she had met them. She had met a lot of people whose names begin with an S so she was not to blame.

How does Peryton expect us to remember them?

“Oh that’s-” Sora was broken off by the arrival of someone. A boy with brown hair and eyes about their age.

“Yeah, Sunne is the one we met yesterday.” Sora finished. Skadi narrowed her eyes.

He walked and just stood there and looked at the grass. His demeanour seemed less haughty and more of avoidance. The uneasy silence from before had returned like an uninvited guest.

They knew that they couldn’t blame him for not knowing about the plant but his way to address the rather serious situation had left them with an unpleasant impression of him.

He is the fifth member of our group.

There was a sudden whoosh and a short man in a fox mask and a suit appeared before them, seemingly out of nowhere behind Sunne who turned to look at the Spectre. Selis was visibly startled and so were the others.

"Group S, this is your first mission. Follow me." He spoke in a gruff tone.

So five members was the minimum requirement.

Selis noted.

The five followed after the masked man. Upon closer inspection it was evident that the mask resembled a fennec fox with its huge ears. The man itself fit the creature as he was rather short yet had the elegance fitting of a Spectre.

He led them to the lift. It was the same lift from which Selis had been led by Skald and Skadi to the Institution.

I can't believe only three days have passed and so much is happening already.

There was a keyhole beside the lift with a small but intricate beautiful design on it. It was laced with metallic patterns of metal flowers, vines and birds. The lift’s door itself was covered with the lively version of the art, overgrown with vines and ferns with birds nestling among its flowers. The man took out a key from somewhere behind his sandy coloured tie. Inserting the key, he turned it seemingly having summoned a low rumbling which kept growing louder and louder as the lift closed distance. Soon enough the elevator door hissed and a clear ringing sound was heard as it waited for them, yawning to lead them into the depths, back to where they came from.