“I... don’t remember," Griselda said. "My memory isn’t as good as it used to be.”
“Really? That’s the best excuse you can come up with?” Irene didn’t let up on the smack talk. “I find it hard to believe. Unless...” She paused and rubbed her chin. “You left Hugh there on purpose and tried to hide it.”
“Are you crazy?” Griselda snapped, taken aback by the remark. “That’s ludicrous you’d think of such a thing! I gave him the choice to go on that field trip, and he complied and went along with it! He probably got trapped because of his own doing.”
“Trip? What field trip?”
“Oh, uh...”
Irene practically fumed by the response, or lack thereof. She marched over to the portal device. Ignoring Glenda's and Griselda’s protests, she stared up at the visionary image.
“Show me. Did Griselda send Hugh away?!”
After a beat of silence, the blonde woman ran over to her side. “You fool, I made this voice protective. Only I can activate and tell it to ‘Show us the part where Hugh and I discussed the field trip!” She immediately covered her mouth over falling for the oldest trick imaginable. It was too late to change that now.
The visionary bubble from before shrunk. A new one appeared in its place as the image swirled and grew distorted. In front of the group, the knob grew bigger to show what happened. It depicted Griselda sitting behind a desk in her old office, while Hugh stood across the room, standing tall and firm.
“So, what’s it going to be?” she asked, resting her elbows on the desk, staring at him intensively.
“I…” Hugh clenched his fists and breathed in, trying to calm down before responding. “I’m not going.”
“Are you sure? Think about what you’re saying here. Why would you want to do that?”
“It’s my wife. I need to tend to her. It’s important I take my time and devotion to–”
“You’re married? That’s a surprise.” Griselda creased her eyebrows. “The trip wouldn’t take long. I’m sure she can manage if you work hard and fast. You’d rather do that than achieve the rank in school?”
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“Hugh stormed over and slammed his hands on the desk. “You don’t understand! She’s ex—” His words got cut short as something tightened around his throat. He clutched his neck and struggled to breathe—a purple aura formed around him.
“Goodness, are you alright?” Griselda watched as he composed himself, stiff as a board, before responding.
“Yeah, I’m ok,” he replied, showing no signs of emotion. “I think I can manage. I’ll go on the trip after all.”
“Oh, you changed your mind? That’s great to hear!” she exclaimed, clasping her hands. “You won’t regret this. I assure you, considering your skils, you’ll have it done in no time. She won’t even notice.”
“Of course. That’s what I’m planning.”
.-.-.-.
“Okay, stop!” Griselda ordered before the scene transitioned. She turned to Irene and Glenda with a big smile on her face. “You see? You heard him say ‘yes’, so there’s nothing to worry about.”
Irene wiped her reddened eyes and continued to stare at the paused vision. Even though those words rang through her ears, she still found it hard to believe. Something about it seemed off—the inflection of his voice, the whiplash in tone, and the purple surrounding his eyes. Wait, Hugh’s eyes aren’t purple. They were light brown and blue, respectively.
She told them about her thoughts. Glenda bit her lip, unsure how to feel, but Griselda didn’t seem to pay mind to it.
“I didn’t notice or remember that part. Last time I remember...”
“Sure, you don’t.” That isn’t canny. The Hugh I know isn’t like that. It’s almost as if someone had…
Glenda sighed. She was in a dilemma, unsure of what to do. She struggled between her devotion to her mistress and her helpfulness to a bystander.
Ringing buzzed in her dress pocket. Glenda reached down to pick up her holographic communicator.
She answered and pulled out a scroll hologram from Eris. She had previously contacted her and told her about the predicament while the duo argued nonstop.
Excellent, it looks like she got the message.
“Guys, I don’t mean to interrupt, but I have good news.” Glenda declared, breaking their argument.
“Eris knows someone who can help us with this situation.”
“Fantastic news! You’re live savors!” Griselda chirped. “I knew I could count on you.”
Irene sighed in contempt. On the one hand, she should be happy. Despite what the principal said earlier, there’s a way to get Isabelle (and potentially Hugh) out of the forbidden area. But, on the other hand…
“What would you have done if Glenda hadn’t gotten into contact with—?”
“Irene, you worry too much,” Griselda told her, waving it off dismissively. “Your daughter and friend are going to be safe and sound. That’s all that matters, right?” The principal and teacher walked away and headed back to the elevator.
Irene’s face contorted into a grimace as she slowly followed them from behind. This is not over, not by a long shot.