Chapter 87: A run away at home.

Atlas City, Aurora Dominion.

At around five o’clock in the morning, the silence of one of the largest homes in the city was shattered by a loud, persistent knocking on the iron gates of the Spegger family home.

A young woman stood on the front steps, her breath fogging in the chilly morning air. She wore a bright red jumpsuit and a thick wool scarf wrapped tightly around her head, leaving only her anxious eyes visible and nose for breathing. She kept nervously looking over her shoulder, flinching at every shadow cast by the streetlights, praying to the heavens that nobody had seen her sneak into the estate grounds.

Heavy bolts slid back with an agonizing groan. The door was opened by a man who was visibly annoyed, rubbing his eyes and complaining about the intruder. "Who are you and what do you want at this hour? The masters are not expecting anyone," he said, displaying absolutely zero patience for a pre-dawn visitor.

Instead of answering, the young woman impatiently adjusted the scarf to reveal her face and snapped, "Get out of my way Oswald! You are a guard; you are paid to open and close doors and not to sleep."

The man’s jaw dropped. He gasped, his fatigue instantly evaporating as his knees went slightly weak. "Young mistress Ava? How... how are you...Aren’t you supposed to be at school?"

His words trailed off into pure shock. Panicking, he poked his head outside, darting his eyes left and right to make absolutely sure no one was watching the house. Satisfied the coast was clear, he hauled her inside and quickly closed the heavy door, throwing the deadbolts back into place.

Sweat appeared on his forehead rather suddenly and his hands trembled. He hoped that no one knew she had returned. What he did not know was that the coast was not so clear and spies had been planted at every home of the Soul maiden that had escaped from the academy.

As Ava hurried through the large courtyard, she passed several household servants who were already up and doing their early morning chores. Gasps echoed through the halls as she walked by. Some dropped their mops, while others ran off in a frantic hurry to inform their master’s that the young mistress was home. The entire household was gripped by sudden dread, because everyone knew one undeniable thing; Ava was absolutely not supposed to be here.

Word reached the master bedroom like a lightning strike. Upon getting to know that their only daughter was back home, Clinton and Ritah Spegger stormed out of their room, their night gowns billowing behind them as they ran straight to their child’s bedroom.

There was no need to knock. They burst inside and embraced her immediately, holding her tightly as if she might disappear.

But the comfort lasted only a second. Clinton pulled back, his face pale with worry, and asked her bluntly what she was doing there. Beside him, Ritah could feel the terrifying, rhythmic beating of her heart right in her ears.

As a soul maiden herself, Ritah had heard the whispered rumors passing through the streets of the soul maiden circles about desperate soul maidens running away from the First 7 academy. She just had never, in her worst nightmares, expected her own daughter to be among them. This was a disgrace, for not just her but one that her whole family would face. Hopefully, it was not the case with her daughter.

"Ava," Ritah asked, her voice trembling with emotion. "Please tell me that it is not what I am thinking?"

Clinton gripped her shoulders, "Sweetheart, please tell me you are not one of those confused Soul maidens escaping the academy. You are Ava Spegger, the pride of our family and clan. You could be the next Divine Soul maiden. You cannot afford to make foolish decisions."

Two men pushed into the room, Jerome and Hansel, Ritah’s other husbands.

"Is it true?" Jerome asked.

"My God it’s true." Hansel groaned. "This is bad."

Ava looked at her parents, the fear giving way to a rush of desperate words. She told them exactly what was happening behind the closed gates of the academy. The impossible crushing pressure, the new laws, and the chilling truth about what happened to those that were going beyond the veil.

She looked her mother in the eyes and whispered that she simply could not go back there and that she would rather die.

Ritah grabbed her hands, trying to anchor her. "You have to go back, Ava," she urged desperately, trying to reassure her. "Even if you are selected to go beyond the veil, your uncle has immense military influence! He can hire a battalion of elite mercenary hunters to go on the other side with you and keep you safe! Trinity will not be merciful otherwise."

Ava shook her head, tears of frustration stinging her eyes. "Still... I am scared, Mother. A battalion can’t stop what’s over there. I have a friend in the academy, Ophelia Riggs. She has an aunt that works as a cleaner in the Mystic Sanctum, and she said her aunt overheard the Divine Soul maiden and Headmistress Julia talking about a King beast. There are bad things beyond the veil mother, things that are killing Soul maidens. I don’t want to be torn to pieces! If Trinity Johnson wants the rest of us to go, she has to lead a team personally and take the same risk as the rest of us."

Anxious energy driving her, Ritah walked over to the window and cautiously peered through a crack in the curtains. The sun was beginning to peek over the Atlas City skyline. If anyone was hunting for her daughter, they would be arriving soon. That was if they had not followed her.

"This is not good," Ritah muttered, her heart sinking. "The sun is rising. Anyone could have seen you coming here, and the punishment for running away from the academy island is severe. I am sure that they already know that you are here. The Mavericks were exiled to a border town because of harboring their daughter who did what you have done. We cannot face the same fate."

Realizing they were running out of minutes before a formal academy search party was dispatched, Ritah pulled out her phone. Her fingers tapped frantically against the glass as she dialed a number.

She was calling her younger brother, Logan. Not only was he her brother, but he was also the current Mayor of Concordia. He wielded a lot of political power and, most importantly, maintained close personal connections to the Divine Soul Maiden herself. If anyone had the bureaucratic shield to solve this and keep her daughter’s crime under wraps it was him. Perhaps, he could find a way to see to it that she was not punished.