《Canyon的魔法师们》塔里

4、神秘字条

　　-Kate-

　　It was not an exaggeration to say that the School of Stilson and Eleanor was like a town of middle size. It takes us twenty minuets to walk to the Academic Building, which is on the left side of the reddish Monument Hall. I had visited the shopping area and the cafeterias yesterday with Zach Sparks, and I was impressed by the variety of choices. Maybe it was going to nice living here after all.

　　Academic Building was a greyish building, looking far more modern than Low Hall. I entered through the front door with Catherine and soon found myself quite at lost. There were so many corridors and countless lifters, each led a different office. I stood there, petrified. Catherine had to shove me around like a swivel chair. People there, obviously faculties wore different badges, and I guessed each one stands for a different authority level or different office. white might be interns since a lot of them ran around like drunken ducks,yellow might be for novice because I heard them talking about recent graduation; then I see people with green, blue badges, which might be officers who are in charge, and orange, but fewer in number. Chief executor I took a guess and found it make so much sense because the major color of the school flag is orange.

　　"Catherine, do you know where we are heading to"

　　"Of course! I have at least been here for a million times! I know it seemed confusing at the beginning with so many lifters crossing like crazy, but you'll get used to it...eventually. we need to come here to register for classes, change classes, apply for official transcript, and so many other things as long as it concerns with your studies." Catherine was explaining to me while leading me through the maze which I found myself in.

　　Finally we arrived and it turned out that we have to wait in a line since there were near a hundred second-grade students and only two offices were open for class registration. I thought it was going to take a long time so I left for bathroom. I did not ask Catherine to come with me but I soon found myself at lost, just when I was going to stop and ask someone in the corridor, I felt a gentle pat on my right shoulder.

　　"Excuse me, miss, can you eh help me out here I was summing up students' grade for the third grade, and I really need another helper. The only intern was off today. "

　　"Yeah sure!" I told her. She was wearing a blue badge, then she must be a high-rank officer, but she looked so juvenile. This was a puzzle very easily solved in my mind: This was a school for genius, she must be one of the outstanding graduates.

　　I was asked to read the names from a roster to her as she copied the scores down on a form from another file. It was an easy task indeed, but very tiring when you have to read three things at the same time, which is why, I think, she had to ask for help.

　　"Julia Jones,"

　　"Next!"

　　"Isaac. W. White,"

　　"Next!"

　　"Last one...Jin Baili..." I read the last name, with less confidence. It reminded me of the talking of Catherine. The name was highlighted in bright green, indicating a special case here.

　　"Oh! that one, just skip it. Then that's the end. Thank you so much, little girl." She then turned to look at her file and my eyes followed. Thank God I had a pair of sharp eyes. I glanced across the paper, and my eyes were caught by the number "1" in school rankings, and a dozen of As throughout the other half of the paper. The officer seemed to catch me examining the file, so she snapped it down on the table and turned and smiled at me.

　　"Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't mean to..."

　　"No,you are fine! I get it, rumors about him fly around. I would be curious too if I were you, but this is the classified files, and I'm sorry I cannot show you. But thank you very much for helping. I believe you are a second-grader judging from your uniform. Can you tell me your name By the way, I'm Sarah Lancer. You are a very quick thinker and efficient in work, I suppose I could use your help once in a while " She blinked at me, still smiling.

　　"Thank you, miss Lancer. I'm Kate Lockwood, and I would very like to work with you, ma'am." This was a great opportunity! She was obviously a smart and observant lady, and I felt close to her already after working with her for less than two hours. Besides, my curiosity about that mysterious boy had grown deeper, the possibility that I could have learned more about him thrilled me like how I felt when I got to explore a secret fairy land.
　　--
　　When I had finished registering, it was very late. Catherine had gone back to the dorm without me of course, for I had disappeared for nearly two hours. I was offered a job on my third day here, and so far I had been doing good in adjusting to school life and tried my best not to think about Herbert and Henry often.

　　Mrs Forbes was standing by the glass door when I got back, examining me from head to feet. Her face was cold and pale as usual.

　　"Hi! Mrs Forbes. Good evening. How are you doing today"

　　"Good evening, Miss Lockwood. I'm good, I was just strolling around. But I have to sayyou are a bit late, miss. The evening ball held at the King Center started in less than 10 minuets. I suggest you go back to your suite and change quickly."

　　"Oh! I forgot the whole matter! Thank you Mrs Forbes!" Hurriedly I ran upstairs.

　　The ball was half way through by the time I got there, my sense of direction was not treating me nicely and I was driven there in a funny car by a patrolling student-safety officer. I found Paige easily because she was eating by the table while Catherine and Dorothy were nowhere to be seen. I got myself a piece of chocolate pie and joined her.

　　"Kate! I thought you would not come!" She exclaimed at the first sight of me.

　　"I'm sorry! I got lost again. The school is like a crazy maze. What They expect genius could always find their way out"

　　"I know! It's very confusing. I get lost often too! Cling to the crowd! That's the strategy, some people always know where they are heading to." She laughed. Then she was suddenly reminded of something and exclaimed again:"Oh! I heard you had got a letter!"

　　"A letter From whom"

　　"I don't know. I saw Mrs Forbes taking letters from the postman. He always came at dusk and he usually announced the names to Mrs Forbes since she cannot see very well. Then I heard your name. I thought Mrs Forbes had already given you your letter."

　　I was revived by the news! From whom the letter must come Henry probably, he promised to write to me when he was not too busy. Herbert Likely, he liked to tell me his stories. Mom and Dad What would they say Mr Davis No, he was not even told where I had gone to school. I apologized to Paige for leaving early and run all the way back. I had a good memory even my sense of direction was poor, and with a bit of luck, I made it back to dorm in fifteen minuets.

　　Unexpectedly, Zach Sparks was walking out of the glass door as I came close. He was a little surprised seeing me there, but he came back to his old self.

　　"Miss Kate! Look at you! You look stunning tonight, just like a fairy from the wonderland!How come you are back so early Did not you enjoy the dance"

　　"It's very nice seeing you too, Mr. Sparks. What brings you here"

　　"I was gonna check on you, little fairy, then I was reminded of the ball. Alas! my mind was not working these days."

　　"Oh! I'm doing good. I came back for my letter. It might come from Henry or Herbert! I'll see you around, have a great evening!" I hugged him swiftly and walked in

　　I was too eager to see the letter that might come from one of my family. However, Mrs Forbes was not there, I wondered where she had gone since I never saw leaving her office. My eyes were scanning the inside of her office and they caught the letter box just next to her locker. I groped through the pile of letters and found the one with my name on it.

　　It's not the safe place to read a private letter, my instinct told me; I thrusted my valuable letter in my purse and went upstairs. Mrs Forbes, I found out, was coming down the stile, and we met, face by face. Though I always felt uncomfortable speaking to her, there was no way of avoiding it. This time, however, she started the conversation.

　　"Miss Lockwood! I never expect you back so early. Is everything alright"

　　"Yes, eh... I was...tired, that's all. Besides, ball is not really my thing." I lied, instinctively. Facing her ghostly face, I suddenly felt dangerous to tell the truth.

　　"If that's the case,you better go and rest, miss." Her seemingly straining face suddenly relaxed a bit. There must be something wrong about her, I thought, she looked very unsure about something. Lacking evidence, I failed to take any educational guess. Maybe period

　　She was about to leave my sight when I suddenly stopped her :"Mrs Forbes, I ordered a book from the Noble Reader ( a book store). Is there anything for me from the postman"

　　"No, miss, nothing is for you. " She answered then quickly descended.

　　My instinct was right, I thought when I entered my suite, then my private room. Mrs Forbes was mighty suspicious. The only key to the mystery lied in this letter. With an anticipation and now curiosity, I opened the letter.

　　亲爱的凯特小姐，
　　我们非常荣幸的邀请你成为SSSC的一员。第一次会议将会在下周一举行，午夜，旧图书馆。你进入底层会议室的时候会需要密码。请一个人来，并且在读完这封信之后摧毁它。密码在书《毁灭者之园》的第238页。
　　SSSC

　　My mind had gone through disappointment, confusion, curiosity, and back to confusion in thirty seconds. I found some other instructions on the back of the paper. It was written in Collerian, the language of the smallest eastern country Coller. Very few people knew its language. The instruction says "Password was possessed in the Book The Devil's Land at page number 238".

　　This was getting interesting. Whoever wrote this letter must have known me personally otherwise he or she could not expect the reader to be proficient in Collerian. This SSC, whatever it might be, was mighty mysterious about its existent. Was that why Mrs Forbes didn't want me to read the letter What did she have anything to do with this SSSC Should I go Or was everything some kind of a practical joke

　　My legs, however, made the decision for me. I went out from the back door, and found my way to the old library. According to the big clock half muffled by the mist, it was already ten. God bless me, don't let me get lost.

　　Lighted by the ghast moonlight, I pushed open the door of the old library.