The Aldean Chronicles: Hidden

I sit beside Jason in the last row. "You didn't tell me you were so well connected. I feel like an idiot." He says with a small laugh.

"They're just friends. I don't have any intention of joining, I'm just here for one meeting." As we're talking, another person enters the room.

My face falls when I see who it is. "Crap, it's Derek. He's in my class, he's the worst." Jason turns back and laughs.

"Really? I hear he's good at magic."

"He is, and the worst in everything else," I mutter. "What is he doing here?"

"My guess is, he was invited." He jokes. "And he's coming over here."

I sit straight and try to look confident. I cannot handle him right now. "Harst." He says when he sees me. He's been calling me that since our first class together, I didn't know what it meant till our third. It's the Gilliamic (old Illyrian language previously spoken in Northern Aldean till the 19th century) word for basic. "What are you doing here?"

I swear if one more person asks me that. "I should be asking you that, Kevin"

He scoffs. "You know it's Derek. And also, I'm here because I'm the best fire elemental in our class. You on the other hand, are the worst, so again, why are you here?"

"Like you, I was invited. Just sit down, the meeting will soon start." I retort.

He takes the seat on my left. "You know they're only taking two first years at the end of this. I plan on being one of them. The evaluation process is brutal, I'll advise you to drop out now."

Dimitri climbs the stage, stopping me from replying. It's for the best, I didn't have a response to that. He starts the meeting with a few announcements before bringing out the pledges. A dozen students are standing behind him on the stage, they're all holding old, brown pieces of paper.

"Today, we start the evaluation of our pledges. Over the next two weeks, they'll go through strenuous activities and only those remaining will join us. Remember, you can drop out anytime...but you will be judged." There is laughter in the audience. "You can also be eliminated, first people to get to the next tasks get promoted to the next round." He looks at them. "In your hand is your scroll, it contains the stages of your evaluation. Tomorrow, said evaluation will start. I implore you to take the rest of the day to rest because you won't be getting much of it these next two weeks."

The members laugh and reminisce about their two weeks of torture. "May the best people win." Dimitri finishes, there's applause among the pledges. "Now go. Prepare for tomorrow." When they're gone, Dimitri turns to the rest of us.

"Now for today's meeting. Our annual alumni fundraiser comes up at the end of the semester. I will be assigning roles to everyone at the next meeting. This will be the most important night of the year, the more they enjoy the event, the more money they'll donate. Maybe if we're lucky, Queen Freya will grace us with her presence." He looks at Kat who just looks away from him. "The annual fundraiser isn't for months. We should focus on our closer functions. Our fundraiser for the public library for example."

"This club sure does a lot of fundraisers." I joke quietly to Jason.

"That will be the first Saturday of October. I will be texting everybody their roles for that as soon as the meeting is over." Dimitri goes on for ten more minutes. Then we're left to socialize.

I cling to Jason as he moves around the room with ease. "How are you so good at this?" I ask as we leave the second-year girl we were just talking to.

"I've been meeting diplomats all my life, the key is to smile and learn as much as you can about them beforehand."

"Well, that's not exactly possible for me." I say. "Any other tips."

"Just be nice and let me do most of the talking." He leads us to a group of three. "Hi, I'm Jason Leander. This is Cassandra Flores."

One of the girls looks us up and down. "Leander, as in President Leander?" She asks.

Jason laughs and looks slightly embarrassed. "Yes, that's my father."

She nods before turning to me. "I've never heard of a Flores before. Who invited you?"

"Tristan did," I reply.

"Third years don't usually invite people. I doubt Dimitri would have agreed to that." The other girl says.

"Jamie and Princess Katya asked him if I can stay." I begin to explain. I frantically search the room for Kat. I find her and use my eyes to beg for help.

Luckily, she excuses herself from her group and walks over to me. "Hey, guys." She says to the group Jason and I are talking to.

"Princess Katya." The first girl says. "We haven't talked all week, how are you?"

"I'm good, thanks so much for asking," Kat says sweetly. "I see you've met my friend, Cassie. I invited her."

"Oh, that's so nice of you. I was just telling her how nice it is that's she's here." The first girl lies.

"She seems so nice." The third girl speaks for the first time.

Kat nods. "Good to hear, if you don't mind me borrowing her for a minute." She turns to me.

"Pleasure to meet you all, Jason excuse me for a second." I leave with Kat. "Thank you for that. These people are even worse than the normal students," I say once we're out of earshot.

"They are, but everyone in this room is really powerful. That brunette you were just talking to, Lira. She's the strongest earth elemental in fourth year," Kat says. "Let me introduce you to one of my friends." She leads me to a girl beside the snack table. "This is Mika, we've been roommates since first year."

"Hi, I'm Cassandra." I introduce myself. "Wow, you're really pretty." And she is, she has curly brown hair and round brown eyes. She's a bit shorter than me and has a soft smile that seems to be plastered to her face. She looks a lot like my cousin, Rosa.

"Thank you, you're pretty too. Love your hair." She compliments.

Kat introduces me to a few more club members. The meeting eventually ends and I go for dinner. I'm the first to arrive and sit at our usual table.

I answer my parents' texts while I wait for my friends. I have a special Aldean chicken dish in front of me, the meat is cut up in chunks and submerged in a brown, gravy-like sauce. It has an appetizing curry smell and is one of the best meals I've had since I got here. The first of my friends to come are Sara and Michelle.

"How was the debate club?" I ask as they sit opposite me with their full trays.

"It was alright, I'm thinking of joining next semester. Michelle, on the other hand is not so sure." Sara digs into her spaghetti.

"I still have time, I'm not sure debate's the club for me." Michelle shrugs and takes a sip of her juice.

They don't bother asking me how I spent my afternoon and I'm grateful for that. Axel appears and is followed closely by Paisley. "How were you guy's day?" She asks.

"Debate was good, thinking of joining." Sara recounts. "What about you two?"

"Drama," Paisley says. "This school's drama department is incredible, their funding is outrageous."

"I skipped all that this week, went back to my room for some good old-fashioned sleep," Axel yawns.

"So in other words, you went back to your room with Dana," Paisley asks.

Axel smiles. "You know me too well, Paise."

She throws a grape at him and turns to me. "And where were you?"

"She was in our room as she said she'll be. You should at least try to participate more in this school, Cass." Sara says.

"I participate plenty," I argue. "I just haven't found a club I'm interested in yet."

"Oh really," Axel says. "Then why did Jason text me saying he spent the afternoon with you." My eyes widen, I'm about to be caught in my lie. "Did we happen to spend our afternoons the same way?"

Sara rolls her eyes. "First of all, ew. Second of all, Jason kept talking about being invited to the Blue rose's meeting."

"Did he miss the meeting?" Michelle asks. "Why would he do that?"

"He didn't, he posted on his page that he just got out." Sara says, scrolling through her phone. They all slowly look at me. "Did you go to the meeting?" Sara asks in a low voice.

I sigh. "Yes, I did. Tristan invited me." Her eyes widen.

"And as usual, the sheer gravity of that is lost on you." She gasps. "Do you have any idea how exclusive it is?"

Axel nods. "I'm not even sure I can get in. And I'm a Navalny. Do you know how many monarchs, state and military leaders have gone to that club?"

"Tell me how the room is, I hear they have gold sconces on the walls and the floors are so clear you can see your reflection," Michelle says.

"I heard magic bounces around the room and if you're not strong enough, you can get knocked down," Sara adds.

"I heard the members all have these special pins and that's the only way you can get in." Axel says.

"I heard the room has a special lock and you have to solve a riddle, use magic and say the password to get in," Paisley says. "Is any of what we're saying true?"

"I don't know, Tristan just opened the door for me and I walked in," I reply in a small voice.

"What did you guys talk about?" Sara inquires desperately.

"Pledges, fundraisers. They won't say anything important with visitors around. Besides, I doubt they'll invite me again next week."

"Why not?" Axel asks.

"Just a feeling. Can we talk about something else, tomorrow's trip for example? Let's talk about that." They keep asking me questions about the meeting and I keep giving the shortest answer possible. We do talk about our outing the next day. We agree to leave by noon and meet up at the administrative building.

Later that night, as I'm lying in bed doing my biology assignment, I get a text from Grey. I'm shocked. This is the first time he's messaged me.

Grey: I heard you were at the blue Rose's meeting today.

Me: Hello Grey, can I help you this fine evening?

Grey: It also seems like you and Kat are becoming friends. Be careful with her, she's not as nice as she seems.

Me: She's a lot nicer than you. At least she talks to me.

Grey: I did talk to you. You made it very clear you didn't want to talk to me.

Me: Because you were being very rude.

Grey: What did you want me to say? It's the first time we were speaking to each other.

Me: It was the first time we talked because of you. You kept telling your dad for two years that you didn't want to meet me.

Grey: Of course I said that. I didn't want to upset my mum.

Me: Yet she came and you didn't.

Grey: Fine, I'm sorry about that. Let's start over. I'm going home this weekend, do you want to come?

Me: I'm going to ignore your last message and take it as a joke.

Grey: Fair, but I am going home this weekend.

Me: Maybe I'll come another weekend. Also, do you live in the palace?

Grey: No, I live in an estate a few miles from it. You've never been there, have you?

Me: I haven't, aunt Freya will have my head if I go anywhere near there.

Grey: That woman scares me. She's the sweetest in public but terrifying in private.

Me: Everybody adores her.

Grey: That's her brand.

Sara looks up at me from her desk. "Who are you texting?"

"No one, just a friend from home." She sees through this but doesn't ask further questions. I continue my chat with Grey. Five minutes later, I drop my phone beside me and catch Sara staring at me.

"You're hiding a lot about your identity, Cassandra Flores, and I intend to find out what it is," she says before going back to her books.