Private Tales How to Use a “Don’t Get Caught” Pass

[Everleigh Ebersol]

[art cred]
Well, it seems that Everleigh finally got caught. Or rather, someone had snitched on her. How lame. She knew just who it was, the dirty scoundrel, Titus. He knew the rules when they made the wager, and this time Everleigh hadn’t even purposely cheated. She knew she wouldn’t need to with someone as obviously open as he was. It was Everleigh’s sort of own poker she had made up (okay, that was a lie, she stole the idea from somewhere else but she added a few improvements.) So, sure, it was expected that Titus would lose.

And he did. And all he had to do was give her five fingernails. She didn’t even bet a finger like she usually would.

Of course he had tried to run but Everleigh paralyzed him easily and then removed the nails herself. She was kind enough to not take the nails from his thumb or index finger so she had no idea why he was being such a wimp. Did no one appreciate her kindness nowadays? She was a lot worse before the revolution.

So when the proctor, Proctor Palahniuk no less, came bursting into the room demanding for a initiate’s nails and Everleigh’s deck of cards and any other “restricted paraphernalia” the sin eater did what any smart student would do and complied. And why was it smart to give Proctor Palahniuk her deck of cards, trick dice, trick coins, and bag full of human fingernails? Because he was too forgetful to report it. Everyone knew that he just threw it in his office in some locked safe, never to be seen again. Everyone knew the safe number was his birthday.

So after Everleigh’s punishment of kitchen duty— which included helping kitchen staff prepare food, serving her fellow classmates, washing dishes and moping the cafeteria’s floor— and writing an apology letter to Titus that she couldn’t wait for him to open, Everleigh was ready to get back her stuff. She diligently went to her room, studied, and turned her lights off when curfew hit. Seemingly like she had learn her lesson despite not getting physically beaten bloody and bruised.

Everleigh Ebersol had done plenty of naughty rule breaking before, this wasn’t going to be her first time sneaking around the dark Academy hallways. She knew that on Wednesday nights the patrols followed Sunday patrol patterns, and so after midnight is when they would pass by Everleigh’s dorm room and not return by for a full eighty minutes. Plenty of time to get things done.

She unlocked her door at exactly ten past midnight, closing her door silently and began to creep along the hallway with all the stealth of a black cat along a dark alleyway.

 

[Liza Newcastle]

"Look! I keep telling you! It's just candy!" Liza's hands were down at her side, balled into tight fists. An angry pout on her lips as she argued with the much taller man in front of her. She hadn't snuck off the academy grounds just to have her prize taken from her upon returning.

"Proctor Palahniuk... You know me! I have never taken drugs or anything I shouldn't've the whole time I've been at the academy. And if this really was something illicit, I definitely wouldn't have been walking down the halls openly eating it." Liza pulled a second small canvas pouch out of her pocket and opened it. "How many times do I have to tell you?! It's nothing more than sugar! Try one if you don't believe me!" She fished around in the pouch full of crystals of every imaginable color, producing a vibrant pink crystal and held it out to Palahniuk.

But the Proctor was having none of it. "Initiate Newcastle!" he barked, roughly snatching the bag out of Liza's hand. "Not only have you snuck off academy grounds, you had the audacity to return with an unknown substance which you try to lead me to believe is "candy"!"

Was Palahniuk stupid? He had to be right? If he had stopped to think for a moment, he would realize that there was no way in hell a girl like Liza would take something she shouldn't. Though he probably didn't know it, Liza had enough trouble functioning in her day to day life as it was without the hinderance of other things getting in the way.

After being told to report to the groundskeepers building, Liza spent the remainder of the day tending garden beds, weeding, and shoveling soil and manure. She was bedraggled by the time they had finished and immediately made her way to her room without stopping for dinner.

Well at least the snacks won't be difficult to retrieve... she thought. Everybody knew about Proctor Palahniuk's safe and how simple it was to break into. Liza changed into fresh clothes and flopped onto her bed and was soon fast asleep.

Liza awoke sometime later to total darkness. She rose from the bed quiet as a mouse and crept over to the door. Upon stepping out the door, Liza ran into another young woman, and was sent crashing to the floor.

"Oh... H-Hello Initiate Ebersol... Uhh... Sorry..." Liza' voice was fearful as she cautiously stood, bracing herself for the angry retaliation that she was certain would befall her.

 

[Everleigh Ebersol]

Everleigh was getting rusty it seemed. The jiggle of a doorknob alerted her to someone exiting, which caused Everleigh to take a step back as she figured anyone leaving at this time of night was likely to head to the bathroom straight down the hall. She thought she’s pace back a bit and hopefully go unnoticed, slinking behind that person until they reached the bathroom.

That did not go to plan as she felt a smaller form thud right into her. Everleigh maintained her balance— strong legs after all— and pivoted, facing Liza and and tilting her head. She would’ve been polite and reached a hand out to help her up, but Everleigh had learned long ago that people didn’t really enjoy touching her. So instead, she held a finger to her lips as Liza stood up. And then held up her palm, a clear sign for Liza to not move.

Seconds passed, Everleigh’s ears searching for any sort of sound. She didn’t even hear the scurry of a mouse or the soft serenade of a cricket. Perfect.

“It’s fine.” Everleigh whispered finally, her face a blank slate. It was just the natural way she often had it when interacting with others she didn’t know too intimately. Well, she knew Liza, and never thought much of her. She seemed too cautious and meek to the poison eater. Not that it bothered her, it just seemed unusual that Liza had survived this far.

“Are you heading to the bathroom, too?” She lied easily as if it were the truth. Her poker face impeccable as always.

 

[Liza Newcastle]

Liza braced for the beating that never came. She could only stare at Everleigh in shocked silence as the other initiate motioned for her to stay quiet. What the hell? Almost anybody else would have beaten her to a pulp for not watching where she was going. Liza's shoulders relaxed and a small smile formed on her lips. A smile that only widened as Everleigh dismissed her apology. Maybe she had been wrong about her classmates. Maybe some of them were okay.

Her expression hardened a bit at the girl's question. Everleigh's face was giving nothing away, but something about her was bothering Liza. If she had truly had only been headed to the bathroom... Why was she being so cautious? It wasn't like they were going to get in trouble for leaving their rooms, just to use the bathroom.

"Uhh.. Yeah. I was headed to the bathroom." Liza responded, deciding that it would be better for her in the long run to not call out somebody who was being friendly for once. But at the same time, Liza knew that she was a terrible liar. It would be better to come clean. Maybe Everleigh would even help her, though she doubted it.

"Palahniuk confiscated some of my snacks, thinking they were something else." Liza said with a sigh of resignation. " And I'm on my way to get them back..." She eyed the other initiate cautiously. "That's where you're going too, isn't it?"

 

[Everleigh Ebersol]

A violet brow rose up and Everleigh tilted her head much like a bird did when looking at something interesting. Liza was not necessarily a threat to the poison eater. Never actually was, despite the fact that if Everleigh was being objective, Liza’s natural magic would be classified as better suited to a higher ranking dreadlord. The issue was Liza’s personality, which Everleigh was still confused on why she had even lasted long enough for the revolution to happen and be safe. Yet, here Liza was before her, gushing out her secrets so easily. Really was amazing to see how some people could slip through the cracks of pain and despair.

“Mm,” Everleigh hummed slightly, glancing around them. Talking out in the halls was not safe— and it also was a waste of Evie’s most precious resource: time. She shook her head, she didn’t know how Liza figured out she wasn’t heading to the bathroom other than her obviously suspicious actions, so perhaps Initiate Newcastle wasn’t a idiot.

She pulled out a coin.

“Do you like playing games?” Everleigh was grinning, her demure facade cracking to reveal that daredevil glint in her eyes. “Heads we work together, tails you’re on your own.” If it was tails, Evie would most definitely use Liza to her disposal as a distraction. Would get Liza in trouble but at least it would allow Everleigh those extra minutes to get her job done.

Liza Newcastle