Zyn sighed and got to her feet, following Ren down the tower stairs, the air warm around them. They passed the bathroom on the second floor and reached the family room on the ground floor. 

This room was painted blue, and even the rugs covering the wooden floor were azure. Two tables were against the right wall, where tall windows overlooked the forest beyond the school. To the left was a couch and an armchair, sky blue in color. The couch faced a fireplace, while the armchair sat next to a bookshelf. Above the stone fireplace was a large picture of Ak-tu and the twins when they were younger. Several more pictures of the family hung on the walls, making the room feel warm and welcoming. 

The siblings crossed the room and made it to the front door of the tower. Zyn opened the door and they slipped into the Tai Chi Studio, which was empty at the moment. After all, school was out for the summer break, meaning that Zyn and Ren had free run of the entire school. Zyn locked the door behind them (out of habit, since it wasn’t necessary to lock the door without any students around), then the sisters hurried from the classroom to the Courtyard outside.

Two large gardens were situated in the Courtyard, with one in the north (to their left) and the other next to the western wall (in front of them). A huge pond lay in the southeastern corner (diagonally to their left). The southern building straight ahead held the Eating Hall, Entrance Hall, and office rooms.

As the sisters made their way across the sunlit Courtyard though, they stopped in their tracks. Ak-tu had flung the Eating Hall door open, and was now sprinting across the stone ground, his baggy pants billowing. He entered through the next door over, which opened up to the Entrance Hall.

“Where’s Dad going?” Ren asked, baffled.

“Let’s go find out!” Zyn said eagerly, quivering in excitement.

The two hurried after their father, sliding to a halt just outside the door that led to the Entrance Hall. Zyn wished there was a window in the door for them to peer through, or a window in the hall itself, but there was nothing. She therefore turned the knob quietly, opening the door at the slowest pace she could manage.

Ak-tu was at the front of the hall, where the two glass double-doors sat. These doors were typically locked at all times, so nobody could enter or exit the school. But at the moment, they were wide open. Ak-tu stood in the doorway, a teenager in the grass across from him. A small stone statue sat on the ground beside the teen, its appearance that of a frog with fangs. Zyn couldn’t get a good look at them from the angle she was at, since she didn’t want to open the door too far.

“…your name?” Ak-tu was asking the teen.

But the teenager did not answer him, Zyn’s heart picking up speed as she was tempted to lean in closer.

“Do you want to come inside? I’m not going to hurt you. I’m the founder of this school, and I won’t allow any harm to come to you while you’re here.” 

After a moment, the teen nodded. As Ak-tu turned around to reenter the hall, Zyn closed the door hurriedly, leaving it open just a crack so it wouldn’t make noise when it shut. The sisters could hear Ak-tu and the teenager walk across the hall, their footsteps echoing in the empty space. Zyn hoped they weren’t about to go to the Courtyard, otherwise they’d run right into the twins. 

Luckily, they opened the door that led to another hall, this one smaller. The second hall held the doors that led to the Healing, Counseling, and Admin rooms. They would likely sit in one of the offices.

{Come on!} Zyn said to Ren.

Ren nodded beside her.

Pushing the door open once more, Zyn entered the hall and tiptoed to the door sitting on the left wall. She waited a long moment, then opened the door slowly and listened for footsteps. Unable to hear anything, so she poked her head through and looked down the hall. Ak-tu and the teen had vanished. 

{Where do you think they went?} Zyn asked, nearly muttering the words aloud.

{Definitely not the Healing room or Storage room.} Ren replied. {I doubt he’d take them to the Security Office, either. They’re just a kid, after all, not a threat. So probably the Counseling Office or Admin Office.}

Zyn pricked her ears, angling her head to the first door on their left, which led to the Counseling Office. She couldn’t hear any voices coming from within. 

{Let’s try the Admin Office.} Zyn decided. 

The sisters crept down the hall, keeping their footsteps as light as feathers. Once they were a few paces away from the Admin Office, they paused in their tracks, lingering just outside the door. Zyn could hear soft murmurs, but she couldn’t determine what was being said, even as she closed her eyes to concentrate. She inched closer as slowly as she could, hoping she wouldn’t stir the stuffy air too much. 

{Can you hear anything they’re saying?} Zyn asked Ren irritably.

Ren frowned beside her, focusing on the open doorway meters away. {A bit…it’s kind of muffled. It sounds like Dad’s asking them where their parents are.}

{Wouldn’t be the first time a family camping trip’s gone wrong.} Zyn said, trying not to chuckle aloud. 

Over the years, several people arrived at the school, losing their way in the thick forest and unable to find their families. Ak-tu would always help the strangers locate their group, and they’d be on their way.

Ren’s frown grew deeper on her freckled face. {It sounds like…they don’t have a family.} She cocked her head to listen better.

Zyn blinked in surprise, shifting closer to the door. But her sister held her arm up to block her advance. Instead, Ren tiptoed ever nearer, her bare feet silent as they crossed the hard wooden floor. But before she could tell Zyn anything else, a new thought entered Zyn’s mind.

{Zyn, Ren, get in here.}

It was Ak-tu. He knew they were there.