Maple High School Academy Year 1
Journey to Nightshade - Unconscious

Unconscious

ELLE WIDENED HER EYES in disbelief as Miss Grewyinn greeted her at the school gate. Instead of answering the greeting from the pharmacy teacher, Elle looked at him in amazement. The draped brown cloak did not cover the entirety of Miss Grewyinn's outfit. The leather pants and the long-sleeved blouse of colored leaves made the pharmacy teacher look different.

Elle compared the clothes she was wearing. The black culottes and ivory-colored linen shirt he wore felt less than appropriate for his trip tonight.

“Miss Thompson,” call Miss Grewyinn once again make Elle stammer.

“ Uh, good night, Miss.” Elle answered while taking off her glasses.

With a satisfied look at the appearance of Elle, Miss Grewyinn said, “Good, it looks like you are ready to the maximum. What about your default?”

Elle shows the slung bag. Not visible because covered with his school robe. As Miss Grewyinn said earlier this afternoon, they were both—Elle and Adniel, required to use the school's attributes as identifiers to residents outside Maple Academy.

Miss Grewyinn nodded in agreement without asking much, then she turned around and greeted the newly arrived Adniel. “I think I was the last one to arrive here,” said Miss Grewyinn slowly, but full of innuendo.

“Sorry, Miss, I was wrong.” Adniel lowered his head.

Without commenting more, Miss Grewyinn said, “Then we leave now.”

Miss Grewyinn closed her eyes for a moment, then immediately led the way. Adniel immediately followed in the footsteps of his teacher followed by Elle who walked the very back.

 The silence of the night became their travel companion. No one tried to open the conversation. For Elle herself, it was not something that made her worry. Spending a long time in the library made the girl immune to silence. Although actually chatting with travel companions will make the trip more exciting.

Walking the back is actually the habit of Elle when hiking with both parents. As a botanist, Basil Thompson always took his family up a hill not far from their village once a week. A quality time that Elle always looks forward to. He always loved to be out in the open, especially surrounded by plants and wild animals.

“We'd better switch places. It is not good for a woman to be in the back row.” A voice shakes Elle's memories of her family.

Unsure of her hearing, Elle sped up and tried to catch Adniel. “So you're the one talking, right?” ask Elle.

“Hmm ...” Adniel is restoring her brown hair. “Of course I. You think these trees?”

Elle was silent at Adniel's words. The tone of the man's voice was actually completely flat. However, Elle felt pinched by the latter's question.

“Originally you know. They can indeed talk,” said Elle who immediately accelerated and preceded Adniel.

The 16-year-old man frowned at hearing Elle's slightly unfriendly tone. He shrugged his shoulders trying to be indifferent. His eyes looked around. Only then did he realize the three of them were crossing the Clover Hill–Cover Field.

Adniel felt his body heavy. He began to hear indistinct scales. Some of the intelligence asked him to turn towards the Dark Forest. His steps began to slow down. The backs of Elle and Miss Grewyinn began to appear blurry in his view.

“Miss Grewyinn!” He heard a panicked voice. The scales began to feel buzzing around his ears, then he heard the friction of the leaves. His gaze began to refocus and the sound of the fault was heard clearly.

“You're aware?” ask Miss Grewyinn. His face implied anxiety.

Adniel nodded. Then he looked back ahead. He looked at a girl who was making a noise like the friction of a noisy leaf.

“Why ... him ... what ..?” her imperfect question only made Miss Grewyinn smile a little.

“That girl is The Speaker. He's a nature speaker. His ability is quite unique. He is able to speak with plants as well as animals in their language. As you can see now. He was talking to clover.”

Adniel began to focus his gaze. He is currently sitting in a field of clover. Last time he was here was Summer Battle. Elle who was then his opponent's team was now squatting.

He watched the girl for a long time. Only then did he understand what Elle was saying just before he almost fainted.

They can talk.

“I mean Miss Grewyinn, she really communicates and understands?”

Miss Grewyinn nodded. Pride was radiating from his face. “That's the reason why he got into this team.”

“Means Miss Grewyinn?”

“The antidote we are looking for now, has unique characteristics. Your lessons haven't yet reached the realm of antivenom, but this could be your lesson. Not all plants that produce toxins will be easily found in the area of a live pharmacy. Try reminding me again, what is medicine?”

“Medicine is a rooted poison,” replied Adniel.

“Fast. All drugs are poison. Starting with poison. So sometimes, we offer poison with poison. Including those who are infecting your friends from the Werewolf race. The anti-poison we're looking for requires a speaker who can protect us.”

The rustling sound of leaves disappeared. Miss Grewyinn and Adniel stopped talking, then looked at Elle who was approaching them.

“How is Adniel's condition, Miss?” ask Elle. His glasses sag to the base of his nose.

“He is fine. How was your conversation?”

Elle paused for a moment and said, “They're not sure what I'm asking. They say that no one passes through them. While I sure heard the voice of ceiba.”

“Alright, kids. We better hurry up. We should've reached the end of Clover Hill. “ Miss Grewyinn took a decision to hurry up immediately.

“Sorry, Miss. If I may ask, where exactly are we headed?” ask Adniel.

“Of course Blackcave. The only place nightshade grows on Maple Island,” Elle answered before Miss Grewyinn had a voice.

“You know?” ask the Pharmacy teacher.

“Know what, Miss?”  Elle was overwhelmed by Miss Grewyinn's imperfect question.

“You know about nightshade?”

“Oh,” Elle just understood the intent of that beautiful pharmacy teacher. “Yes, of course. Err ... previously I tried to find out.” He almost told her he had stolen the talk in Madam Polina's room.

“Miss, we chased time.” Adnile reminded who made Miss Grewyinn hurriedly get up.

“True. We have to hurry. The nightshade that had antivenom only bloomed under the full moonlight. We better hurry.”

 “I'm sorry.”

Elle turned towards her companion. He did not understand the apology offered by Adniel.

“Sorry for what? You did nothing wrong,” replied Elle.

Adniel tried to track the girl's steps. At close range, Adniel was able to notice that the girl was holding her bag sling string tightly.

“I'm sorry for my disparaging remarks. I don't know about your ability to talk to the creatures of nature.”

Elle flabbergasted. He lifted his slumped glasses. This was the first time he had spoken to other students outside the classroom intimately. “Oh, the. It'sit's okay. Anyway it's not something extraordinary. Different you. Your telekinetic abilities are obviously very useful for fighting.”

“Whose word is your ability useless? One of the reasons you're on this team is because of your ability, right?”

Elle felt her entire face flushed red from the compliment. “Thank you. However, I agreed to come because my best friend, Peony, became one of the students who fell.”

“Ah, that gray-haired girl you've always been with, isn't it?”

“You know?” ask Elle doesn't believe it.

Adniel scratched his unscratchy head. By misbehavior he confessed, “Actually since the end of Summer Batlle I tried to be able to chat with you. I'm curious.”

“What?”

“Ya .. so I'm trying to find you and chat. Honestly, I'm sure your team at Summer Battle can win because of you.”

“Omong empty!” refute Elle. Again he blushed.

“This may indeed sound like nonsense. However, after Miss Grewyinn told me about your strength, I was more and more convinced that you made your team win at Summer Battle yesterday.”

Elle was silent and did not respond. He remembers Summer Battle as a protector. How could that be the cause of the team's victory?

“I know it's like impossible. However, you must realize, in battle, a team must consist of attackers, strategists, and protectors. It's free to have an attacker and a strategist if you don't have a protector. Your team will be weak and it is the protective position that saved your team yesterday.”

Adniel paused for a moment to take a breath.

“All attacks from my team you successfully paused. Looks like you used the help of the little animals and the leaves to protect your two teammates.”

Elle did not respond to Adniel's allegations that are true. “Thank you,” said. “Only I was curious, if indeed you often try to talk to me, why do you always look cold?”

“A-me?” ask Adniel gelagapan.

Elle nodded in confirming.

“I-it's because I'm actually nervous. I'm not used to talking while looking at the other person. If I stare at the other person, somehow I always feel inferior, which is why I like ignoring people when talking.”

“Oh.” Elle nodded in understanding. “But you can speak fluently without being nervous now?”

Adniel. “Actually because of night. The darkness of the night makes me not need to see you directly.”

“Kids,” said Miss Grewyinn in front of them. Elle and Adniel go to their teacher. “We reached the border of Clover Hill and Blackcave. It's better to walk right behind me. We will not go through the normal path, but through the shortcut.”

Both Adniel and Elle stared at the expanse of darkness shown by Miss Grewyinn's wave. Both of them gulped. Their first year now has to deal with one of the most dangerous places on Maple Island.

“Miss Thompson, are you willing to ask a firefly to be a road guide?”