~Chapter Three~ Anxieties

                                    

                                          
Gellert waited, his insides knotting themselves, it was only a matter of time before the truth came out. The head of year meeting before bed sent his mind spinning in a downward spiral that robbed him of sleep. No one spoke of the matter out loud, they weren't sure who could be trusted. Gellert felt a stroke of relief at the morning wakeup call, he could finally get out of bed and do something, instead of lounging around waiting for his fate.
                          
Hushed conversations buzzed between small groups as they jogged en-mass around the lakes and mountains, everyone seemed to be giving him a wider berth than normal, except for the Helm brothers. They were flouting the rules about the years being divided, with different distances required for each, but their smiles as Gellert did his best to avoid them told him it was worth the risk. He tried to focus his attention on the lakes, their glittering surface and crystal clear waters showing the colonies of creatures living within. Sadness ripped at the numbness that had consumed him, this could be his last chance to enjoy the scenery. At that moment, he realised that he needed to do all he could to keep Digby quiet.
                          
Gellert subtly attempted to turn his orange juice into super strength coffee, hoping the caffeine could mask his lack of sleep. The morning run had perked him up, briefly, but a close encounter with Alexander Helm left him drained. He slumped over his breakfast, unable to manage anything more than a couple of bites of dry toast before his stomach protested. The whole of the great hall seemed to share his sombre mood, very little chatter filled the cavernous space, and everyone seemed to be too focused on watching each other than eating. 
                          
All the teachers seemed to be keeping a closer eye on the students, they left their roost above the hall and patrolled between the tables. They all looked up as the headmaster coughed, his torso appearing over the carved bannister. "I wanted to take a moment of your time to let you know that Miss Kournikova is alive, but will remain in the hospital for some time. Her condition is stable but critical, and so I must remind you once again if you know anything about the incident you must come forward." He bowed his head and stepped back into the shadow of the mezzanine. 
                          
There was a wave of relieved sighs and a spike in chatter. Gellert's peers were suddenly more comfortable to get up and move between the tables sharing their thoughts and opinions on the matter. The teachers relaxed too, their pacing became less militarian, some returned to their lofty eating space. It was an opening that the Helm boys were more than happy to jump on.
                          
All three of them, Alexander, Egon, and Lothar, slid onto the bench opposite Gellert, a determined devilish look in their identical hazel eyes.
                          
"We know you had something to do with it," said Egon, the eldest of the three brothers, he hit his palm with a balled-up fist, "and you are going to pay for it."
                          
Gellert choked on the stubborn piece of scratchy toast that refused to be swallowed, "I don't know what you mean." Tears pricked his eyes as he fought to breathe.
                          
"Don't even bother with the lies, we saw you." Alexander gave a smug smile, stealing a slice of toast and smothering it with a thick layer of marmalade. 
                          
Gellert's pulse quickened, "Saw what?"
                          
"The argument, I think the whole castle must have heard it," Lothar twisted quickly in his seat to assess how close the nearest teachers were, "do you think you're tough, hurting a girl?"
                          
"Yeah did it make you feel like a man?" Alexander raised his eyebrows in response to Gellert clenching his fists on the table.
                          
"That's not what happened," Gellert stuttered, his anger robbing him of comprehensible speech.
                          
"So you didn't want to get her back, to embarrass her?" Egon snatched Gellert's mug of lukewarm coffee and downed it in one.
                          
"I can think of nothing more embarrassing for a girl than being caught alone with you in a deserted corridor or broom cupboard. Your plan failed though, didn't it?" Alexander flicked the crust of his toast at Gellert. "I guess she put up too much of a fight. I don't see too many people queueing up to be associated with you."