Chapter 24

"And where do you think you're going?" A voice said behind them and they turned. It was Charles and some other guys. 

There was this dangerous aura around him as he fixed his eyes on the trio. 

"You have to watch out for the demons. They'll be after you now that your identity has been revealed and they'll try to kill more humans than before to bring back the war beast as soon as possible..." Priestess Luciana's words rang a bell in Ashley's ears.

Moving a step forward, she said, "What now? What do you want huh?". A smirk appeared on her lips as she questioned the confident looking Charles. 

Charles squinted his eyes. Already, his blood was boiling and the only thing he wanted to do at the moment was to wipe them away from the surface of the earth. Their existence was dangerous to their kind but he had no choice than to let them go. After all, his powers can't be used during the day, only at night. 

"What are you doing here? Don't you know this place is out of bound for students?" He took a step closer. 

"Let's get out of here" Alex walked out of him and the others followed suit. 

Charles tightened his fists and with gritted teeth, he said, "Keep an eye on them". He turned to leave, only to bump into Elizabeth.

"What say you brother, shall we finish them tonight?" Elizabeth crossed her arms over her chest, a smirk plastered on her lips. 

"How?"

"It's simple. Claire will be a good bait, trust me. I will put an end to this nightmare before it starts. What do you think?" 

"Deal"

"I'll give her a call"

---

Ashley sank slowly to the floor in the hallway. Her expression depicted nothing but frustration and her breath was heavy. She had searched all the staff rooms but Mrs Jones and Miss Jane were no where to be found. 

"Why did they suddenly disappear?" Ashley mumbled to herself. Why now of all times? Now that she had a lot of questions especially about the message she got from Rita. 

She let out a frustrated sigh and relaxed her back on the wall. 

The quick sound of approaching footsteps alarmed her and she stood up immediately. 

"Did you find them?" asked Ashley, her voice was anxious. 

"Nah. Looks like they've really disappeared into the thin air" Said Alex.

"What do we do now?" Henry asked, leaning against the wall. 

"I don't know, but I know for sure that Claire is in danger" Alex ran his fingers through his hair in frustration. 

That wasn't the only thing that bothered Ashley and she couldn't decide whether or not she should tell them about Rita's message or about her other self, the one she saw in her imagination.

'What if they're witches and they are manipulating my mind? All these can't be true. They're surely witches' she tried to convince herself but she wasn't totally convinced. She was in doubt as to whether all that was happening was true. 

"I'm tired. Let's talk about this Tommorrow" She suggested. 

"And if anything happens to Claire before then?" Alex raised an eyebrow. 

"If you're so worried about her, then you can bodyguard her all night to make sure she's safe!" Ashley snapped and walked away angrily, her footsteps echoing in the hallway. She suddenly felt upset and irritated, though for a reason she couldn't tell. 

"Ashley!" Henry called behind her but she was gone already. 

"What's wrong with her?" Alex asked with a confused expression on his face. 

Instead of saying anything, Henry glared at him. He was upset that he and Ashley didn't get to spend some time together on their first day. There was just so much to worry about. 

"What with the look?" Asked Alex. Instead of replying, Henry walked away, leaving Alex all confused. 

---

As soon as Ashley walked into the room, she slumped heavily against the bed and let out a sigh of relief. She shut her eyes and tried to relax her mind. 

In the middle of finding peace within herself, Annabelle strolled out of the bathroom and her lips curved into a smile when she sighted Ashley lying on the bed.

"Thank goodness you're here" There was a hint of excitement in her voice as she spoke. Ashley groaned within herself. 

'Shit, this is bad timing' she said inwardly. Ashely opened her eyes and flung her backpack to the side of her bed. Then she sat upright and  kicked off her shoes and then her socks. 

"You look like someone who just came back form battle" Monica remarked. Her eyes had been on Ashley since she walked into the room. 

"You can say that" Ashley sighed. 

"I found out something about our group assignment" Annabelle said as she searched her backpack for the piece of paper she jotted down some points. 

"I'm glad I'm in your group Ana. I can as well sit back and do nothing" Claire beamed with excitement which made Ashley more irritated. 

"Lazy bone" Ashley muttered beneath her breath. 

"Here" Annabelle waved the paper she took out of her backpack in the air. 

"There are so many interesting things about the war beast. For example, the war beast existed long ago. About 8-9 centuries ago and according to what I read, it came back four centuries ago and it is written that it will come back four centuries after that" Annabelle explained. 

"That's just a myth. No one believes that" Said Monica nonchalantly. 

"Of course, who will believe such a ridiculous story? But still, this is an opportunity for us to get the best score in class. We have to find out all we can, give the best presentation and the the best write up too" Said Annabelle. 

Ashley, who had already pulled off her uniform was now standing in the middle of the room with a towel wrapped around her body. 

"You guys think the story is ridiculous right? It can't be true, can it?" she asked dryly as though all her strength had been drained. She remembered vividly that priestess Luciana mentioned it. 

"I don't know the story but it is definitely not true. Eight centuries ago? Tch... " Claire said with a confident expreession.

"What do you know if you don't know the story of the war beast?" Monica mocked and Claire pouted. 

"Why are you picking on me? So what if I don't know the story?" Claire's face expressed nothing but annoyance. 

"I don't know the story either. I've never heard of it so it's not a big deal" Ashely said. Yes, she didn't know the story of the war beast. She didn't even know what the war beast was until priestess Luciana mentioned it. 

Annabelle hit her forehead in frustration and said, "This simply means I'll have to summarize the whole story to you guys. Seriously?" 

"Hmm, I want to study now so I'll tell you after dinner okay?" She added. 

"Whatever" Ashely mumbled and strolled into the bathroom. 

-----

It was late in the evening and Ashley was feeling restless. At one time, she would stand up and pace around the room. At another, she would lay on the bed, tossing restlessly. Claire and Monica were playing a multi-player game while Annabelle was studying. 

All of a sudden, Ashely stood up from the bed and walked into the bathroom to take a shower. Her eyes darted towards the window side and she could see the sun sinking into the horizon. It was now getting dark. 

She turned on the shower and as the water dripped on her body, she felt relieved but then, Priestess Luciana's words echoed in her ears again. 

"You have to watch out for the demons. They'll be after you now that your identity has been revealed and they'll try to kill more humans than before to bring back the war beast as soon as possible..."

She could tell accroding to what Priestess Luciana told them that they were connected to the war beast. She knew for sure that somehow, the the demons the presitess mentioned and the war beast were connected too, but how? She couldn't tell. 

'What does she mean by they'll kill more humans to bring the way beast back? ' she thought. Suddenly, she turned of the shower. 

As soon as she stepped out of the bathroom, she headed to where Annabelle was seated. Curiosity and desperation filled her eyes. 

"Ana, I need you to tell me the story of the war beast now" She said almost in an authoritative tone even Anabelle couldn't refuse because of the desperation in her eyes. 

"Okay" Anabelle replied simply and closed her book. 

"You have to wait. Claire's not here?" Monica said. 

"What?!" Ashley exclaimed. 

"She was here a while ago. Where did she go?" Ashley asked worriedly. 

"Chill, she told me she wanted to get her book from Elizabeth" Monica answered. 

"Elizabeth?! Shit!" Ashely quickly picked up her phone. Dialling Alex's number, she ran out of them room. 

"Please, stay safe. Please" She prayed silently as she ran. 

Sorry for the late upload guys. My phone had issues but it has been resolved so I'll be uploading every weekend. 

Love y'all.