LOGINJulianne stirred and woke to darkness. It was not the kind that came from closing her eyes, but one where she couldn’t tell whether they were open or shut.She blinked several times, trying to make sense of her surroundings, but nothing changed.Then her head throbbed. A sharp pain pulsed from the back of her head and she winced as she tried to move. She wanted to sit up, but that was when she realized something was holding her down.She tried pulling her arms out with force and she heard something scrape against the floor. Then she decided to make sense of her surroundings.Her wrists had been tied behind the back of a chair and her ankles burn, making her realize they had been bound too by a rope.It was then she had a memory refresh and she remembered what happened in the forest. She remembered the blow to the back of her head. Someone had hit her from behind, but the person she saw before she lost consciousness was Headmistress Eldryn.She swallowed hard and pulled against the rop
Cassian stared at her for a moment. Then he slowly leaned back against the chair.“You have less than fifteen minutes.”Velvet’s brows drew together. “To do what?” she asked.“To decide carefully what you are going to say and then tell me everything written in the last page, and what Julianne is trying to do.”“And what happens when I don’t tell you and the time is up?”“Trust me, you don’t want to know.”Something about the way he said it made Velvet wary. She noticed he now looks so relaxed and unbothered.Cassian turned his head just slightly to stare at his blood that dripped down from his wrist before looking back at her.“You know me well enough to understand that I’m not asking because I’m curious.”Velvet raised her brows just a bit.“I know Julianne is reckless, but if you lead her to danger, then I won’t be able to forgive you for everything you’ve ever done.” He continued, “I don’t care what people think of me anymore. I don’t even care what Scott does to this place, or if
“You must enjoy hearing yourself speak,” Cassian said flatly, his voice carrying a cold edge that made the words feel like an insult.Velvet laughed softly and tilted her head. “And yet, here you are, listening.”“Don’t flatter yourself,” he said with a quiet disdain. “I’m not.” She tilted her head and curved her lips into a lazy smile. “If anything, you’re the one pretending.”His eyes finally settled on her. “I know you came here willingly because you want something out of me. The Cassian I know wouldn’t let himself be humiliated in front of anyone and be branded a traitor.”The door opened at the same time and silence stretched between them. Maximus walked in with a tray in his hand and he settled his eyes on Cassian. Once the door was shut, he moved from there and made his way toward him without sparing Velvet even a glance.Without a word, he set the tray down which contained first aid equipments and he made to treat his wounds. Cassian turned his head away before he could dab
“I’ll stay and fight for my freedom.”Scott felt his heart pause just briefly when he heard that. “I’ll stay too.”“Me too.”Soon, everyone started to join in until their voices became one and chorused.Scott had never felt this sense of unity before. For the first time, it seems that they suddenly had one goal they needed to achieve together. He turned to look at them and couldn’t be more proud that they decided to get back what they also deserve and wouldn’t just let anyone take it away from them.One of the boys stepped forward and said, “Scott, we wouldn’t have made it this far without you. I don’t care about what they think our life’s worth is. I only know that I have so many brothers my mother could never give me, and we’ve become one family. We’ve had our ups and downs and we’ve gone through difficult times, but look at us still here and standing strong. It was all under your guidance, so why would we leave now when it’s time to reclaim what we’ve lost?”Another one spoke. “He
“Oh Cassian. You can’t drag us all out here and not tell us what is happening. You have to show leadership since you started this whole thing.” Scott’s voice echoed aloud in the forest. They had been roaming around looking for one person without any clear answer as to why she went missing in the first place. Not to even talk of the disturbance that happened in the dorm last night. He looked afar off to where Cassian stood and he started to get irritated when he got no response from him. “Cassian! What the hell is going on?”Maximus worried about the situation, but before he could talk to him again, Cassian was already going back down to where the others were. He followed immediately.“Finally,” Scott said and walked to stand in front of him. He motioned with his hands and asked, “Will you tell us now what this is about? I think we need answers. Isn’t that right?”“Yes.” Most of them agreed and one could hear the frustration in their voices.“Anyone who wants to leave can leave. I t
Tears burst from Julianne’s eyes as she ran out of the dorm and through the academy grounds. Painful sobs broke from her lips and she wiped her face as she ran to wherever her legs would take her. She hadn’t meant to do that to them. She hadn’t meant to leave them, but that was the only way they wouldn’t get hurt. It was the only way she could make sure no one dies because of her anymore.She made her way to the forest grounds and stopped, exhausted from it all. She gripped the cloth around her chest tightly and looked up at the moonlit sky. With tear-blurred vision, she roared, “It’s me you want! You can stop hurting the people around me. I’m so sick and tired of everything so just take me instead. Do you hear me?! Come now and end this shitty endless cycle!”She fell to her knees and dropped her head down. She’s surrendering, and she hoped they would come fast.The forest grounds soon began to echo with footsteps and it kept getting closer. Julianne knew she had been surrounded, an
Julianne was already panting when she reached the front desk of the dorm. The woman looked at her and asked, “Is there anything you want?”“I think someone broke into my room,” she said and tried to catch her breath.The woman looked at her like the calmest person in the whole school, then she aske
Julianne hasn’t seen Cassian for days now since the freshman party. Although, she has seen Remus and Maximus walking together, but it was odd for some reason that he was not with them. Also, she noticed lately that Marianne has stopped covering up her neck and has been hanging out with the other tw
Cassian stared at the same spot for seconds and his jaw twitched. He blinked and pulled the corner of his lips a bit. Finally, he asked her another question, one that was unrelated to what she said, “Did Tim do or say anything to you the other day you came to the dorm?”Julianne wasn’t expecting a
Once classes ended on Friday morning, Julianne hurried to the dorm to pick out the dress she would wear for the freshman party that would take place by evening. Like Marianne said, she didn’t want to miss out on anything ‘fun’ so she wouldn’t be the one to regret it later. She emptied her wardrobe







