Nicholas’s POVThreads of the WebI rested my weight in the chair and my legs made a creaking sound as I crossed them in front of me. Quiet taps from my fingers on the wooden armrest reflected the peace I presented, although inside I was quite agitated but I was finally getting the answers I needed after I had soiled my fingers with blood.Damn it.Why do they never resort to just talking at the first question?The man beside me sat in the chair, his head slowly dipping in front of him. A little bit of blood was by his lip. He spat to one side, still coughing, but managed to raise his head to see mine.He said weakly, “I don’t come here to kill.” All I had to do was gather information.I repeated slowly, “Information.”He shook his head anyhow. “Anything. Patterns. Rotations. What were her timings and locations? When would she be alone? Student rankings. Weaknesses. Especially hers—Azaria.” He let out a big, sharp breath. “I did follow her in my work, but only in the past. Just at fir
Nicholas’s POVSilence Before the ConfessionMarcel made a motion for me to follow but he didn’t speak. The ending whistle’s sound could still be heard from a distance, but I didn’t pay attention anymore.We didn’t spend time on the noisy celebration and went straight to the ancient and abandoned part of the academy.We didn’t have to walk far to get to the tiny, unused classroom. He gave the door a hard push and moved out of the way. One of our guards was flanking each side of a figure bound in a chair, with eyes and mouth covered by duct tape.It smelled as if the room was filled with both old books and hidden mysteries. The floor was dirty, with only a single hole in the boarded windows letting in a small amount of sunlight. It fell directly upon the man’s shoulder.He stayed strong. He had no problems in the fight. His stance had a relaxed feel, like he was headed to see a show ready to begin.I ordered them bluntly to step back.The two looked at each other before nodding and hea
Azaria's POVBittersweet EncounterWe tried to ignore them.I felt that perhaps, just perhaps, they had come to enjoy milkshakes, giving their poor flocks a sugar boost after the battle. It would have been a good idea. That was a usual thing to happen.Still, today wasn’t at all the normal day I’d expected.One came out from the pack and headed in our direction. There was something in his walk that was slow and overly confident, along with a bit of smugness which turned my hair up on end before I heard anything he had to say.A grin that looked downright dirty was on his face as he walked to our table. “So,” he said, pointing first at Ashley, “and since Ashley’s clearly the Alpha princess, I reckon that makes you …” he smiled at me now, “Azaria.”Ashley’s eyes narrowed all at once in anger. Her laughter seemed cold and distant now, as if through narrowed eyes she was facing an approaching storm. Underneath, I gently touched her leg and she understood what I meant.Not here. Not now. S
Azaria's POVA Storm Beneath the CelebrationThe match came to a conclusion. Awesome cheers ring out everywhere, just like there are fireworks in the crowd. Many people were enthusiastic, leaping out of their seats to clap, hug and fly the school banner. It was a win for our school—the score was 4 to 1. Ashley hopped anxiously right next to me, yelling in my ears as she walked me through the crowd.“Killian showed us exactly what a beast is on the field. Were you watching when that second goal was scored?” She said, still trying not to show her excitement.I tried to smile, but it felt heavy on me while her smiles got brighter. All I heard was a distant memory of the things I’d heard when I passed the lockers earlier.I could still hear the tension in the way he spoke. That feeling stayed with me from the time I walked away from the stadium. I looked around frequently, waiting for some new arrival to appear out of the group.“C'mon, let's go say hi? Today's match was impressive, he ne
A Shaky DecisionNicholas's POVAs soon as I got close to the wire fence behind the stand, someone put their hand on my shoulder.My impulses took control. I snapped my wrist to one side and prepared to lash out.He grunted, freed his hand and pushed me away quickly. Are you nuts, Nicholas?!I looked at him with tension still filling me."You good?" The question came back at him with a scowl. You're wandering away from everyone right when the game is starting—it seems like you’re out to hunt something.I stood up, brushed off my hands and tried to make my fingers loose after all the excitement. “Nothing.”Killian wasn’t convinced by what I said. His eyes stayed on me, curious and examining, but he didn’t say anything else. After speaking quietly to himself, he jogged back onto the field. I moved forward in the same way as the others.I kept looking at the spot in the stands where I knew he’d be.Azaria.However, she wasn’t around.Halfway through the game, my mind just wouldn’t stay f
The Unmarked TruthNicholas's POVAs soon as the whistle rang for halftime, I wasn’t as focused. As I headed off the field with the others, sweat ran down my forehead and the cheers and clapping from everyone behind me were barely audible. I wasn’t really concerned about the result. I could tell we were winning. All the same, it didn’t trouble me at all.The only thing I cared about was being near her.Azaria.I rushed my eyes upward to the middle of the bleachers, where she usually sat, hiding from view. I noticed groups of students wearing their school colors, throwing up banners and shouting out loud. I saw Ashley talking and laughing with others.Yet, Azaria didn’t have those feelings.I felt my chest getting tight. I already knew Ashley would bring her this morning. At this point, she was gone. My thoughts started spinning right away. How did she feel? Was the train headed out before it reached the platform? Was Selene talking to her once more?As I was approaching the bleachers,