Chapter 23 CHAPTER 23: Knife Beneath The Smile
Elizabeth''s POV
I should have known that Marian wasn't done.
I was at the cafeteria, stuffing my face with salad, when the message found me. I hated the salad, but I had spent the whole night surfing the internet on things that helped with concentration. And Salad seemed to top the list.
My fingers were around the edge of the plate, and I gently pushed it away as I tried to focus on my phone that had just beeped on the table.
I narrowed my eyes. As I turned the screen of my phone to my face, I blinked twice. It didn't come through the school network. And I had just connected my damn phone to the network. It had to be someone from outside.
Another visitor.
Marian.
I felt the salad threaten to come up my throat, and I immediately opened the message, as I tried to read through it.
‘Come to the west wing. You are about to lose something else,’ the text read.
My stomach dropped immediately. That had to be Marian. She was the one who texted that way.
I didn't even hesitate to get to my feet. The chair that I was sitting on, scraped against the floor, and people turned to look at me.
I couldn't tell anybody. I didn't have to answer to anybody.
I was walking faster than I usually would, and I finally got to the west wing of the building.
There was something about the place that didn't sit well with me. It was quiet. A little too quiet, and I didn't line it one bit. There was an eerie feeling that I couldn't get off my chest just yet.
My instincts flared, and I looked around, searching for anything that could be suspicious. There was nothing there.
My hand was over my chest, as I tried to catch my breath.
She had to be playing a prank. She just wanted me to get worried. But that was the wrong thing. To do. Especially with someone like me.
I had just turned around to head back to the cafeteria, when I heard a little sob. That made me stop in my tracks immediately.
Then I heard a soft and familiar voice. “Please,” the voice begged, and my heart accelerated immediately.
I seemed to be frozen in that spot.
Then I suddenly started running towards where the voice had come from.
I found the person immediately. It was the first year girl from before. The one that claimed that I hurt her.
But this time, it was real.
She was on the floor. Bruised and battered. She shook with fear written all over her.
I took in the pair of boots that were standing over the girl. Then I lifted my gaze slowly to look at the person. I identified her immediately.
My darling step sister, Marian.
She was calm, smiling, and perfect. Just the way my mother liked it. I knew that if our mom was there, she would have been more than proud to see her like that. She would have told me to learn how to do things like Marian, without breaking a sweat.
“Marian,” I whispered, and she smiled even wider.
“You're late,” she said lightly.
My chest tightened immediately. “Get away from her,” I said calmly, and she smiled, like she was waiting for me to dare her.
“Or what?” Marian asked. She was already raising her voice slightly.
I could feel the hum underneath my skin. Power stirred a little too quickly within me. And I knew that I had an advantage. Marian didn't know what I had just yet. The last time she was there, she had to watch me cry. I knew so well that it wasn't going to happen again.
I took a step towards her. “I said, get away from her,” I said again, getting my teeth slightly.
The girl on the floor flinched at the sound of my voice. That immediately hit hard.
Marian noticed, and she smiled. But it was obviously for a different reason.
“Oh,” she said calmly. “That still bothers you.”
I didn't even respond. Because I knew that if I did, I had every possibility of losing all the power that I felt like I had.
And I couldn't let that happen. Not in this life, and not even in the next.
“You see,” Marian said, suddenly circling me like a predator to its prey. “Whatever happened was not enough to ruin your reputation.”
What the hell was she even talking about?
I looked up at her, and her smile sharpened.
“I want them to fear you,” she said.
How ironic.
If only she knew just how much the other students already feared me.
Marian suddenly took a step back, with her hand held up in the air.
“I didn't touch her,” she said calmly. “But the next time they find you here…”
My pulse spiked.
No. Not again. Not after what happened the last time. I couldn't be dragged over to the council again. They weren't going to spare me.
Especially not if they got someone to testify against me again.
And I knew that there were going to be at least a hundred people that would be more than willing. I didn't need anybody to tell me that they wanted me out of the school.
They didn't want to feel dominated or intimidated. At least, not by me. They were more than comfortable with being ruled by the kings.
I was cooked if anything like that happened one more time.
Marian leaned in slightly as she walked past me. “I want you to prove them wrong this time,” she said, blowing air kisses as she walked past me.
I tried to move. I tried to stop her. But my limbs refused to even work.
I could feel tears prick the back of my eyes, and I still couldn't move.
I looked down at the girl, and she was still shaking. My throat slowly closed, and my knees gave away.
Once again, I was standing over another broken scene, without any proof.