Chapter 19 Chapter 19

Chapter 19 Chapter 19
Chapter Nineteen
Henna's POV

"Thank you," Caroline suddenly mutters. We’ve been sitting in near silence for almost an hour, the hum of the cafeteria acting as a buffer between us.

"For what?" I ask, finally looking up from my tray.

"For standing in for me back there. We don't even know each other that much, but you stood up for me. Thank you."

I nod and turn back to my meal, but my mind is elsewhere. I keep seeing the image of Dre hopping onto his bike with Olenna clinging to his waist. It’s like a looped video in my head that I can’t pause. Ric had come by my class afterward, but he didn’t say a word about what kind of history those two actually had.

After Olenna had ditched her, I managed to persuade Caroline to come to the cafeteria with me. She seemed hesitant, like walking across an open room was a life-threatening risk, but she eventually caved.

"But don't be reckless like that next time," she adds, her voice dropping slowly. "Crossing people is one thing, but don't get involved with Olenna. Just... don't."

"Why?" I ask, finally finding the courage to dig for the truth. "Who exactly is she?"

Caroline’s eyes widen, her fork hovering halfway to her mouth. "So it's true. You really aren't one of us."

"What? One of what?" I frown.

"You know... everyone knows Olenna. She’s the future Queen. And Andre's betrothed."

I try to process the words. Betrothed. It sounds like something out of a period drama, but here, it just feels heavy. So they aren't just dating, they’re a matched set. A royal contract. Does that make sense? Not only is this school smelling of royalty, they attribute names to things in a weird way. 

"They're together?" I ask, my chest tightening for a reason I refuse to acknowledge.

"Yeah," Caroline nods. "They're together, and they're going to be married."

Is that why he’s so cold? Why he acts like I’m an annoying bug he can’t quite swat away? Because he already has his life mapped out with a girl who kicks people in the shins for fun? 

"So they’re the popular couple. The King and Queen ideology..." I mutter.

Caroline starts to smile, a small, sad expression. "There's so much you have to learn about this..."

Suddenly, her chair is shoved violently from behind. The screech of metal against the floor makes everyone at the nearby tables turn.

"Caroline suddenly got a seatmate," a voice sneers.

I look up. Standing there is someone I haven't seen yet today. She looks like a piece of sculpted marble, cold, sharp, and flawlessly beautiful but her expression is pure venom. She’s the one who kicked the chair, and she’s flanked by two other girls who look like they’ve practiced their synchronized glares in a mirror.

I clench my jaw, staying in my seat as her eyes finally settle on me.

"You must be the mysterious new student," she says.

"Yeah, I'm Henna."

"Only the name alone makes my blood boil," she says, turning to her minions. They let out a dutiful, mean-spirited chuckle. The girl has long, ash-blonde hair and eyes so grey they look like storm clouds. She pulls out the chair next to Caroline and dumps her weight into it, crossing her legs with an air of unearned authority.

"Caroline, go fetch my usual meal," she commands, not even looking at the girl she just shoved. "I want to eat with the new student. Maybe I'd discover her hidden powers... guys, what do you think?"

Caroline’s face goes pale. She looks at me, then at the grey-eyed girl, her hands shaking as she starts to stand up.

"Sit down, Caroline," I say quietly.

The table goes silent. The grey-eyed girl freezes, her head slowly turning toward me, a dark, amused smile spreading across her face.

"What did you just say, human?"

"Human?" I repeated. The word felt like a slur. I felt a sudden, violent urge to take my tray and dump the contents over her perfectly sculpted face. "What are you? Immortal?"

She didn't look angry. Instead, she let out a sharp, barking laugh and turned to the minions behind her. "She's actually talking back to me. Did you hear that?"

The amusement in her voice was more terrifying than a scream. It was the sound of someone watching an ant try to fight a boot.

Beside me, the air seemed to leave Caroline’s lungs. She didn't just stand up; she collapsed, dropping to her knees on the hard cafeteria floor. "I'm sorry!" she stammered, her voice thick with terror. "She doesn't know who you are. She's new, she doesn't know the rules... I’ll go! I’ll go fetch your usual meal right now!"

I snorted, a hot wave of anger rising in my chest that drowned out the voice in my head telling me to shut up. "Why are you apologizing to her, Caroline? Stand up."

"Shut up, Henna," Caroline hissed, her eyes swimming with tears.

The grey-eyed girl leaned forward, her movements fluid and predatory. She didn't say a word. Instead, she reached out with a slow, deliberate grace and grabbed Caroline’s plate. It was still half-full of beef stew. She tilted it slowly, centering it right over Caroline’s head.

The thick, brown gravy began to drip, then pour, soaking into Caroline’s hair and running down her face in messy clumps. Caroline didn't move. She just squeezed her eyes shut and sobbed quietly while the cafeteria went deathly silent.

"There," the girl whispered, her grey eyes locking onto mine with a challenge. "Now she’s wearing her rank. Messy. Low. Smelling like leftovers."

She giggles along with her minions.

I didn't think. I didn't plan. My hand moved on its own.

I grabbed my glass of ice-cold water and threw the entire thing directly into the girl’s face.

Everyone gasps, the sound echoing off the high cafeteria ceiling like a collective intake of breath before a disaster. The girl doesn't move or blink for a second, her face dripping with water, but I swear I see her eyeballs shift, a sickening, predatory colour bleeding into a shade of yellow just like I saw with Dre.

Then, she lunges.

She moves with a speed that defies physics, a blur of silk and rage. But before she can reach me, Ric appears from nowhere. He throws himself between us, his arms wrapping around her in a desperate bear hug, physically hauling her back and away from me.

"Henna, run!!!" he yells, his voice cracking with a strain I’ve never heard.

I stay frozen. My feet feel like they’ve been bolted to the floor. I can’t wrap my head around what’s happening. Her minions aren't just standing there, they’re twitching, their spines arching, their fingers clawing at the air. Even the students at the other tables are acting strange; some are growling, others are standing 

What’s wrong? What is happening to them?

"I said RUN!!" Ric yells further. He’s struggling now, his muscles bulging as the girl thrashes with terrifying strength. He almost kicks me, his foot swinging out to push me toward the exit. "Go! Now!"