NO HARD FEELINGS
The sound of the approaching bus cut through the tense, smoke-filled air. Students, still in varying degrees of shock, hurriedly grabbed their things and shuffled toward the vehicle. Teachers ushered them in, helping with the neatly packed suitcases of the students who didn't bother to unpack, and the scattered ones of the students who didn't waste a second to unpack.
Evangeline stood at the entrance of the castle, her fingers clutching the fabric of her dress as she watched the students pile into the bus one by one. The fire had been contained, but the damage was done. Smoke still curled into the air, the charred remains of the upper floor falling bit by bit
She blinked hard, forcing down the tears burning in her eyes.
Blakely and Xinmei didn’t say a word as they walked past the frenzy students and teachers, dragging their suitcases behind them.
Blakely paused for just a second before stepping into the car, casting one last glance at Evangeline who was at the back sniffling and wiping her face.
Xinmei climbed into the driver’s seat, slamming the door shut. With a deep breath, she started the engine.
The bus rumbled to life, the doors hissing closed as the last student boarded. The teachers and other school staff gave one final wave to Evangeline before stepping onto the bus, one of the teachers promising to come back tomorrow to help.
The engines roared. Tires crunching against sand, and stones.
Evangeline stood motionless as she watched the convoy pull away, disappearing through the now-open gates of Eden.
Only when the last flicker of taillights faded into the distance did she finally allow herself to breathe.
She wiped her tears quickly, straightened her back, and turned toward the ruined. Only when she heard the heavy creak of the gates shutting did she allow herself to exhale.
She took a deep breath, bracing herself. Slowly, she raised her hands, palms up, feeling the familiar tingle of power coil at her fingertips. Her jaw clenched as she prepared for what was to come.
She had work to do.
\---
Blakely rubbed her eyes, her vision slightly blurry from exhaustion. She declined the incoming call without even checking the caller ID.
She was finally starting to feel sleepy, and now she regretted staying up to eat dinner and gossip. What had started as a random conversation had somehow shifted into a discussion about Frankie after Xinmei had noticed her sighing and asked what was wrong. Now, shs wished she had just ignored the question and gone to sleep.
Her phone buzzed again. She groaned and declined the call once more, barely paying attention to Xinmei, who was still talking about Miss Evangeline and how she hoped she hadn’t lost too much to the fire.
Both of them were still in their silky pajamas, their bodies slouched in their seats, exhausted from the long day.
Blakely’s phone rang again. This time, she huffed in frustration and answered it without even looking.
Her mother’s voice came through the speaker immediately. “I heard about the fire. Please tell me you're safe, what about your sisters?”
Blakely sighed, pinching the bridge of her nose, she was sure she'd seen Blanche and Frankie running out too. “Yes, we’re fine. We’ll be home soon.” She didn’t even have the energy to be salty right now.
Her mother suddenly added just as she was about to end the call, “Please drive safely.”
She froze for a moment, and pulled the phone away from her ear, staring at the screen as if it had just spoken in a foreign language.
Did she hear that right?
She shook her head slowly. Maybe she was just imagining things. She thought as she quickly ended the call.
She glanced at the time, it was half past eight. Not too late, yet she felt like she had been awake for days.
A few minutes later, Xinmei finally pulled the car into the Torres estate lot. She turned off the engine with a sigh, and both girls slumped against their seats, neither moving right away.
After a beat, Xinmei turned to her. “Can I just crash here for the night?”
Blakely waved a lazy hand. “Yup, whatever.”
Before they even had to ask, a few servants came jogging over, ready to unload their suitcases from the car.
Blakely slowly got out, stretching as she looked around. “Did the bus get here yet?”
One of the servants nodded. “Yes, Miss. They dropped Miss Blanche and Miss Frankie just a few minutes ago.”
“Okay.” She rubbed her eyes again and waved a hand dismissively as Xinmei also alighted. “Take the stuff to my room. And don’t wake us up.”
The servants bowed slightly before heading off with their luggage.
Blakely yawned again, dragging her feet toward the entrance. Sleep. That was all she needed right now. But the moment she stepped foot inside, she was immediately sandwiched into her mother’s arms.
It happened so fast she barely had time to react. One second, she was dragging herself toward the staircase, and the next, she was being smothered in an embrace that felt way too unfamiliar.
Her body tensed. Every muscle in her frame screamed discomfort.
Her mother’s warm and almost desperate arms tightened slightly around her, but Blakely was already pushing her off, alarmed.
“What are you doing?!” she yelled, her exhaustion instantly wiped away. She took a step back, breathing unevenly.
Her mother blinked at her, still standing there like she expected something else,like she was waiting for her to say something more, to acknowledge the rare display of affection, it accept it rather than pushing her away like she's got some disease.
But Blakely just shook her head. “I’m fine, okay!” she said, sounding alarmed. “No need to get all touchy.” she turned away, already making her way toward the stairs. “I’m going to bed.”
Xinmei followed closely with a confused expression wondering what just happened, did she hear wrong or did Blakely just yell at her mother and turned defensive because of a hug.