Chapter 11 11: In a strange house
Chapter 11 GRAVE
SORAYA
The next morning met a distraught and distracted me. First, I had woken up so late that I had to rush my bath in five minutes. Then I stumbled into my first class only to realize I still had a shower cap on.
"I am assuming you forgot that was on your head, Soraya Karter?" The class burst into a fit of laughter when the teacher said that.
"What?" I reached for the cap on my head with a frown as I made my way to my seat only to realize that Daryl and his sister were sitting on both sides of my seat while Dolly, Axel, and Adele sat just behind them. I groaned inwardly, wishing the ground will swallow me whole.
"Good morning, Soraya," Ilana beamed at me. I gave her a curt nod, wondering how the princess could smile at me when I had a dagger to her throat just two days ago, even though I had not meant to harm her.
"Did you forget your duties as my companion, Karter?"
I frowned at the Prince whose smirk was back on and there was not a hint of the fiery look he had on the day before. "Surely, you can take care of yourself for just some hours, Your Highness," I spat back a retort as I reached for my notepad in my backpack.
"I can take care of myself at every time."
"Well, your Father begs to differ," I said, scowling. The Prince scoffed and focused on the teacher. The class went on for the next forty minutes.
"You all will be grouped for the research. You must turn in your research papers in the next three weeks."
I was barely listening, my ear only picking fragments of Sir Sinclair's words, my mind was far away from the history class until my name was called. I stood instantly, hissing as my knees hit the locker.
"The eight of you are the members of Group 1," Sir Sinclair called out.
It was at Sir Sinclair's words that I looked up to realize I was not the only one standing but there were seven other students namely Elle Farrow, Ethan Farrow, Daryl and Ilana, Dolly and Axel, and my roommate Adele.
"Bloody hell." I heard the Prince cuss out beside me. I would say the same because the grouping was sure as hell going to end in chaos especially since I was in the same group as Elle Farrow who had not hidden her dislike for me since I resumed Fenrir. Sir Sinclair called the other groups and left the class after leaving the students in a frenzy.
"I will assume you are in a dilemma at the grouping, Your Highness." I regarded the Prince with hooded eyes, seeing him clench his fingers on the table, his gaze pinning on Ethan Farrow with a scowl marring his lips.
He grimaced. "You can only imagine."
"I am going to change my group," The Prince said, standing up.
"I doubt Sir Sinclair would listen to anyone," Dolly spoke up from the back. I turned to face her.
"Why?"
Dolly seemed taken aback that I had spoken to her but then her surprise soon morphed into a frown. "I see the new girl does not know how things are done here."
"Dolly," The Prince hissed.
"Sorry," she mumbled and looked away, disregarding me in all manners.
Interesting, I thought. Dolly did not like me.
"I don't see any problem with the grouping," Ilana mumbled.
"Ethan Farrow dislikes your brother and Elle Farrow is like a moth to Daryl's flame. And then there is the witch and her roommate. The grouping is a match made in hell if you asked me," Dolly answered the princess outrightly.
"It can't be that bad," Ilana wondered then froze when suddenly Ethan Farrow stood up, glared at the Prince, and stormed out of the classroom.
"It is going to be that bad," Axel said in resignation.
"Sorry, what are we being grouped for again?"
"You weren't listening?" Adele squeaked.
I shrugged. "I didn't hear a damn thing."
"You are strange."
Later that day, we had decided to meet in the library to discuss the project. How they had convinced both Ethan and Daryl to sit at the same table was still a mystery, but now it did not matter because Ethan looked like he would snap the Prince's neck any minute from now and the Prince only seemed bored at the Alpha's son's discomfort.
"Won't you not say something? Or is this gathering too lowly for the Prince?"
The tension in the air was sliceable, one that made me wonder if this group assignment would not end in a bloodbath.
"I am not the only one here. I suppose someone else can start the discussion then we can all contribute?" The Prince said, flipping his pen on his hands.
"That's true. How about we all pick ourselves in twos and work on the different topics in the assignment, then it will be more easier to put them all together to form an essay," Dolly quipped.
Ethan scoffed. "Whatever."
"Karter and I will work on the first topic. I guess that's all we have to do here right?" The Prince stood up after saying that and marched out of the library, leaving me trailing behind him in a rush.
"At least, let me know you are leaving before standing abruptly like that," I snapped at Daryl when I caught up with him.
"If I stayed another moment around Farrow, I would be forced to do something rash hence my abrupt departure."
"I still do not understand why you both don't like each other," I deadpanned.
Daryl came to an abrupt halt and turned around. "Is there a reason why you do not like me?"
I blinked. There was a reason, and that reason was because Quinn sent me. Was there anything else? "People dislike you because of your status."
"Is that your reason?"
I bit down on my lower lip. "You flatter yourself if you think I will waste my energy on hating you over such a trivial matter."
A smirk appeared on the Prince's lips. "Then tell me about your reasons."
I huffed. "I hope you never find out," I said and began to walk away, leaving the Prince to dwell on my vague answer.
"But what if I do?" He called out after me, hot on my heels.
I blew out an exasperated breath. Why the hell was he being insufferable about this?
"What if I do?" He asked again, sliding to my line of eyesight. "What would happen if I find out why?"
I scoffed started to walk away again. But as I turned to leave, I saw it, like a ball of fire, spiralling from the sky.
Instinct. That’s all it was. Instinct made me shove the Prince out of the way. Instinct drew my sword. Instinct made me take the hit, fire bursting against my chest.
It was all instinct, I swore, right before the agony tore through me and the world went dark.
---
DARYL
“It was just an accident,” the Principal had said. “A first-year witch’s mistake.” But I knew better.
A ball of fire directed at me was not a crude mistake from a clueless witch, it was an intentional attack, one that I had to find out about, and an attack that Soraya had taken the hit for.
I allowed my gaze to slide back to the unconscious girl sprawled on the bed. She had taken the hit for me, an attitude in contrast to what I thought she was — an enemy.
I shook my head, ridding my thoughts of her as I stepped out of the room.
"Daryl, where have you been?" Ilana said when I appeared in the cafeteria. I could see the worry lining my sister's face as well and I heard the whispers from students around.
News sure did spread fast.
"Are you okay?" Dolly inquired when I slid into my seat while Ilana sat beside me.
"I'm fine," I answered, but Soraya wasn't.
“The Principal said a witch made a mistake while practising for this semester’s first-year Gala Night performance.” Axel said.
“The Gala Night?” Ilana asked.
Dolly nodded. “It’s an annual event where students from every year perform in groups to entertain guests and the academy’s elders. Fenrir Academy uses it to showcase the students’ progress, not just in academics, but in how well they’ve mastered their abilities.”
Axel added, “Each year level prepares a performance."
“And failing means embarrassment,” I muttered darkly.
Ilana frowned. “Embarrassment?”
“Imagine losing control in front of the elders or the Alpha,” Axel said, grimacing. “It’s supposed to be a celebration, but it’s also a test of composure.”
Dolly leaned closer. “They call it the Gala to make it sound like a simple night of festivities, but everyone knows it’s about showing who truly belongs here.”
I leaned back, my jaw tense. “Call it what you want — it’s survival of the fittest, even under candlelight and music.”
"That's interesting."
We all turned at the sound of Soraya's voice, eyes wide as she stood behind us like nothing had happened to her.
"Soraya?" I stood instantly. "What the hell are you doing here?"
"Lower your voice, your highness," she scolded.
"You shouldn't be out here, you are supposed to be recuperating. You just got it hit by a witch's sacrum!"
She scoffed, rolling her eyes. "If I didn't know you well, Your Highness, I would think you cared about me."
"Do not get your hopes up, Soraya Karter!" I snapped. "I do not give a shit about you. I only need you to be okay, after all, you are supposed to be my companion and assignment partner, have you forgotten?"
Saying that, I stormed out of the cafeteria.
---
SORAYA
I clasped my hands behind me as I went towards the dorm wing of first year students. I blamed my cursed curiosity for leading me here to the witch who’d nearly killed the Prince.
I had found out the girl's room number from the clinic attendant, and so I stopped at Room 7, raising my hand to knock. But before I could, there was a large scream from inside, that caused me to push the door open instantly, and there I was met with the shock of my life.
She was dead, no blood in sight but her body was dried up, and beside her, a sigil burned.
Someone had murdered my only lead.