Chapter 52 A Day To The Competition
It was a day to the competition.
Yesterday, I managed to gather five hundred votes, and my bet stood at just eight hundred dollars, thanks mostly to Vincent’s help. At first, I thought the votes were impressive, until I saw Stephen’s count: five thousand.
Five thousand.
If that was Stephen’s number, then what about Reis and Sam? Not to mention Evander. Evan’s bet alone stood at two hundred and eighty thousand dollars.
If he lost the competition, he would lose that money, and his star rating, reaching five. The same applied to Stephen, Sam, and Reis.
What a game.
Today, the voting wasn’t held in the hall. It took place on the open grounds, surrounded by tall trees, adjacent to the river, yet still close enough to the Academy.
Oliver and I were arranging the box and the voting stand when my eyes caught sight of Marcus.
He stood near the river.
Still pale. Still hollow. Calm.
Unmoved. Unbothered by everything happening around him.
“Don’t tell me you’re going to approach him,” Oliver said. He had noticed my stare.
I gave him a quick smile. “Just hoping he’s okay…” I paused, eyes still fixed on Marcus. “And that he doesn’t cause any trouble.”
Oliver smirked faintly. “Depends on whether trouble finds him or not,” he muttered, barely audible.
“What did you say?” I asked.
“You’re supposed to be hoping for votes and bets,” he replied, straightening up. “Not him.” He stood fully. “I’m thirsty. I need some water. I’ll be right back, Double L.”
“Okay,” I answered.
“Don’t go anywhere!” he warned playfully before walking off.
I smiled, then my gaze drifted back to Marcus.
That was when I saw Felix.
Again.
He stood beside Marcus with his followers, his arm draped lazily over Marcus’s shoulder, a smirk tugging at his lips.
“Hey, tough kid,” Felix said, pressing half of his index finger against Marcus’s face. “You think you can get away with this?”
Marcus didn’t flinch. Didn’t fidget. He didn’t even bother meeting Felix’s eyes.
Felix pushed him forward toward the water.
I stood abruptly, fear gripping my chest, but Marcus didn’t fall.
Felix’s two friends dragged him back from the river and hauled him away, following Felix toward the woods.
I took a step forward, ready to go after them but I stopped.
If I left, who would stay here? Oliver would be furious.
“Hey, Lexie. Some folks—” Vincent began as he approached.
I cut him off quickly, gripping his hands. “Please, bring whoever you want. I’ll be back in a minute.”
“What?” He looked confused.
I didn’t explain. I just turned and left.
“Lexie, wait—”
I didn’t listen.
Felix and his friends had already dragged Marcus into the woods. They forced him to his knees. Felix slapped him hard across the face.
“You stupid bastard,” Felix snapped. “You think you’ll get away with this, huh?”
Another slap.
Marcus didn’t react. Didn’t move. It was as if he couldn’t feel the pain.
“What’s wrong with this freak?” Felix growled, grabbing his face and yanking it up.
He punched Marcus in the nose. Blood spilled instantly.
“Oh, you can bleed, huh?” Felix sneered. “I thought you were just an object.”
Another slap.
Still Marcus didn’t fight back.
“Fuck!” Felix screamed, not in pain, but humiliation.
Marcus’s silence mocked him.
Felix dropped his coat to the ground and grabbed Marcus by the hair, forcing him to look up.
“What is it, huh?” Felix shouted, chest heaving. “Why aren’t you saying anything? Why aren’t you crying?!”
“Felix, I think we should let him be,” one of his friends said cautiously.
Felix turned and punched him without warning. Blood burst from his nose as he fell to the ground.
“Shut the hell up!” Felix snapped. “Don’t tell me what to do, you son of a bitch!”
He turned back to Marcus, breathing hard. “You… I’ll keep beating you. I’ll make you regret what you’ve done.”
The friend stood and grabbed Marcus to restrain him.
Felix raised his fist again, but froze mid-air.
Marcus had murmured something.
“What?” Felix leaned in. “You said something?”
“Ravens are better than people,” Marcus muttered.
Felix stared. “What?”
Marcus repeated it.
Felix slapped him again, gripping his hair tighter. “What the fuck are you saying?!”
Marcus lifted his eyes slowly, meeting Felix’s gaze.
“Ravens are better than people,” he repeated, low, cold, eerie.
Felix barely had time to react.
Marcus slammed his elbow backward into the friend restraining him, sending him crashing into a tree. The other friend panicked and fled.
Felix turned to run, but Marcus caught his wrist.
In one brutal twist, Marcus broke his forearm.
Felix screamed.
Marcus didn’t stop.
Tears streamed down Felix’s face as Marcus released him, letting him collapse to the ground, but Marcus wasn’t finished.
He grabbed Felix’s leg.
“Please… hold on… please—wait!” Felix begged.
Marcus twisted his ankle. Felix screamed again. That was when I arrived. “Marcus!” I shouted.
He turned.
His glare pierced straight through me.
“Please, help me,” Felix sobbed. “Save me. This psycho will kill me.”
Marcus raised his hand again. Aiming to break his leg.
“Marcus! Stop!” I snapped.
He froze.
Slowly, he lowered his hand and shoved Felix’s leg away. Then he stepped toward me.
I stepped back.
He laughed.
“You’re scared?” he asked, smiling manic. He tilted his head. “You want to save him? Bullies aren’t meant to live.”
“Marcus,” I said, voice trembling. “This isn’t you. Come back… to us.”
“Us?” he interrupted. “Who? Nobody ever liked me.”
I swallowed. “T-that’s not true.”
“Ravens are better than people.”
The words struck me.
That sentence.
I’d heard it before.
“Ravens are better than people,” he repeated. Again. And again.
He stepped toward me.
I turned to run but tripped.
I braced myself, expecting him to attack.
He didn’t.
He ran past me.
“Marcus!” I shouted, scrambling up.
He didn’t stop.
“Help! Get help!” I yelled back at Felix.
“My ankle’s bad,” Felix groaned.
I left him and ran after Marcus.
He was climbing a hill.
“Marcus, get down!” I screamed. “Please!”
But he kept going.
“Ravens are better than people.”
“Marcus!” Suddenly, ravens appeared, out of nowhere.
They swarmed him.
They perched on him.
They tore into him.
And then he fell, down the hill, crashing to the ground below.