Chapter 41

[ 1,035 words ]

“Our parents saw an opportunity. We saw the monsters waiting on the other side p>

~ Rebel Beast

It must have only been a few minutes, but for Aria and the girls huddled together inside the bathroom, it felt like an eternity.

None of them dared say a word.

The silence hung heavily between them as they remained pressed against the tiled walls, listening for any sign that the crows were around.

They didn’t dare cry either.

Perhaps it was the shock. This was the second time in less than two days they had stared death in the face and somehow survived.

Or maybe they had simply run out of tears. Whatever the reason, none of them cried.

For the first time since arriving at Bestiaris Academy, Aria found herself wondering if this place had already decided their fate. What if she was deluded and there was no escaping this.

Their parents had accepted the money, never realizing it had been purchased with their blood. Now the consequences belonged to them.

Aria sat with that thought for a while, sinking deeper into the miserable numbness threatening to swallow her whole. Then her phone beeped.

The sound was so sudden that she nearly jumped. Slowly, she pulled the device from her pocket and glanced down at the screen.

At first she blinked, certain her eyes were playing tricks on her. But the message remained.

’You would come back, right? You promise p>

Aria shot upright so fast she nearly hit her head on the bathroom sink. The movement startled everyone, rousing them from their reverie.

“What?” Alek whispered. “What happened p>

Aria stared at the screen, her vision blurry.

“Davina,” she whispered back.

Then her voice became louder as she repeated. “Davina p>

The words caught in her throat while tears gathered in her eyes.

“She finally replied p>

The bathroom fell silent.

“Oh.” Brittney let out a bittersweet smile.

“Good for you p>

None of them noticed the way Brittney’s gaze lowered afterward. Unlike the others, nobody had sent her a message. Her parents really sentenced her here, it dawned on her.

Even though Brittney pretended it didn’t matter, it still hurt somehow.

Aria quickly wiped at her eyes before typing back.

’I promise you. I’ll come back p>

The moment she hit send, something inside her loosened. The crushing weight that had been sitting on her chest since yesterday suddenly felt lighter.

Davina was waiting for her, which meant dying wasn’t an option. She had to survive, somehow. Putting her phone away, Aria released a long breath and looked toward the others.

“I don’t hear the birds anymore. Let’s get out of here p>

She pushed herself to her feet, intending to leave but someone tugged at her sleeve. Aria looked down. It was Trisha.

“What p>

“What if it’s a trap?” Trisha demanded.

Her expression was horrified.

“What if the moment we step outside they all come rushing back?” She shuddered at the thought of it. “I don’t want my eyes plucked out p>

“Then stay behind,” Aria replied.

Before Trisha could protest further, she reached for the bathroom door and pulled it open.

The girls collectively held their breath, expecting a murder of claws to come bursting in. But nothing happened. Just silence.

To be honest, Aria was terrified too. But common sense told her this had to be over.

Slowly, they stepped out. The room looked exactly as they had left it. None of the birds had managed to get inside which was surprising. Seems they respected their bedroom.

“I’m going downstairs,” Aria informed them.

“Wait.” Brittney’s voice stopped her.

Before anyone could ask what the problem was, Brittney marched over to her wardrobe and ruffled through it. A moment later she emerged carrying a baseball bat.

“What the hell?” Aria couldn’t believe her eyes.

Trisha’s eyes were the size of saucers. “Wait a minute. I’ve been sleeping in the same room as you while you had a baseball bat within reach p>

“Where did you even get that?” Alek asked.

“They didn’t search our bags,” Brittney replied matter-of-factly.

“Because they probably didn’t think one of the contestants would be crazy enough to bring a baseball bat,” Trisha muttered.

“But it’s about to become useful, isn’t it?” Brittney shot back. She demonstrated by swinging it through the air. The bat cut through the room with an alarming whoosh.

“The birds caught me off guard the first time. But next time?” She swung again to make her point. “I’ll give those little fuckers a piece of my mind p>

Aria, Alek, and Trisha exchanged a look.

Yep. The moment this crisis was over, they were absolutely searching Brittney’s wardrobe. God only knew what else she had hidden in there.

Then Brittney suddenly turned toward Aria.

“You know what? I think you should have this p>

Before Aria could object, she shoved the bat into her hands.

“I think I’m good.” Aria rejected it.

“No, I insist.” Brittney closed Aria’s fingers firmly around the handle. “What if Trisha is right and there are still some hiding out there? You have to protect yourself. She pointed at all of them. “And us p>

Aria’s lips twitched. Since when had she become Aria Aspen, the protector?

Sadly, judging by the way the girls were looking at her now, she already knew the answer.

The girls descended the staircase painfully slowly. Aria led the way with Brittney’s baseball bat gripped tightly in both hands while Alek, Trisha, and Brittney followed close behind.

Nobody spoke, and every creak of the wooden stairs made them tense. Aria’s heart hammered against her ribs as her gaze took in her surrounding attentively. They were approaching the common room.

“Do you hear anything?” Trisha whispered.

“No,” Alek whispered back.

Their ears remained alert for the slightest sound of flapping wings. Then suddenly a shadow moved around the corner and someone screamed, “Bird p>

Without looking, Aria reacted instantly, swinging the bat with everything she had except the strike never landed.

A hand shot out and caught the bat mid-swing and the impact echoed through the room.

Aria froze. The others froze.

Standing before them was Maverick Nightshade and his fingers were wrapped around the bat as though it weighed nothing.

For several seconds neither of them moved.

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