As Ruelle approached, Alanna’s gaze landed on her, the vampiress’s lips curling into a malicious smile. Her lackeys stood on either side of the vampiress, who asked mockingly,
"And what do we have here? Co to apologise? Hoping to grovel your way into our good graces?" She let out a small, dismissive laugh, her eyes glittering with the promise of humiliation.
Ruelle had walked here out of pure rush of adrenaline, but now that she stood before the vampiress, the mory of the bullying flashed in her mind. The thudding in her chest echoed in her ears, but she forced to stay calm. Her hands clenched tightly at her sides, the knuckles white from the pressure.
Don’t show fear. You can’t show fear, Ruelle said to herself before saying, "That scarf is mine. Where did you get it?"
For a mont, Alanna simply stared, as though the question itself was beneath her. Then, with a slow and intentional motion, she ran her fingers over the soft fabric.
"This?" she drawled languidly, yet mocking. "I don’t think so. It is a gift I received." Her eyebrows arched in feigned curiosity, daring Ruelle to continue.
June. It was as if the girl continued to fall to new lows she couldn’t imagine one could, thought Ruelle to herself.
Alanna’s smile widened as she took a step forward, closing the distance between them ever so slightly. The crowd around them had grown quiet, watching, waiting. "You’re not about to make a scene, are you? It would be such a pity to see you humiliate yourself here, of all places."
"I don’t think you would want everyone here to know that an Elite such as yourself resorts to stealing from a re Groundling, Ruelle replied, and she noticed for a split second, the confidence in Alanna’s eyes flickered, her expression hardening into sothing darker, sharper.
"Stealing it?" Alanna murmured, the word rolling off her tongue with contempt. "Such harsh accusations. It’s hardly worth stealing, don’t you think? But, if you must know, I bought it. Paid well for it, too."
So of the students around them shifted, so whispering among themselves. Alanna was an Elite vampire—but Ruelle had struck a nerve, one the Elite wasn’t willing to show in public.
Ruelle tried to stay composed. She knew her knitting wasn’t much, but she had poured hours of hardwork and ti into it. She said, "It’s strange that sothing with so little worth seems to be wrapped around your neck."
Alanna’s eyes narrowed. Her fingers twitched at her side, as if itching to strike. She remarked, "Aren’t you bold today. I could make you disappear with a flick of my wrist, and no one would question it. But not here. You will pay for the disrespect."
As the adrenaline that she had earlier felt began to wear off, Ruelle realised it was ti to leave. She said, "I didn’t an to disrespect you. But if you want to hold soone accountable, maybe it should be the person who gave you sothing that wasn’t theirs to give."
At that mont, June appeared from behind, her eyes wide with a feigned innocence. Ruelle glanced at her briefly, then back to Alanna. "Unless, you are perfectly fine with borrowing from soone like ."
Without waiting for a response, Ruelle turned and walked away, her pace calm, asured. Each step felt like a victory, her soft-spoken words echoing in the silence she left behind. Beside her, Hailey rushed to catch up, wide-eyed and breathless. She asked,
"Are you shaking too? I have goosebumps!"
Ruelle’s heart was still racing. ’You need to push through and be fearless,’ Mr. S’ advice echoed in the back of her mind. Why did it feel there was a reason he didn’t apply his advice to himself?
Later, as the night wore on and the exhaustion from the day weighed heavily on her, Ruelle returned to her room. She pushed the door open, noticing June already seated on her bed, surrounded by books. There was no hint of guilt or remorse in her expression—only smugness.
She picked up her towel and fresh clothes, intending to retreat to the bathroom and clear her mind. But as she turned, the door to the bathroom creaked open, and from within, Alanna erged, her eyes gleaming with malice. Ruelle froze, her breath catching in her throat as the vampiress spoke.
"One of the threads ca loose from the scarf," Alanna said, her voice low and taunting. "So I thought I’d co by and see if you could fix it."
Ruelle’s stomach twisted with dread. She took an instinctive step back, her eyes darting to the door, but June locked it.
"Leave," Ruelle managed, her voice steady despite the fear crawling up her spine. "This isn’t your room."
Alanna laughed, a cold, hollow sound that echoed in the small space. "Oh, I can go wherever I please. And June is more than happy to host."
Ruelle’s heart raced as Alanna took another step forward. "You had a lot to say earlier," the vampiress murmured, suddenly shoving Ruelle hard. The impact sent her crashing to the floor, pain rippling up her side. "Oops. How clumsy of ."
Ruelle gasped, pushing herself to her feet, but Alanna was already advancing, knocking everything off her desk with a single sweep of her hand.
"Stop it!" Ruelle said, her voice strained. "What do you want from ?!"
Alanna smiled darkly. "It’s not about what I want, Groundling. It’s about reminding you of your place. You dared to embarrass in front of others. Now, I’ll make sure you never forget what happens when you cross soone like ."
Ruelle’s eyes flicked around the room for escape when her eyes landed on her knitting needles. All she had to do was swing in front of this vampiress to leave her alone! Without thinking, she grabbed a knitting needle and spun around just as Alanna advanced again. The sharp point stabbed the vampiress’s outstretched hand.
"What the hell?!" Alanna shrieked and Ruelle’s eyes widened.
June’s mouth hung open in disbelief, her face paling as she realised the situation had spiralled far beyond her control.
Ruelle hadn’t ant to actually harm Alanna, only to defend herself, but the sight of blood, the sheer rage in the vampiress’s eyes, made it clear she needed to act fast. Without a second thought, she bolted for the door, shoving June aside as she ran out of there.
Her footsteps echoed softly through the dimly lit corridor, and she finally stopped in front of Hailey’s door. Now inside the room, just the two of them, Hailey frantically whispered,
"What do you an you stabbed her?!" Her face paled with fear.
"It was an accident..." Ruelle nervously squeezed her fingers. She whispered, "I can’t go back to the room. She—she’ll kill ."
And it was true, Elite vampiress like Alanna were vengeful, and the establishnt wouldn’t care for a re human like herself, thought Ruelle to herself. Fear and guilt tangled together as the reality of the situation pressed down on her, realising that fighting for her scarf’s respect had only plunged her deeper into trouble.
"If June has joined Alanna, they will turn your life into living hell, and we are almost there already," Hailey muttered as she thought about it. "You definitely cannot room there anymore."
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