Clentine:
I fell asleep while lying there, crying about my miserable life.
When I woke up, I realized the sun had already gone down. There wasn’t much left for to do here. I could only stare at the walls and rember the awful ti I had spent in the north.
It bothered that Miss Rue said she had planned sothing for , only for it to end with them leaving alone here. I sighed as I dragged myself out of bed. I needed to wash my hands and face quickly before dinner was served.
The envelope said I would be eating in the hallway as always, but this ti I would be alone.
As I went into the bathroom and stood at the sink, I bent down and had just splashed water on my face once when I noticed sothing sticking out from behind the mirror.
I was confused because I’m usually aware of my surroundings. I had never seen this piece of paper before, so it was definitely left there recently. Maybe one of my squadmates had put it there, I thought, so I quickly snatched it.
When I opened it, I didn’t even need to read the letter. I slled it and realized it was from Ian. His scent was strong.
"I’ve been anxious, so if I say anything, please don’t take it to heart. I don’t an it. Just understand I can’t take you ho. It will ss you up. I’m really sorry for being harsh on you. Truly, I was just put on the spot and was scared. I’m pretty sure you’d want to call and cuss at , or you’d want to say hurtful things to just to balance it out. If that’s what you’re looking for, you know where to find a phone to call . I’ll wait for your call, Clentine. Please call ."
I stared at the letter for a while, confused by his behavior. The sa guy who so brutally rejected the idea of taking to his family was now asking to call him.
Then I rembered, isn’t this what he always does? When he’s not around the others, he acts completely differently. And I always fall for it. He always has excuses.
So I decided, no. I wouldn’t call him.
But I put the letter in my pocket and walked out of the bathroom, feeling at least a little better. Just a simple apology made realize he wasn’t that cold, heartless idiot after all. At least he had so sense of regret, even if it was fake. I just wanted to hold on to that for now.
I was soon called on the speaker for dinner, like always.
I left my room, looking around and hugging myself. It was always empty, but for so reason it seed even emptier.
I rembered when we had first arrived. All the corridors, even from far away, were filled with squad mbers. One by one, the squads were wiped out. Now only three squads were left, with just a few mbers in the white and red ones.
I sighed as I reached the hall and sat down. Our table had only my portion of food. Still, I noticed new dishes, so I guessed this was what Miss Rue ant when she said she planned sothing special for .
I started to eat but had taken only a few bites when I heard voices from downstairs, where the ringleaders stayed. Then I noticed Rue coming upstairs.
"Yeah, anything else you want?" She called soone downstairs. She was probably talking to soone while holding a tray in her hand.
"Okay," she replied to whoever it was. But as she walked through the hallway, she stopped, looked at , and frowned.
"Clentine, what are you doing here?" she exclaid, looking so shocked that even I was confused for a mont.
"I was asked to stay here," I answered, ntioning the envelope.
"What? No, you weren’t. You were supposed to..." She paused, then nodded before slapping her forehead. "What the fuck? They told they were sending you away to so luxury hotel suite," she complained.
It beca clear she had no idea about the change. Whoever altered the plan was the reason I was left so lonely here.
"I an, it’s fine. It doesn’t make much difference to ," I lied, awkwardly picking at the beans with my fork, stabbing them so they wouldn’t slip away.
"No, Clentine, that’s really sad. This retreat was ant to refresh your mind, to keep you away from the things that remind you of the North. Not to leave you here alone and traumatize you even more," she said, moving her hands so the empty tray shifted with them.
"No, but it’s okay," I replied. I didn’t want to dwell on it because the more she talked, the more I missed the others.
"You know what? Pick up your food and go downstairs. We’ll eat together in my office today. I just have to grab so more sushi rolls," she joked, showing the tray. "Do you want anything?" she asked.
I shook my head.
"Are you sure I should go down?" I asked and she nodded.
It was fine to eat alone, but it would be much better to sit with her. I had heard other ringleaders were close with their crusaders. Maybe if I got close to Miss Rue, I could learn more about the North and this academy.
I quickly grabbed my tray and started walking away. I knew she had to go through all the corridors to reach the kitchen, which was quite far from here, so I’d have so ti alone downstairs.
"Take my pass," she said, handing a black card.
That was her way of letting others know I hadn’t stord downstairs on my own, that she had asked to co. I accepted it, balanced my tray with all the dishes, and began walking downstairs.
I had been downstairs before, but this ti it felt different. The other ringleaders didn’t know I was coming, and I had no idea what I was about to witness.
User Comments
0 comments from readers