11. Ivy
Chapter 11
Ivy
“I feel so awful,” Isabelle mutters. Her voice joins the chorus of crickets around us, hopping in the grass.
“Don’t feel bad. Tiffany was bullying you. I had to say something.”
Isabelle, Mackenzie and I are walking through the murky woodland area way, way, way on the other side of campus. Our flashlights and the faint moonlight are our only sources of light.
This is the extra special thing Tiffany had planned for me. The way to it. I won’t know what the actual thing is until I reach the hollowed-out willow tree.
“It’s just a shame it had to come to this.” Mackenzie waves her flashlight around.
We’re following a pebbled path but it’s clear that no one has used it in a long time. Unlike the rest of the campus, this area is unkempt, unruly and creepy.
“Thank you for coming with me for this part.” They can only accompany me to my destination. They have to head to Erebus after.
“Of course.” Isabelle glances at me. In the faint moonlight I can just about pick her black hair from the shadows.
“My advice is do what you have to do and get the hell out.” Mackenzie waves the flashlight again. “Call us once you’re done.”
“I will. What’s down here anyway?”
“Tunnels and all kinds of shit. My dad has always told me to keep away from this place. The frat boys love it because there are no cameras past a certain point, so if anything happened to you no one would know.”
Mackenzie’s father is one of the judges. “I feel even worse that you guys are here.” And I’m even more creeped out.
“As if we’d allow you to come down here by yourself.” Mackenzie shakes her head at me. “I’m sure Tiffany knows about the cameras. That’s why she chose this place.”
“It makes me wonder what she’s planned.” Isabelle winces. “I should have kept my big mouth shut and just worn the stupid costume. Given that I have to wear it anyway.”
“Tiffany’s a bitch. You were both right to stand up to her. Despite the punishment you have to put people like her in their place sometimes,” Mackenzie says with conviction. “She still won today but I know she’ll be worried about other people standing up to her in the future.”
She’s right, but I can’t help but feel like I made things worse. Isabelle still has to wear this costume, I have to do this shit, and both Isabelle and I have to clean Myrddin House for the next two months.
“We’re here.” Mackenzie shines her flashlight ahead, lighting up the willow tree.
My God in heaven, it looks like the demented hell tree from Sleepy Hollow where the headless horseman’s body was buried. The only difference between that one and this is the hollowed-out trunk of the tree.
Even with my fascination for dark, edgy things, my skin still crawls at the sight of it.
Isabelle looks like how I feel—totally creeped out.
Mackenzie keeps going and after a moment we follow.
She walks up to the tree and shines her light over a white envelope pinned to one of the low-hanging branches with my name scrawled across it.
I take it and open it. Inside there’s a note which says:
I left something in a blue bag in the tunnel ahead of you.
Bring it to me.
Tiffany.
I show the note to Mackenzie and Isabelle, and they both exchange worried glances.
“Don’t do it.” Isabelle grabs my arm. “It feels like a trap to me. She hasn’t given you any directions or anything.”
“I don’t want any more problems with Tiffany. Or to embarrass my parents.” I haven’t heard from Mom or Levgen yet today, so I don’t know when Tiffany plans to contact them.
“It’s so irritating that this is supposed to be college but feels like kindergarten.” Mackenzie frowns.
“It could be dangerous,” Isabelle huffs.
“It is dangerous.”
“Don’t worry about me. My stepdad and I always go hiking and we love exploring in caves. This can’t be that much different.” I sound sure, like I know I’ll be fine, but I know no such thing.
“Okay. Be careful. Please.” Isabelle gives me a hug and holds me like it’s the last time she’ll see me.
“Remember to call us once you’re done.” Mackenzie nods.
“I will. Be careful on your way back.”
“We’ll be okay.”
I take a deep breath and continue down the path with my nerves nestled in the pit of my stomach churning.
I feel like hell but I keep thinking of the end goal and getting back to my dorm with today behind me.
All I have to do is focus on walking into the tunnel, getting the bag, then heading over to Erebus so I can hand it to Tiffany.
But entering a dark tunnel by yourself in the dead of night is one hell of a twisted form of punishment. I pray that Tiffany has nothing else in store for me or any nasty surprises.
I find the tunnel’s entrance and walk in. It’s so quiet in here. Too quiet.
I expected to perhaps hear the dripping of water somewhere or tunnel-like echoes.
Shining the light ahead, I pray with every step I take that I’ll find Tiffany’s bag but I see nothing. I’m heading deeper and deeper, getting further away from the exit. Soon I can’t see it at all when I look over my shoulder.
As I keep moving the walls feel like they’re getting smaller and tighter, although they aren’t. That’s just me losing my mind.
I trip over something. It feels like a rock. Suddenly l lose my footing and fall flat on my face, dropping the flashlight, which rolls down the path to my left.
My knees are hurt. So are my elbows and when I touch them I feel blood.
Cursing, I lift myself up and retrieve the flashlight but the sound of scuttling and squeaking makes me freeze.
I hear it again. This time much louder. Then a million furry feet run over mine.
Rats! Lots and lots of them come rushing my way. I scream, then I run, losing sight of where I’m going. The tunnel splits into two paths and since I have no idea which one to take, I choose the nearest.
I just want to get out of here. I don’t even care at this point if I find Tiffany’s stupid bag.
The rats follow me and there’s so many of them I figure out straight away that someone set them loose on me.
This was such a bad idea.
Not just this. Everything . Even being here at Raventhorn.
Menacing male laughter fills the air and I realize I’m right. Tiffany set me up to fail.
I run as fast as I can until I feel like my soul might leave my body, then I see light ahead of me. A soft amber glow.
Hope sparks that it might be some kind of exit, so I head there.
The light gets brighter and the rats decrease, so I follow the path. The deeper I go, the wider and brighter the path becomes. I get my hopes up that I’ll find an exit soon. This area looks like it might be used more.
Minutes later I’m still walking. I try to figure out where the path might lead but I have no bearings. At least the sounds of the rats have decreased, and I can’t hear the laughing anymore.
The rumble of voices suddenly fills the tunnel. It’s different from the laughter I left behind. These voices sound like people talking. Men talking in normal conversation.
I follow the sound but stop dead in my tracks when I see runes engraved on the walls ahead of me. Straight away I realize with horror where I am.
The Knights use the old Elder Futhark runes to communicate secret messages.
Levgen taught me how to read the runes. The ones ahead tell me that I’m beneath Raventhorn Hall. As in the place I’m not allowed to be.
And I’m right near the meeting hall where the Knights gather for ceremonies.
If I’m caught down here…
Oh my God, if I’m caught down here I would be in all sorts of trouble. Me and my parents. The male voices I heard just now were Knights. Shit.
What the fuck have you done to me, Tiffany?
What the actual fuck?
I whirl around to go back the way I came—even if it’s infested with rats—but I crash into a hard body.
Before me stands a tall and muscular Knight. He’s even wearing his tunic. The black Knight's tunic with the blue raven insignia embossed on the front.
His hood is up, so I can’t see his face properly.
The voices sound again and the Knight looks behind us, then back at me, his mouth curling into a deep frown. He takes his hood down and I’m almost, almost relieved when I see it’s Thorne.
It’s him, but for once he looks pissed off to see me. The joviality I usually witness is nowhere to be found in the hard lines of his handsome face.
I open my mouth to tell him why I’m here but when he grasps my throat, I realize my false sense of hope.
“You should never have come down here, Bambi. You really have a death wish.”
“I didn’t mean to. I?—”
“Shhh.”
He presses his thumb down on the side of my neck and everything goes dark. The world tilts then fades into nothing, taking his face with it.
Then I go to the land of nowhere.