Chapter 7 #2
I prepare to run. Now that Craig is gone, Ed and Ian are two of the strongest students in the academy, and they seem to have some weird obsession with me.
Just when I’m sure Ed is headed my way, and I’m about to pull Kenzie to her feet and leg it out of there, Ed abruptly stops and turns to the side.
He stares down another guy who’s in all my classes.
Jericho, I think his name is. He’s a slender guy with his black hair buzzed close to his head, and he has a gaunt face with dark circles around his eyes like he hasn’t slept in days.
Like me, the man is one of the weakest of our cohort, and my stomach drops as Jericho’s eyes widen with fear.
Leaning forward, Ed says something to him, and a cruel smile slashes across Ed’s face. Whatever he has said, Jericho tries to reel back, but Ed grabs the front of the man’s shirt and lifts him from his chair. Paiton watches from close by, laughing like she’s delighted.
“Oh shit,” Kenzie breathes in a rush.
Jericho struggles against Ed’s hold, but Paiton darts forward and presses a blade against Jericho’s abdomen until he stops resisting.
“Come on, now,” Ed croons in a sly voice. “We only want to chat. Keep acting like that and you might hurt my feelings. Do you want to hurt my feelings, Jericho?”
Breathing hard, Jericho shakes his head furiously.
“Good,” Ed replies, approvingly. “Come join us for a meal, won’t you?”
Ed plops Jericho down into Ian’s empty chair, and my stomach twists as Jericho stares fearfully at the giant bowl.
“Ian, don’t do this—” Satine starts, suddenly looking uneasy, but one look from the man and she closes her mouth, not finishing what she was going to say.
“Relax,” Ian reassures her. “Jericho and I are just having some fun. Isn’t that right, Jericho?” He claps his hand on Jericho’s shoulder, and Jericho flinches at the contact.
The weaker student stares back at the table he was previously sitting at, but none of his companions are coming to his aide. They hang their heads, purposely avoiding eye contact with him, and Ian’s sinister smile grows.
“See, I told you we should leave,” Kenzie hisses to me, her doe eyes full of fear as we watch the scene unfold.
“Now, before we eat, I think we should clear something up,” Ian says casually. “You see, a little whisper told me about something you said earlier. And I must admit, it really hurt my feelings.”
“N-no,” Jericho stammers, frantically shaking his head again.
“Unfortunately, yes,” Ian continues. “Why don’t you repeat it for us? To my face, this time.”
When Jericho simply stares at him fearfully, Ian’s top lip curls with disgust. He grabs Jericho by the back of the neck, and thrusts his head toward the bowl, stopping just before Jericho’s head is forced into the meal. Curls of steam rise around Jericho’s horrified face.
“I told you to fucking say it again!” Ian snarls, spit flying from his mouth as he holds Jericho’s face close to the hot liquid.
“I–I didn’t mean it! I swear!” Jericho finally splutters, his arms braced on the table. “Please. I swear!”
Anger consumes Ian’s expression, and his eye twitches. He shares a look with Ed and Paiton who both smile back at him like they’re equally as insane. “Fine. If you’re too piss weak to share with the class, then I will,” Ian says. “You called me a little bitch, didn’t you?”
“N–no, I never said that!” Jericho blurts desperately.
“Is that so?” Ian drawls, leaning in close as he holds Jericho’s head firmly. “Because I could have sworn you also said you intended to take me out when the games begin.”
“What? No, I would never!” Jericho splutters, his cheeks red. He pushes against the table, trying to move away from the steamy contents of the bowl.
Until this point, I figure Ian is all talk and he simply wants to toy with Jericho. But then he pushes the man’s face into the bowl.
Jericho thrashes, fighting to lift his head back out, but Ian holds him there, cackling like some kind of lunatic while Paiton, Izzy, and Ed laugh along with him.
Jericho’s friends don’t move, and neither do any of the stronger students sitting at the nearby tables. Everyone simply averts their gazes. After a few seconds, Ian wrenches Jericho’s head out of the bowl, and Jericho gasps loudly, his face red and liquid dripping down his cheeks.
“Please,” Jericho begs, his chest heaving.
“You’re so pathetic,” Ian answers with a pitying smile. “I’d really be doing everyone a favor if I got rid of you.” Jericho lets out a fearful cry, but it ends when Ian slams his face back into the bowl.
I don’t realize what I’m doing, until I’m on my feet. “Stop,” I say, gripping my fork tightly.
Ian laughs when he sees me, but the laughter doesn’t reach his eyes. “Why should I?”
Jericho continues to thrash, and I know he doesn’t have long.
“Because…” I scramble to come up with a reason that’ll satisfy Ian.
I have the fleeting thought that Thane and the others will kill me if they find out I’m putting myself in the middle of this.
They’d given me strict instructions to keep my head down and finish my classes without drawing attention.
I let out a nervous laugh. Too late for that now.
“Because you want to win the games, don’t you?
” I blurt. “You should kill him when the queen is watching.”
Surprise fills Ian’s features, and he looks like he’s considering what I’ve said. Jericho’s arms stop flailing, and then Ian yanks him back, pushing him further back in the chair. Jericho lets out a loud gasp, and he coughs and splutters, his expression wild and frantic.
Ian pats Jericho’s chest, but he’s staring at me when he speaks. “You know what, you’re right, Token. It would be a shame for the queen to miss that.”
“Shade,” Kenzie hisses at me.
Ian releases his hold on Jericho, and Jericho falls from the chair, scrambling to his feet and rushing from the room without a backward glance.
“But you know what else I’ve realized?” Ian says, still staring at me. “You were supposed to die during that hunt, Token.” He spits as he emphasizes the nickname. “So I don’t think it matters if you make it to the games. It’s a disgrace to this academy that you even made it this far.”
“Look at you, making poor choices again, child,” Elgen tisks in my mind.
“What was I supposed to do?” I send back. “Watch while they torment Jericho for no reason?”
“War is death,” Elgen replies. “You’re going to see a whole lot more of it if you manage to survive long enough.”
“This isn’t war,” I reply to Elgen. “This is a school.”
“Correction, this is a war academy in the shadow realm,” Tarlaz croaks. “And you won’t be able to save every student who gets into trouble.”
“I know that,” I reply.
“Do you?” Tarlaz asks. There’s something about the way he says it that sets me on edge.
Ian takes a step toward me, and there’s the scrape of a chair as Kenzie leaps to her feet.
“What are you doing?” I hiss.
“I don’t know,” she rambles back. “What are you doing?”
Ian scowls at us, looking like he still intends to come for me, but I’m surprised when Jensen pushes his empty plate away from him and stands as well. He turns, crossing his arms as he glares at Ian and his crew.
Ian scoffs. “What? Are you standing up for the Token, now too?”
“This is a dining hall,” Jensen says, shrugging his broad shoulders. “If you want to compensate for your tiny dick, do it somewhere else and let everyone eat in peace.”
I’m pretty sure everyone in the room stops breathing.
It’s official. Jensen has just turned into bestie number two.
Ian’s face reddens, and his shadows start twisting around his arms. A vein pops out on his temple, and I think he’s about to send out a wave of power when a familiar haunting tune plays through the dining hall, signalling the end of our lunch break.
Disappointment floods Ian’s face, the anger still simmering in his expression. “You think you’re doing them a favor,” he spits at Jensen. “But when the games come, you won’t be able to protect them.”
Jensen just gives him a bored expression, and students start filtering out of the hall, undoubtedly glad to escape the situation.
I don’t like the look Ian gives Jensen, Kenzie, and me before he leaves the room. Paiton and Izzy snicker as they pass me, but Satine doesn’t even spare me a glance.
“Oh crap, well if he hadn’t wanted to kill me before, he definitely does now,” I muse to the shadows.
After the obstacle course, my guys tried to find out who had sabotaged the climbing wall.
There was no evidence to track down who was responsible, but I don’t think I have to guess to know who did it.
I’m pretty sure if I told my guys about Ian’s hatred for me, they’d take him out without any questions asked, and I know I might actually have to say something if it gets any worse.
It’s one thing if Ian has it out for me, but now he has his sights set on Kenzie and Jensen, too.
“Next time when I say run, girl, you run,” Elgen rasps in my head.
I don’t argue.