Chapter 220: 220-Night Alone In The Academy.
Clementine:
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 me to do here. I could only stare at the walls and remember the awful time I had spent in the north.
It bothered me that Miss Rue said she had planned something for me, only for it to end with them leaving me 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 time 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 something 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 smelled 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 mean it. Just understand I can’t take you home. It will mess 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 me and cuss at me, or you’d want to say hurtful things to me just to balance it out. If that’s what you’re looking for, you know where to find a phone to call me. I’ll wait for your call, Clementine. Please call me."
I stared at the letter for a while, confused by his behavior. The same guy who so brutally rejected the idea of taking me to his family was now asking me to call him.
Then I remembered, 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 me realize he wasn’t that cold, heartless idiot after all. At least he had some 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 some reason it seemed even emptier.
I remembered when we had first arrived. All the corridors, even from far away, were filled with squad members. One by one, the squads were wiped out. Now only three squads were left, with just a few members 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 meant when she said she planned something special for me.
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 someone downstairs. She was probably talking to someone 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 me, and frowned.
"Clementine, what are you doing here?" she exclaimed, looking so shocked that even I was confused for a moment.
"I was asked to stay here," I answered, mentioning the envelope.
"What? No, you weren’t. You were supposed to..." She paused, then nodded before slapping her forehead. "What the fuck? They told me they were sending you away to some luxury hotel suite," she complained.
It became clear she had no idea about the change. Whoever altered the plan was the reason I was left so lonely here.
"I mean, it’s fine. It doesn’t make much difference to me," I lied, awkwardly picking at the beans with my fork, stabbing them so they wouldn’t slip away.
"No, Clementine, that’s really sad. This retreat was meant 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 some more sushi rolls," she joked, showing me 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 some time alone downstairs.
"Take my pass," she said, handing me a black card.
That was her way of letting others know I hadn’t stormed downstairs on my own, that she had asked me to come. I accepted it, balanced my tray with all the dishes, and began walking downstairs.
I had been downstairs before, but this time it felt different. The other ringleaders didn’t know I was coming, and I had no idea what I was about to witness.