Chapter 317
Clementine:
After my brief argument with Zian, I returned to my dorm room and lay down to sleep.
It was true that I tossed and turned for a few minutes before sleep finally took over.
When we woke up in the morning, we were told not to attend the hall for breakfast.
Instead, breakfast was brought to our rooms.
The ringleader explained that yesterday’s incident had caused trauma among the group.
They said they had never seen crusaders treat each other that way before.
I couldn’t help but think it wouldn’t be long before they pointed fingers at me and blamed me for it.
Thankfully, they didn’t, at least not yet. But with them, anything could be expected.
Once we finished breakfast, we were asked to return to the hall.
I guessed they thought it was the food that had made us behave the way we did.
“We’re not going to talk about what happened here yesterday,” Mr. Rick announced, making me roll my eyes. “It seems the more we discuss it, the more it gives you all reasons to act up and seek attention p>
He really thought we were doing all that just to be noticed. We were young, just teenagers.
All we wanted was a little time to feel like ourselves again, to be free from the constant thoughts of slaying monsters or being crushed by them.
“However, we have a task for you all,” he continued.
And there it was, the moment they prepared to send us back into that hell.
I noticed the Black Squad looking at me, everyone except Zian. He kept his eyes on the ringleaders, his hands covering his face as if asking them silently, ’Really? You’re sending me back to the north again p>
That made me smile a little, because once we were sent there, Ian would appear.
“Just like some of the previous tasks, this task is not about teams, but teamwork instead. This task will need all of you to stop talking, stop being messy, stop thinking about your personal drama or issues, and go in there with a very strong mindset because this task will screw you up,” Miss Rue continued, and the shakiness in her voice told me she was really worried for everyone.
“What is the task about?” Zian questioned.
Of course, he wasn’t Ian.
Ian would have silently listened and then given his own ideas about the monsters we would face there.
“You have to go and finish the Whisperer,” Mr. Rick said, a very serious look on his face.
Everyone started to look at each other, whispering about the monster called the Whisperer.
“It’s not a monster. It’s a wizard. He has been given the ability to cause chaos, to cause guilt in the hearts of people when he is around. When he starts whispering, he makes the people nearby remember the mistakes they have made and speak them out loud,” Mr. Rick finished.
Instantly, everyone’s stance shifted. Previously, those who looked scared were now overjoyed.
Joshua looked at me and then said something to Jack in his ear, who nodded, following his gaze to me.
“And then the person who speaks out loud about their guilt ends their life p>
The minute that part was spoken out loud, the look on Joshua and Jack’s faces changed, and they began to stare at Mr. Rick.
“This person being a human is what makes it scarier. He carries a brain, so he can come near the land and even try to get into one of the trains, or even somehow hold anyone hostage to make the crusaders mess up. These are just possibilities we are speaking about,” Ms. Lenora explained, causing Yorick to finally pay attention to the squad instead of just running around Oriana like her puppet.
“Wait a minute, how do you know that? You said that most of the tasks done by the crusaders were the easiest ones, and the last one that nobody returns from is the tower one. So you’re telling me that someone has passed this task?” Yorick questioned.
Yorick’s question was really good. Now everybody was watching the leader’s faces.
The three only side-eyed each other, not turning their heads completely toward one another.
“Yeah, sure,” was the most vague answer Ms. Lenora gave.
I squeezed my eyes a little and then moved them to Zian, who sneakily, while fixing his belt, gave me a look.
We both knew what it was about. Even Miss Rue was staring at me.
Some of the lurkers might have come across this Whisperer.
But then lurkers cannot talk. How would they have spoken up about their guilt?
Or maybe the people who were left behind, the criminals they sent out to the north.
It just proved that the ringleaders were really watching everything happening in the north, or at least in some places.
“Thankfully, we did not have sex in the most crowded place,” Mint spoke up, making me almost giggle at the thought of Ian and me together.
If anybody saw us, they would be traumatized. Ian really went north with his thrusts.
“Is there something funny, Ms. Clementine?” Mr. Rick snapped, making me look up and see everyone’s eyes on me, not very happy that I was taking it so lightly.
“No,” I responded shamelessly.
“Give her a break, she is just trying to show everyone that they got it. Her smile is innocent, don’t worry,” Ms. Lenora didn’t sound very happy with Mr. Rick for calling me out.
“Well then, everybody get ready because you will now be sent off to the North,” Mr. Rick added, and everyone started to make a line.
I noticed my squadmates trying to come speak with me, but I sped up, and thankfully Mira and Renee noticed.
One of them stood in front of me and the other behind me while we made a line.
Then there was Sebastian standing behind them, just so the Black Squad could not get a word with me.
I had noticed that Oriana still had a pretty visible handprint on her face.
She probably did not transition to heal it in hopes of making them feel guilty, maybe.
I don’t know. It would be odd for her to still be hovering around Troy after what he did to her, but it seemed like she was.
I noticed her trying to get his attention, but he was quite distant from her, more like a statue of some sort.
So there we were, first leaving for the room to change into our uniforms.
And right off the bat, I was having trouble with mine because Ms. Lenora seemed to have focused more on showing my assets than making me comfortable, giving me the deepest neckline and the tiniest bottom ever.