Chapter 319
Clementine:
“Help you?” I asked Haiden, frowning. He looked serious. “With what? What do you want?” I repeated, my tone showing my annoyance.
“It’s not something I want. It’s just that He paused, rubbing the back of his neck anxiously while his other hand rested on his waist.
As much as I wanted to dismiss him, I reminded myself that we were in the North. If anyone needed help, I would offer it, except for Oriana. I knew I should have been harsh with them too, because at the end of the day, they were the ones who had left me to die. The mate bond was the only reason I couldn’t be completely cold toward them.
“What is going on?” I asked, watching his body language a little too carefully.
“I know you’re going to say the same things again and not believe me, but I need to say it. Something’s going on. I don’t want to be around Oriana. I don’t want to talk to her. I don’t even want to listen to her. I can’t stand being near her p>
He wasn’t finished yet, but he paused, waiting for my reaction.
“Well, that’s what it’s called when you use someone and throw them away,” I said, folding my arms over my chest.
“No, that’s not what it is. I didn’t use her. I didn’t touch her. We never got intimate, for your information.” His tone sharpened when he realized I wasn’t listening.
“What do you want to say, Haiden? And what kind of help do you want from me? Please don’t tell me you want me to help you break up with her,” I replied, watching him grow restless because I wasn’t understanding his point.
“Clementine, listen carefully. I don’t want her in my life. I don’t want her near me. But every time I try to stay away, I feel cold shivers on my body, like something’s pulling me toward her. And before you call it lust or anything else, it’s not. It’s resistance. I start hearing whispers. I can’t explain it p>
Haiden suddenly placed his hands on his head, closing his eyes and grabbing a handful of his hair.
“Wait, what do you mean?” For once, I wasn’t taunting him.
He noticed, because he opened his eyes and lowered his hand.
“There’s something wrong, Clementine,” he muttered, giving me goosebumps with the way he was staring at me.
“What kind of wrong?” I asked. Even my posture began to shake.
“The kind of wrong where you’re living with a monster—and he’s taking over your mind,” he said quietly.
Before anything else could be said, Oriana stormed in, scratching her stomach.
“Haiden, what are you doing here?” she demanded.
I noticed the way he closed his eyes, as if trying to fight against something. Like he had said, his mouth seemed locked in her presence.
“I came here to talk with her about the task, to ask if she has any idea how we’re going to find the man,” Haiden explained.
He didn’t respond to her like a puppet right away, even when the veins on his temple started twitching as if he were under heavy pressure.
“Okay, you don’t need to come to her. She’s not your boss. We’re all equal here. Some of us will discuss this together. The others are sitting very obediently, and you’re the only one wandering around,” Oriana stated, tapping her foot against the floor.
I no longer felt like any of this was normal. The shock was strong enough that I couldn’t say anything or defend him, even when he stared at me like he was hoping I’d speak up.
“Come on, Haiden,” she insisted again.
At that point, Haiden started to follow her.
As soon as they left, my squadmates came in.
“Is there something wrong with the three of them?” Mira asked, referring to Troy, Yorick, and Haiden.
“Why? What happened? What did you notice?” I asked, a bit too curiously.
“I don’t know. Do they sound normal to you? From what I remember, they didn’t use to act like this. Now, they’re not very active,” Mira replied.
“Yeah, even their body language is different,” Sebastian commented.
“I swear I noticed it too. I’ve been thinking about what’s different about them, but you explained it perfectly,” I said. “They seem like robots following Oriana, but sometimes they look around helplessly p>
“This is what happens when someone becomes friends with Oriana. She can really drain your energy,” Renee sighed, walking toward the couch.
“Hey, I can sleep there. How about you and Mira take the bed with Clementine?” Sebastian offered as he moved toward the small couch, requesting Renee to not make herself uncomfortable by lying on the couch.
Before anyone could say more, there was a loud knock on the door that echoed through our room.
When we first entered the mansion, we had looked around. I noticed that much of the blood from before had been cleaned, though the others thought some people, maybe locals from Brown House, had done it.
I disagreed. I didn’t say it aloud, but why would anyone come into a random mansion during a life-threatening situation, with fleshmingos still out there, just to clean and leave?
It had to be the work of the lurkers. I was sure of it, but I didn’t yet know how to expose them.
Our attention shifted back to the knock. My squad and I stepped out of our rooms and found everyone gathered in the living room.
We all stood silently, waiting for the person to knock on the door again.
“I know you all want to hear what I have to say p>
When the voice came from the other side, I noticed everyone’s face lose its color. It was as if we all knew who it was.
The man sounded like he was speaking normally. But was he? No. Even though his tone was calm, his voice came through as a whisper.
And just like we had been told, he had found us.
“Open the door, or at least listen to me,” the man said. Then he began to whisper, his words unclear and barely understandable.