• Athena Spring has spent her entire life carefully curating the perfect image. Perfect grades, a proud family, and the Plinth Prize nearly within her grasp, Athena has it all. However, when her plans are derailed by an unexpected twist of events, s...
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Treech's hands tremble as he approaches the huddled group, the weight of the food packs in his arms nothing compared to the heaviness in his chest. The air is thick with tension, and his breath comes out in ragged gasps, each one a reminder of Otto's last, desperate struggles. Coral's sharp words cut through the haze of his shock, her disappointment a stinging slap to his already raw conscience.
"Three? That's all you could manage?" she spits, her eyes flashing with a dangerous mix of displeasure and anger.
He snaps, the words erupting from him like a dam breaking.
"I had to kill a guy for these, Coral".
His voice is a raw, jagged thing, and it echoes off the walls of the tunnel, a haunting reminder of what they've become. Coral recoils, her face paling, and she grabs two packs, retreating to Mizzen's side without another word and handing one to him.
Tanner's eyes are wide, his body frozen in the moment before he reluctantly reaches for the remaining pack, hovering his hand over it and looking at Treech for permission. Treech wordlessly shrugs and nods.
"Thanks," Tanner mutters, but the word is hollow.
Treech can only grimace, his gaze distant, as he collapses against the cold wall, the stone leeching the warmth from his body as he sits a little way from the rest of the group. He looks down at his hands, a few stubborn patches of Hy and Otto's blood still staining them. He has a feeling those stains won't wash out for a very long time.
A small hand on his shoulder jolts him back to the present, and he looks to the side to see Mizzen offering one of his sandwiches, his eyes earnest.
"You need to eat too," Mizzen insists, almost pleads.
Treech tries to refuse, pushing the food back, but Mizzen's determination is unyielding.
"Not leaving till you eat," he declares stubbornly, his round eyes imploring, and Treech's resistance crumbles.
They eat in silence, the bread and meat a meagre comfort in the shadow of death that seems to cling to Treech like a plague. Mizzen seems to sense his discomfort as he chews on his own sandwich, his eyes roaming over the older boy's face.
"Is it true? You and her?" Mizzen's high voice pierces the silence as he teases, a mischievous grin on his face.
Treech can't help but flush bright red at his words as he nearly chokes on his sandwich. He's thankful the darkness of the tunnel hides the blush on his cheeks as he tries to regain his composure, laughing a little as he replies, "Just eat your damn sandwich, little man".
As Mizzen giggles in response, Treech's mind can't help but drift back to Athena. She said she wouldn't leave the auditorium, which means she's seen what he's done. She's seen what he's become. She promised she wouldn't think of him differently, but how could she promise something like that? How could he expect her to stick to her word after watching him hack two boys to death?
