Nefarious

C154 - He can't be good

-Rain's point of view-

The members in my group had been led by Nikita, a girl much fiercer and more relentless than me. She used to be one of Vera's closest friends, but that was before they were separated during the division of our castle. Vera stayed back in England while Nikita was brought to America along with me and numerous others from our group. I'd always envied how well she got along with Vera as I found it pretty tricky to get any attention from her myself. Vera sure is one determinate and independent woman, and so is Nikita.

"I must ask, do you guys stand with Alex, or do you stand with Xylan?" Vera questioned as her eyes moved from person to person. "Alex, of course," one said, though I didn't catch who. Without hesitation, Vera stepped closer to Monica, our somewhat insecure member. "Are you sure about that?" Vera asked. Monica cast a glance at me before nodding twice, looking fairly intimidated. "Then where did your skills go? Did they vanish into thin air? Perhaps you could win fights with some people, but judging by what you just showed us, you're not going to survive anything with any Caizar nor Dizary," Vera said, which seemed to shock Monica as well as the others. "Vera is right. Due to my own lack of motivation, we haven't proceeded with the training the way we should've. Jace won't be able to lead any of us in the following time as Vera said earlier, and so we'll have to do so ourselves," Nikita said assertively, agreeing with Vera. "We've lost a member temporarily though," one said, pointing directly at me. "Yes, hence why I'll be a temporary replacement," Vera said. Nikita nodded once, looking over at me approvingly before speaking herself: "Rain knows her way around the castle and can contribute well non-physical wise."

As Vera and Nikita were demonstrating some fighting techniques, I overheard two of the members talking about Valerie poorly. One had said that Valerie 'looks like a weak one' to which the other agreed with without having seen Valerie herself. I considered saying something myself but was surprised to see someone else stepping in instead. Vera got down on one knee before the one who'd criticised Valerie's appearance boldly. "Does she? I'm pretty damn sure that if Valerie were to join this group, she could take you down before you even got a chance at insulting her. She's the one who walks around with Xylan breathing down her neck every single day. Heck, she even spoke against him and met Alex's parents without reluctance. Your heart goes crazy just by hearing their names, yet you dare insult Valerie in this castle that's soon to be run by her lover?" Vera scoffed loudly.

The atmosphere in the room changed drastically after Vera's response. No one spoke a word, which only proved Vera right. We were all terrified whether we let ourselves express it or not. Some of us judge out loud, and some keep quiet, but we all do it. It's unfortunate that we allow ourselves to criticise people who are strangers to us just like that. That's what people tend to do a lot though. Valerie looks kind and loving, and so various people think of her as weak and naive. Frankly, Valerie's being underestimated now just like before. Xylan, for instance, did so himself and was faced with failure. He was so sure that she would die and drag Alex with her, but she didn't.

-Valerie's point of view-

As Alex's mother had asked to talk to Alex in private, I'd wandered around the castle for ages while trying to find Jace or Xavier. Instead, I met Rain in one of the hallways. "Can we talk?" she asked, her voice softer than usual. I narrowed my eyebrows, speculating on whether she was serious or not. I mean, what could she possibly be wanting to talk to me about? "Depends," I said, waiting for her to further explain the reason behind her sudden wish to talk. "It's about Jace," she sighed, her head lowering a bit. "I can't heal your love life, Rain. Perhaps you should talk to him instead." She shook her head, exhaling right after. "I did something I regret, and I need your opinion on the matter," she said. "You've done a lot that you should regret. Why is my opinion relevant on one occurrence specifically?" I asked. "Because it was way past idiotic, and I might have ruined something for Jace that can possibly cause a deterioration for him mentally," she blurted out stressfully. I frowned, tilting my head backwards in pure irritation. To be frank, Rain and Jace seemed to be on good terms for once. However, if she's done something heinous and avoided telling him subsequently, then their friendship is probably broken beyond repairable.