Rodwood Academy

Chapter 19: Prey

"Oh come on now, we all know that Zander's the one who's most likely to fall going up the stairs!" A girl with a small figure said. Her long blond hair and brown eyes complimented her fair skin. Her smile was so bright and vibrant. It alone could make the other three teens surrounding her crack a smile as well.

As the group erupted into laughter, a boy with sun beached colored skin grunted as he crossed his scrawny arms. "That's not true! My bet goes to Alia." His blue eyes darted towards the girl across from him.

But his accusation only made the girl laugh harder than before. Reaching over as she held the boy in her grasp, the tallest of the group ruffled her hand through the boys blond hair. "I think you'd better rethink your bet." She playfully threatened.

"Let me go!" The boy protested as he struggled to get out of her gentle choke hold.

"Then change your bet!" She held him slightly tighter as her hand moved quicker against his head.

"Ugh! Whatever fine! Rosy! I pick Rosy!"

Laughing as she pushed the boy out of her grasp, the tall girl with a lean build and grey eyes sassily flipped her blond hair. "That's more like it."

"Speak for yourself." Another girl said with hazel eyes and dark brown wavy hair. "Thanks to you Alia, he picked me!"

As her friends started to go at one another again, the girl with a small figure and blond hair spoke up. "How about instead of fighting over this debate for any longer we just move on..." she paused for a few seconds as Zander composed himself.

"Thank you Kaila-"

"...and agree that Zander is the one who'd fall up the stairs." She finished as the boy uncrossed his arms.

Just when he thought it was over all the girls at his side were laughing up a storm again. Rolling his eyes at them, Zander decided it was finally time for a change of topic.

As they walked along the track around the park like usual, the group of friend were laughing hard the entire time. "I can't wait to go to dinner after this!" The boy held his stomach as it began to grumble loudly from within.

"You're always thinking about food Z." Rosy chuckled at him as she held on tightly to Alia's hand. "Besides we just ate earlier."

"Speak for yourself. Ignore her Z, I'm starving too." Alia agreed to feeling the same gut clenching emptiness inside of her torso.

"Kaila?" The girl with brown hair sighed as she spoke. "Tell me you're on my side. I mean we just had a huge picnic at the house before we got here."

Rubbing her chin as she held onto her stomach tightly, the girl with blond hair couldn't help but nod. "Yeah you're right. I'm with you Rosy. My stomachs still as full as ever."

Chuckling as she threw her girlfriends hand out of her own grasp, Alia instead went to wrap her arm around Zander's shoulders. "Whatever fine then. You two can go back to the house while Z and I go to get some food."

"Alright then." Rosy said salty as her girlfriend chose the opposing side. "But if you find that our bedroom is locked when you get back, don't bother knocking." She blew a kiss to the girl holding onto Zander as she similarly threw her arm around Kaila's shoulders before walking just slightly faster in front of them.

"Did you really mean that? About not letting Alia sleep in your guy's room tonight?" The blond girl getting whisked away asked.

"Of course not." She smiled. "But I can't let her be the only one with sass today."

As the group neared the end to their walk, they passed a corner where an unsettling amount of rustling echoed out from behind the nearby trees.

"Did you guys hear that?" Kaila asked as she pulled Rosy closer to her side.

"Hear what?" Alia asked.

"I don't know. It's like breathing or something coming from over there." She pointed towards a dark spot in the park where the trees were so full that their leaves blocked any path for the soft moonlight to break through.

But upon holding his ear close to the area, Zander shook his head. "I don't hear anything."

"Neither do I." Rosy said as she removed her arm from around Kaila's neck. "Maybe you're just hearing the wind."

"Yeah...maybe." The girl said but she couldn't help but have a twisted feeling in her stomach.

Looking back at the dark corner she had never noticed before, the small girl with blond hair found herself spacing out as she came back to Alia snapping in her face. "There you are." The girl said as Kaila realized the four of them had stopped in their tracks. "We were trying to decide where to get food." Alia explained.

"We both want somewhere different and Rosy refuses to be the tie breaker." Zander finished as he looked to the girl with hopeful eyes. "I want to go to that new place downtown we like, but Alia just wants to go-"

As Zander spoke, again their was an unsettling rustling noise coming from nearby.

Fazing out as she tried listening closely to the oddly terrifying noise of leaves blowing and sticks breaking, their was an even louder sound that shined above all else.

There was a loud and violent snapping noise that stole the attention of the entire group.

And it was coming from the dark corner only a few feet away from them.

"Please tell me you guys heard that noise now?" Kaila asked with a shaking voice as she backed away from the area.

"If you mean the loud popcorn making sound coming that corner—then yes." Zander joked, but behind his sarcasm they could hear his fear.

"If that's the sound of making popcorn then that's either a lot of it, or it's popcorn fit for a giant!" Rosy panicked as she got behind Alia's back.

"Guys settle down." Alia attempted to take control of the situation. "Let's just get out of here and get the food-"

"Excuse me." A deep voice called out from behind them.
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Let me know what you think. Thanks Lexx signing off