The Academy: Ensnared

23. Piggyback and Painting

A/N//: Hey everyone! Here is my latest update. My idea man is going to give her impression of the chapter from this chapter forward. So I hope you like it.

Idea man's impression: Ya'll wanted smut, so we gave you smut. 😬🤗🥵

Author: She's from the south. I'm from Chicago. That's the only reason 'ya'll' is ever gonna leave my fingers.

Amelia

Amelia was running. Her heart was thundering in her chest, her pulse roaring in her ears. Fear and adrenaline coursed through her veins, making her feel as if she were on fire. As if the flames were chasing her, beckoning her forward. But there were no flames. There was no light to guide her down the seemingly endless hallway that she had found herself in. All that she could see was the floor that stretched out in front of her. There was no end in sight. There was no one else with her. Just herself and her racing heart and whatever she was running from.

She could hear footsteps slapping behind her as she ran, but each time she looked back she was met with darkness. It was as if no one was following her. But she knew there was. There had to be. She couldn't be crazy. She looked back once more for good measure, but by the time she had turned around again, everything had changed.

She was no longer in that endless hallway. She spun in a circle to take in her surroundings, but she was unsure of it. It seemed like she was in... an overly large birdcage? It was about the size of a room with thick, solid bars surrounding her. They curved up toward the ceiling to create a dome. There wasn't much of a gap between those bars. She doubted she'd fit through even if she tried.

Amelia spun around once more, her brows knitting over her eyes. She was confused. There were no obvious doors out of this cage. How had she gotten there? Where was the hallway that she had been in before? How had she managed to get inside?

But those thoughts were quickly driven from her mind. Amelia spotted a shadowy figure just outside of the cage. She couldn't make out any of its features. She couldn't discern if it was a man or a woman. She couldn't figure out a height or an approximated weight. It was just a shadow in the shape of a human. And it was circling the cage that she was locked inside. Despite its lack of eyes, she could feel its gaze focused on her. She could feel its stare piercing straight through to her heart.

It was disturbing, but it couldn't get to her. It was locked out of the cage by the very same bars that kept her locked in. Still, she refused to allow it out of her sight. Something that she could find no corporeal body for was not to be trusted. If she could keep it at bay with her eyes, she could be safe. But fuck her for having to blink almost as soon as she had made the conscious decision to keep her gaze trained on it.

As soon as she opened them again, it was gone. Amelia spun in a rapid circle, her grey eyes searching, searching, searching for it. She never found it. Rather, it found her. Suddenly, it was there. It was behind her, and now it had a very visible, very masculine form to it. She knew just by the arm that had twined its way around her in a strong attempt to gain purchase around her neck.

Terror coursed her, and her fight or flight instinct seized control of her brain. She clawed at the arm that was getting dangerously close to her neck. In her struggle, she caught a glimpse of something dark, something prominent painted across the forearm of that arm. It was the most identifiable thing about the arm. It was a snake wrapped around a crown. Its jaw was unhinged, as if ready to strike. It seemed so familiar to her, but she couldn't place where she had seen it before it to appear so important now. Now, of all times, as she was fighting for her life.

The distraction in the form of a tattoo seemed to be enough for the man behind her. He finally gained the upper hand. His arm wrapped tightly around her throat, quickly cutting off her supply of air. Her nails dug into his skin, but she couldn't stop him from strangling her, from sucking the air from her lungs.