BLUE BLOOD

60 | my evening star

x

Avery Dragomir,

You must be wondering why anyone would give you a red envelope for your birthday. You must be wondering who I am. After all, I only just transferred to Queens Erlington Academy.

I imagine you're not one to enjoy materialistic gifts, but it seems no one here has caught onto that. It's rumored you enjoy solving problems and I believe that. You gave me one the first day I had my tour.

Let me return the favor by offering you a riddle to decipher. If you can translate it, then I have a feeling we'll become very good friends.

19-1-25 14-15

x

Tears slipped down my cheeks as I finished reading the letter Avery Dragomir left behind. The truth was a cruel thing but it brought me the closure I needed.

Was it worth it? I questioned myself. Even now, I didn't have an answer to that. Ella was complicated and yes, she made mistakes, but she was also a person. I didn't know what to think or feel.

I don't know how long I sat there, processing what I found out, in a trance, before I made a call to Pierre.

"Pierre," I said, taking a deep breath, "I'll be ready by morning."

x

Cole Asto was expecting me.

He watched as I shut the door to his dorm room. Cole was someone I always believed I would take action on, but after tonight, I wasn't sure anymore. I had hated him more than anyone, when I first entered the academy, but now... I could see that he was grieving in his own way for Ella.

I needed to know. I needed to know if he felt any remorse.

As I took a seat, he broke the silence. "He told you."

I lifted my eyes to him. "Do you think about her? Ella?"

"Yeah," he nodded after deliberating over my question. "I think about Ella a lot. We drove her to her breaking point, but I could have made it better. Maybe if I didn't break up with her then-" he shook his head. "I'm sorry."

"I don't know how to feel," I murmured. Then, I blinked away the tightness of my throat. "I came to see you."

"You're leaving, aren't you?"

I looked at him, alarmed. "How did you know?"

"It's obvious," Cole said. reminding me he and I were more alike than I thought. "You finished what you meant to do here. There's nothing left for you here." When I didn't speak, Cole continued. "I've been waiting for tonight," he whispered, chuckling a quiet laugh. "I knew that retribution would come in some way. I think- I think we're all glad it came. None of us have been the same since Grace and Ella."

Cole was remorseful. I believed that, now that I've seen the haunting gleam in his eyes. Ella's death had changed him.

I had been just too blind and determined in finding what happened to Ella to see that. How warped had my perception of everyone, including my older sister, been?

"That's hard to believe," I admitted to him, glancing around his room. I've never been in here, but I found that every little quirk reflected his personality well. It was neat with everything was placed strategically. Physics theories and formulas were strewn all over his workspace.