Ashwock Academy ✓

C H A P T E R - T W E N T Y - F I V E

"And? What was it?"

Ella sighed, not sure how to answer. "I-I think I should just show you." She hung her head, the others not really sure why, but they followed her.

"Oh, and Fletcher?" She said.

"Yeah?"

"Go find Trevor and bring him to the classroom. You'll know what to do when you get there."

A little confused, he agreed, hoping that Ella knew what she was doing. He ran away, not looking back on the girls.

"Ella, are you alright?" Teony asked concerned, putting a hand on her shoulder. Ella nodded.

"No," She whispered. She brushed the bottom of her eyes, getting rid of any tears that flowed down. Raven and Teony looked at each other, unsure of what to do or say, so they stayed quiet, and the rest of the trip to the classroom was done in absolute silence.

Once they got to the classroom, Raven and Teony looked around, not understanding what was so interesting about it. It all looked the same since they went there last, textbooks laid out where they left them and all. Before they could even ask, Ella spoke up.

"The carpet," She said, going to the edge of the room. She reached down, pulling up a piece of the carpet and revealing a trapdoor. She waved them over.

But why is there another trap door? Raven thought. There's already one leading to the basement.

Ella was the first to go down. She was at the bottom of the ladder when Raven had just made her way down halfway, who needed help from Ella as she made her way down. It wasn't because it was hard for her, rather that it was frightening. It was obvious that Ella was scared and upset when they first met up. What did she see that upset her so bad?

Once all three of the girls were down, Raven and Teony gaped. It wasn't like the basement and instead like the tunnels they went through from it. Ash and dirt fell on top of their heads, making them cough. There really wasn't anything to look at, for it was extremely small and narrow.

"This way," Ella said much quieter than she spoke before. Raven and Teony looked at each other, still concerned about their friend but followed her anyways, gripping each other's hands to make sure that they were both safe the entire time. When Ella looked back and saw their locked hands, the tiniest smile appeared on her face but quickly sunk back down to a frightened look as she turned back around and focused on her path.

It didn't take long for them to get to their destination. When they got to the dead end, Ella looked away from Teony and Raven's looks of fright caused by the body of Rafe Collins that was lying before them. Her chest was painted with blood, her usually snow white hair stained with dirt and the red from her chest. It was horrifying, but they couldn't help but stare in shock.

"Guys?" A familiar male voice called, waiting for a response but all three of them were too sad and shocked to answer. Fletcher shouted one last time, and then they heard footsteps. About a minute later, the blond boy ran into view, a grin on his face. They all turned around to face him, but their expressions and feelings stayed the same.

"Found him!" He said cheerfully, but his expression died down when he saw their puffy eyes. "Everything alright?"

Teony shook her head in response, and right as she did Trevor came from behind Fletcher, panting.

"Why did you bring me down here?" Trevor asked, looking at all their concerned faces which just made him even more confused. "I was just looking for Rafe when Fletcher grabbed my wrist and-"

He was interrupted when Ella stepped away, revealing Rafe's petrified, bloody body. Trevor and Fletcher gasped, shocked. They came a little closer so that their eyes could confirm what they were seeing.

"I'm sorry," Ella whispered, and Trevor fell onto his knees beside Rafe's body, feeling weak in every body part. A few tears fell down his cheek, some in his open wound and some on the ground. He placed his hand on her shoulder, squinting his eyes and looking down as he held in more tears. He choked up a few sobs that he couldn't keep in

Fletcher held his hands to his face, not able to believe that Rafe was gone. How many other people were going to have to die? Would they ever leave? Who would do this? These questions burned like a fire in his mind, and, like a fire, he demanded more. He needed answers.

"This can't be happening," Raven said, astonished. "This can not be happening."

"That's not all," Ella said, her voice quiet and full of grief. She walked down the path they came, the others following her. What could be worse than what she just showed them?

Once Ella got to the first fork in the path, she went a different way, one that they hadn't been down before. Fletcher tried to hold his confident posture but found it difficult as thoughts of what lied ahead flooded his brain.

Trevor was glad to be leaving. He couldn't stand looking at Rafe's dead body. Usually, he kept his emotions in when he was in pain, but he just couldn't help it. It just made him feel so disconnected from everyone else, since the one person that he could truly and understand and could truly understand him was gone.

Forever.

Trevor watched Teony and Raven whispering to each other, their expressions almost impossible to name because of their mixed features. Raven then wrapped her arm around Teony, making her blush a little. Raven said something else that Trevor didn't understand, but it made Teony smile. He looked away, not able to look at them anymore without thinking about what he was now missing.

Ella finally stopped after one more turn, and she stepped aside, letting everyone see, hiding her own eyes. Trevor brushed his hair back with his hand, not able to believe what he was seeing. The girls gripped onto each other, not believing what laid in front of them.

"No. Way," Fletcher said, all of them gaping at the body of Mr. Herman Barla, a bloody 'x' dug into his chest.

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A/N

Hope you enjoyed my little twist. So much happened in this chapter it was hard to keep up with, even for me.

But don't worry, that wasn't all I have in store. 😈