CHAPTER 168: _ DEVIL WEARS GOSSIP

If joy had a scent, it would probably smell like spiced wine and burned cake. That is exactly what the Moon Blessed celebration smelled like.

Heidi remembers it now as she folds a shirt into her half-zipped backpack, the memory playing in soft, blurry colors in her mind. It wasn’t really a "party," but more like a chaotic release of bottled-up survival energy. Andre had somehow managed to find cheap fruit wine from one of the seniors, and Helena turned the dorm’s balcony into a makeshift dance floor. Someone played music off a cracked tablet, Jia nearly broke her ankle trying to waltz, and Heidi... well, Heidi smiled more than she thought she would.

For a while, she’d forgotten about the case, about Sierra’s smirk, about the damn video. For a while, she’d been just another survivor celebrating another day not dying.

Now, as night settles over the academy and the party’s laughter has long faded into echoes, the weight returns heavier than before.

The Awakening Ceremony is officially over. The school weekend break begins in a few hours, and everyone is packing up, heading home, going back to families that probably won’t even ask how they’re doing. The dorm is half-empty already, but Valentina’s voice could fill ten of them.

"I swear to the Moon, if I ever see that slut Sierra, I’ll..." Val huffs, yanking her blanket from the bed so hard that the pillow flies across the room. "I’ll shave her hair off and glue it to her damn shoes!"

Heidi snorts from her corner of the room. "That’s oddly specific."

"It’s justice, Remington. Justice with style."

There’s something about how Val calls Heidi her real last name and not the pack-assigned one that makes Heidi’s smile fade as she folds her last shirt, the fabric shaking slightly in her hands. Nostalgia... that’s what she feels.

However, for now, she can’t afford to bear such emotions. Anything but proving her innocence is a useless move until the case is done with.

Valentina speaks of Justice. That’s a pretty word for something that doesn’t exist here.

She shoves the shirt into her bag and sits on the bed, running her hands through her hair. The strands still smell faintly of the cheap shampoo from the school’s bathroom. "You know," she says quietly, "I should’ve seen it coming. Sierra never does anything without a knife hidden behind her back."

Val spins, hands on her hips. "You’re kidding me, right? How could anyone see that coming? Who the hell plants a phone in a bathroom? Moreover, you were new in the house back then and weren’t aware of what snake you lived with. Gosh, planting a phone to manipulate the privacy of a girl like her? Who does that?!"

"Sierra does," Heidi says dryly. "And apparently, she’s upgraded from emotional sabotage to... porn production."

Val growls, the sound almost wolf-like. "You told everyone what she did, and I’m still not over it. That girl’s rotten to the marrow."

Heidi shrugs, pretending to care less than she does. "Everyone in this school and pack is."

Val’s shoulders slump, and she sighs deeply, the fight leaving her. "You’re not wrong. My pack assigned family is no better." She tosses a pair of shoes into her bag, her face twisting with something that looks like frustration or shame. "They’re rich, sure, but popularity doesn’t stick to us. The parents are fine, but some of their boys—ugh."

Heidi glances at her. "What boys?"

A skeptical sigh leaves Val’s throat. "We’ve got four in the house. They have four kids who are apparently all male. One of them..." she swallows, looking away, "... he likes to sneak into my room at night."

What the Hell?!

The silence that follows is Heidi trying to interpret Val’s words in other ways other than molestation, but she can’t even find any that explain it better.

Her fingers curl around her knee. "What?"

Val forces a bitter smile. "He thinks he’s slick. But I lock my door now. Problem solved."

"Problem solved?" Heidi stares at her. "Val, that’s not a problem, that’s..." She can’t even finish the sentence. Her chest tightens. "You need to do something about it."

"I have it under control." Val’s tone sounds like the kind of voice people use when they’ve already survived too much to explain it again. "Right now, you’re the one who needs help. We have to make sure you win this case before that little viper ruins you."

Heidi bites her lip, the guilt creeping in. "You shouldn’t have to deal with my mess."

"It’s not a mess if it’s your life, girl." Val zips her bag with a snap. "And I’m coming to your place tomorrow or Sunday. We’ll figure something out before Monday. Promise."

She isn’t sure Mrs. Castell would allow Val in, but they can try. Heidi needs the companionship too much to tell her friend how slim her chances of hosting Val during the weekend are.

Hence, she nods slowly. "You’re crazy."

"I know," Val says, grinning now. "But I’m your kind of crazy."

Heidi chuckles, standing to sling her backpack over her shoulder. "Lucky me."

They step out into the dim hallway, the door creaking shut behind them. The dorm is alive with the movement of doors slamming, laughter echoing, and feet thudding down the stairs. Students are everywhere, dragging suitcases, hugging friends, exchanging numbers like the world’s ending.

It’s almost peaceful until the whispers start.

Heidi feels them before she hears them. How can she feel the shift in the atmosphere? The hushed tones, the way eyes dart and lips curl?

"There she is..."

"Isn’t she the one from Sierra’s video?"

"Ugh, I can’t believe she still shows her face."

"Pornstar Castell—what a legacy."

The words slither through the corridor in any direction the seniors are. Heidi keeps her chin up and eyes forward. She’s used to it by now, but every syllable still lands with a sting. It seems her dream of rising above all in Duskwind is a distant dream that might never happen.

Instead, she’s fallen right to the bottom pit.

Val’s entire body stiffens beside her. "I’ll kill them."