CHAPTER 264: 264-THE HUNGER IN HER EYES

Clementine:

"Oh wow! Where did you find these?" I asked excitedly, staring at the coals. They were coals by name only—black diamonds, even shaped like them.

"When I left you guys and ran ahead, I noticed something shining in the corner. Usually, these things are very well hidden, but at a certain angle, they start to shine. That’s how I saw them. They were in a small cluster in the corner, and if I’m not wrong, these earth eaters are usually gathered around places where these coals are," Yorick explained, while Troy held one in his hand, staring at its beauty.

Even Oriana was shocked. But they were even more surprised when Yorick suddenly grabbed my bag and started filling it with the coals he’d found.

"No, Yorick! What are you doing?" I protested, instantly trying to pull my bag away from him.

But he insisted, holding onto mine by force and trying to transfer his coals into it.

"No, Yorick, stop it! You’re going to find yours for yourself, all of you, and we’ll find ours. Fine, we can help each other, but not like this," I complained as I snatched my bag back again.

However, the look on Yorick’s face melted my heart.

"Well, then I’m not going to find mine," he muttered, suddenly dropping his bag and sitting down like a child, his arms wrapped around his legs.

"Yorick, don’t be a child," I said, stomping my feet.

"Well, then accept my gift." He looked up at me angrily, daring me to take it or else he wouldn’t get up.

"Come on, Clementine, don’t upset him. If he’s doing something for you, he’s doing it with all his heart. So, rejecting it is kind of painful," Troy jumped in, taking Yorick’s side. I knew why. Because he was probably going to do the same thing.

"It’s not about doing something with love. I know you guys care for me. You don’t have to prove it. But I’m not going to let him empty his bag, then go out to find coal for himself and get in trouble. You’re not understanding me. I don’t need saving. If you want to comfort me, then make sure you stay safe. That’s what will comfort me the most," I finally spoke up, letting them know that my own safety wasn’t what worried me.

Every time they were out of my sight or in danger, that’s when I began to panic. I managed fine on my own, but they were becoming my weak spot instead of my strength.

"Fine, then just accept it this once, and next time I’ll find one for myself," Yorick said with a cute pout. At that point, I realized there was nothing I could do to change his mind. He sat stubbornly on the ground, and Troy sided with him.

"Fine, but just this once and we’ll distribute them among us" I told him, warning him with my eyes not to argue.

"No, this is your gift. We’ll distribute the next ones," Troy replied, wrapping his arm around me and giving me a small peck on the cheek. The fact that they forgave me so quickly really made me feel much better.

After many arguments, I finally accepted the coals, and we decided to move forward and find more. The more we found, the easier it would be for us to finish this mission and return home. We wanted to go back before the vacation ended so we could continue exploring the Academy without getting into trouble this time.

However, during that time, I noticed something else. Oriana’s mood had worsened, even. She looked down, almost pale. I noticed that when Yorick handed me his coals, she just stood there, silently watching us. The look in her eyes scared me.

As we kept walking, I heard her small footsteps beside me, and I realized she was coming closer.

"I’m sorry," was all she murmured before I turned to give her my attention. But I kept walking.

"For what?" I asked. I knew exactly what she should be sorry for; I just wanted to hear it from her.

"I shouldn’t have said those things about your squad mates. I didn’t know how close you were to them. I thought you were just trusting the wrong people," she mumbled softly.

"Oriana, friendship goes both ways. In friendship, you don’t become a toxic person who doesn’t care about others’ safety. Friendship with the right people makes you the best version of yourself, not a toxic one. You remember what happened with Joshua, Jack, and Suki, right? Those two were ready to die for her. The problem was, she was ready to kill others for her own safety. That’s how she ended up dead. If she had just opened the latch for me, we all would’ve survived that night easily," I explained, reminding her that it was Suki’s own fault she died that night.

It would’ve been much easier for her to come back from the north if she hadn’t turned into such a toxic version of herself.

"I’ll keep that in mind and never come between you and your squadmates. Please accept my apology, Clementine. I can see everyone upset, but not you," she murmured softly, holding my hand with a gentle touch.

"I hope you’ll stick to your promise," I replied before noticing her glance around again.

"Did anyone see that other guy from your squad in the tunnels?" she asked suddenly, making me narrow my eyes at her in confusion.

"Ian?" I asked, and she nodded.

"I haven’t seen him since we stepped into the basement. I never saw him follow us into the tunnel either. What’s his deal, anyway?" she questioned, making me take a deep breath and look ahead.

"I don’t know. I guess he’s upset with us for ruining his vacation," was all I could come up with.

There was no other explanation I could give her.

"Guys!" Troy’s shaky voice broke our conversation. The way he gasped out the word made the hair on the back of my neck stand up.

I turned to him, followed his gaze, and saw something shining in the distance. It was a huge cluster of coal glowing on the right, but with that much of it came many earth eaters paroling around the area.