CHAPTER 277: 277-THEY ARE PLAYING DIRTY

Clementine:

I anxiously paced around the large hall, waiting for the ringleaders to arrive and tell us about the blast that had happened an hour ago.

It had been a full hour since we were told to stay inside and not leave.

Lurkers were everywhere, making sure none of us stepped out while the ringleaders continued their investigation.

And while all that was happening, I couldn’t stop worrying about what we might find out.

At the same time, new worries had surfaced because of Ian and Oriana.

Oriana was sitting between my mates, cracking jokes, while Oriana’s new boyfriend, whom I thought she’d finally go official with, paced around the corners of the hall.

He kept close to the wall, hands shoved in his pockets, his head lowered.

"Come on, Clementine, sit with us," Oriana called out, watching me take another round around the hall.

"No, I can’t sit right now. I’m too anxious," I replied without turning toward them.

"Okay, as you wish," she said, staying seated at the table, watching the others and sharing jokes with them.

At this point, my mates weren’t even responding to me.

They would occasionally gesture to ask if I was okay, but they didn’t bother to actually check on me.

"Guys, what were you two doing outside though? You must have noticed something."

After a short silence, Oriana spoke again, stirring up more conflict as she pointed out that both Ian and I weren’t in the dorm when the blast happened.

"Oh yeah, you guys must know something." As Haiden’s voice reached my ears, I turned to look at him.

His arm was stretched out, almost brushing against Oriana’s ass she sat on the table.

Her legs were draped over the handles of Troy and Haiden’s chairs. Her feet rested there like she owned the space.

It looked a little too intimate to me.

Yorick sat beside her, leaning forward on the table, his elbows pressed down as he inched closer.

I turned to face him, then noticed how Ian didn’t even bother to stop what he was doing.

"Well, I was spying on the ringleaders," I said loudly, because at this point, there was no one left to hide it from.

The ringleaders already knew. Ian knew too, so of course he was going to spread it around. It seemed to be his new favorite pastime.

"What? And what did you find out?" Oriana asked.

Watching the four of them from afar made me feel like an outsider. She really had replaced me.

But my pride was too strong to let me show it. I refused to let my mates see that I was hurting.

This feeling had been with me for as long as I could remember. I’d always feared being replaced.

Now that it had finally happened, I didn’t even know how to react.

"They were looking for Bodhi’s diary, the one I lied about." I paused.

"And guess what else happened?" I added, my tone sharp and taunting as I noticed Ian freeze, lift his head stiffly, and tilt his face.

He already knew I was about to expose him.

"Ian pushed me until I fell at the feet of the ringleader," I said through clenched fists.

Oriana instantly started rubbing her stomach, as if she found it funny. She burst out laughing, and the others joined her.

I hadn’t expected that reaction.

"It’s not a joke, guys," I snapped, using a tone of disbelief.

Having to remind them how serious it was only made me feel worse. I immediately regretted telling them anything.

I didn’t even know what kind of response I’d been hoping for.

"Right, it’s serious," Haiden muttered, looking down while Yorick frowned beside him.

"It’s okay, don’t feel guilty. We probably imagined it and it just looked funny in our heads," Oriana quickly said, brushing off their guilt as if it meant nothing.

"Yeah, Ian, that was a dick move. What were you even thinking?" Then Troy spoke up, probably because he could tell from my face that I was offended by their reaction.

"You wanna fight about it?" Ian challenged, placing his hands on his waist.

"No, nobody’s fighting. It was a mistake. He shouldn’t have done that, but it happened. Now let’s not divide," Oriana cut in quickly.

The confrontation my mates were about to have with Ian was instantly shut down by her.

She made sure that not only had she replaced me, but now she also decided when they should take a stand and when they shouldn’t.

I’d expected the alphas to have a mind of their own, to not get swayed by someone who wasn’t even an alpha, but that didn’t happen.

They just listened to her.

"Come on, what happened next?" Yorick called out as I stared at all of them in silence.

By now, I was standing on the far side of the hall, feeling completely left out and alone.

I no longer felt the need to respond to them.

I realized Oriana had stolen everything she once try to turn me against.

She stole my mates, my group, replaced me with herself and now I was the lonely one.

I probably deserved it for turning a blind eye to her actions over and over again.

Before I could think any further, the door slammed open, and the ringleaders walked in, looking devastated.

"Everyone, please pay attention," Mr. Rick said, stepping ahead of Miss Rue and Ms. Lenora.

"In a devastating turn of events, it seems one of the cages exploded. A greaser was the cause," he announced.

His tone suggested there was more sad news.

"Was there any damage? Any casualties?" Troy asked.

Mr. Rick shifted uneasily before answering softly, "Yeah... the leader of the Brown House has passed away."

At that, everyone fell silent, their faces blank and pouting.

I looked around at all of them, confused and frustrated.

Why weren’t they immediately worried?

Did they not remember that man was our only link to understanding the North and that him being gone meant no answers for years?

It didn’t seem like anyone cared. To them, it was just another life lost, not a potential conspiracy unfolding.

But I was shocked that it happened during such a crucial time.

It felt planned, deliberate even.

Sadly, there was nothing I could do to prove it, because it seemed like no one else cared anymore.