CHAPTER 340: 340-TRAIN BACK HOME

Clementine:

Throughout the time we were in the train, I could not step away from the glass window because I could tell the alphas were getting worked up, ready to punish her.

They were bullying her, saying things until she had restricted herself to the corner with her hands tied in front of her body, her neck lowered and her eyes down.

She never spoke up. Troy pointed at her and yelled slurs. Yorick did the same.

Haiden even cursed at her and flipped her off with his middle finger.

And then there was Ian. He sat on the opposite side of the bench near the window in a position where he could look directly at me.

He kept his elbow on the window, his fist under his temple, and his eyes on me.

A flirtatious smile stayed on his lips, and it became difficult for me to focus on the others because every time I looked over, I found him watching me.

Finally, the train arrived, and Oriana raised her head for the first time.

The first thing she did was squeeze her stare through the alphas’ large shoulders to look straight at me.

She pouted sadly and mouthed,

"I’m sorry, I’m innocent," she pleaded. I rolled my eyes. I stepped away from the window and waited for the doors to open.

As the doors opened, everyone started to come out.

Yorick, who was always the more emotional type, rushed toward the white squad carriage to help Joshua pick up his squad mate’s body.

However, the lurkers gestured for both Joshua and Yorick to step back from the dead bodies.

They went inside and carried the two out, returning with their bodies.

It was such an awful sight, and Mr. Rick looked as if he was done with his life.

His fists kept clenching, his eyes on the dead bodies before they shifted to Joshua.

The way he rushed at Joshua, I expected him to give him a hug or comfort him and tell him that things would be okay, that everything would be fine from now on, or something like that.

Instead, he grabbed him by his collar and shook him. I was stunned when he did that.

"Why could you not save your two friends? They were part of you. You were an alpha. Could you ever save anyone at all?" Mr. Rick yelled.

As soon as he said that, something inside me snapped. I rushed forward, grabbed Mr. Rick’s hands, and freed Joshua from his grasp.

"Back off," I screamed, placing myself between them.

I know I should mind my business, I always tell myself, but then I forget it and end up losing my temperament and standing up for people I think deserve a voice.

The way Mr. Rick looked at me and the way his body flinched suggested he could slap me right there.

But he would not dare, not when he knew that if I fought him, I would tear him apart just like I do to the monsters out there.

"How dare you. Tase her!" he ordered.

I thought I had it under control, but of course his ego was bruised.

As soon as he said that, my squad mates rushed toward me, and so did my mates.

"Lay a finger on her," Ian warned him, but someone else stepped in front of me first. Her scent hit my nostrils sharply.

"What did you say? You will tase my best crusader?" Ms. Lenora hissed, shocking everyone with how she charged toward him, almost ready to punch him.

"Your crusader put her hands on me," Mr. Rick retorted, pointing out what I had done.

"So what? You put your hands on another mourning crusader, and even though he is from your team, I do not care. Do not expect my Clementine to stay silent when it comes to what is right," she replied in one breath, shocking me and everyone else.

Everyone stared at each other, and then Miss Rue walked in.

"Let us respect the deceased and not argue," Miss Rue told us.

"Please, Mr. Rick. Clementine did not do anything wrong. You were at fault for attacking someone who had lost his friends."

Miss Rue stepped beside Ms. Lenora. There was a clear division between the ringleaders this time.

The silence lasted for a few minutes before Mr. Rick finally stepped back.

Then the dead bodies were taken away, and we began to head back to our rooms.

I guessed there would be a new announcement soon, because Joshua no longer had anyone else in his room.

They did not let us speak with each other and took us all to our separate rooms until we were in our passages, and I heard a commotion from the Black Squad team.

My squadmates and I rushed ahead toward the hall to move to the Black Passage, and while doing so, we were joined by the ringleaders. More specifically, Ms. Lenora and Miss Rue.

"Do you know what is going on?" Miss Rue asked me as we briskly made our way toward the end where the dorm room was.

"I think it is Oriana," I replied. That was all I said before we reached the room and saw what was happening.

The alphas had taken her bags out, thrown them aside, and she was standing in the passage crying with her face in her hands.

"What is going on?" Ms. Lenora grunted tiredly, rolling her eyes, her hands on her waist.

"We do not want her in our room," Troy yelled, pointing at her.

"Did something happen in the North? If so, we will conduct your interview. We will ask you to give us a full description of what happened there, like we always do. But this time we were stuck with the dead bodies," Miss Rue remarked, starting to explain when Yorick began to step forward.

"There is no explanation left anymore. She was working for a monster," Yorick stated.

The impact of his words was strong, because the moment he pointed at her, I noticed the ringleaders share a glance and then look at Oriana.

She realized that crying silently was not going to help her anymore.

She would have to give some kind of justification or explanation for what she was being accused of.