CHAPTER 344: 344-A CHANCE TO NEVER GO BACK TO THE NORTH

Clementine:

It was the most threatening way he had questioned Haiden. As the tension grew, the headmaster started to relax.

"What I am trying to say is that it is an adult matter. We adults know how to take care of things. Sending criminals to the north does not mean we want them to gain powers. Do you think we thought of that? No. We send them there for long-lasting torture. After that, they decide what they want to be. I could say that we will stop sending them, but I doubt it will matter. Many people want them sent there to suffer," he explained.

But it was all nonsense, because he knew that people wanted the criminals sent to the north simply because they did not understand the impact those criminals had on the north.

For anyone who had never been there, sending a criminal to the north meant giving them severe punishment, which was why they agreed to it.

But of course, he would not understand. Or he was too clever to admit he was wrong.

"Well then, since we are eighteen and belong to no one, we will decide if we want to go anywhere. You cannot throw us in there, and we are not going back to the North," I stated. Since he was being stubborn, I chose to be stubborn too.

The headmaster tilted his head.

"She is right. We will not go either," the Red Squad repeated, and he seemed to acknowledge it.

Mr. Rick and Ms. Lenora stood behind him, whispering to each other and pointing at different people.

"Well, that is not how this works. But I will give you a chance. With that chance, you will be allowed to decide if you want to return or not. If you choose not to, you will be free to go back to your packs and live a normal life," the headmaster informed us.

Those words stunned me. My posture dropped. I could not even process what he was saying.

I had expected an argument because that was my instinct. I did not expect him to give in so easily.

"Really? We can go back home?" Oriana asked as she jumped and hugged herself.

Then her excitement faded.

"But I do not have a family left behind," she muttered.

For a moment, I truly felt bad for her. I knew I should not, but watching someone fall apart like that was upsetting.

Still, it was a good offer for us.

"Anyway, What is the catch?" Ian questioned, making everyone look at him and then at the headmaster, who shrugged.

"It will be your decision. We will give each of you a paper and you will write your answer on it. Then we will read them out loud. If the decision is unanimous, you will be spared. We will bring in new crusaders and you will have no say in it. You will sign documents agreeing not to discuss what happened in the North, and you will be free to go," the headmaster explained.

Everyone began to hug each other and celebrate.

"What do you mean by new crusaders? Why?" I asked. The moment I spoke, people reacted with disagreement.

"Why does it matter? Clementine, we will be free," Renee whispered behind me.

"Mr. Rick, hand them the papers. We will conduct the vote. Remember, all of you must say you will not go back to the North. Only then you will be spared. And you will get only two chances. This is your first chance," the headmaster stated.

I still did not understand what he meant by chances.

We all sat down immediately. We were ordered not to speak to each other.

They were clearly holding out hope that one of us would choose to return. Only a fool would do that.

We wrote our answers and then stood in a line.

One by one, we stepped onto the platform, placed our paper on the table in front of the ringleaders and the headmaster, and then stepped down from the other side to sit again.

When it was my turn, I placed my answer face down. Ms. Lenora gave me a disapproving glance.

"I was proud of you," she remarked, leaning back with her arms folded to show her disappointment.

"So was I," I replied. Her posture collapsed instantly.

She did not expect me to refuse to feel guilty for denying her entertainment.

I returned to the others, and now we all sat down for a talk.

"When I go back home, I will finally have a good sleep for once, and then I will eat at all the restaurants. And I will be grateful for my life," Mira remarked to Renee, sharing what she had planned.

"You know, I will try to reclaim my throne and take back what belongs to me. I will also get justice for my dad," Oriana added, but Mira and Renee gave her a look that made it clear they did not want her input.

"It will be amazing, right? I honestly cannot wait," Sebastian stated.

"Are you going to keep dating me when we are in the open?" Renee wondered.

He began to chuckle. "Of course I will."

It was sad because it felt like we had such small dreams, and we had to work so hard and lose so many crusaders before we could earn our freedom.

Yet it felt nice. Even I started to wonder what I would do once I was free. I did not have a home to return to, but I had Ian.

As I thought of him, my head snapped toward him, and I found him smiling at me.

And then it was finally time for the decision and the headmaster stood before us with the votes in his hands.

As he flipped through the pages, the headmaster stopped at one and set it aside. All of us grew nervous.

"Well, the result is here," he announced. He paused, and I noticed the smiles on the two ringleaders.

But Miss Rue looked upset. Something felt wrong.

"It seems all of you will be going back to the North," the headmaster concluded.

Everyone gasped.