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SCARLETT
We’ve been dismissedfrom the tunnels, but I make no effort to hurry out. I was hoping to have a civil conversation with one of the guys to find out about these games I agreed to, but they were the first to leave.
There are still a few students lingering when I step out of the room we were in. I look both ways to assess the area and opt for straight ahead. I’ve always been fascinated with history and the nostalgic feeling of puzzling together pieces of the past. Everyone thinks I’m a pessimist when it comes to our Society. In some ways, I am. I don’t like being told what I have to do or how I should live my life. If I could get over those prideful feelings, I might be able to embrace what I was born into. As for the antiquity of The Blue Bloods, I’m very knowledgeable, but I also know there is so much more to learn.
My fingers trail along the stone, hitting each groove as I walk through the larger tunnel. It’s probably stupid of me to explore down here after the stories I’ve heard, but the aged beauty tempts me further.
The mechanically lit sconces on the wall become few and far between, but there is still enough light to see where I’m going.
I’m still sliding my fingers down, walking at a leisurely pace, when I feel something crawl over my hand. I jerk my arm and shake it, unable to see what was crawling on me. Not many things scare me, but I don’t do spiders or the dark. I have to see everything around me; I even sleep with a nightlight beside my bed.
Once the creepy-crawly on my skin stops and I’m sure I got it off, I continue on my path.
I come to a T and have to choose left or right. I should just turn around before I really get myself lost, but I don't. Instead, I choose left, since right is pitch black.
I keep walking, noticing some sort of engraving on the wall ahead. The light beside it flickers and chills skate down my spine.
A strange feeling washes over me that has my head snapping around. “Hello,” I say in a hushed tone. “Is someone there?” I hold my breath, listening intently. When there is nothing but silence, I keep on. Once I see what the engraving is, I’ll turn around and go back up to the party.
My slow steps become quicker until I’m standing under the light, looking at what seems to be a map carved into the stone.
I run my finger through the dips and trails, following each turn.The light above me flickers again, but I pay it little attention as I observe the precise details of the map. I keep walking, trailing the grooves that continue farther and farther down the tunnel. There are different turns, corners, and dips in the stone that run up to the ceiling and down to the ground.
I stop, finger held in place.That’s the river.I look up and see the etching of the mountains above ground. This is a map of the entire Academy. Sure enough, the tunnels run beneath the entire property owned by The Blue Bloods.
Suddenly, the flickering light dims. My heart jumps into my throat. My head shifts to the left. “Hello.”
I press my trembling body to the wall and hold my breath again to listen.Nothing.
Seconds later, I’m standing in complete darkness as the light goes out. Since I can’t see anything, the silence is more deafening than ever.
“This isn’t funny.” My words get lodged in my throat. Unease rippling through me.
With my hands pressed firmly to the wall behind me, I shuffle my feet in the direction I came, hoping for the light to come back on.
An ear-splitting thud has my heart racing. It sounded like a boulder crashing into a cement wall. “Who’s there? Show your damn face, you coward.” The shake in my voice makes my fear well known.
I’m slipping around the corner, still bracing the wall, when I see that all the lights are out. If I move my hands, I’m sure to get lost. My sense of direction is one of my many weaknesses, yet here I am wandering through ancient tunnels. What the hell was I thinking? And why do I want to explore more once I have light?
My heavy breaths are the only sound as I shimmy back the way I came. The scent of wet cement floods my senses and it’s not something I remember on my way down. I inhale deeply, letting it flood my mind, hoping to revive a memory, so I know it was there before.
When my shoulder crashes into something against the wall, my entire body freezes. Stomach clenched, breath held. I’m positive even my heart has stopped beating. The scent of spice and bourbon now overpowers the wet cement odor. There is most definitely a guy standing beside me. I can smell him, hear him, feel his presence.
Fear has me grasping at the wall, hoping to find something to hold on to in case I’m pulled away.
“Who’s there?” I ask feebly. “It’s you, isn’t it, Neo?” It has to be. Neo is a different level of cruel and I wouldn’t put it past him to put me in a vulnerable state, then fuck with me.
I don’t try to run. I just stand there, shoulder to shoulder with the prowler. My fear is that if I let go of this wall and try to go around him, he’ll grab me. If I could see his face, I wouldn’t care. I’d fight to the death, if that’s what it takes. But fear of the unknown keeps my feet cemented.
“I can hear you breathing. Smell your cologne. Say some—”
In a swift motion, a hand claps over my mouth, shutting me up. He tugs me to his chest, venomous breath spilling down my spine.
With one of his arms bracing mine against my sides, I squirm and pull, trying to get away, but his fingertips dig deeper into the skin of my cheeks, parting my jaw.
“Let me go!” My words hit the palm of his hand. “You’re gonna regret this.” I lift my leg, bend it at the knee, and kick backward, missing him and kicking the wall.
When I give up the fight, knowing I’m not going anywhere until he lets me, he pulls me closer, with one arm wrapped around my waist and the other held firmly over my mouth.
