VIII | Conflictions

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Clementine watched Ian like a starved beast. Every move the boy made sent a shiver of anticipation through his body. His hands ached to grip his neck and choke the life out of him, and all he could think about was watching as that look of realization smothered Ian's face—the understanding that his life was over...and no amount of power was going to save him.

          He had to be careful, though. Ian and his friends had come over to Aldergrove from the New World, a place where they would have received the best of training for something like this. After all, if they were already living in the New World, they and their parents would ensure to do everything possible to get them back there. But they wouldn't be returning—Clementine was going to make sure of that.

          "We have to stop Carmichael," Elliot mumbled, glancing over at Clementine as they both noted down what Professor Quincy was explaining. "They're going to get themselves killed."

          Clementine was over this. He sighed and shook his head. "It's not our business."

          "But they're our friends!"

          He wanted to snap and tell him they were not his friends, but...he had chosen Elliot and his group to blend in with, so he couldn't exactly risk the discord. He sighed again and shrugged. "It's seelie stuff, Elliot. We're not seelies so we can't really get involved. I don't want to piss off these spider people, so if they want to, then let them."

          "You're not hearing me—"

          "Mr Davis," Quincy called, "and Mr Darlington. Is there perhaps something you'd like to share with the class?"

          Everyone stared back at them.

          Clementine scowled irritably at Elliot, who stuttered and shook his head.

          "N-no, sir," he called.

          "Then I'd suggest keeping the chatter until lunch."

          He nodded. "Y-yes, sir—sorry."

          "Where were we? Oh, yes...."

          As Quincy continued with his lecture, Clementine rested the side of his face in his hand.

          "What if it wasn't spider people?" Elliot uttered.

          This kid never knew when to stop, did he?

          "It could have been...I don't know...other...bug people—arachnoids aren't the only species that make web-looking stuff—a-and how do we know that kid that claimed they saw her body was right? How do we know they really saw web? You know what we need to do? We need to find whoever said they saw her and get them to explain to us what the web looked like, and from that, maybe I can decipher if it really was an arachnoid or not. What do you say?"

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