LII | A Quiet Place

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It was strange to not see Elliot waiting in the dorm lounge. Clementine stood there in his black turtleneck sweater, fiddling with the new bandages he'd just wrapped around his greying hands. The decay had spread up to his elbows in just a week, and as he pulled his sleeves down to hide it, he scowled in dismay. But there was no time to wallow—he'd had to remind himself of that every day. Now that he was back at Aldergrove, all his attention had to be focused on the remaining Ravenblood.

          He didn't know where the rest of the Ravenblood were. He hadn't seen a single one of them since getting back from winter break; he hadn't seen them in history or biology all week, but Sebastien had insisted they were still at the academy, so Clementine was going to have to continue being as patient as he could manage. His time was ticking away, though. If he didn't spot the last seven Ravenblood soon, he feared his time would come to its end.

          The knock he'd been waiting for finally came at his door. He headed over there, pulled it open, and set his eyes on Sebastien.

          "Hey babe," he said, wrapping his arms around Clementine.

          "Hey," he replied, and then, Sebastien kissed his lips.

          Uncomfortable murmurs came from the trio of students passing by outside.

          Sebastien scowled and looked over his shoulder at them. "You all react to two guys kissing like the kings of the New World aren't literally married and gay," he uttered, an aggravated glare on his face.

          Nobody said anything. The three kids hurried over to the stairs and disappeared down them.

          "I think they just find it weird to see two people together in a school where everyone's meant to be killing each other," Clementine mumbled, stepping out into the hall. As he pulled the door shut, he saw Mathew and Mavis making their way over from the corner of his eye. "Hey guys," he greeted, turning to face them once he'd locked the door.

          "It still feels so strange to not see Elliot," Mathew said as they all headed towards the stairs.

          "I'm happy that he got to pass on," Mavis said quietly. "Wherever he is, I'm sure it's a much better place than this."

          "Do you believe in heaven, Mavis?" Mathew asked.

          "I think that there is something after you die—something up in the sky."

          "Do you think he's watching over us?"

          Mavis nodded as they reached the bottom of the stairs. "I think he is." Then, she sighed sadly and looked over at Clementine. "What do we have after lunch?"

The Atrophy of Clementine DarlingtonWhere stories live. Discover now