RAVENNA

Part 10

Gabriel and his friends were away, competing in tournaments. Given the circumstances, Nieve hadn't told him—or his parents—about what she was enduring. She had survived this kind of cruelty once in junior high, and she would again. But letting such things happen again and again only made one a pushover, a target.

Still, someone else was not so silent. Someone else was fuming.

Rob.

Negative comments. Cruel laughter. Poisonous whispers. Those were the only things swirling in his mind. The notification he saw that morning had snapped his patience. He knew the rumors were false—and the desire to rip apart whoever started them consumed him. He made a call. A reply came swiftly. His lips curled into a smirk.

He entered the dining hall with long, purposeful strides, his eyes scanning to make sure Nieve wasn't there—because she would intervene.

A laugh, shrill and mocking, cut across the room. His eyes darkened. Students fell silent as he strode toward Esme, his fist slamming down onto her plate. The crack of porcelain breaking into two echoed. Screams erupted.

"AAHH!"

"Are you insane?"

"What the hell are you doing, Rob?" Esme snapped.

He seized her wrist, dragging her to her feet. His voice was low, but venomous.
"You tell me—what are you doing?"

All eyes turned. Whispers rippled.

Esme jerked her arm, scowling. "What am I—"

Rob cut her short with a scoff. He shoved his phone in her face. The screen glared with vile comments. Her friends craned their necks, curious.

"Oh, is that about the 'innocent sedu—'" one began.

"Don't!" Rob roared, the sound cracking like thunder. The girl froze, shivering. "Don't you dare finish that sentence. Unless you want me to start listing your family's dirty secrets. Which surname shall I use? Mark? Smith? Or... another?"

The girl's mouth clamped shut.

Rob turned his glare back to Esme.
"It was you, wasn't it? You started this. Why? Because Gabriel didn't choose you? Tell me—since when was he ever yours?"

"Rob, lower your voi—"

"No!" His voice boomed. "I have held my tongue long enough. Today, everyone will see what you really are." Gasps spread across the hall.

"Language is forbidden—you cannot—"

"Forbidden? Yet you think it fair to spread filth about someone who has done nothing to you?"

"She did!" another girl cut in, emboldened. "She snatche—"

"Torea!" Rob barked. A smaller girl shuffled forward nervously.

"What?" she whispered.

He thrust his phone into her hand.
"Upload it. That photo. The one of the so-called 'innocent seductress' with her *imaginary boyfriend.'" He jabbed a finger at Esme. "This liar's little fantasy."

Gasps deepened as the image glowed on the screen—Nieve and Gabriel, as children, smiling with his family.

He stepped closer, his voice sharp as steel.
"So tell me, Miss Montgomery—how dare you claim someone as yours when he never was? Nieve has known Gabriel's family since she was five. She played in their halls. She was partly raised under their roof. You know this. You were there when his mother told you how she used to play with her unicorn. You know how Gabriel wept when he left for school, how he still protects her as a sister. Did you forget all of that?"

Esme flinched. Her face paled. Tears rimmed her eyes.

"You were jealous from the first day," Rob pressed, voice like fire. "You were never her friend. You used her—to creep closer to Gabriel. But tell me—what makes you think Gabriel would ever look at you again, after this? He loves her."

Her breath hitched. "I—I didn't mean... they made me..." she stammered, pointing to her friends. They looked away, abandoning her.

Rob's laugh was bitter. "And you followed like a fool. Look around, Esme. Do you see their eyes? Disgust. The very disgust you once turned on Nieve."

"Rob... please... don't use those words..." she fumbled desperately.

He leaned closer, voice lowering into a growl.
"No wonder you've never wolfed out."

Her eyes widened in horror. The words struck the rawest nerve.

"This is my last warning: stay away from her." He released her, turned on his heel, and stormed from the hall.

Students dispersed in silence. Esme stood alone, trembling. Not one of her friends stepped forward. She saw only their disdain. They had been using her all along.

—

Sitting in the swing chair in the backyard, Nieve gently pushed her feet, swaying back and forth. Her eyes closed, she tried to steady her heart in the quiet of dawn. Studies were suspended until Wednesday for the Witch's Fair, leaving her with no reason to linger alone in her dorm.

A glimmer of light caught her eye. She turned her head—Liliya was approaching, the morning sun haloing her figure. Nieve shifted, making space for her.

"You're an early riser?" Liliya's soft voice carried in the stillness.

"I am not," Nieve answered blankly.

Liliya's gaze flicked to the clock through the glass. 4:46 a.m. Nieve raised her brows. "Why come down? You should be with Michael."

"I heard the swing," Liliya admitted, adjusting her shawl.

"Ah—sorry. I should've stayed in bed."

"No, it's alright. I wake early anyway. Four, five... not much of a difference." Liliya chuckled lightly.

Silence fell. Birds began to stir, their chirps mingling with the breaking light.

Liliya finally turned to her. "Nieve... don't pay them any heed. The rumors."

Nieve shook her head. "They are the least of my concerns. I'm not worried about that. It's just..." She hesitated, her voice trembling. "I saw something. Or maybe... remembered."

"Like a dream?"

"I don't know what to call it," Nieve admitted. "A dream. A nightmare. Maybe memories of my parents."

She rose, stepping to the birdcage. Gently, she fed a worm through the bars, watching the flutter of wings. "They've been coming more often. These past few days."

A yawn escaped her lips. Liliya came to her side, taking her hand between hers.

"As long as they don't trouble you, it is fine," Liliya said softly.

Nieve's eyes drifted down to her friend's stomach, lingering with unspoken meaning. Her voice was low, almost a whisper.
"You should rest. This phase is delicate. Be careful."

Liliya nodded slowly, uncertain, but smiled faintly.