Beneath The Surface

Pinch Point 27 - If any one of them becomes a 'loved one'... she will die.

Normal text
Thinking
Onomatopoeia

Astaroth's POV
Sprinting through the corridor with her heart pounding, Astaroth's mental state was in shambles. She was completely distraught. Her eyes hurt. And so does her chest. It was stuffy. So suffocating. As if someone was trying to press out all the air in her lungs. She didn't know where she was heading to, just that she didn't want to be in that damn situation any longer. Hearing the distant scampering of footsteps behind her only made her quicken her pace as she sped through the hallway. It's so pathetic, knowing that she had been played and yet all she could do was make a mad clamber to get away. Instead of giving that liar a piece of her mind, she chose to flee like an emotionally fragile girl.

"That's why girls will always be useless!"

The wound on her belly was giving off dull signals of protests but she chose to ignore it. Same as how she's ignoring the old man's voice in her head to calm down. She only wanted out of here.

No wonder that aloof senior suddenly became so interested in her affairs. No wonder she started paying more attention to her. It all made sense why she suddenly grew so chummy when they didn't even have any past interactions. The thought of her treating the baby fox like it was her most precious treasure had her heart turn cold. She must have looked so foolish! To be tricked for so long, led around by the nose like what her damn parents did to her. It lied! Her baby had lied to her! Or should she say her senior had her eating out of her palm all along? That woman lied to her! Just like that damn ninja! They're all lying to her! They must think she's some kind of retard. Astaroth could already envision the scene of all of them mocking behind her back. And it was enough to send cold shivers down her spine.

Everything was falling apart. They're all derailing from her plans. She's slowly starting to lose control of the chess pieces on the board. Astaroth suddenly screeched to a halt. By now, she was already outside of the academy grounds. At a safe distance away from every lying scum. While catching her breath, convoluted thoughts continued to clog up her head. The most prominent one being that of her identity. What had she told that woman??? Please don't tell her she had screwed up her plans even more by revealing something she shouldn't have to a strange fox. Do not tell her that she was the one who personally introduced more unpredictable outliers into her plans!

"No..." Astaroth groaned, leaning bonelessly against a nearby lamp post.

Mad... I must be mad! She must have charmed me into madness!

Her head started to hurt. Why did she suddenly become so incompetent??? Why hadn't she thought of doing a thorough background check on that damn fox?! She should have known something was up when she saw an odd nine-tailed creature wandering around this damn city! It's not a fucking zoo, goddamn it! Why would there be some never-before-seen animal strolling through the streets?! She should have realised something was amiss!

*Asta, relax. Just try to recall what you've said before.*

"I AM TRYING!" she roared impatiently.

I HAVE BEEN TRYING MY ENTIRE LIFE!!!

Really. She wasn't lying. She has been trying for as long as she could remember. Anything her bloody parents hated, she changed it immediately. Anything that could get her goddess to like her has already been used thousands of times. Astaroth had done everything she possibly could. But anytime she remembered how her sister died in front of her, it only reaffirmed her parents' disdainful truths. That she would always be a mistake. Nothing she did was ever right. Everyone around her was destined to have a bad ending. She's a jinx for a reason!

Trying to calm her erratic breathing, Astaroth slowly made her way back to her own residence while attempting to sort out her messy thoughts. Paranoia started setting in when she realised she seemed to have divulged too many things, not only to Ahri, but to others as well. She had shown too many of her cards. She had hinted her identity to Kali. Revealed her grandfather to Kaisa. Demonstrated her insanity to her classmates. And nearly died trying to save Evelynn. What the hell was she doing??? Did her self-control die off a cliff recently??? Or has she grown too bored waiting for the finale to arrive? Since when was she so attached to dispensable pawns??? She's not here to enjoy the pinnacle of her youth! Neither was it to play house! It's all to meet that Gray bastard! Astaroth had already prepared a plethora of goodies just to welcome that fucker. And it would only be a surprise if she had kept a low profile! Why did she have to leave behind a trail of evidence to condemn herself??? What if her plan failed because of this? What if everything collapsed before it even started?