White Thorn | On Hold

Babysitting Duty

It took all of two seconds for everything to go wrong.

Arya and Velvet had just exited the library, sneaking out the emergency exit at the back—the very exit Flynn was waiting outside... and he wasn't happy. He smiled, yet it didn't reach his eyes, his expression oddly calm as Velvet was tackled to the ground by one of his subordinates. "Arya... Care to tell me why you're out of bed at this hour?"

"Um... Well..."

"Arya. This is serious." His smile faded, his gaze falling on Velvet as she was hauled to her feet with her hands safely locked behind her back.

"This throws a wrench in my plan." Velvet sighed, watching as a man stepped out of the shadows.

Loxian.

"No doubt it does." He said, folding his arms as his blonde subordinate grabbed a hold of Velvet's arm. "Come along, Miss Thorn. We've got questions that need answering."

"Velvet's innocent." Arya glared at the man. "Don't treat her like a criminal. You'll regret it."

The brunette grinned. "You're so sweet, Ari." Velvet smiled. "I trust you'll take over the investigation for me while I'm occupied." She said, not caring about everyone else staring between the pair. "Something tells me I won't be seeing anything other than the interior of a cell for a while..."

"You got it." She nodded.

"Investigation?" Loxian tilted his head. "What about?"

"Who's been setting me up." Velvet said, ignoring the sceptical look on the man's face. "My lovely friend Arya will be taking over while I'm occupied."

"Like hell she will." Flynn grumbled. "She's missed enough school as it is, and I don't want you giving her an excuse to miss even more."

"But—"

"I'll take over your investigation."

Velvet blinked. "That's actually kinda sweet of you..." She smiled, not struggling as a set of blue thorns pricked her skin. "But Arya..." Her body swayed, her eyes closing as she fell back into Loxian's waiting arms. "She's the only one... She knows..."

"Huh?" Arya stumbled towards her, confusion written across her face as the girl trailed off, sleep having caught up with her before she could finish her sentence. "Oy, wake her up." She ordered, glaring at Loxian. "She was about to tell me something important."

"Anything important she has to say would be better of said to us." He folded his arms, eyes flickering to the two Disciplinary Committee Commanders standing by the girl. "I trust you'll make sure the little runt doesn't decide to bust her friend out."

Arya pouted.

He was sharp.

Seconds later, she froze, her eyes narrowed as she mulled over what he'd just said. "Did you just call me a little runt?" She asked, glaring at his back as he ignored her.

Two hands looped under her armpits, yanking her back as Loxian strode away—an unconscious Velvet in his arms. "Enough, troublemaker." Flynn sighed. "You need to get back to bed."

"Says who?"

"Me."

"And?" She stared at him blankly, blinking as she was hauled away by his partner.

"Come on. I'm still on babysitting duty, and if you even think of giving me the slip one more time, then so help me—"

"Technically it wasn't me who gave you the slip."

Blaine paused, eye twitching. "Just shut up and get to bed. I'll be staying in the room with you, this time, so don't get any ideas."

Arya blinked. "In my bedroom?"

"Problem?"

She squished her cheeks together, a small cunning smile on her face. "Don't you think that's a bit... inappropriate?"

"Huh?"

"Um, Blaine..." Flynn scratched the back of his head. "She does have a point."

"I'm not going to do anything! Heck, I'll just be sleeping on the floor—not to mention it's for her own protection. Clearly there's more going on here than we thought..."

"I can stay with her instead."

"She's not your brother, idiot. It'd be just as inappropriate—if not worse!" Blaine slapped the back of his head, shooing him away as he proceeded to drag Arya back to her room, completely ignorant of the fact two sets of eyes were watching them go.

Green eyes followed the pair, a faint smile on her childish face as they vanished inside the building opposite to the one she and her own partner in crime waited on. "Did she see?" The infamous Headmistress of Riverdale High asked, swinging her legs back and forth as she sat on the edge of the steeped black roof.

"Of course." The girl smiled, shadows curling around her feet, having just taken her from the library to where she stood at that instant. "Whether she remembers is another matter entirely..."

"Of course she'll remember." Wren grinned, her usual blue-coloured lollipop sticking out of her mouth as she stared at the empty courtyard below. "This is Arya we're talking about... and you know how much like her she is."

A wistful smile crept onto the girl's face. "Yeah."

"That's why you took her there, after all... You didn't want that mind of hers to figure it out..."

"You caught me." She said, tucking her hands into the pockets of her lacy black dress, staring up at the night sky.

"I'd have done the same too..." Wren nodded, glancing back at her companion. "I mean we can't have them figuring out the second meaning to that riddle, can we?"