The Leviathan's Rose

Chapter 1 - Sushi With a Side of Tension For Lunch

Lottie slammed her bedroom door shut behind her. The thundering sound echoed throughout her and Ellie's bedroom. Ellie flinched at the sound, rubbing her eyes. 

"Un-freaking-believable." Lottie huffed. Her crystal blue eyes swept over to Ellie. Lottie's demeanor softened, her eyebrows creasing as her gaze traced over the last remains of Ellie's panda eyes. 

"Sorry Ellie, I didn't mean to wake you." Lottie sighed, her chest deflating sadly, all of the red-hot anger seeping out of her. She shouldn't have been so reckless. She knew Ellie needed her sleep, especially after the news. It broke her heart to see Ellie look so drained.

"What happened?" Ellie said groggily. Her slim fingers raked through her cropped black hair.

Lottie plopped down at the end of Ellie's bed, the black sheets crinkling beneath her. 

"I just spent the whole day with Jamie," she said. Ellie quirked up a brow. She reached over to her bedside table, the water in her glass reflecting some of the light from the setting sun beyond the balcony. 

"That couldn't have been so bad." Ellie said before taking slow, steady gulps of her water. Lottie stared at her hands in her lap.

She inhaled sharply. "I spent the whole day with Jamie and Haru." 

Lottie heard a strangled choking sound. She whipped her head around towards Ellie, seeing water dripping down the girls chin as she coughed. Lottie pulled a pink silk handkerchief from her pocket and lightly dabbed away the water at Ellie's mouth. 

"How-" Ellie coughed a few more times. "How is he here? Why is he here?" Ellie's voice was strained and gravelly. 

Lottie barely shrugged her shoulders. "I'm not sure how he's here, but Professor Devine said he was going to be working as her teaching assistant for the year. She had Jamie and I tour him around today. At yesterday's opening speech he was standing awfully close to Jamie though." Lottie said, her voice dropping to a low tone.

"If he's here, then he can hurt Jamie." Lottie's voice quivered. "I can't let that happen." 

Be brave. The little voice in her head told her. Tears pricked her eyes, threatening to slide down her soft rosy cheeks. A calloused hand with glossy black nails reached up towards Lottie's face. Ellie's palm cradled the side of Lottie's face, her thumb swiping away some tears catching in her lower lashes. 

"We should tell him." Ellie said softly. "We should tell Jamie about Haru, that's the best way to protect him right now."

Lottie shook her head, the curtain of curly blonde hair now sitting above her shoulders swaying with the motion. 

"We can't." she said, her voice barely above a whisper. 

Ellie shifted beside her. "But Jamie-"

"Jamie's too fragile." Lottie interjected. "He thinks Haru is his friend. Do you remember the look on his face when he was in the infirmary at Takeshin? He was relieved to hear Haru say he wasn't hurt. It'll break him to know that his new 'friend' is part of Leviathan." 

He'll shatter like fine china. 

"Besides," she continued. "We told Sayuri that we wouldn't say anything. If we tell Jamie, we could put everyone in danger. There's too many risks." Lottie pulled her cardigan more tightly around her. 

Ellie placed a cold hand on top of Lottie's. Her glimmering eyes bore into Lottie's. She couldn't help but feel like Ellie resembled a ferocious wolf. 

"Then we are going to do what we do best." she said, her voice wielding such determination Lottie could feel it within her bones. "We're going to play the game. That's what we do best."