DEVIATE X / / AN UNORDINARY FANFICTION

XXXIX.

My eyes widened slightly as the resonance of his words slipped into the air.

Initially, he wanted me to be the Queen, but now he's asking me to be Ace?

Surely, he's asking for the sake of the hierarchy. But every member of the Royal hierarchy has been manipulated by Arlo, whether directly or indirectly. Although Seraphina was two full grades more powerful then him, even he got away with treating her with a certain degree of disrespect.

She may have the patience to stand that, but I don't.

I leaned back against the nearest table.

"No."

Arlo's head whipped up to me in shock before his expression hardened into frustration and annoyance. I promptly pushed myself away from the table and began walking towards the exit.

"You didn't even hear my reasoning," he argued.

"Do I need to?" I asked, turning slightly as I closed my hand over the doorknob. "If I refused to be your Queen, what makes you think I'd want to be Ace? I don't want to hear it, Arlo."

Before I could fully open the door, I saw his large hand press flat against the surface, pushing it shut. My eyes widened before I turned to look at him, crossing my arms reproachfully with narrowed eyes.

"Excuse me?" I asked as I craned my neck to look up at him.

He was too close, close enough where I could smell the fresh scent of his cologne wafting off his clothes. My mind immediately flashed back to my dream, causing me to press my back against the wall to put as much space between us as possible.

"Arlo," I began with an ominous voice, "think carefully about what you're doing."

A crimson glint flashed briefly across my eyes.

"Please hear me out," Arlo said as he looked down at me, unfazed by my threat, almost cringing the way the sentence rolled off his tongue.

"Please," I mocked as a dry laugh escaped my lips. "How cute."

A flicker of rage crossed his face before he firmly slammed his hand near the side of my head, his fingers unintentionally skimming strands of my hair. But despite the sudden movement, I remained motionless and didn't let my gaze waver.

"Why are you not taking this seriously?"

"Because I don't take your hierarchy seriously," I admitted. "It's insipid, full of drama and manipulation. Being on the outer circle as a high tier allows me to see things that you guys with titles probably can't identify."

I leaned closer.

"While you're sitting comfortably on your throne, everyone is a puppet on a string, directly controlled by you. It's no wonder why Seraphina stepped down from being a Queen," I added bitingly. "You think I didn't know when you tasked Isen in profiling me? How you have Cecile wrapped around your finger, filtering all the stories we publish to the school? All your passive decisions and hidden agendas......I don't want to be apart of it, Arlo. I already get enough of that with John."

He must've noticed the pained discomfort in my face, because then I heard the hand near the side of my head curl into a fist. He sighed softly before giving me space, feeling the pressure in my chest alleviate.

Arlo turned his head away from me, tsking softly under his breath.

"I need to know what John's hiding from me. You know something I don't. I don't buy John's story. You guys suddenly becoming buddies.....? Having sleepovers when the weekend starts?" I shook my head. "You out of all people wouldn't take time out of your day to help John, especially with the way you view him."