Helanie:
My stepbrothers coming to help ant a lot, but I was still shaken by Dewitt’s hostility toward . And then Rayden touching had ignited a spark of anger.
To the point that I nearly jeopardized my position in the eyes of the Council. Now, as my stepbrothers walked over and stood in front of , I couldn’t look past them. The way Norman had asked what had happened gave the feeling that no harm could get to now. I felt safe. However, the issues were still unresolved.
But now my stepbrothers had to address Dewitt’s burning questions.
"Because it’s unusual for trainers to not only defend their student but also give her a place in their ho, free food, therapy, and even—" Dewitt paused briefly before chuckling to himself. It sounded like a laugh of disbelief.
"Their own car and a driver, like she’s so kind of Luna," he scoffed as he finished, making my heart skip a beat.
I had a feeling those questions would surface once people noticed I’d been driving Maximus’ car. I should have been careful. I felt a sudden guilt for making my stepbrothers go through this because of my own carelessness.
"We don’t owe you any explanations, Mr. Dewitt. Anyway, we’ll take our student and leave now," Norman hissed, turning to gesture for to follow him.
"She can’t leave without apologizing for assaulting—" Dewitt’s words were cut short by Kaye groaning.
"Sure, she’ll apologize," Kaye said, shocking even his brothers until he added, "and then you can send your warriors to the academy to pick up your kids and Rayden’s expulsion letter." The mont he said that, the entire kitchen fell silent.
"All this for a student?" Dewitt’s focus remained on the idea that sothing was suspicious about my relationship with my trainers.
"Yep! We woke up and chose justice. So tell us, what is it?" Maximus asked in a threatening tone.
I stayed hidden behind them, not even attempting to step out. Lamar casually strolled closer and nudged with his elbow, giving a knowing look that sothing was about to happen soon.
I didn’t understand it in the mont; I was too focused on what Dewitt might say next.
"Step aside. They’re leaving." Giving up on his demand for an apology, Dewitt ordered his warriors, who wouldn’t have been able to stop the brothers if they’d wanted to leave anyway.
The warriors backed off, and Norman turned, signaling for to go first. I began walking out with Lamar, and the brothers followed us.
When we reached the car Maximus had given , I got in, but before Lamar could join or even reach the car, Norman rushed ahead of everyone.
"Take Lamar ho. I’ll take her," Norman was so quick to grab the keys from the driver and hop in that none of us could react. I turned my head to look at my brothers, and sure enough, they seed lost and not okay with the idea.
But Norman had already started the engine, sitting like a giant in the driver’s seat. Once we hit the road, I could feel the tension growing inside the car.
"The Tenth Floor, Helanie? Didn’t we already talk about this?" Norman began, his voice gruff and angry. I should’ve known he wouldn’t miss this chance to scold . And honestly, this ti, I felt like I might actually deserve it.
"We didn’t. You shut down and told nothing. I wanted information that could help with helping Lucy," I muttered, staring out the window. I hated how life kept moving so normally for us while Lucy lay in a hospital bed.
"That’s because there’s nothing to say. There was one incident, and after that—nothing really happened. Just rumors," he said aggressively, fidgeting in his seat and gripping the steering wheel so hard I worried he might break it.
"Then why didn’t you do sothing? Even after the first case, shouldn’t you have acted?" I asked, my tone turning arguntative.
"There should’ve been sothing done. But about what? There was no way to the Tenth Floor. It shocked when you told you’d been there—it scared the hell out of because whoever goes there ends up dead," he hissed. "But now look at what you’ve done. We were slowly building a case against Rayden. We were going to use every single thing he did because we were already uneasy about him. He ca from Fellmoon Academy—he’s under scrutiny to adjust and follow our rules. But you ruined it all," he yelled, hitting the steering wheel.
"I’m sorry I didn’t know what you guys were doing. And I’m really sorry I can’t stop thinking about Lucy lying in that hospital while I—" I cut myself off and closed my eyes tightly, refusing to let the tears fall.
"Helanie—" his tone softened, and a small sigh escaped his lips.
"I know I’m becoming a nuisance, but I can’t help it. She went up there, and I know that entity put terrible ideas in her head—I just need to find that one survivor—" I stopped, biting my lip as I fought to keep the sobs in.
"Okay—I get it. I was being a little harsh—" I heard him stutter, but his sudden vulnerability only made feel worse, and I broke down, bawling like never before.
"Umm—I didn’t make you cry, okay? You’re crying because—you’re upset about—Dewitt—ugh, damn it," he grumbled, stopping the car on the side of the road. He got out, pacing for a few seconds before opening the backseat door for .
"Fine, I’m so—" he began but abruptly cut himself off. I wiped my tears with the back of my hand and looked up at him. "I’m—"
Was an apology that hard for him?
"You didn’t do anything wrong. You’re right. I’m just upset because everything was a failure today," I said, not in the mood for gas.
His body relaxed, the tension easing from his muscles, and he added, "Helanie, I’ll help you find that survivor."
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