Chapter 35

I wake up to the sound of rain hitting the top of the tent. When sit up in the cot, I can see the muddy ground outside. It must have rained for hours already.

When I check the tent, I realize both Kennedy and Nocturne have already left. I don't know where they always go, but they're rarely in the tent.

Given the weather, I don't want to venture outside, but I'm sure Onda and the twins are already at the dining hall. If I don't hurry up, I'm not going to be eating until lunch time.

Dragging myself out of the tent with the hood of my cape obstructing my vision is a whole ordeal. I think I managed to find and then step in every puzzle.

When I finally make it into the dining hall, I'm confused why I don't see any of them. Normally Onda's waiting either at the front of the tent for me or inside, but he's not here.

I decided for now that I'll just get my food and reserve spots for us. By that point, somebody should be here. But, no. Even after I secure my food and sit down, they're nowhere to be found. A worrying thought occurs to me then. What if they had to go to the medical tent for treatment?

I end up trashing most of the food since I can’t concentrate and hurry to the medical tent.

“Onda? Koa?” I call out their name inside the tent and look around. The only person there is the doctor that’s still curled up on the ground sleeping.

Giving it some thought, I decide to head in the direction of their tent. As I walk through the camp it occurs to me that the energy is different from yesterday. People are whispering about something that happened, but I can't catch the words they're saying. When I make it to their tent, nobody's inside.

I linger at the tent’s entrance wondering what I should do. Should I go check the beach or should I go back to the medical tent and wait on them? Maybe they just showed up to the dining hall late and they're waiting for me right now.

For the past month and a half, we haven't really deviated from our schedule, so there's only so many places that they could be.

“Hey.” A voice I don't recognize calls out to me.

When I turn around, I see the familiar white short cut hair and horns from the guy that I stumbled into the other day. This time there's no smile on his face.

“Hi. I'm sorry, do you know where Onda and the twins are? They're the people I normally hang out with.”

“Yeah, follow me.” He doesn’t wait for me to respond before he begins walking towards the center of the camp. I don't know what to do so I just follow.

He's a lot taller than me so his steps are bigger, forcing me to pick up my speed to keep up with him. I almost think to ask him to slow down, but there's a determined look in his eyes that makes my stomach turn.

I'm not sure why, but I’m worried one of them got seriously hurt.

When we make it to Lieutenant Idiot’s tent, I see a crowd gathered around. My first thought is that Coa said something he shouldn't have and this time, he not only got his brother wrapped up in it, but Onda too.

I throw a quick thank you over my shoulder to the man and head towards the crowd. When I finally make it towards the front, as expected Koa and Coa are kneeling on the muddy ground. They're absolutely soaked telling me they've been here for a while.

But nobody's talking. Nobody's yelling at them or addressing them at all. Instead, they're all looking at something and whispering.

My eyes followed their gazes, and it feels like lead has filled my veins and lungs making it possible for me to move or breathe. On the ground, there is a sheet covering something. Someone.

There's a name in the forefront of my mind, but I refuse to go there. Instead, my eyes scan the faces around me.

I see Lieutenant Idiot and Lieutenant Tallmaul close to the body next to Sage. Then, I spot Jay and the other two tentmates. They all look annoyed, like being out here in the rain is inconvenient. But of all the faces I see, I don't see his.

Before I know what I'm doing, I stumble up to Koa. Lieutenant Tallmaul spots me and orders for me to go back saying that this doesn't involve me.

I ignore him as I asked my question, “Is that Onda?”

Please tell me no.

‘Yes.’

No. The voice lies. It says things and I don't know why it says it, but I won't trust it.

I squat so that I'm eye level with Koa and I ask him again. He doesn't answer. Neither does his brother. They're beat up and bruised. There's dry blood on Koa’s forehead, and the hollow look of defeat is heavy in their gazes.

“Didn't you hear me girl. Get back!” Lieutenant Tallmaul strides over to me pushing me away from the twins.

I'm too numb to react. I'm too numb to do much of anything but ask the same question and hope that someone can tell me no.

“Is that Onda?”

The Lieutenant scoffs at me as he walked away back towards Lieutenant Idiot. Not knowing where else to look, and making damn sure I don’t look at the body, I turn my eyes to Jay and the others.

The only one that makes eye contact with me is the weasel guy. Ivan I think. He smirks as if you remember something funny, and that's when I spot it. I stitched every seam. I made sure to add more pockets for him so he can carry things. Gave him a higher collar since he likes shirts that hide his neck. And the sleeves, I made them long so that they cover his palms.

All his shirts have stretched out sleeves since he pulls at them when he gets nervous. That bodysuit, I made it specifically for Onda.

Fury rushes over me. Now I know, and if they think I'm just going to let it go and move on, then they’ll learn the hard way what a child born of chaos can do.

Instead of letting my rage overcome me, I focus. I need to find out everything I can so I can form a plan. Even if it takes me a lifetime, I’ll make sure they pay for the life they took.

I stand where I am and wait. Wait for Sage to finish looking over the body, wait for the crowds to dwindle. In the rain refusing to budge, I wait.

When Lieutenant Idiot walks over to Koa and Coa who have been kneeling this entire time, he makes it a point to only address Koa. “Make a report of what happened and get it on my desks first thing tomorrow.”

“Sir—”

“I want facts. If there’s something that you cannot prove don't involve it.”

I can see Koa clinching his pants in frustration, but he doesn't say anything back. I do though.

“Lieutenant, can I say something?” Lieutenant Idiot looks up at me taking in my soaked appearance. I'm not sure if he'll actually let me talk, but I have to try.

“What?”

“I would like to make a report about bullying that was taking place. It might not be related to what happened, but I think it's important to have all sides of the story.”

“Bullying? This has nothing to do with you so why are you coming over here making false accusations?” Lieutenant Tallmaul bellows.

“It is something that I and my roommate Kennedy witnessed. I believe it's credible information Sir.” Me name dropping Kennedy was intentional. From what I gathered, she's the highest ranking royal here. My account of what happened might not hold weight, but I bet hers will.

“Lady Kennedy Echethier?” Lieutenant Idiot ask in confirmation.

I nod my head ignoring the glares I get from the three roommates.

“This is a waste of our time.” Lieutenant Tallmaul says before turning to Lieutenant Idiot and explains in one thousand ways why my opinion in this case doesn't matter. Multiple times he talks about Jay and Kael in a way that tells me he's on their side, not Onda’s.

Lieutenant idiot considers the situation for moment, before finally responding. “Write the report. We'll look into the matter and go from there. Better to show that we did a thorough investigation now than to have the Sanctions Master visit.”

Lieutenant Tallmaul’s face turns red as he glares at me. My expression, however, remains unreadable as I tell Lieutenant Idiot that I understand and thank him.

With that, everyone departs except for me, the twins, and Sage. My eyes are fixed on the body on the ground. A part of me is still hoping that whoever is under the sheet isn’t Onda, but for some reason, no one has.

Koa and Coa step up behind me and watch as Sage puts the body in the bag never once removing the covering that's keeping us from seeing the state of…the body. Sage taps a rock on the bag, and it hovers a few feet off the ground. Before he leaves, Dage makes eye contact with us.

I haven't known him for long, but Onda did. The way they talked and even laughed sometimes told me how close they were. In this space between us, we’re all carrying the same pain.

I nod my head at Sage telling him without words that they will not get away with this.

Only when Sage is out of sight do I turn around to face the twins. Koa’s silence is a rage filled one, while his brother just looks full of regret.

“Em—” Koa is about to say something, but then he stops.

“Let's get out of the rain, Then, tell me what happened.”

“It doesn’t matter Em. No matter what we do those will walk away without answering for anything.”

“That’s where you’re wrong Koa. You see, I don't care how long it takes, they’ll pay for this. I swear on the Divinities that they will. I won't have a peaceful death until they do.”