Mouths moving—no sound.
Silent screams.
Wrong. Wrong. Mistake. Your fault. Death.
Empty faces. Smiling. Laughing. Dark. Cold. Hollow.
Loud whispers.
Right. Right. My fault. Death.
Bodies dancing. Young. Old. Girls. A woman. A man and a boy.
Touch. Touch.
No body. No touch. Just a cover. Just a shadow.
Panting. Wanting. No feel. Screams. No voice.
Whispers. Silence.
Eyes open. Unfocused. Searching. Sweating. Door. Table. Bed.
It was just a dream.
A memory made up by her treacherous mind.
A reminder. A final warning. Subtle, yet big enough to be noticed.
You don’t feel. You do not dream. You do not live. Remember your place.
After all, there is no mercy for the wicked one.
Whatever happened yesterday was a mistake. A misstep. She had already accepted that.
It’s just—how easy it was to lose control.
No, the ignorance. The arrogance. The fleeting moment of peace.
It was wrong.
She acknowledged it. She knew it.
Her approach was wrong. Faulty.
She forgot. She doesn’t save. She dooms.
Adrien was nobody, and it was time she started acting like it.
Maybe she was really unteachable.
‘Wrong. Wrong.’
“Don’t go there, Raven. Stop. Stop. You will bleed.”
Breaths. Slow. Shaking intakes and outtakes.
She got this. She should handle this much.
She wasn’t that weak. She wasn’t.
She made a mistake. A miscalculation. That’s okay.
‘No, it’s not.’
All she needed was a new plan.
Avoidance doesn’t work, and she couldn’t go on like this.
‘Failure…’
Alright. No big deal.
‘Big deal.’
There were other options.
She could—
A sound. Shrill and loud. Her alarm.
‘Shit. School. I forgot.’
“I have to get up. The plan has to wait. No time. I’ll just have to deal with it. Not my preferred approach, but a beggar can’t be a chooser.”
Raven scrunched up her nose, rubbing her eyes.
“After all, I can’t stay home today or be late.
The faster, the safer.”
Her voice was small, quiet—just above a whisper.
Fragile, as if she was making a confession she was afraid to hear.
With that, Raven just sighed as she pulled her tired body out of bed.
It felt heavy, as if it was full of rocks rather than flesh and blood.
Whenever her mind went to that place, it always tasted like lime on her tongue.
A bitter sting. A reality check wrapped in fiction.
But Raven had no choice but to push forward.
She couldn’t laze. He would be back soon.
This text was taken from Royal Road. Help the author by reading the original version there.
And whatever awaited her outside—at school—it was going to be better than being caught by him.
As Raven dragged her restless body and mind through her grueling, repetitive routine that felt more like a punishment sentence than a morning ritual—
Bathing. Brushing. Checking. Patching. Clothing. Makeup. Packing. Clean-up.
Locking up.
Cleaning again. Cooking but not eating.
Leaving. Mask on.
————————————?
In school, Raven barely made it.
She rushed through the building, rumors fluttering around—
—the new students, who slept with who—everything and nothing hormonal teenagers needed to know.
The exterior looked calm, collected—but if you looked closer, the steps were wider and faster.
But nobody did.
Just like she needed it.
Looking, but not noticing.
In class, Raven settled in her usual place.
Quietly observing. No one sat beside her.
It was like always.
The class washed over her like water down a hill.
She knew when it started and knew when it ended. That’s it.
She was so lost in thought that, again, an alarm had to pull her out.
‘Damn smiles. Damn alarm. Damn me.’
The rest of the day went similar.
Adelaine said she was sick today—well, texted. It was short.
Short was weird for Ade. Adelaine didn’t do subtle.
Raven made a mental note to ask later how she was and apologize for yesterday.
Even though it was nothing new to Adelaine that Raven left whenever she felt uncomfortable, apologizing was the appropriate approach.
Raven looked down at her phone, sweeping her tongue over her teeth.
Finally, it had come: the last lesson.
The lesson she had with him.
She had somehow avoided him the whole day.
She didn’t do it on purpose—well, that’s what she tried to tell herself.
‘Who am I kidding.’
She just didn’t know how to deal with him.
She knew she had to, but how she wished she didn’t have to.
She just needed more time—time for a plan.
But, like always, her wishes were ignored.
——————————————-
Before Raven even set a foot in the gym—
She hadn’t needed to change; she never did anymore after everything.
Already in sports gear—
She was interrupted by a familiar, unwelcome voice.
It sounded like and felt like honey—overwhelming and sticky.
She didn’t even need to turn.
It was Adrien.
Nobody else dared, at least not openly, to interact with her like that—besides Adelaine.
“Raven, Rave—can I call you that? No answer? Okay, I guess I can.”
He chuckled softly, the sound entirely too casual.
“Why do I feel like I haven’t seen you today? I knew something was missing. How are you, Rave? Missed me?”
Adrien smirked, stepping before her, broad shoulders blocking her sight ahead.
Raven turned her head, moving aside but stopping mid-step, looking up, biting her cheek as Adrien moved with her, blocking her path again.
“No answer again? Aren’t you talkative today? Mon reine sans c?ur. But I wouldn’t have it any other way,” he added with a playful tilt of his head. “After all, a true gentleman works for what he wants.”
‘How can one person spout that much bullshit so confidently?’ questioned Raven to herself.
Nonetheless, Adrien rocked back on his heels slightly, looking more animated than usual.
“Never mind that though—do you know what? I have a brilliant idea. Like, Nobel-worthy idea.” He laughed holding up his hands in defense at the defeating silence that followed. “Okay, not that much, but like—it’s really good.”
She could almost see the idea bubbling up behind his eyes.
His hands moved as he talked, expressive and quick.
“I wanted to tell you this morning—or more like the whole day—but I couldn’t find you, so yeah. This will have to do.”
His voice dipped then. Fast. Not low, not sad, just… softer.
“So, you know about our project—or more like our class project,” he said, eyes briefly flicking to the side before catching hers again.
“Why don’t we make it a group work with Adelaine and Aiden? Like a club. Well, more like a study club. But just for us—a win-win, Rave.”
She stayed still, watching. Not responding.
“It would be killing two birds with one stone,” he continued.
“We have to join a club, and I really have no big interest in joining one, so why not make one? And our class project has to help students, and what’s better than a study group?”
He shrugged his shoulder lightly, as if he was trying to make an obvious point.
‘This guy,’ thought Raven with a slight edge.
“I know it needs more planning, but the base is there—do you see the vision?”
He flickered, taking a quick breath. “I know I’m kinda talking a lot—can you at least say something? Anything?”
His eyes reflected the sun when he said it. Bright. Warm. Too much.
Smiling down at her, expecting.
‘How is this normal? How can anyone be so bright? That had to be cheating.’
Raven felt herself almost reacting to the warmth.
Looking for a shadow.
But no—yesterday’s memory clinging onto her skin like cold sweat.
It was like something physical was stopping her.
‘Smiles.’
So she swiftly turned around to leave before Adrien could stop her again.
His idea wasn’t even bad.
It was efficient. Smart.
Not empty-headed.
‘So why doesn’t he get the hint?’
The idea of having to spend more time with him made her physically sick.
The risk of uncertainty—
‘Yeah, no thank you.’
She knew it was unfair, but she couldn’t help it.
She couldn’t think. She needed space. A plan.
The others must’ve finished changing soon.
She spotted the teacher and made her way to where her class had to stand.
Completely ignoring him.
Wrong approach. Yes.
Do I have a better one? No.
‘Useless.‘
———————————-
After around one period later, the class was in full swing.
And blondie hadn’t tried to approach her again.
They were currently playing volleyball—boys and girls mixed.
It was loud. Sweaty. The air hot and sticky.
The ball spiked high in the air, shoes screeching on the floor.
Students screaming at each other, acting like it was the Olympics.
Something Raven would never understand—was sport ever that deep?
“No, it wasn’t,” muttered Raven lowly to herself, preparing to receive the ball.
Then, it happened.
The ball flew at her face with full force.
She couldn’t dodge or pass it.
It was the perfect hit—precise timing and strength—yet never meant to be received.
She tried to fight it, but her eyes unfocused.
Someone was running toward her, shouting her name.
‘Who? Why?’
The world tilted, her knees buckling as she realized,
‘Oh. I am falling.’
“Oh well. This is going to hurt,” whispered Raven to particularly no one.
——————————?
When Raven awoke, her head spun a few circles till it settled into a half-dazed state.
Her gaze unsteady, making her blink a few times before she noticed she was in the nurse’s room.
Before she could think more, her stomach churned, signaling that her empty stomach wanted to spill what little she had.
‘Fuck. The girl knew what she was doing. Fuck her.’
Her brain felt like needles were picking it apart.
And out of all days, it just had to be today. ‘Fuck.’
Her whole body ached.
Like she had just taken a fresh beating.
Beatings. Injuries. Bandages.
Her scars! ‘Please, no,’ hoped Raven silently.
She checked, her hands moving fast, fingers slightly trembling.
Relief flooded her, seeing nothing was out of place and there was no bandage around her head, which meant she hadn’t bled.
‘Depending on my luck, 2–3 days of a headache.’ Feeling a harsh pull on the left side of her head, Raven mused, ‘ yeah, it’s definitely gonna be three,’ wincing in pain.
As Raven tried to lie down again, she heard voices outside.
“Why are you defending her?” a female muffled voice.
“She deserved it.” A boy.
“Stay away from her. She’s trouble—not the good kind,” said the darker tone.
“Don’t say we didn’t try to warn you.” The girl again.
Raven concluded that it was about her.
‘Of course it’s me. There aren’t many injured pariahs at this school.’
The question now arose: who were they talking to?
‘Please not him. Please.’
But when was she ever graced with mercy?
“Are you guys finished now? Thanks for caring. I guess? I’ll let you know when I start.
And if that was all, you can go now.”
No movement on either side.
Then Adrien let out a sharp breath, like this whole conversation was pointless.
“Okay, okay—I get it, so just go, guys, before we wake the sick… or waste more of our time.”
His voice.
Bored. Direct. Still light—but sharper.
She couldn’t place it, but something had shifted.
She shouldn’t care.
But her face softened.
The tension in her shoulders eased.
She didn’t smile. Or laugh.
But she felt a little lighter.
She closed her eyes and let herself fall.
She’d heard enough. Her brain wouldn’t last much longer anyway.
The door opened a few minutes later.
No more voices outside.
They must’ve left.
Blondie stepped in.
Made his way toward her.
She wasn’t quite awake—but not fully asleep.
Resting yet aware.
He sighed.
“Good sleep. You really frightened me there, mad—” he stopped, huffing.
For a second it was quiet, but then he sat near her for what felt like eternity.
Like he was watching over her.
Oddly… she didn’t feel as uncomfortable as she should.
No uncomfortable warmth, just the outside noises and their small breaths.
After some time, he stood up, leaving something on the table.
It seemed as if he was ready to go.
And Raven—sleep-deprived, fragile—spoke.
“I’ll do it, Adrien. Let’s work together.”
Soft. Barely a whisper.
As if the words might disappear if she listened too closely.
An unspoken gratitude. A reach. A start. A new plan.
A beat passed—birds twitching, cars passing.
Suddenly Adrien laughed, the tune quiet and gentle.
Like a loud sound might break the moment.
“Anytime, princesse. Reposez-vous bien, ma reine.”
With that, Raven finally let go and drifted into a dreamless dream.
Neither of them would acknowledge it—
But this was their first real moment.
The first stepping stone.
Thank you for reading, I hope you liked it.
Chapter 14, Part 1 & 2 is already out.
See you next Sunday!
—(N.N)
Little teaser:
“Let him think he got what he wanted.”