On my way back to the dorm, I bought Pizza and Starbucks for Alexis and me. She wanted to stay in my dorm for a few days as she could not face her roommate now, not after what had happened between Finn and her. Of course, I happily obliged since spending more time with her at my dorm means that I would deal with lesser Junius problems. 

We did all the typical girl things as we watched Netflix, had a heart to heart conversation and basically goofed around.

As I was in my deep slumber, someone threw a pillow towards my forehead.

"Wake up and answer the damn call!"

I took a quick glimpse at the screen and realised it's from an unknown number. Instinctively, I ignored, but it won't stop ringing.

"Flovia! I know you're a heavy sleeper, but I do need my beauty sleep too!" Alexis whined.

"This better be something important." I let out a frustrated sigh.

"Hi?" I said.

"Hi, Mam...?" The voice sounded doubtful.

"How can I help you?" I replied, going straight to the point.

"There is a guy here named Junius. He is completely drunk in our club. We offered to send him home, but he told us to call his nanny to pick him up instead."

I frowned, since when there is a club in this academy or even any nearby streets...?

Most probably the one located at the street along the borderline. There was a line cut from our town and a forbidden city. All of us were not allowed to go there as the adults mention it's not safe and dangerous.

The teachers in the academy all said the same thing to us whenever we asked them about the city. They would always reply, "Go at your own risk." That sentence alone is enough to stop most of us from going. Besides, there was guards and security system there for goodness sake. There was no way we could sneak into the forbidden city!

I took in a deep breath and asked, "Which club is he in?"

If it's the one along the borderline, I will ignore it and go to sleep.

"69 club" He cleared his throat and replied.

I sighed heavily; not even bothered to hide my annoyance.

"Splash his face with iced water. Call a taxi and throw him in. I will send you the address." I commanded.

"Uhm... But he looked totally wasted, and he caused a commotion in our club earlier on. Can you please come and pick him up now?" The man pleaded, almost sounding desperate.

I rolled my eyes, so much for 100USD/HR

"I'll come over now. Just drop him outside your club." I stated.

"Is this okay...? We can wait till you're here before we go." He said politely.

"Just leave him there! " I raised my voice a little.

With that, I hung up the call and checked the time.

Wow. 3AM. Bloody 3 AM in the morning.

Anyone who stayed in the dorm was not allowed to leave the academy after the curfew time. How am I supposed to sneak out and bring him back, without letting anyone know we ever left the academy?

Arghhhh!!!

I squeezed my head tightly.

Maybe I should just go to sleep. I am positive he could take care of himself or even figure out a way to get back here.

But he is drunk! What if he landed in some deep trouble? My subconscious yelled at me

Then think of a way to sneak me out, miss genius! I yelled back silently.

"Via?" Alexis threw me the what-happened look, and I told her my current list of 'Junius Problems'.

"Oh. It's pretty simple. There is a fence in the backyard of the school. Go to the left-hand corner, crawl through it and walk straight until you see a street." She stretched and replied as if it was another normal routine for her.

Before I could ask any questions, she fends me off. "We used to sneaked out for dates."

And that, made me shut my mouth.

"I'll be back in around 6 or 7 am. Call me if anything happens." I nagged, still worried about what would happen if I left her alone. After all, she is going through a heartbreak.

"Yea yea. If anything happens, I will cover you. Now, go."

I nodded my head slightly and made my way to the location Alexis mentioned.

"Wow." I gasped lightly to myself. Indeed, there was an empty hole at the corner of the fence where you could sneak out. I took a glimpse around the surroundings. No surveillance camera, no security system, no guards.

Perfect.

As I squeezed my way into the hole, I sounded in utter frustration. The hole was meant for a street dog, not a human! Once I had successfully snuck my way out of the academy, I used my phone as torchlight, and almost instantly, I regretted. Terribly.

Weltered leafs shattered on the ground and the road in front of me was nothing but bats flying around. When you shine your light towards the path, you can't even see much. I stood there and processed my mind for a minute.

Go back to the academy.

Go back to the academy and sleep. My brain and gut feeling said.

Yes, Flovia, go back to the academy.

But I can never bypass the guilt engulf inside me. I'm the one who told the waiter to leave him outside the club. If anything bad happens to him, it would be my fault.

And this is it.

I made up the rashest decision ever, walking through this so-called forest by myself.

Come on, Flovia. On the bright side. Felix will be so proud of you (':

Although every single nerve system inside my body was screaming at me, asking me to return instead of moving forward, I bit my lips hard and continued to brisk walk through the eerie forest in a rather stoic way. Upon seeing the street lights, I jumped up in joy. This was probably the happiest day of the week! Without further ado, I sprinted towards the road, not wanting to stay even a second longer here.

I hailed for a taxi to send me to that location and claimed for a receipt.

Of course, I do want my money back.

"Please give me a moment. I'm going to fetch someone and be back asap." I politely said while the taxi driver gave me a thumbs up and kept the price monitor running.

I walked a few steps and reached the entrance of the club. But Junius was not there.

*Beep Beep*

I jumped at the sound.

Chill, Flovia. Chill.

It's coming from your phone!

From: BFF

Busted! Come back. NOW!!!

"JUNIUS DIESEL! WHERE ARE YOU!" I shouted loudly, giving zero flys to who I will disturb.

No reply.

And now, I panicked.

Did something happen to him?

"Oi!" A stranger hollered, and I froze.

I spun around and gave a fake smile. "Hi?"

"Finding Junius?" He smirked, and I grimaced inwardly.

You know those type of smile where a predator gave after they got hold of their prey? Yea, this is exactly the kind of expression I'm referring to. I prayed to all gods that he was just another typical fighter. Not those with the power.

"Where is he?" I managed to grab hold of my little courage and blurted.

The same guy replied with a smug expression "You'll know later."

"What do you want?" I said, sounded harsher than I thought.

"I know both of you are a weakling and in case you don't know. We're werewolves." He sounded hostile now.

We?

As if on cue, he replied "Yes, we. A pack."

That was enough to make me squirmed in fear. I want to run home and hide behind Felix. However, I stood there rigidly with an awkward silence between us.

"Aren't you scared, missy?" The leader finally broke the silence.

"Of course, I'm scared!" I replied, a little too quick and all of them laughed out loud.

"Then run!" He pretended to swing a fist towards me while I stumbled backwards.

"I would love to. But I need to bring Junius back!" I let out an exasperated sigh.

The time is ticking. I can't entertain them anymore.

"Ok, you know what. Let's make a deal" I said.

Wow. Deal? Really?? Where did you even get that from? I think I seemed to amuse them as they signalled me to carried on.

"That jerk is a good for nothing spoiled brat. He can't do any and with that anger issues of him, you probably find him a pain in the . I studied werewolves before. Most of you here have a high body temperature, and because of that tremendous heat inside your body, you need to learn how to control it well so that it will become your strength. Before that happens, time to time, you all need a release from the pain you're suffering."

"Ok. Your point is?"

"My point is," I took a deep breath.

"He is drunk now right? So if you all take it out on him, it's an unfair battle."

"So?"

I cannot believe I'm going to say this.

"I'll take your hits for five times straight. If I never faint or go limp, I get to bring him back. If I fainted, you get two people as a human body punching bag."

Now, they seemed to doubt me.

"Are you sure about that, missy?"

"Yes,"

"Do you like Junius?"

I frowned, why does he sound so weird?

"No?" I said as if stating a fact.

Trust me; he is the last man on earth that I will fall in love with.

"Then why are you doing this?" Now, he sounds interested.

"He is my roommate. As much as I like to see him get beaten up but I will not leave him alone here."

At least not with you guys.

"Ok deal."

The leader cackled his fingers and made a pleasant bow towards me. The type of bow where you greet your prey before dismantle them. On the surface, I kept my cool, but I am shuddering in fear on the inside. I tried to self-console by telling myself that I have been practically abused for almost my entire lifetime. This should be nothing compared to what my father did to me.

And then the attack came. Five hits straight in a row. Full house.

It wasn't slow nor sloppy. It was a consecutive hit, happened so fast that everything came by in a blur. I do not feel the pain bit by bit. I feel it as a whole. All together in one. The pain hurts even more than dad's damage done to me. It felt like I just got hit by a car on my abdomen and arm. x5.

I laid flat on the floor and took in a sharp breath.

Get up, Flovia. You need to get up.

With all my willpower and determination left, I got back up. Slowly and steady. I'm not sure how long it took me to get up, but at least I'm up now. If anyone pushes me a little, I swear I will fall back to the same spot. The aftermath of getting beaten up by a werewolf is the worst. I have not even entirely recovered from Finn's battle this morning, and now I am receiving another round from the pack leader.

I can now feel the swelling and burning sensation slowly creep into my sides. Judging from experience, the burning sensation would be there for several hours. If it's left unattended, there would be side effects.

My breathing became uneven as I cleared my throat and murmured, "Five blows. I'm back on my feet now."

The leader looked impressed, and the only thing he said was, "I will now consider you as my friend, weakling."

With that, they left without saying anything. I tried to stop them by yelling, but they ignored me. Then, I saw a black figure lying restlessly in the corner of the floor. I dragged myself towards the figure while I winced in an agony of pain. Once I'm there, I patted on Junius shoulder.

"Hey, get up. I'm wounded, and I can't carry you."

Junius tilt his chin up, and his hair was a total mess. I let my fingers run through his fringe, to make sure none of the hair stuck to his face.

"Do I know you?" He said.

My frown deepened.

His voice sounded different.

Immediately, I took a closer look.

"Junius Diesel?"

"I might be drunk, but I'm not Junius!" He shouted and violently pushed me away. Now, I finally get a good look at his face.

Indeed, he was not Junius.

"Sorry. I think I get the wrong person." I apologised even though I can fill the swelling wound inside my body.

The drunk man hissed at me and demanded me to leave. I happily oblige to his wish as I dragged myself again, to God knows where. After a good 5 minutes of walking aimlessly to find Junius, I decided to check my phone. 50 miss calls from Alexis and 100 miss calls from Felix. 2 messages received.

From: BFF

Where the hell are you?! Junius is here in the academy, eating his supper with Finn! Your brother is freaking out now! He is making a plan to rescue you.

From: Unknown

I know you are foolish, but I did not think you would fall for that. Everything was just an act, ugly doll.

I clenched my fist in anger. That jerk played a trick on me at freaking 3 AM in the morning?? I took a deep breath and made sure I did not waste any more additional energy. Without any hesitation, I quickly limp my way to the taxi, hoping it's not gone. And this time, my prayers were answered. The driver was still there, but the price had gone up a lot.

"Wow miss, you looked terrible." He commented once I got in.

I laid my head back on the seat and tried to take a quick rest.

"Where is your friend?" He said.

"Don't ask about him!" I snapped, letting all my anger out.

After realising what I did, I said "I'm sorry. It's just... never mind. I'm sorry."

"Oh... err it's okay. I will send you back to the same place."

"Don't bother. Just drive me straight to the entrance of the Special Academy."

I got busted, might as well just use the gate rather than crawling my way back in again.

I dropped a short message to Alexis.

To: BFF

I'm reaching soon. School gate.

Less than an hour, we reached the Special Academy. Felix aggressively pulled the car door apart, almost breaking it. Seeing me in a terrible state, he did not press on any further. He embraced me in a bridal style and brought me to the healing room.

"Oh, my. What fight did you get yourself into? With a pack of wolves?" The nurse gasped as she examined my wounds. I did not reply as I was completely exhausted. I'm surprised by the fact that I did not even faint.

By the time she is done dealing with my wound, she pulled off the curtain. The nurse whispered something to my brother which caused his expression to change. He managed to keep it in as Alexis, Finn, Junius, Luke King and my tutor were all here.

Alexis' eyes turn into shades of green as she used her laser eyes to scan my body, detecting if there were any other internal injuries caused. When she reached my rib cage, she frowned. I think she did not like what she just saw.

"Flovia Maddox, you broke the school rules." Sir Luke said with a monotone.

"That was because -" Alexis stood up for me but was immediately shut off by Luke King's manipulation power.

"Any explanation to say?" Sir Luke King stared at me straight in the eyes, looking for answers.

I wet my lips and replied, "No."

All of them were taken aback by my responses except for Alexis and Felix. They know me, I'm not the type who would try to explain myself.

"Flovia, you broke two serious rules. One, sneaking out of the school. Two, getting into fights without permission. If you're not going to explain yourself, you will end up in some serious trouble." Mr Styles revealed while I sighed.

"Okay. I'll face the punishment then."

"None of them from the elites want to face the punishment, you're a weakling, and you opt for it?!" Now Mr Styles yelled, thinking as if I've gone nuts.

"Then what kind of explanation do you want me to say so that you will buy it?" I retaliated, feeling thoroughly annoyed.

Everyone remained silent. I'm sure both Mr Styles and Luke King knew why did I even ended up in such state. But I could not afford to tell the truth. It's written clearly in the terms and condition of the contract.

"Never let Junius get into any trouble, be it in school or outside school."

Mr Styles will never act recklessly as it involved the son of Luke King. One waited for me to say the truth myself and the other is observing the way I'm going to react.

"Very well then. Bring her to the Gate of the Hollows at 6 pm later." Sir Luke demanded.

"Sir, that's unfair!" Now, my best friend and brother objected. The second they were going to mention anything again, Luke King stares at them with an intense gaze, and they clung on to their heads, wincing in pain.

"Stop it!! I'll go." I exclaimed.

Junius eyes remained cold as if he saw this coming while Finn's eyes widened in shock. I hissed at them and rolled my eyes.

Whatever thing is beneath that gate, it's going to be double trouble.